Jump to content
 

Etched Pixels

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2,006

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Etched Pixels

  1. Etched Pixels
    Done a bit of filling and painting work so 10203 is beginning to take shape. Still need to sort out the battery box further and fit the handrails, folded headcode discs and the other grilles. Then of course paint the chassis/battery box silver.
  2. Etched Pixels
    This started off as a Mill Lane Sidings ferryvan but is getting turned into the conversions done on them for use as curtain sided vans.
     
    The weathering on the sides is all done digitally (which is why the ends are not weathered yet). The rest will get weathered once I've attached all the other parts and painted them (roof, underframe etc)
  4. Etched Pixels

    1020x Progress

    By Etched Pixels,

    Having finally got a bit of modelling time I've also started putting the cab roof profile onto 10201 and 10203. Trying Daz clay this time to see if I can get a better finish than will milliput.
     

     
    So far the finish seems nicer but its a right pain to get Daz to stay stuck to anything while being shaped, that or there is a trick I don't know !
  5. Etched Pixels
    I've been playing with the vinyl cutter and Thompson stock. As the Thompson stock is very similar in ends and profile to the Mark 1 it seemed a perfect thing to use the clear plastic shell from the Farish Mark 1 coaches for. Especially with new better Mark 1 coaches on the way.
     
    The coaches were drawn with the gimp and then pasted together using a small program which assembles them and generates three images, one is a colour printed sheet which is like the coach sides it reads but with areas around the sides and in the windows filled in colour so that any slight cutting inaccuracy doesn't show up. The second is a black and white sheet showing which areas are part of the coach (and thus the cutting lines), the third a proof sheet combining strictly for human consumption.
     
    The black and white sheet goes into inkscape and the inkscape 'trace bitmap' function turns it into cutting vectors, and hpgl-distiller makes it edible by the vinyl cutter.
     
    The print image goes to the laser printer first on paper to check sizes/detail and then again with magic laser printed vinyl paper. This second sheet then goes into the vinyl cutter where the registration marks ensure the image is cut accurately and the end result goes on the side of a brasso cleaned coach.
     
    Bogies are plastic ones from the NGS. I could have used the correct etched 8'6" ones but the 8' ones will fool most people and are rather simpler to use. All I need to do now is cut off the underframe then paint and glue on a pair of etched Thompson truss rods, vac cyl, dynamo and battery boxes. After that I'll probably fix the roof ventilators and add rainstrips. Certainly the rainstrips are a very visible difference that needs sorting.
     

  7. Etched Pixels
    Good to see rmweb slowly recovering
     
    In the meantime I've mostly decalled the 02
     

     
    and am also part way through painting and decalling a Carl Peplow resin 47 shell I had lurking in a drawer.
     

     
    and the Maunsell coach project is slowly getting there. This is a test build with the underframe, sides ends and roof. Couple of small errors to fix on the underframe etches but nothing serious. Need to fit the bogies, underframe and roof vents next, see how it looks.
     

  8. Etched Pixels
    The Gresley is now closer to done. Still need to make roof cowls (why did I pick the awkward coach). The sides to this are screen printed to a pre 1985 design. Next to it is a faded Regional Railways Mark2 coach complete with peeled numbers and other little details, the latest in vinyl relivery bits from Electra.
     
    Both await interiors and roof paintwork finishing so they should a fairly similar comparison
     

     
    I think the Gresley stacks up pretty well - and shows just how good a job Cavndish did back in 1984 or so.
  9. Etched Pixels
    A quick detour from the Thompson to another bit of Ultima stuff. The sides, roof and ends are not a problem but the original aluminium floor is long deceased. Worse than that the price quotes I've got for a new die to extrude the stuff are not really viable with the Dapol Gresley stock on the market, nor would have space to store the typical "minimum order"
     
    So to see what was needed and as a planning aide I cut a floor out of 1mm plasticard 117mm x 16mm to go with the roof and ends. Then I stuck 3mm or so square plastic rod each side between the ends and stepped slightly out to line up with the profile on the ends both to give the sides somewhere to sit and to stop the chassis from bending. The solebars are plastic U channel about 2mm high and the rest of the underframe is Ultima parts built to the original instructions.
     
    No bogie mounts yet (or bogies in fact) but one problem at a time. I also need to work out which interior strip goes with each coach, which isn't helped by the fact they are labelled by some old numbering system with things like "N27".
     

     
    When it comes to teak printed sides are a definite winner even when not yet stuck down (need to paint the rest first)
     

  10. Etched Pixels
    The Mark 2 BFK now has an interior - unpainted so far, and the roof mostly done (needs another coat and some weathering/matting). One mystery remains first. Presumably the BFK has a periscope - but where does it go ?
     

     
    Meanwhile I've also been putting together the test build of the Ultima Thompson matchboard full brake. Usefully the N gauge society has produced the rather less usual 8ft Gresley bogies this needs, as part of the rather excellent Gresley brake kit.
     

     
    The only trouble being that in looking for reference images I inadvertently discovered the rather cute 6 wheel Thompson D.358 full brake which I now need to find drawings of to etch up.
  11. Etched Pixels
    Wadebridge is going to need stock and some of that is Mark 1 regional railways stock for the summer services at least (I've even got an 'Atlantic Coast Express' headboard waiting to get etched to fit on the 31 8)).
     
    The Farish Mark 1 was a superb model for its age, and Bachmann have really brought out the best in it with the newer printing/paintwork, bogie and wheel updates. Unfortunately there are three things that totally suck (plus the couplings): the buffers, the lack of proper rubbing plates and the underframe. So as well as interior painting the RR stock is going to need a bit more work.
     
    Bernard (TPM) does some nice buffers for these coaches which can also be fitted in retracted position mid-rake allowing very close coupling. Cheque in the post for more buffers very soon Bernard . The gangway rubbing plates are fixable with etched overlays and the underframes with the Ultima bits
     
    So just how bad is the Farish underframe to make it worth fitting etches, cutting off and filing smooth the original underframe ? Having done one I'm converted and I shall be doing the rest of the rake ASAP.
     

     

     
    I got the regulator box a bit wonky and I still need to fit the wire for the brakes but its getting there. Next to tackle the ends.
  12. Etched Pixels
    The Electra vinyls arrived for an ex NSE BFK to go with the regional coaches. Easy to put on (took about 5 minutes, and about 15 to ge the original paint off). The vinyls only address part of the coach however. The underframe is of course wrong for an older Mark 2, although replacements are available from Ian Stoate in resin. The roof is more of a challenge and needs to be drilled and fitted with ventilators. Then the wheels, interior and rubbing plates..
     
    There's also a very nice set of faded RR sides waiting for their coach to arrive.
     

     
    Meanwhile the Maunsell construction project moves on. I've now put an Ultima Bulleid roof on one of the Maunsell test coaches and it improves the look immensely, particularly of the ends even though it doesn't yet have any ventilators on it. Just the duckets to sort now.
     

     
    (Roof still loosely fitted)
  14. Etched Pixels
    Things have been a little slow owing to a number of deliveries for other railway lines and the continued bad weather keeping the paint shop closed. It wasn't helped today when the works closed for the cricket.
     
     
    Another Nightstar sleeper has however joined the formation, which leaves two more to do to build the full rake.
     

     
    and while tidying up the scratch etches I decided this slighty faulty horsebox could be rescued even if not sold. Its now waiting some filling and the paint shop, the wonky bits having been adjusted after the photo
     

     
    and another Thompson has joined the paintshop queue to go out in lined maroon
     

     
    I've also put my clay wagon (flat) tarpaulin artwork up. It's too big to attach on RMWeb so can be found at
     
    http://www.etchedpixels.co.uk/Gallery/claytarps.tiff
     
    Those match the Parkwood/NGS clay kit.
     
    Alan
  15. Etched Pixels

    TPM GWR full brake

    By Etched Pixels,

    Bernard (TPM) did some very nice sides for the K40 full brake that abused a Dapol B set as a donor. This build instead uses a generic 3D printed shell with etched trussing and the usual white metal detail. Given the underframe of the B set needs major work and the roof would need redoing anyway I think its an easier way to do the build (It doesn't really work for the BTK as that re-used the Dapol recessed door)
     
    Sides are just tacked on for the moment as I'll need to take them back off for spraying.
     

  16. Etched Pixels
    One reject old NSprays/Heritage N body shell (99p)
    Some filing and filling
    Some old white metal ventilators from the scrap box
    Four buffers
    Some bent wire
    An old Poole Farish GWR railcar chassis
    Two DMU bogie outers
    Couple of old BHE DMU underframe castings I had handy
     

     
    Dapol it ain't but everything came from the junk box so quite a saving. No need for a sound chip either, it sounds like a DMU already !
  17. Etched Pixels
    The Dapol chassis block was about the right size but the motor is held in place by the body, and also in the wrong place. With a lot of careful packing and the motor turned the other way it all fits into the longboiler and can be held in place by a pair of screws drilled and tapped each end of the chassis block.
     
    That way around even the NEM pocket for the front end is in the right spot.
     
    I guess I should have used a black terrier... paintbrush time to follow.
     

     
    Now what to do with the terrier body. Anyone want one for a 2fs chassis building project ;-)
  22. Etched Pixels
    Last night I realised that it would be a lot stronger if the ends had tabs that folded round and could be glued down the middle of the sides (as a sort of 3 layer sandwich). The goings on in the corners will be hidden by the overlay bits anyway.
     
    So here is rev 2. I've also added an explicit creative commons license to it so people know it can be reused and how
     
    The previous one will work on thin card, this one won't as the thickness is only going to work for paper. If you are using thin card you don't need the extra tabs so you can cut them off !
     
    Fold up the ends and glue them, then fold up the sides. the light grey tabs each end go into the middle of the respective side to hold it all together firmly.
     
     

     
    1.tiff
     
    and have fun fiddling - if someone wants to make a pro wedding one feel free (please though don't make it the Peco purple as a matter of taste !)
     
    You can actually get very good quality off a modern printer and a bit of judicious use of painting tools. This is one I did a while ago as a bit of fun for a ferry van conversion (sides fit the Mill Lane Sidings ferry van)
     

     
    2.tiff
  23. Etched Pixels
    Some more modelling done despite the weather. The SR USA tank now has glazed front side windows and the buffer beam corrected, the next Balloon trailer is under way (and in SR green this time) and I started building a Bain Clerestory. This latter one is a shrink from a 4mm PC models etch so a bit fiddly. It also has sides with folded in solebars and overlays that join to separate ends and various cross pieces for the buffer beam and underframe bits.
     
    In the end I assembled the ends, buffer beam and framing and buffers into two units and fitted those to the sides as one piece, just so I had something less fiddly to join the bits together at each end. The footboards then also got soldered on. For the main underframe detail I think I'm going to assemble a plasticard floor and glue them onto it rather than fiddle soldering them across.
     
    The one good bit of news is that Chris Higgs resin roof fits beautifully so one part of the model will actually be a lot easier than the OO kit it's based upon!
     

  24. Etched Pixels
    The backscene has grown a little bit more vegetation, the fences are temporarily positioned to check the look and the greenery has extended. Carved a couple of blocks of foam to form the dip in the scenery to the front.
     
    Need to let it all set then fit the point motor in the yard before I can progress the scenery any more.
     

     
    Meanwhile the Gresley full brake has finally received its LNER lettering and numbers, a mere three months on.
  25. Etched Pixels
    So the forestry commission moved in last night to deploy the first wave of trees. More and a few bushes are needed, plus a bit of paint for some of the slightly more luminous and cheap trees. As there will be about forty trees in the end its all from the cheap end of the market or special offers!
     

     
    The class 20's are an It's N Gauge respray, one of which is going to end up as the sound system shortly.
×
×
  • Create New...