Andy McV

Not long left to vote, folks, so please follow the link at the top of the page to make your choices. I've made mine, although I couldn't possibly say what they were. Meantime, it'd be great to have a few of the top choices at Warley. We'll bring some of ours along, if only to prove the original concept that anyone could have a crack at a cakebox! Cheers Andy

There's no reason why this thread should close down after the competition has finished, especially as there are probably lots of cakeboxes that weren't completed in time. The whole challenge has certainly exceeded our initial expectations, so now the challenge is on to think of the next one. We have a couple of vague concepts at present, which may or may not develop into anything. If anyone has any bright ideas in the meantime, I'd certainly be interested to hear them! Thanks Andy

If you haven't already noticed, the voting for the BRM Cakebox Challenge has just opened! Of all the excellent entries posted on these pages, some 49 'boxes have taken the bold step of advancing to the competitive stage. They're all brilliant too, of course, although it seemed that some were only submitted at the last minute and had not been seen on RMweb previously. I'm sure that 'lurking' is quite within the rules and all models are now subject to the same scrutiny in the court of public opinion. On that note, please head to the link at the top of the page and pick your top three favourite models. In the meantime, we'll get our heads together about the next BRM modelling challenge... Thanks - to everyone who has taken part Andy

Love it - get it entered pronto!

These are great, but having also made my own festive 'Crimble Cakebox' I especially like the one featuring Santa - get them all entered, though!

We have just received photos of the Class 156 in its EMT and Provincial 'Sprinter' liveries. These are painted samples, so not representative of the production models. They still look great, however!

Hello all, BRM October edition, which is out now features some great content this month with the added bonus of the May/June issue of Traction included - the print edition follows on September 13th. Here's what you can look forward to: Five fabulous model railway layouts! Porth St John (00) Ambleside (00) Titheridge Junction (N) Hebble Vale Goods (EM) Gwendraeth (0) Practical projects to improve your railway modelling: Build a Slater's Conflat 'A' container wagon Make your first plastic kit properly Fit an electronic flywheel Upgrade a classic Autocoach Batch paint model railway figures Model railway news, reviews and features: The latest railway kit reviewed Bachmann H2 Atlantic TMC Plate and Bolster wagons The best track cleaning products Bachmann Motorail Carflats Exclusive TMC interview A day at Brighton Toy Museum BRMTV DVD, featuring: Layout of the month - Elmfield (N) Unboxing a new Janus Track cleaning tips DCC wiring advice And don't forget that the digital edition of BRM also includes extra image galleries and videos, a bonus layout article 'Dovington Camp' (00) and two more trackplans - 'Elgin' and 'Owdham Central'. Digital extras include extra video content includingf TMC's bolster and plate wagons, Phil detailing a GW autocoach, Howard exploring behind the scenes at TMC whilst Howard and I look at a track-cleaning solution and into some drains! All told it's over 250 pages of top railway modelling content. Click here to buy your copy for as little as £3.99 and to subscribe. That's all for the moment, but I'll add a few previews shortly. Thanks Andy

Thanks for the explanation, Huw. I considered using Oasis on my 'Crimble Cakebox', but watched a wargame modeller making good use of spray can expanding foam. On balance, and given the proper mess I created, I should have stuck with my first thought. 'Chainsaw layouts' is a new term on me, but that has given me an idea that I will explore with the team! Best regards Andy

The Cakebox Challenge is open to anybody, but RMWeb is where it largely resides. It's been a success, as you'll have seen from the many pages of top-notch entries, so we'll certainly find something to replace. We're concocting a couple of ideas at the moment - no details yet, but it'll be something you'll be able to have fun with. Regards Andy

Another amazing model Kevin - the derelict barn ticks a big box for me!

Entry received with thanks, Shaun. Nice work, and I'm already singing the theme tune!

Amazing work - so much going on and a trio of boats for good measure. That'll please a few people at this end!

This is shaping up very nicely, Andrew. I really like the painted backscene too - like we're trying to peer through an industrial smog, but it conveys a sense of distance well. Has anyone else built as many cakebox projects, I wonder...

There's nothing in the rules to say that a model has to sit square on the floor of the cakebox, just as long as it fits within the 8" x 8" x 6" parameters. A really nice looking model otherwise, and looking forward to seeing it with figures and lots more muck, dirt and grime!

Interesting to watch this one as it develops, and I really like that you're exploring different materials. Are they particularly messy to work with?