bridgiesimon

That looks awesome!!!! Best wishes Simon

Really looking forward to seeing it in print, your layout is looking fantastic!! best wishes Simon

Most excellent and useful link, thanks for that!! best wishes Simon

Yes it is other although I have all but run out, seem to use more than I thought so need to order more! I have now grassed all across the back of the layout. Best wishes Simon

Yeah, I agree, I didn;t think that it was going to be worth using the static grass but I am sold totally!! The splat could have been in a worse place, at least there it is accessible to redo, over a point and I could have had real issues, teach me to stop being so cluimsy!! Simon

Barrel fo the tank is a good idea, so far the tenders have been just for coal as the locos are tankies already but will file that one for the future, sure it will be used! At least one of the early railways used big hopper style wagons as coaches so that is another option to look into. Another aaaargh moment recently!! Having completed all the ballasting and airbrush weathered the track, I managed to drop a sprat of wet plaster right in the middle near the tunnel which was impossible to clear up so a section of ballast needs to be ripped up and redone, this is visible in the piccie below. I have started to work on the Chinese trees, the colour of the Japanese Ash is great but the other one shown here has shiny greenery so requires a blast with the airbrush - probably mat varnish with a splat of dull green to tone it down at the same time possibly. I will also need to coat the trunks with filler to hide the obvious twisted wire they are made out of. Other than that, and the fact they arrived flat, I am really pleased with them and more than recommend getting some! Am concentrating on the scenics still, the static grass is spreding over the layout rapidly - quicker than the spread of ash dieback!! I am aiming to get a basic green covering for the first show with the aim of going over the layotu after that to blend in variations and detail when I have more time. Please note that the excess grass has not been hoovered up yet so it is everywhere. The paths and platform will not be grassed. I am really pleased so far, the grass has really brought the rock faces to life. As always, all comments appreciated! Best wishes Simon

Prototypical, of a sort, would of course be possible with a flight to New Zealand etc to see the area that they filmed Lord of the Rings and the Hobiit. I am not aiming to do a model of a model as such though but it would be an advantage if my layout was similar in many ways to the vision that Peter Jackson has given us all through the films!! As I have mentioned before, the biggest headache this project has given me is for the stock, developing ideas for the railway side of things which, although are recogniseable, do not obviously replicate the railway heritage of our world. Certain things doneed to match such as rails, wheels, boilers etc but there the similarity should end. Not being a designer, this is hard, wagons can easily be boxes/hoppers/flat etc but passenger stock I am still hitting a brick wall over! Ideas so far include - open coaches for the biggers, I have built a set of seats on wheels facing to the sides for one of the rakes (see post 116). horse drawn carriage style coaches with round doors for the first class hobbit folk as a 'Pullman' sort of rake. Who knows, I don't! Another issue for the passenger rakes it finding suitable figures in seated positions for them, may require a batch of chopping and repinning legs to make them up, something that will not be completed for the first show at least!! Best wishes Simon

Lots on the go at the moment for this evening as I have the place to my self as soon as my son is off to bed - my wife is off chasing some dancy prancy singie type geezer called Robbie Williams, not my taste in music at all and despite years of trying to turn her to the dark side of proper music - rock and metal, she still see fit to waste her hard earned watching him and Ollie murs instead, oh well at least it is a couple days peace!! I am going to be doing some more static grassing and also have some 'casualties' to paint (see a previous post) as well as some barrels and also are working over one of the large tree skeletons with filler to model the trunk and main branches properly - busy busy busy!!! Best wishes Simon

They do indeed look most excellent, am looking forward to seeing then with the crane and all. Great work David!! Best wishes Simon

I thinking is that the layout is set later than Lord of the Rings in a settled time during which Dwarf inventors have developed the steam engine. I can't get too prototypical as I have never been to the shire but and trying my best best wishes Simon

Oh yeah, I have dug a well as well - Ready for painting the slabs, bedding the well in and some vegetation. Best wishes Simon

Next update, I know thick and fast at the moment - 6 weeks to first show panics!!! I have been working on detailing the area around the left hand home today, static grassing and various planting, including a couple of hobbits and a dog Pleased so far, am aiming to get teh basics in place for the first show then develop and detail over time from then onwards. Best wishes Simon

More frustrations, just had a parcel delivered which as I was hoping is an order of el cheapo chinese trees for the layout which looked great in the piccies on Ebay. They were packed into plastic bags and into a padded envelope, well you can see for yourself the resulting flat trees! No I am not modeelign low relief!!!! aaaaaaaaargh and i thought I was being stooopid!!!!! Not a massive problem, I am sure they are going to be fine with a little work but that is not the point! Anyway rant over, sorry guys! Simon

That would be ent-ertaining! Sorry! Like the idea though, will add it to my notes to remember, thanks. Best wishes Simon

I am very unsure how I missed this thread until now but caught up at last so never mind, firstly - mega congratulations on progress so far, the modelling is most excellent adn I look forward to seeing the development of the layout and then maybe seeing it on the flesh should you exhibit it? We are starting to see a most excellent batch of n gauge layouts develop in recent years and this is sure to become one of the best. Best wishes Simon

New personal statement - 'I is stooopid!!!!!' Thinkiing it would do the job, I glued the backscene using prittstick, is now peeling off, aaaaaaaargh!!!!! At least it is peeling off in one piece without tearing so I can now glue it back on properly!! New people undercoated by my son and on with the grassing, well will be when the backscene is sorted! Best wishes Stooopid Simon

Most appreciated comments, I agree about the clean ridgelines, I have searched for and saved a mass of piccies from the films for inspiration. 6m static grass ordered and on its way, hopefully! Just placing the large tree skeletons I have made up changed the whole layout, I am plannign to have one of the larger ones towards the front so the viewer is looking around it to see the station, more of a suggestion of a slice of scenery rather than a staged scene. Best wishes Simon

today has been all about getting confused!! I am at the stage of starting the main scenic work and hit one of those modellers blocks about how to lay it all out, especially along the backscene, I want to have a break between the scene and the backscene to hide the obvious join but do not want to end up with a hedge/fence/etc which happens to follow the backscene across the layout. Anyway, here is a couple of piccies promised from yesterday - Firstly, one of hte completed rockfaces, now they are painted, darker in real life that the piccie but gives you an idea - secondly, the completed pathway surface, 3 shades of paint to give a highlight to the texture - After much head scratching I have started to add a fence along part of the layout to set up an animal enclosure mostly off scene, may be with a sheep or two near the fence? Some other parts are going to be rougher scrubland etc so will not be a problem and then I am thinking that using a longer static grass may help to hide the boundary also - opinions and ideas most welcome!! I am aware that when it comes to lighting, a lamp across the back of the scene will be required to ensure that there are no shadows on the sky! A new package arrived today including some barrels and a pack of halflings, although sold as casualties, I think they will look great painted up as asleep/drunk/both somewhere, eveen if only 1 gets used! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/thebattleforge-28mm-Fantasy-Halfling-Casualties-/360513895899?pt=UK_Toys_Wargames_RL&var=&hash=item53f04d7ddb All in all much less achieved today than I was expecting!! Simon

Ok, have had a couple days off work, WAHAY, so I have been getting on with the layout. The track is now fully ballasted and weathered, all the scenic plaster work is also now completed and I have just finished painting the rock faces, lots of shades of grey, not quite 50 though! I have tried to take some piccies but they looked rubbish so will try again tomorrow and post them then. I am hoping to get on with some proper scenic work tomorrow starting at the back and moving forward as I go so I am not leaning over the work I have just completed. As before, I will take piccies adn update as it develops. I have also been looking at the rune situation and have decided that as it is such a minefield, whatever i do, someone will not like it so will be going for a suitable 'English' text similar to the first example David mentioned in his post (#98). Maybe doing it in gold lettering on the black background of the lighting pelmet when it is built - something I am not planning on building for the first show, I have exhibited there before with my other layout and know that the venue is light and so not a massive disadvantage. best wishes Simon

Decided to have a go my self so with the acquisition of a roll of garden wire and a few hours measuring, cutting it into lengths and then twisting piles together I have made up my first couple of tree skeletons. I will now, well next time anyway, smear the trunks and branches with filler before spraying and adding foilage. (Note to self, ensure wagons are ont he track before taking piccies - Do'h!!!) Am rather pleased with the progress so far! Also visible in the piccie is the start of the work on the pathways with the sand mix, all glued down now ready for paint. Tomorrow is for my other layout, Polpendra, as I have an exhibition on Sunday in Bideford for anyone in the area, should be a good show and for charity so no excuses peoples!!! Best wishes Simon

Worth looking into though, they look good! Most appreciated link Simon

Quick update, all rthe ballastin is now completed, glued, rock hard and ready for the airbrush. The blue Dapol pugerrier is progressing well, now with a coat of paint, a driver and coal in the tender. Just requires couplings and some finishing details like a shovel!! Also in the background can be seen the vertical boilered thingy now that the canvas sides and rof are fixed and weathered, this now requires a driver, coaling, couplings and then when I know where the couplings go, some buffer beams. I am now working on the pathways around the layout, paint went wrong massively, the paint I had was too orange and so when lightening it for highlights just looked like a pile of poo!!! I am now gluing a layer of sharp sand over them giving a variation of partical sizes for a much better look which will then be painted when I acquire some more games workshop paints, runnning very low and they cost enough without paying for postage as well! have also been looking at that web based selling place thingy for suitable trees and have found a couple of suppliers at very good prices, I think they will require playing around with before use but at teh price they are, it will be well worth it. No source for sensible priced mega large trees though, I will have to make them myself I think as I want at least 3-4 which are at least 200mm high, unless anybody knows of a source I am not aware of? Anyway, more to follow Simon

That crane is looking awesome!! I am mega impressed with it!! Simon

'I have spotted that I need to paint the inside of the loco shed!' I have found the same, now I have a digital camera, I do take piccies and then study them cos I spot issues etc in the piccies that I do not see on the layout in front of me! Having said that, your layout is most excellent and a I also agree, the weathering on those loco's is mega!!!! Best wishes Simon

I am now well on with my least favourite job, ballasting!! Looking ok so far though will need weathering down quite a lot! (piccie very pale but was taken on my phone) Not wetted or glued yet though, still dry. I am stopping for a break before getting the mini sprayer out to wet it and dribble the glue mix everywhere. I have just nicked a small sprayer bottle from my wife and emptied the remains of her glass cleaning spray stuff to use the bottle as it sprays a superb fine mist, ideal!! Simon