Mick Bonwick

Groan.

Are you ready to try something different? Consider using artists' pencils. You already look to have the mortar course coloured, so what comes next is the brick faces. To represent yellow brick I'd suggest something like the following set from Faber Castell's Polychromos range: https://www.faber-castell.co.uk/products/Polychromoscolourpencilpalegeraniumlake/110121#color-table A109 Dark Chrome Yellow A180 Raw Umber A182 Brown Ochre A183 Light Yellow Ochre A283 Dark Chrome Yellow Give your brickwork a coat of matt varnish (or Dullcote, of course) to retain the starting point. Apply the light yellow ochre to the brick faces of one panel by using the flat edge of the pencil tip (not the point). You will find that it only colours the brick faces. You can then apply other colours over the top on a random selection of other bricks in that panel. This will give you an idea of the colour variations that you can obtain, and by altering the base colour to one of the others and repeating the exercise you will soon see which combination suits best. If it all goes to pot then just remove the mess with a stiff damp brush (I use an old toothbrush) and start again. Here is an example of a test I did that might illustrate the principle. This was for red brick and the test panel is the large one to the right The finished result is protected by another coat of your favourite matt varnish.

You know that, and we know that, but does the new one know that? Our collective breath is well and truly held.

Taking a step back. While discussing the construction of free Scalescenes huts I was told about this: https://www.chrisinden.co.uk/product-page/laser-cut-parts-for-scalescenes-weighbridge-coal-office I have one in my sticky little mitts and will be doing some more work on huts, very soon. Should be interesting . . . . . .

Excellent, John, thanks very much. All fully explained now - off to find some fuse wire!

Not one, no.

We're getting closer. We now know the correct name. We also know a bit about where it is. We still don't know what it's purpose is or what it looks like. Well, some of us, anyway.

Pop pipe is something new to me, I've never heard one referred to before and I certainly don't know what one looks like. Would you explain, please, so that I can consider whether to use them on my models? I have used my favourite Internet search engine to search for the term but it hasn't come up with anything that I could remotely connect with steam locomotives.

I'm sure that I read somewhere that loads were positioned nearer the rear axle to make the steering lighter. This was before the days of power assistance. It could be my memory playing tricks on me, of course. That's not unknown.

...in a crate.

Easily led, obviously.

The very first thing checked on all 3. All fine, hence the investigation into the point - it was the only one in the fiddle yard that created the problem. Bit of a giveaway, that! Good that you got it sorted.

One to be cultivated.

I don't suppose you took any photographs of the road side of the goods shed, did you?

Progress on the row of cottages. Very slow progress, it has to be said, but progress, nonetheless. I think I'll refrain from entering the workshop tomorrow. It might be frowned upon.

Cracked it!

I'd suggest some pinwash in the gaps between planks on the bodyside. They wouldn't be cleaner than the planks themselves. Otherwise, don't do any more!

Some people call it Rule 1. I call it my train set. It's quite within my bounds of possibility that 2 or 3 car Bulleid sets continued from Weymouth to Easton!

I've been waiting for something like this to appear for ages. Heartened by the report, I can now justify some excitement. https://grahammuz.com/2020/12/23/Bachmann-bulleid-coaches-engineering-prototypes-arrive/

To my un-train-ed eye, they don't look any different even now I know which is which. Top notch results regardless of tools used.

Something to think about, Chris, is that it is possible to remove varnish from some glazing without damaging the latter. In this case it's irrelevant because you have added the driver and needed to dismantle anyway. The use of a wooden cocktail stick and some white spirit will remove both enamel and lacquer varnish from glazing, although I haven't tried it on acrylic varnish (and that's what you have probably used). If you think it might help then there's an explanation here: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blogs/entry/21575-a-land-rover-series-1-of-indeterminate-length-step-7-windows/ I hope that it might be of some use.

Just to illustrate the effect that small quantities can have, this as an example of Austin A30/35s that shows the application of a matt finish followed by pin wash and pigments. In my estimation it is all overdone, so beware. It is easy to add a little more if absolutely necessary, but almost impossible to remove excess without having to start again.

Thank you, Grahame. The reference: Season's felicitations, dear boy.

It has been considered in the past, but the idea was discarded. Pets are not for eating, apparently. Thanks, Nick. Merry Christmas to all of you, too, and an Apothic New Year.

Nothing to do with Easton, or modelling, come to that, but I thought I'd let you know that I only had to queue for 35 minutes to collect the turkey at 7 o'clock this morning. How often do you get the chance to stand 6 feet away from complete strangers, in the dark and the rain, in a queue outside a butcher's shop and openly discuss your plans for celebratory meals? It must have something to do with the time of year.