dj_crisp

Looking good. I'm finding the camera can be rather cruel but at the same time really useful. I've started taking pictures of my projects and viewing them on the pc next to the real thing. I've found loads of errors, comprises etc. that way! Really hard to get colours right though... Tbh that's very personal and really depends on lighting. I'll admit to using the wrong shades to better fit with the rest of the scene. At the end of day we always find more wrong with our stuff than others do! Looking forward to your next update - inspirational stuff! Cheers Will

Never been a runner and started running as I'm so useless it gives me a great workout. My wife found park run and forced me along. Don't want to admit it but I quite enjoy it (freshens me up for a spot of Saturday modelling!). Even managed a few tourist parkruns... including poland. Will

You can get (well used to be able to) get the Hornby plough from peters spares... failing that please pm me as I have a number spare as I bought then for the BSK coupler. Hornby's 153 is a strange one in that I don't really get on with it because of the flat roof. Which is a pity as it's my first model I bought for using DCC. I'll probably have a go at it one day though... Cheers Will

My Sprog setup is why I didn't give up on DCC. No way I'd use anything else to program stuff.... I can't imagine how you'd do speed steeps or speed matching. Trust me you'll love it.

Skipper for me. Ta

Liking 50002 alot! Also had a few on my 50s suffer from the dreaded rot on the keeper plate. Had to replace with plastikard. I'm interested to see how you get on with the ferry van as it's something I've been tempted to have a go at one day. Cheers Will

Great Stuff!

Where to stop is indeed an excellent question. I'm going with attempting to maintain some sort of sanity and what i can't see on photos. So I'm choosing the long distance types

About time Bachmann got round to releasing a flush front 45 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAND-NEW-VERY-RARE-Bachmann-CLASS-45-048-ROYAL-MARINES-MODELZONE-LTD-EDT/113200019535?hash=item1a5b3f384f:g:UQcAAOSwnlVbcfTB

I find the NEM pockets tend to be very variable in height and generally just bin them. Although Hornby's 08/09 is one of the few items of stock where I've kept it! If you want to keep them then having a few different types of kadees really helps

Totally agree. I'm finding airbrushing kind of addictive... when it goes well it's rather pleasing but I've got plenty of disasters to strip and redo! I've been attempting to do 47401 and carefully removed one nameplate... but right messed up the second one. Then last night had a filing accident while opening the windows and have now seriously damaged both sides now. Thinking about it the yellow doesn't look quite right so I may just strip and start again. It'll probably be easier than trying to fix it.

Hi Nick! Sounds an excellent project and it'll be good to see some photos of yours. I've been debating what to do with the engine rooms and I think I'm going to bend some wire for these. Will have an experiment soon. I've also got about about 5 on the go as I'm planning to batch build them and try and keep them all consistent. The problem with vitrains is they were very cheap a few years ago and I've managed to pick up too many of them! Next up is bending some thin wire for some roof handles.... got quite a few to do! Cheers Will

The GWR things look pretty. They're on my work commute these days and I like them apart from the rock hard benches (sorry seats).... but I have also noticed GWR have whacked the fares up later this year... no doubt to pay for them.

I've had one of those nice weekends.... kinda lazy Started off with the London Beer Festival Friday, a slow hangover day Saturday spent gardening and even Forest managed a win. Sunday has been far more productive on the modelling front... something I've not managed for a few weeks. I think I've done all i can to a Mk1 underframe. Every time i look at the prototype I find something wrong with my efforts. Might never look at another Mk1 again! LOL. This one I've moved the vacuum cylinder and used an non-symetrical V. Think this will do now and the template for the other 10 or so I need to do. Eeeek. Of course I can't help myself and have been distracted from coaches by 47s Lots to learn about detail differences of the fleet. This one is 47600 and I understand it to be a Brush Built machine. So it's "eyebrows" are continuous which I'm experimenting replicating with plastikard. The nose has also been smoothed off as there was a strange join, and shawplan frames added to the front and sides. I really dislike Vitrains efforts at V ariels so these have been replaced with Shawplan etched versions. I'm now working out how to do the washer jets and have mislaid my lamp irons so may attempt a homemade bodge version. And Brian has sorted me out with a 50 roof grille (many thanks if you're reading this!). This is probably my favourite Shawplan etching as it's amazing and makes such a difference to a Hoover; Just weathering and glazing to go on the body. Happy Modelling all! Will

If anyone's interested I've written about my 50 mods in this month's Traction Magazine... feedback very welcome on the article. Cheers Will

Agreed! Too high for me to be tempted which is good thing as have plenty of other projects to keep me occupied! Does look nice though

Many thanks to Stephen @ Traction for publishing my scribbles on Class 50s I do enjoy reading Traction and it's the only mag I regularly get. Always a bit different from the rest and has great articles on the real thing. If anyone reads my article I'd really appreciate any comments. I enjoy writing them and I've started writing down my projects... just to remind me what I did! Funny thing is reading it tonight reminded me how i attached the roof grilles... which thanks to Brian @ Shawplan I'll be doing on Defiance shortly. Cheers Will

Looks great! You should definitely be pleased! Oh and I'm all for a bit cross era running

Sounds a great issue Stephen I'll be getting a copy as soon as get to WH Smiths Cheers Will

Never pre-ordered anything before but couldn't resist a 4 pack

That one is a fair challenge...! It'll have sounded better as just Doreen Scanlon for all the good work she's done.

Looks great! Sadly I know your pain with masking tape... my recent project rook 3 attempts to get it looking ok! Cheers Will

A great Grid Wayne and it's a definite improvement! I think I got a little carried away with the airbrush and over did mine. I'm kind of after this look; https://www.flickr.com/photos/35476094@N04/12508190384/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/152343870@N07/26073400828/in/photolist-jXhy8r-pACPLo-jjHo9b-bgH6ZM-236WfVz-eci4QY-25kkePF-bCYH8J-eyxqEL-FJ1ZFA-tZTLF4-ymnpXj-RUHFx2-Lme8y4-RvXyrs I've chosen my coal sector grid to be 56101 Mutual Improvement.... as I kind of think this is one of the worst names for a loco going and feel a little sorry for it (and Brian had some plates in stock at the time). And thanks Jack - much appreciated cheers Will

Thanks Mark - I'm looking forward to finishing this one off

I think I'm going to get away with my attempt of Defiance which has just had a satin coat of varnish; I just realised that I think this is my first full respray that I've got this far... as most of my efforts are blending of the original finish. So after I applied gloss varnish I've had the fun task of applying a few extra details, decals and detail painting, I've not used fox transfers before this loco and 60018 which have a white backing transfer to apply first. The recommended method is to use water and washing up liquid which worked a treat for 60018 but not for Defiance!! The backing white transfer started to slip as I applied the top layer... really annoying. I rescued the short band by the the door but the main logo ended up with a small amount of white showing. This has been touch painted in to hide this, I switched to carrs transfix for the other side and this worked perfectly ! Another first for me is using lining by Fox. I'm amazed how anyone can get the lining perfectly straight but overall it looks ok to me. Using water worked quite well but I also had success with transfix which was easier to stick but had a tendency to curl. I found that using quite long lengths was easier than short lengths and the technique i found best was to fix one end, hold it down then run a brush under the lining to effectively slightly stretch it as it was being attached. A larger brush then straightened any bits that looked off. The front was hand painted which was a little easier! The front has had some additional details added - lamp irons are from scrap shawplan roof grilles which have been cut and then bent into shape. I've added some grab handles above the windows using 0.2mm wire; Nearly all of the Numerals are from DRD, but the blue 9 is from a Railtech NSE coach renumbering sheet. Overhead warning flashes are Nairnshire supplies and the orange squares & side grille warning are from a class 50 numbering set from Railtech. I do cut the railtech transfers very close to the size of the transfer so as to limit the appearance of the film. Something that you dpn't have to worry about with DRD which is where the loco details transfer is from. Nameplates and depot plaques are all by Shawplan. Finally the Lima side grilles and doors have been superglued in, along with the doors Defiance will not win any prizes but I'm quite pleased with it. I just need to get hold of a roof grille and this will be finished but i suspect this won't happen until later in the year... and I'll do the electrics when the weather is naff! Hopefully it'll be done before the end of 2019!