Enfys_Rainbow

1 hour ago, brossard said:

Excellent choice, LCut kits are great value and I have used a fair few on my layout.  Like you I don't like laser embossed brick but, in my case I use Scalescenes brick paper.  It is quick and some might call it a cheat but the rendering is excellent and much better than I could do with paint.

 

 

LCut weighbridge.  Embellished with downspouts.  I used the Scalescenes roof system.  The guard rail is brass strip.

 

Speaking of Scalescenes, I have used a number of these on my layout, blown up to 7mm.  Pricewise they can't be beat.  They do require considerable work to complete though and windows & doors are a pain since they have to be made from scratch.

 

John

That's lovely, thanks for sharing John!

Hi all,

Progress has inevitably slowed with a return to work coupled with waiting for some bits to enable me to finish the Palvan.

I have, however, made a start on a small structure. I thought using a kit would be a good idea to enable me to get used to size and dimensions etc.

I chose a very simple kit from Lcut but have "customised" it somewhat. I'm not a fan of laser cut surface detail so, as with my 4mm buildings, I've elected to clad it in embossed brick.

The back has been left as it'll inevitably be "against" something in the future.

Matt

Hi all,

A while ago I built a garage - I've mentioned before that it's surplus to requirements and the door has already been repurposed elsewhere.

Apart from just not fitting the space, there are many things I like about that building, and I want to recycle as many bits as I can.

So here's a micro building made entirely of reused bits of the garage. I had to do some repairs and repainting, but otherwise it's just reusing existing bits.

It's going to be used as an outbuilding of sorts as below:

Matt

Thanks for all the comments about couplings - I think Slater's cast hooks may be the way to go.

Rapid progress with the Palvan, only the underframe bits to finish off now...

Matt 

16 hours ago, brossard said:

Very good that you want to have a go at 0 gauge.  It eliminates some of the nasty compromises of 00 (track gauge and couplings) and allows you to add more detail.

 

Slaters kits are excellent, I have done a lot though not the Palvan - yet.

 

Peco/Parkside kits are very good too.

 

The thing that caught my eye was the Dapol 08 and I realized that it was actually affordable - not cheap mind you, but just look at the prices of 00 locos these days.

 

I sold off my 00 stuff because I felt that it was pointless to continue with a scale that was not up to the standards of 0.  Plus, time and resources are limited so I needed to pick one.

 

John

Hi John, I agree: it's the introduction of the Dapol locos that have made this a possibility and very comparable with new 4mm locos.

I also have a Parkside 16t mineral on order...

16 hours ago, Nick G said:

 

It's a slippery slope, good luck...

Hi Nick, I don't intend to stop modelling in 4mm, I've invested too much time and money over the years...

15 hours ago, Adrian Stevenson said:

Looks like you have made a good start. 

Thanks Adrian, still getting to grips with how big everything is!

Now a quick question:

What are people's preferred 3 link couplings?

Matt

Hi all,

First and foremost, I'm a 4mm modeller and that's not going to change (let's see in 12 months!).

I've always had a keen interest in 7mm scale, but there's always been lots of reasons for staying away.

I've finally taken the plunge: this is an experiment to see how it goes and I'll do it alongside my existing 4mm modelling.

My plan is to build a wagon and a few small buildings and go from there.

So, a wagon:

A few years ago I bought a Slater's Palvan kit on eBay. No real reason why, and in hindsight I should have bought something else. It's been sitting in a drawer all this time.

I've built many 4mm scale wagons, this is definitely a step up in every way.

Matt

1 hour ago, Gilbert said:

You're like me...easily distracted.....

Chris

Too easily distracted....I could have built two layouts by now!

Hi all,

Here's another old, recycling project. Originally built 3 - 4 years ago and repaired and given a bit of TLC today.

No purpose, I may try to sell it, but it was an enjoyable few hours of work!

Matt

Hi all,

Back on track with some wagons. The stripped down Vanwide has been painted and weathered. Just needs markings now:

And this BR Fruit Van is on the go - no real reason why, mainly just for some variation in my van fleet:

Matt

6 hours ago, bradfordbuffer said:

Is that a 9ft or 10ft wheel base underframe?

9ft, it's the same as the original van.

3 hours ago, Ian Holmes said:

Great work! I’m really enjoying this thread

Thank you Ian! Very much appreciated!

I enjoyed the last so much, I made another!

Matt

One aspect that has been annoying me was the background low relief building. Shape and size were fine, but what purpose does it serve - no obvious loading/unloading given how close it is to the siding, so I decided I needed to add a loading bay of sorts, just to give some context.

If you've visited this thread before, you may remember I built a garage for the front of the layout. Plans have now changed and this building is surplus to requirements. I really liked the door though, so after a bit of destruction...

And a bit of cutting...

I have a primitive loading bay (not yet finished obviously).

Matt

Freelance grounded van body made from some leftover Parkside bits and pieces:

Matt

On 30/06/2022 at 15:40, 26037 said:

Matt I do like the work you are doing with old wagons and kits. It's always great to see some recycling of these wagons and vans.

Many thanks @26037 , thanks for stopping by.

4 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

My personal preference, but, I always replace the plastic buffers with white metal equivalents from LMS/MJT/Wizard, I find it adds to their longevity!

 

Mike.

Me too normally Mike - I do it in 99% of cases. I just don't have the correct type at the moment and buying them goes against my recycling efforts.

Hi all,

I'm back with another random wagon project!

I've mentioned before that I enjoy recycling older wagons, and here's another. This is a Parkside Vanwide, built a couple of years ago and I was never very happy with the paint job (you can see it in its original condition on page 1 of this thread if you can be bothered!). Stripped down, a few simple details added, and it's ready for the paint shop.

Matt

On 22/06/2022 at 08:23, Enterprisingwestern said:

Very nice, apart from the livery of course!

Allowing for your mods the Airfix kits scrub up well for nigh on septuagenarians.

 

Mike.

Thanks Mike, these old kits more than hold their own - probably why an improved kit has never been produced.

4 minutes ago, westernviscount said:

Excellent modelling. I particularly like the speckled rusting on the end panels. Very nice. 

Thanks for noticing!

Hello all!

I missed my weekend deadline, but I've finally managed to finish the brake van off. I'm even happier with this one than my last bauxite one.

I'll add couplings at some point!

Matt

Progress has slowed to a crawl, but I've managed to get the main colours painted. 

Hopefully get this one finished over the weekend (if possible!)

Matt

The layout, aka the Brake Van display, is still being worked on slowly. 

I'm contemplating a slight change to the concept of the layout at the moment. 

Matt

16 hours ago, sb67 said:

Lovely work on the brake vans. All very inspiring, I've got an ex LMS brake van and I'm looking for a new project! Replacing the handrails fills me with dread though! 

Thanks Steve, go for it I say, makes a world of difference to an old model!