Brinkly

Tim what ratio of paint to thinner do you use?

Regards,

Nice little collection of bits and bobs there Tom, plenty of things to be getting on with!

Regards,

Nick

Nice bit of track work there.

I know what you mean about being out in the greenhouse, I have a spent quite a lot of what would have been my modelling time out in the garden pottering about. I suppose summer came all at once and I ended up with lots of little plants which were quite happy in the greenhouse needing to be planted properly.

I've often thought that really I am most productive with my modelling during the winter months and on wet days!

Regards,

Nick

Hi Martin,

I imagine you must be one of, if not the first modellers in the country to repaint one into grey! It does look very realistic. I only saw Tornado once in her grey livery in the flesh and that was at Taunton a couple of years ago having spent the day on the WSR.

I've often thought that modelling the 'modern' period would be boring, but that certainly isn't!

Regards,

Nick

No it will be perfect having looked at some photos at Horrabridge it is almost identical.

Regards,

Very nice Tim,

Perhaps over the summer we could pop up and have a look at the box at Stoke Canon?

Regards,

Nick

Ooh that hard black plastic dust looks familiar! The front buffer beam looks excellent, it really does.

I will follow with great interest!

Kind regards,

Nick.

Nick - I do get a wobble but I put that down to eccentric wheels, I've found it hard finding Gibson wheels that are concentric. The worst seem to be the 10mm lowmac type. Kean-Maygib are better but dificult to find.

 

Paul.

Cheers Paul,

That's really helpful. I might try some Exactoscale ones at some point.

Regards,

Nick

No probs Paul, I get mine from Eileens Emporium and I think a lenght of 30cm is about 80pish.

Regards,

Nick.

Hi Paul,

I use 1mm x 1mm L strip for tie-bars, it looks good as it is nice and fine. The major advantage with brass strip is that it can be solder to the W-iron if you use Bill Bedford units. Not sure if it would work on MJT W-irons mind.

Regards,

Nick

Nice work Paul you have really packed the lead in! Just out of interest do you find that any of your wagons have a wobble when an MJT W-Iron is installed? I'm trying to work out what I am doing wrong as sometimes when I use these I get a wobble on the wagon.

Kind regards,

Nick.

The locos are very striking. I wish we had as much freight in Devon as that, our lines are very boring in comparison! Bar the odd scrap train and some oil tanker wagons that's really your lot!

Regards,

Nick

I do love these locos, they really do look like they could haul just about anything! Just out of interest what livery will she be running in?

Kind regards,

Nick

That does look good, the hillside isn't too steep which is really important it’s so easy to overdo it.

Regards,

Nick

HI Nick, there was certainly some bizarre disparity in the pricing of models at Slough. Lima 47's on FGW 'Merlin' colours (both 47813) could be found one one stand for £20 and another stand at £48.

 

They both appeared to be in excellent condition.

 

Matt

It's daft isn't it! I suppose I am more incline to an approach of drop the price and sell twice as much! But £48 is a stupid price for a Lima model; I'd pay £20 for an old Lima 47 to use as a detailing project if I modelled that period, as I still think that highly detailed older models have a place on a layout.

I have as a very long term project a box of old Hornby Castles, Counties and 28xx waiting for Comet chassis and detailing, but I wouldn't imagine that someone would pay more than £40 for one in the current condition!

I do wonder at times what some of these traders are on!

Regards,

Nick

Interesting thought that about the traders having a bad day. Ages ago, at least 4 years possibly 5, I went to a Toy Fair at Exeter and even then there wasn't much money being exchanged between traders and punters.

My belief is that the recession is only partly to blame, because at the time (2006/7) the meltdown hadn't even started, I feel that ebay is has really been the killer for the toy fairs simply because most people will look on there for bits and bobs and if they see a HST on ebay for £35, they won’t pay £45 at a traders stand. Before ebay the traders could charge as much as the punter is was willing to part with, and I feel that is why the traders are perhaps suffering.

The other major factor is the number of new models which are now in production, when you can get a new Hornby Castle Class loco from Hattons for £80+ why would you pay £45-£50 for a second hand one? I certainly wouldn't. A few years ago the then Hornby HST wasn't much better than a second hand Lima one, I feel that Lima paint work on some of my older models was better applied than the Hornby ones! So that I feel is another factor which has contributed to the poor success of some traders.

At Wells last year a trader was charging silly prices for items, an old Mainline Pannier tank for £45 was one memorable example! It wasn’t even detailed, had it had lamps, a crew and real coal then maybe, but not in original form!

Anyway enough moaning!

Regards,

Nick.

Hi Nick - I'm in two minds about the grass, TBH -it's something I may revisit. It is basically hanging basket liner, which I think is obvious in the grass at the rear, above the retaining wall, but the foreground stuff has then been treated to an additional layer of static grass. Although it looks OK it's not the effect I wanted, which I think is due to me not using the static grass applicator correctly.

Cheers Al,

Perhaps you could try carpet felt as a method. I'm in the process of building a little scene and intend to use it, the worst thing is the length of time that it takes to dry after it has been bleached!

Regards,

Nick.

Hi Al,

I've just discovered your blog! Such lovely work. Just out of interest what have you used for grass, carpet felt or hanging basket liner?

Kind regards,

Nick.

Hi Martin,

In a very old Model Rail the showed how to use Kingspan with Explanding Foam, would you like me to dig the article out? (Excellent idea though)

Regards,

Nick.

I drove past Laira Deport this afternoon on my way back from a meeting and slowed up (as much as a dare!) going past allotments. There was a nice rake of tanker wagons sitting at the far end of the deport and my first thought was ‘They look just like Martin’s!’

Regards,

Nick.

That is a good idea chaps.

Cracking work Martin!B)(I've also just found your blog, glad I have!)

It looks so subtle I’ll have to have a go on a couple of my own oil and milk tankers.

Thanks for the example.

The bricks are such a wonderful selection of different shades, granted some are replacements, but the blue/red mix is rather nice. Surely your not going to try and paint each brick al-la Pendon!

This will be cracking when the whole project is completed Rod. B)

* sorry meant regarding, not reading!