Enfys_Rainbow

Hi all,

The 08 is edging closer to the weathering stage. I decided to add some details to the chassis, made from wire and offcuts of plastic rod and strip. These are not intended to be 100% accurate - representative only!

Still contemplating the rods, may try some Hornby ones.

The body has had an initial coat of Rail Blue (Lifecolor - horrible to spray but it was all I had) to cover the various scuffs and marks.

Matt

Very nice, reminds me of Catcott Burtle !

This is one of those wagons that just doesn't look right regardless of what you do.

Part way through the weathering progress - there are bits I like, the end for example, but the rest...nope!

I'll keep tweaking it, but I'm losing interest in it rapidly!

Matt

On 10/10/2022 at 09:17, marc smith said:

 

Ah, tempted by other scales - we've all been there! Or is it just you & I Matt? I suspect not ;) 

That building is looking superb good sir. Great modelling, as ever 

Thanks Marc! Yes, got tempted by the dark side... back on track (no pun intended!) now though!

23 hours ago, mudmagnet said:

The 08 looks good Matt, dirty and faded blue would look good.

Thank you! Used your steps! 08945 is still looking the most likely. 

Matt

On 06/10/2022 at 09:43, bradfordbuffer said:

A dirty oily unloved one!

My original intention was 08945 - as it tied in with the clay layout I was planning at the time. I'm still leaning towards this loco as I have all the required transfers.

Matt

Bit more Class 08 progress to share and it's not far from being ready to be repainted.

I've done a bit of tweaking to the tanks under the front bufferbeam to improve the appearance, plus I'll be replacing the glazing.

As mentioned in my previous post, it'll be BR Blue, but I've not decided which loco yet. Any suggestions?

Matt

Change of scenery today and two old projects back on the bench (at least until I get bored of them again anyway!).

First up is another old wagon, built and painted several years ago but about to be reworked.

First time around I actually did quite a nice job of the rust, but then I applied too heavy a wash which gave the whole thing a strange, brown tint. Yes it looks awful at the moment, but this is all about trying to change the overall shade back to something a bit greyer without stripping it right down to the plastic.

Secondly is this Bachmann 08. Started 4 - 5 years ago for a clay layout idea which never came to be. I didn't like the look of the original bodyside grab handles, so in a moment of foolishness, decided to replace them all. No wonder my enthusiasm quickly wanted!

The model, as bought (second hand) was missing the steps. I was originally going to use etched ones from PH Designs, but my inability to solder turned that into a non-starter. So these are 3d printed ones with (yet more) scratchbuilt handrails.

It'll be finished in faded BR Blue eventually.

Matt

Bit more progress to share.

Note that the section under the lower window is yet to be painted properly.

The roof is temporary - I'm undecided whether to have a corrugated or slate roof yet. This is another leftover from the garage.

The door is obviously a mock up too, and the upper window is still under construction.

Getting somewhere now though!

Does it need a chimney? What do you think?

Matt

Excellent stuff all round - the wagons are lovely, especially the iron ore and the ex-fish van.

Out of interest - the brake van, is it a Slater's kit?

1 hour ago, sb67 said:

That looks fantastic Matt, do you prime the plastic sheet before putting acrylic paints on it? 

Thank you @sb67! I don't, but I really should as the paint on all my buildings is pretty fragile if handled roughly!

I just can't be bothered though!

Matt

Hello all,

Been away from this thread and layout for a while as I'd taken a detour down a 7mm avenue.

I was surfing the internet recently looking for nothing in particular when I came across a photo of a building that just called out to be modelled.

Suitably inspired, I set to work creating a version of it. The walls are from card this time rather than my more usual foamboard or plastic sheet.

The real building has an interesting mix of stone and brick on the end walls which I was keen to try and replicate. In my case the brick is embossed plastic, while the stonework is scribed DAS clay. I don't find scribing DAS very enjoyable but the beauty is it's easy to repair if something goes wrong!

Everything here has been painted with acrylic paints - please ignore the single white brick - I accidentally chipped the paint off!

The strange shape of the walls is so it fits over various bits of the baseboard.

Long way to go but I'm pleased so far.

Matt

Actually, you're both correct - having measured, it is indeed the incorrect underframe. My apologies for getting that wrong.

I'm not too concerned though as all of this is just practice for me at the moment, and a way of getting to grips with the different scale.

6 hours ago, brossard said:

Good, you're getting your hand in with kits.  The kit looks to be this:

 

https://anticsonline.uk/Product/Parkside-Kits-PS07-LMS-12-ton-Covered-Box-Van-diagram-D1664-O-Gauge_PS07_N1256421

 

The body certainly matches but not the underframe.  The blurb for the kit talks about the van being 9' WB, the pic looks to my eye to be 10'.  You may want to do some further research.  I'll take a look at my LMS wagons to see what there is.

 

John

 

OK, went through all the LMS vans and none of the body design you have were 10' WB.*  Now it depends how you feel about accuracy (I feel very strongly about it) so I'll leave you to have a think.

 

The thing about second hand is that you usually have no idea what the previous owner was thinking.  I have great distrust of other builders and I have seen some really dire examples.

 

*In fact, D1664 was the only design to have the end strapping.  These were built early on (1924 - 26) to a Midland design.  According to the notes, there were examples unfitted, through piped and fully fitted.

Hi there,

It's the kit supplied 9' WB. Possibly the camera is making it look longer?

Having looked at the van in the link you sent, I do need to remove the tie bars though.

Matt

Hello all,

A recent stroke of eBay luck saw me pick up this Parkside LMS van for a very good price.

The body had been assembled already, leaving the underframe to me. The kit floor was missing - the body had been built around a piece of plastic sheet, so it took a bit of headscratching to get everything attached properly.

Just the roof to add which needs cleaning up first.

I've also started a second building - freelance but based on a real structure. Not much of interest to share just yet though!

Matt

Progress has been slow...it's just too hot to do any modelling. Having said that, I have finished my first ever 7mm building!

Misaligned bricks aside, I'm very pleased with it and I think it looks ok! 

The back is plain original laser cut card - it won't be seen.

Although it's a bit of a cliche, I'm pleased with the open window - which is the Lcut originals chopped up a bit. I may add a very basic interior at some point.

And finally I think it looks good from this angle.

Matt

Thanks for the comments. 

The misaligned bricks are unfortunate but are far more visible in photos than to the naked eye, not that that's an excuse for getting them slightly out.

The lintels are less of an issue to me, certainly it's more common to have one row of bricks, but there are plenty of examples of arched lintels with 1.5 bricks like these.

Either way, I've repainted the building today and - to my eye - it's a finish I'm much happier with. Definitely looks more convincing to me now.

The window is not yet fixed in the frame, and I know it's wonky. It will be straightened when it's glued in.

Matt

This is really great! I also have an interest in the Breakwater railway - what a fascinating line.

The first photo in the threat is particularly convincing!

Matt

Well, having applied a bit of colour to my building, I'm not sure - definitely more challenging than 4mm scale. Might be back to the drawing board with this one!

Matt

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