Pikey

Love the Land Rover. Mine is still one of my favourite models, I'm going to try a short wheelbase version at some point What gearmotors are you using that cost £3.50?!

After a pause, with not being able to get Deltang receivers, I've finally been able to get on and finish the recovery truck. I think this is about as good as a G95 motor/gearbox from Sol Expert will run, as the slow speed control isnt really there, but the top speed is about right if you want to drive along a road. For purely low speed manoeuvring the G494 would be better, but as I've said for a long time they dont really sell something in the middle of those two ratios, around 225:1 which would be absolutely ideal.

Probably too steep, and I've realised this isnt quite how the real lorries work. In real life, the whole sliding bed mechanism sits on a subframe which itself can be tilted up. So the bed tilts up and slides backwards, then when the bottom contacts the ground it rolls along the ground so that its almost flat to the floor at full extension. I can probably replicate that, by building a separate subframe, but I might save that for the mk2 as I'm quite pleased with how this one works, despite it not being entirely realistic. I painted the cab and bed, and did a test assemble: I'd have liked to do marker lights, but because the whole bed is detachable I've made do with a dab of orange paint. Just waiting for an RX47 to complete the build now

How do you enter program mode with a transmitter such as that? With a stick TX, if you turn the RX on with the sticks pointing towards each other, you go into a programming mode where you can enter simple 'yes' / 'no' commands by moving the right stick up/down to cycle through all the different settings. It sounds like its programmed 1, 1, 2 and you need to change it to 1, 1, 1 for the 'centre off' throttle type. The programming list is here: http://www.deltang.co.uk/rx63a-v610-p.htm

Probably shouldnt have chosen a grey car for these photos I added a pair of 2mm diameter bars to the u/s of the bed - this gives it weight for stability, plus gives a smooth track as the bed moves forwards and backwards. The bed is still engaged with the Z bracket in the second picture, so I'm hopeful that it will work as intended when I test it later today

A subject I've been wanting to tackle for a while - a breakdown lorry: The back is a 3D printed recovery flatbed which I had to make narrower as it was far too wide. The plan is to have it slide off the lorry and tilt down onto the ground like the real ones do. I've made a little Z shaped bracket which will fit into a recess in the body so that when the threaded bar is turned by the motor it will move backwards and forwards, and hopefully gravity will do the rest when the bed gets far enough over the back of the truck

Hello A few of you may know me from building and operating a layout called 'A Remote Depot' at a few exhibitions recently, including Warley. Chopped picture for reference below: I built A Remote Depot because I was getting more and more into making the radio controlled vehicles, and I had nowhere to drive them. This will remain as an exhibition layout, and indeed I have several booked in for this year and next. But I have a number of trains that have just sat in their boxes for too long, and I'd like to have a much larger & permanent home layout on which to run them, and also a larger environment to drive my little vehicles around. Also, somewhere to store A Remote Depot that isnt in my front room would also be an advantage I do have a layout in my garage at the moment, but it was built many years ago on Sundeala board, using Setrack pieces - which as you can imagine is now showing its age..! One of the first jobs is to dismantle this, and salvage anything that can be salvaged from its construction. Over Christmas and New Year I have had a thorough clear out of my garage, and apart from the re-assembly of a broken tumble drier (dont ask!) the stage is set for the construction of my new layout! The outer limits of the layout is fixed - 3.8m x 2.8m, as this is the biggest amount of space I can take up in my garage whilst still leaving enough room for my car on one side and my dirt bike at the back. So I'll start building the timber framework while I work on the exact details of the track plan. I dont want a lift-up or swing-out section, and I dont want to have to duck much to get to the inside of the layout - so the plan is to raise the layout to 1.5m, and construct a false floor at 0.5m. This will put the layout at 1m above the new floor which is about normal, and means I only have to duck a little bit to get in under it. It also means I can store A Remote Depot for exhibition use under the floor. The trackplan will be basically a double track loop, with a through station on one side, and a small TMD on the other, and a virtual quarry on one of the short sides. I'll also have a road running around the whole layout, in which I'll set a wire for the Faller system so I can have a bus driving around by itself. I have lots of other ideas about what to fit in, but the layout is still in the planning stages while I build the timber framework. Here's the current version (very roughly spliced together from two different AnyRail models): Its not that exciting, and its going to be a long term project/labour of love, but hopefully I can get some baseboards up and some trains running in the near future.

That's very kind of you to say

Finished and tested on my little off road diorama : I charge £180 to build a model like this, or a normal Land Rover, or a Transit van - or anything* you want really plus £70 for an Orange TX6i transmitter. Or the Ford 400E vans are £135 and that comes with its own transmitter I've come to the conclusion that I actually like building these more than I like driving them - because once I've finished a model, it usually goes into the storage box with all the others and I move on to the next project. So making them for other people is actually quite a good thing. I dont do many, because they're obviously a niche product at the moment - perhaps even a niche within a niche - and they're very expensive, but hopefully I'll get the chance to do more in future. Next on the horizon is the Das87 Unimog kit. *normal vehicles (ie steering and driving functions only - lighting functions, ramps/cranes etc are extra)

That's awesome work. I had never thought of taking one of the 4mm planetary gearboxes apart!

Yes, there's no sound

Progress on the Forward Control. A lovely model to work on. There is a separate subframe for the leaf springs and all the underbody detail, so I chopped all but the rear leaf springs off, and used them for the bearing holders. Enlarging the hole in the plastic chassis, and cutting into the back of the diecast bit, gives space to mount the motor vertically: I used the same width axle as I would use on a normal Land Rover, and it would have been perfect except for the inner flange on the FC wheels. So they stick out a little, but not enough to warrant changing the axle width I dont think. Spare blue LED fitted and tested just for fun: The driver came from an old moped, so he's wearing a bomber jacket and helmet, although I've painted his helmet brown to look like hair instead. I've no idea what period LRFC ambulance drivers would have worn, but as it turns out the guy who this vehicle is for doesnt want a driver in the cab anyway so I'll keep him for a future project - which is excellent news as I really like him I'll try and get some electrics into it this evening

The road sweeper looks like this underneath: Well, it used to - I've replaced the linear servo with a proper servo now that's hidden inside the back bit along with the battery. All of the vehicles are basically the same, just executed differently depending on the particulars of the original model. They all have tiny Deltang receivers, 3.7V LiPo batteries, a motor and gearbox driving the rear axle, a steering axle and servo for the front axle, with the original model's wheels attached. Some have removable batteries, some have on-board switch and charging socket. Some have lights - the lighting functions are all pre-programmed into the Deltang receivers as standard

I'll be taking this to the Cheltenham model railway exhibition in October this year

Here's the how-to videos: Part 1 - Disassembly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06ySI1xBRqg Part 2 - Axles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhqavoloclM Part 3 - Getting it Running: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLBTrypDuaQ&t=1s Part 4 - LED Lights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EjP6UzuMJ0 Part 5 - Final Assembly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYwMolBmc_8&t=1s Hope they're of some use

I filmed a How To video showing the construction of the Ford 400E van using the Carson chassis. Once I've finished editing and uploading all of it (its in 5 parts), I'll share them all on here The next thing on my list is a commission to build a Forward Control Land Rover, which I've wanted to do for a while actually, so I'm pretty excited to get started on this one! My local model shop didnt have the exact one required, so I've had to order it. Once it arrives I'll take it apart and have a look at whats needed.

Brilliant

Here's the fire engine

Here's the Carson fire engine on the end of my finger - I've already swapped the Commer wheels and tyres onto it. Note the tiny speaker: And the Oxford Commer PB and pump trailer, which will be driving around shortly

I've had an order for one of the BR vans, so when ordering the van for that I've taken the opportunity to order another slightly different one for me - its not very well advertised, but Carson make both a police and a fire engine version of the T1 van, both of which have built-in flashing light and siren! So I'm going to put Oxford's London Fire Brigade Commer PB body on it, and I'll have it pulling a Coventry Climax pump trailer too

How much ground clearance does an N gauge bus have?! Must be virtually nothing. Good work

Better late than never - Layout overview, viewers left to right: HGV garage, Guy Martin cameo scene: Weighbridge, using the TrainTech display screen: Ballast storage bays: The view from the yard:

As promised, a video of the little van:

That wiring is exactly how I do it, but I put the switch in the positive side rather than the negative side. Not sure if that's better or worse or makes no difference (?)

Its about 28mm, and yes the transmitter is a basic 2 channel only.