bridgiesimon

Big crane in development, have a read here on the N Gauge Forum. I have seen it so far and it does look most excellent!! http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=18191.0 Best wishes Simon

Love the view, the curved backscene really looks the part, proves how much better a curve is that straight backscenes and horrible corners up the sky. This has now been added to my watching list for the forum. best wishes Simon

What about Bayswater, I've heard is aint a bad place to be!! hehehe Simon

Which song is going to be developed into the next layout name then? Best wishes Simon

is that a sofa behind the layout? taking your own comforts sounds like a result!! Best wishes Simon

totally agree, too many layout have a lovey dovey blue sky backscene, the dull day is soo much more British! Best wishes Simon

Here is a quick piccie showing the new lighting A little frustrated as I thought I had bought warm white LED strip but this seems a little bluish rather than yellow. May be replaced as some stage but will do for now, what do you guys think? As you can see in the second piccie, the trees and greenery is looking rather faded and dusty so I have been removing many of the trees in preparation for a revamp. Many of the trees should be ok after a good brushing and touching up and then will be replaced onto the scene after the grassing is completed. I plan to used a mix of foam stuff and static grass in areas as well - 2mm static grass representing 1 foot high grass. Finally, a quick piccie of the completed revamped village scene, a couple of issues to sort before Saturday though, missing lady and goat in the enclosure at the end etc. Best wishes Simon

a really long time since the last update, a good reason for that as well, nothing has been happening. Hobbiton End has been so busy with invites etc that this one has been sidelined. This Saturday, however, it is once more out on its travels for our 41st show!! I thought that it was going to be show number 40 ad was going to retire it but seems like I have missed the anniversary, never mind. Anyway looking upwards, I did not add piccies showing the changes after the village scene was completed nor have I added piccies with the lower fascia either, I will take some and add. I have the rest of the week off work to update the layout and get it ready fr the show so lots of opportunities for piccies and updates. The other update is that the layout now has new lighting, gone are the set of 4 spotlights which got hot and left noticeable brighter and dimmer parts of the scene. It their place, a set of 4 rows of LED light strip, much smoother light and stays cool! The time for the change came when a bulb blew and I realised that for the price of the new bulb I could replace the whole lot with the LED strip lighting, decision made. The LED strip was acquired and I rebuilt the canopy including a strip from an old Venetian blind to mount the LEDS onto but there it sat for the last 6 months or so until today when I sorted and installed it all at last. Anyway, enough for now, piccies to follow Best wishes Simon

these all look standard gauge so far so lets go littler, a pair of locos built for my Hobbiton End layout using the Dapol pug loco kits running on Graham Farish N gauge loco mechanisms. Complete with Dwarf crew And this one which although now complete, I do not seem to have a piccie of! Best wishes Simon

you sure tis Jan 2017, cos if so, you missed it! By the way, this is one of the threads, I watch closely as it is rteally high standard and an interesting read. You mean 2018 dont you. Sorry, shut up Simon

agree about the figures, maybe there is an argument for scale colour as well in our hobby, using subdued colour palete for the figures and leaving out the garish/bright shades, same goes for vehicles, I still think that any vehicles rail or otherwise gloss varnished look wrong in all but the larger scales and even then I am unsure. I mainly model in N and always matt varnish vehicles before they go onto the layout. Sorry, side tracked there. When painting figures, esp in smaller scales, I use a matt black base coat and then dry brush from then on building up from the darker shade to a final highlight. in oo the shading is less needed. have a look through the web, there are many figure painting tutorials, especially in the wargaming/military modelling fields, and the process can be very rewarding. Best wishes Simon

Personally, I prefer the cottages with the difference in the building materials and the less overpowering size of them. The brewery buildings although superb over power the rest of the scene a little. just my opinion. Love the scene though, the greenery etc is looking most excellent! Best wishes Simon

Aren't the ploughs available as a spare from Bachmann or a spares supplier? No idea where from myself cos I model in N gauge but it would be my first port of call. Best wishes Simon

Your work is really superb, I love returning to this thread, a standard of model making to aspire to. Best wishes Simon

I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! from the Hobbiton End team

little update for anyone interested, there is a free market stall on the front of the new railway Modeller magazine Best wishes simon

squeek, squeek!! Simon

totally gutted, mother in law decided to have a 60th birthday this weekend and ruined my trip to warley (hehe). would have loved to have seen this layout in the flesh, one of my faves on the web! Best wishes Simon

ok, thanks Simon

sorry, being thick, CNY? Christmas and New Year? Simon

'looks ok to me' are you serious? this model is awesome!!! your model making is a way beyond most of us and something to strive towards. I never go to Warley but this year I will be making an exception to see your modelling. Best wishes Simon

Best layout award? Awesome, mega congrats!!! SImon

Didn't get much time to see you all this weekend, very busy running my layout but what I did see looking most excellent. I hope you all had a great weekend. Best wishes Simon

They really look good, well impressive!! Making me even more excited for their release. Best wishes Simon

I have decided to start with the 3 longer wagons with the really large log loads. The loads are all the same but I will weather/shade them differently to give a different finish and maybe add a branch detail to change them a bit. Anyway, the bogies are all now painted and weathered and I am working over the wooden wagons weathering them as well. Just got the steelwork on the cross members to paint followed by couplings and the loads. By the way, I work with Adults with Autism in a woodwork workshop and have just finished the following with one of my guys - He is well happy with it, I know there is no con rods etc but we have to keep things achievable! best wishes Simon