Pugsley

A sneaky shot into the cab of an unidentified class 37:

Managed to find another previously unpublished shot - there can't be many left now

33004 temporarily left blocking the points on Chittle Stabling Point, on a dull spring morning.

That 09 looks a bit familiar I'm glad you like it - I didn't realise it had gone to another RMwebber!

I like the layout - it has real atmosphere and it's nice to see a slightly different Portacabin than the normal Knightwing kit (something that I'm as guilty of as anyone )

That looks lovely B) I can almost feel my resolve weakening....

Washes of light grey and white would work - it should soak into the wood and eventually it'll take on the right colour. Darker washes and powders can then be used over that to get the final effect. I did a similar thing here:

But started off by painting the whole deck off-white, as it's plastic and not actual wood. I've then added ink washes to grey it.

HTH

Get your coat please...

Because the decks on Salmons are chequer plate metal Martin with a few holes in them for stantions.

That'd be a good reason for not using wood then I don't know why I had it in my mind that they had wooden decks.

I have most of the brass section to build a few but have not decided what to use for the deck, I may use copper clad

Why not use proper wood for the deck?

328mm I make it. Hope it's short enough

Out of interest, how long is the JLTRT one please?

The Heljan one seems to be a tad bigger - am I imagining that?

I don't think so, it looks bigger to me too. A Chopper on steroids, as it were

Yes, I think you're spot on there - if you considered how far away you'd have to be for a real loco to look 4mm size, then you'd be have to be quite a long way away from it and probably such a distance that you'd not really notice the imperfections much.

I think that there may be a case for it in 7mm scale, and definitely for scales larger than that - it's certainly something that I've seen armour modellers do in 1:35 and above.

I like your idea about the Mk1 - perhaps something like tipp-ex applied with a thin brush to represent the ribs could work?

Peter - apologies for taking this even further OT!

One of the things rarely modelled in R-T-R (or in models as a whole) are the surface imperfections, often there from new.

Aha, the holy grail! I should imagine it is rarely modelled as it is extremely difficult to do convincingly, particularly in 4mm scale, and I would go as far to suggest that it would be impossible (and not really required) in 2mm scale! I've seen it done on a couple of US HO models though, including one stunning Railbox boxcar by a guy called Butch Eyler.

Although ex works locos are glossy, I don't think a full gloss finish works well, especially not in 2 and 4mm scales - you might just get away with it in 7mm scale. I think the a finish on the glossy side of satin could well work.

I'd agree with James and WW - a coat of varnish, shadows in the grilles and a bit of dry brush highlighting of surfaces that would catch the light (top of grilles etc) by dry brushing a lighter shade of the base colour. I'd also consider painting the underframe a slightly lighter shade of black - true black never looks quite right on a model, and adding some touches of brake dust. You could go to town on the underframe by doing further dry brush highlighting of that as well.

I think that convincingly representing an ex-works loco is quite possibly the toughest weathering challenge - it requires a lot more work and thought than a heavily weathered loco in many ways.

But they do look like an MBA, rather than a characature of one, so I think it would be worth the wait.

Seconded.