5&9Models

4 hours ago, Mikkel said:

Excellent tartan! And Rose's expression nicely captures the expression of a stern and rather sombre mother.

 

The trouble is Rose isn’t her mother, just a neighbour, so of course Charlotte thinks she’s a busy body who should mind her own business. Unfortunately Charlotte’s mother eloped with a Porter last year leaving her to bring up her two little brothers. I’m worried she might be paying the rent by ... well, you know what I mean!

2 hours ago, Kylestrome said:

You must be using quite some magnification?

 

It’s a large lens, about 7” x 6” but the magnification is only 1.75x (at least that’s what is says on the box). However the lens is surrounded by 62 daylight LEDs which makes all the difference. In the past I’ve found good magnification is not so good without decent lighting, and these days I do need my glasses for close work.

That is extraordinary modelling. I think 3D printing is only cheating if there's a competition that says you can't use it. In this case it's a fantastic example of the possibilities of such a tool.

I adore the stove and kettle too, absolutely outstanding. Well done!

5 minutes ago, Ian Simpson said:

That is a wonderful piece of painting, Chris!

Did you use lining pens for the thin black and white lines?

 

P.S. I did almost ask you "who makes tartan paint now?" 

Thanks Ian, no pens just a 00000 (5x0) brush. The tartan paint is straight out of the tin, mustn’t stir it though...! 

4 minutes ago, ChrisN said:

 

I always think the ModelU figures look to well nourished for Victorians or Edwardians.

I guess the issue is that they're scans of 21st century people, very well fed compared with their 19th century forebears. I thought the rat catcher was fairly slim and I have another character who looks positively emaciated. I'm not sure whether to think 'That's more like it' or to call a doctor...!

6 hours ago, Mikkel said:

The man with the dog and the stick is 200% Victorian, an entire age captured in the pose of a small figure! 

 

Thanks Mikkel. The ModelU figures are pricey but well worth the money.

Special thanks to you for the tip about the straw/hay. I used an off-cut of hessian from the local upholsterers all chopped up into little bits, worked really well.

37 minutes ago, MikeOxon said:

As others have said - excellent modelling and a marvellous set of photos as well - I especially like the BW version at the end - I can almost sense the aroma.  It led me to take a look at the Camden Stables Market on Google Street View and it looks to be a fascinating place for a visit

Thank you, it’s a very interesting bit of London, the history of Camden and it’s connection to the London & Birmingham Railway is fascinating. There’s still a lot to see.

12 hours ago, ChrisN said:

Just brilliant!  Who makes the Rat Catcher?  Is it yours or modified?

Thank you. The figures are by ModelU from their ‘Ragged Victorians’ range. Having painted a few now I wouldn’t want any other figures. Because they’re 3D scans of real people, the quality is outstanding, the downside is that they make all my other figures look blobby! 

13 hours ago, Brocp said:

Simply stunning

Thank you 

36 minutes ago, Dave John said:

Wonderful modelling. That resin casting method works well, gives a solid look to the masonry. 

Thanks very much. It certainly saved the hassle of having to make each section again and again. I have another part of the layout, the carriage sheds, which will require a similar approach.

That is absolutely fantastic, you should be very proud of it, great job!

That looks brilliant, what an excellent example of what’s possible in 2mm.

Well done! 

18 hours ago, Mikkel said:

 

Thanks Dave. Yes, all this business with sheets/tarps is tricky stuff to model, and quite time consuming too I find. You finish a wagon and think you're done. But then there's the couplings. And the weighting. And the load. And the tarp. And the ties/ropes. And that's just simple stuff like mine! 

 

Rest assured BTW. No blondes were harmed in the making of these models 

 

 

 

Hi Mike. Your horse-drawn Q1 was the first I saw in GWR red, I have often admired it.  I think most people build the Q1 kit with the V-hanger in the central position, since there is no mention of anything else in the instructions. 

 

The sewing thread used for the wagons was in fact "stolen" from my wife's collection. I eventually decided to come clean, and she duly gave me the whole thing saying she never used that roll. So much for all my stealth  I should probably have gone for darker thread though. I did paint and weather it, but you can't really tell in the photos. 

 

 

 

Many thanks Chris. Your stables look fantastic! There must have been hundreds of stalls in there. And storage at the upper level, it seems. Very classy.

 

Incidentally, one might say that hay and straw is all very well, but what about the sacks of feed? I had a close look at a 1906 photo of the provender store at Didcot. Below is a crop. It suggests to me that sacks were loaded at the bottom of wagons, then covered with hay and straw. So the wagons we see in photos may well be full of unseen sacks! 

 

I suppose the sacks must be fodder horses...!  Sorry!

Beautiful work as always, and fascinating too. My stables for Bricklayers Arms are nearing completion so my thoughts are turning to hay so your article is very timely and extremely useful. I will be shamelessly copying a few techniques here especially the use of plumbers hemp.

Thank you. 

That’s looking fantastic. The hammer

is particularly special, you should be very pleased with that.

Impressive work, well done! 

Extraordinary! The skill required to create these miniature engineering masterpieces is incredible and inspiring. 

That looks superb!

That’s a fine looking wagon and I think the speculative build based on research is perfectly acceptable. Nice work.

Fantastic work Mikkel, highly entertaining and superbly modelled.

Have you received the carriage shafts yet? I sent them last week.

Your point about ‘giving the right impression’ is spot on. I think this wagon looks just right. A great job on a very interesting prototype. Well done.

15 minutes ago, Mikkel said:

Very nice. Each wagon with so much character. 

 

Can I ask how you did the shafts on the cabriolet? There's are a a couple of horsedrawn carriages I'd like to scratchbuild, but the curved shafts are a bit tricky. 

 

I carved them in styrene then cast them in white metal. Got loads of them now. Do you want any?

4 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

I'm very curious about the Midland wagon and would love to know more about the drawing. Essery's Midland Wagons has three sketches of early Midland wagons, drawn by A. Whitehead, but no sources are given other than "all dimensions and details are deduced from old sketches"; none look much like yours!

I was supplied the masters for this kit by Simon Turner but I believe the wagon was built by Alfred Kitching for the Midland Railway. It was described by Richard Davidson in the HMRS journal Vol.20, No.1, pp20-23, Jan-Mar 2009. However, to my shame my HMRS membership doesn’t go back that far so I can’t look it up, sorry. I’m also not convinced by the accuracy of the ‘sketches’ in Bob Essery’s book. It’s a good book but the drawings of the early stock don’t stand up to close inspection. I might make a scratch built model from them but not a kit.

May I make a suggestion as one who has so often had too many interests, too many things I’d like to model and never enough time to do any of it properly. It can create a terrible state of anxiety not knowing where to start and then not being able to start, leading to further anxiety as time slips by and there’s still nothing to show for it!
For the last few years I have found the most settling and mindful solution is to model a real location. It has really helped to focus my modelling since I’ve had to research a very specific era and site with all the buildings, track layout and rolling stock prescribed. Random diversions have dwindled to nothing as all my attention has been on modelling to a fixed set up. It’s still a lot of work to ‘get it right’ but it’s been a fantastic way of focussing the mind and reducing stress levels.  Perhaps this approach might help? I wish you all the best with your project and look forward to seeing it grow.

On 21/08/2020 at 05:44, Mikkel said:

 

(The 3D printed figure ranges are expanding btw, ModelU are no longer alone in the 1:76 market, eg.: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-76-Scale-Lady-in-Victorian-Edwardian-Dress-figure-for-Dioramas/363045616731)

 

I note that from the same seller, for a mere £2.99 you can buy a figure of a girl being sick down a toilet !!!  What is the world coming to?!

3 hours ago, MikeOxon said:

Superb modelling and I do like the way you have laminated the frames as in the original.  These 'odd ball' prototypes are amazing and there's nothing like building a model to appreciate their 'look and feel'. 

 

There is a fascinating PhD thesis by P.S.Bardell on balanced locomotives, which can be downloaded from Imperial College

 

This includes an even more challenging prototype - Ritchie's New Locomotive Engine, which which had apparently been seen in steam at Kew and appeared in the very first issue of 'The Engineer':

 

 

Your next modelling challenge, perhaps?

 

Mike

Thanks Mike, that’s fascinating. It’s very reminiscent of W.B.Adams first locomotive designs a decade earlier. Both engines after the same result, steady running, low centre of gravity, balanced reciprocating masses etc. I’ve not seen that image before so it’s of great interest. As you rightly say, these things need to be modelled. I’ll add it to the list!