wamwig

Hi Paul Realistically with the time of year, modelling is likely to start next year. I used to live in Ware (for about 50 years) so Widford was always close for me. Being a bit of an aviation geek as well I am also modelling some local aircraft including a few from RAF Sawbridgeworth as a Mustang from the airfield crashed close to the railway at Easneye. Anthony

Thanks Rob The Valencing is pretty good, hopefully I can get the station buildings laser cut as well so I can use it, Intentio do Cressing and Widford is just a smaller version of it. Enjoying the Sheep Chronicles, the room is drying out nicely so might just get painted later this week Anthony

Sorry to hear that, like others hope you have a speedy and full recovery. I have also just had it (well 5 or 6 weeks ago) also quite nasty (temp over 39c after a week) and I'm still not back to normal, still breathless, smell and taste not back to normal but keep getting a random 'phantom' smell of cigarette smoke, odd but quite common apparently. Again double vaccinated but like you hate to think what might have happened if I hadn't been, we were pretty close to a 999 situation as it was! Good to see your East Anglian layout as I am going to attempt to recreate Widford!

Time to resurrect this topic, 'work' lasted a little longer than I expected (other interesting projects came up) but it seems to have tailed off now, so it's time to start "Widford" in earnest. Another rather momentous decision taken was that "Widford" was to have it's own room and so over this last week what was once the garage (but hasn't actually seen a car for many years) has been converted to a fully insulated hobby room. With finishing off (painting, skirting etc) layout building is unlikely to be started until the new year but it will have the scenic along the long side (on the right of the 'now' picture) and storage areas on the shorter sides. Here is what the garage looked like last weekend and also yesterday. More in the new year.

That'll be Bull Models and still available from them I believe.

If anyone wants an unusual vehicular talking point on their layout, how about a Tatra 87 Cabrio? Attack also do the saloon version and a number of other potentially useful vehicles!

It has probably already been mentioned but some of the short run plastic kit 1/72 scale military vehicle producers from Eastern Europe, like Military Wheels and Ace, often have useful subjects. Military Wheels have the Gaz AA and AAA in their range (as do a couple of other companies), just turn them into RHD and they are perfect as Ford AA and AAA trucks, likewise Ace have recently released a 1930s/40s German Ford G917, which with only a little work can pass for a UK made one, as used by the LFB and others.

Completely stunned by this, I only met Mick a couple of times on courses at Pendon but I also followed his projects here, he will be a great loss to the hobby. My thoughts are with his family at this time. RIP Mick.

Oh yes I remember it well, I put it down to our chemistry teacher taking us to the Royal institution lecture on explosives!

Apologies for the lack of updates, while I 'retired' at the end of 2020 I almost immediately went back to work for the same company to undertake a specific project. That project is coming to an end in the next month or so and therefore I should be back onto the project. Things have not been quiet though, the decision has been taken that it will sadly have to be a home layout as after a lot of thought there was no way I could get a suitable exhibition layout into the car and still have any space! Discussions have also taken place with a view to getting some of the buildings laser cut and I have started to draw them up. In the meantime I have started to assemble some figures for the layout and because there is unlikely to be that many in total (around 36 I reckon excepting train crews/passengers and that is pushing it but allows for several 'cameo' scenes) I'm pushing the boat out and most are probably going to be from Modelu with the remainder from Hardy's Hobbies and Dart Castings. Anthony

Nice plug Mick, thoroughly enjoyed my attendance at one and now I'm putting into practice what was learned on it, practice certainly makes perfect (or close to anyway) and of course on the course you get the opportunity to marvel at The Vale Scene! Anthony

Hmmm no idea what the animals on Little Muddle eat but those guys have trodden in something a very odd colour!

Also, speaking to them this morning, I understand the size issue has now been addressed.

Indeed many of the Dapol/Airfix figures are still good for use! There were some stinkers out there though!

Tony From my experience they are not quite as detailed as those from Modelu (Modelu print in HD resin) but they are not that far off, certatinly at OO you would be pushed to see the difference at a normal viewing distance, and are much better than some of the amorphous 'blobs' that we have had in the past! Just a personal experience from someone who has both (and those from a couple of other manufacturers) and will order from all of them again. Anthony

Yes I always found it somewhat ironic that there is one of these actual vans as a coffee shop outside Deal Castle, proudly adorned allover with "English Heritage".

An interesting comparison, my personal preference is for Modelu and Hardys figures to be 1/72 rather than 1/76, there is nothing 'scientific' in this I just prefer the little bit of extra 'bulk' for painting (and I also do a bit of smale scale military modelling which is generally 1/72 these days), that said I do have 1/72, 1/76 and 1/87 scale figures because, as you rightly say, people do come in various sizes, although my 1/87 scale ones are usually in vehicles, railway coaches or buildings where their smaller stature isn't perhaps so obvious. However we digress a little from the original subject for this topic, which is Modelu figures and components. Anthony

Yes that figure manufacturer does seem to have completely disappeared, I did get some before they went offline (not those though) and like the two figures you have there I thought they were on the large size for 1/76 and even 1/72 (others noted it as well), shame they seem to have vanished as they had some useful figures and there looked to be more on the way! Oh well I'm sure someone will replace them, there are also many stl files available to print figures (and other useful items) at home now so maybe the time has come to invest in a home 3d printer?

Looks fantastic Philip, I'll be having one, looks like the start of a good 4mm range!

Not much been done recently as I wind down at work but I will be 'retiring' in less than a week so hopefully progress can be made then, for now though Intentio have reproduced the specific station building valance for Widford for me, an offer on their Facebook page to reproduce any valance for the same price as a standard valance was too good to resist, less than an hour from an idea to finished product, well done Intentio.

Anyone that wants a specific Valance, Intentio (through their Facebook page) are offering to design and laser cut it for you (for no extra cost over a standard Valance of which they already have a number), I wanted a specific one for my (under build) Widford layout and they had it designed and cut within an hour of suggestion. No connection other than a satisfied customer.

A little more expensive but somewhat better scale wise (as they are scanned and then 3d printed real people) are the figures from Hardys Hobbies and Modelu, which are generally available in 1/72, 1/76 or 1/87 scale!

Wow that looks good, well done!! Presumably there are not too many passengers on it?

Ok its not a lot but here is the first part of Widford completed, a fairly obvious part, I think these are the Ancorton laser cut kit. Hopefully it won't be too long before there is something to plonk it on!

For those that don't know Widford and I am sure that is many of you, The Buntingford Railway and Local History Society have a website that describes the railway including a page of photographs of Widford. http://www.thebunt.co.uk/widford.html Assuming I am including Widford Lodge (a residential property) there will be eight 'buildings' on the layout, although one is a small storage 'shed' and another is what I guess is a wooden platelayers 'shed' partly hidden in the trees. The others are the Station Building itself, a waiting room, a toilet block, the Porters hut and a Saxby signal box, which luckily RM had an article some time ago showing how to convert the Wills kit. There is also a grounded van body. The road will have several vehicles available, including at least three buses (I am also a member of the Model Bus Federation), likely to comprise an RT, an RF and an STL all of which were used on the 350 route that passed the station and which I already have (only 1 or 2 will be on show at any time though) and, except passengers on the trains, there will probably be around 30 figures, including several 'vignette' scenes. Anthony