Gypsy

I do like those LMS streamliners. I know it was essentialy useless but they didn't half look good.

and there it is... Does the roof need more weathering? And what colour for the guttering?! Not sure I want to do too much more to the walls given that they'll be covered in climbing fish soup over the next few days, but I'm open to suggestions.

Going to re-try the track as I agree, it needs to be more silver/grey. But hey, that's what these little prcatices are for. Speaking of which, the discussion with @NHY 581 @MrWolf and inspiration from @KNP has got me try try a little cameo with some bouillabaisse, or is it bougainvillea? At the moment its closer to the former in colour at least. The black dog has definitely been breathing down my neck these past few days but I did happen to pass a real model shop and went in looking for a suitable wall to train the bougainvillea up. I failed with that but did buy the Wills Pagoda as a cheap and cheerful alternative. I know I said I don't really do grot (oo er missus) but this might be an exception. I'm going to try some hairspray weathering over the fish soup brown and I'm really quite chuffed with the tarred wriggly tin roof (several layers of Mod Podge over the bare plastic) so far...

I do like a drop of that... slightly different colour though in my experience!

Like that a lot. I feel the need for some bougainvillea on one of my little creations so will be stealing the ideas – thanks to you and @KNP!

Coke used to work pretty well for cleaning baked on carbon from the working parts of assorted machine guns too...

...and for your further delectation and critique a length of rusty track. Immediate thoughts are that I'm quite pleased. Its getting the sun-bleached look I'm after but needs some variation in the rust on the chairs and possibly on a few random sleepers...!?

Well folks (especially @NHY 581), what do we think...?

Incrimental gains today. Pipework painted copper & some of Chris Nevard's water lillies. I think a couple of bits of white flock as blooms would improve it even more... Not sure whether the brake van roof needs re-doing or just a bit more glue on the tissue?! That and the chimney. Base for the plank now up to ground level, but the glue is drying...

I will probably stop with these two at this point. Still need to get some couplings and nameplates and the driver are on order but the plan is to have them in a 'very well looked after' condition. I might go back and do a little more once I've added the driver, nameplates and handrails but any suggestions gratefully received... Also think I've found a base spray for the concrete - as on the hut roof in the foreground...

Being the boss (in a very minor way) I usually left the swinging of large heavy things to other people and tried to show willing with the dirty stuff occasionally. At least until one of my peers lost a finger tip after a sledgehammer, finger, track pin interface... He went rather higher up the greasy pole than me in an equally unconventional direction but is still known as 'fingers'.

In the absence of suitable paint for concrete I've re-visited my two wagons for a bit of (very) light chassis weathering. Basically, easing the black back with some mixed black and hull red. Rather more to follow on the PW wagon. Not so much on the brake van – which needs the roof drilling for the chimney when I feel brave enough… Also done a bit more on the motive power for Project X.

Back to memories of track bashing in sub-zero conditions, though to be fair REME were slightly more sophisticated...

Oh how I wish I had half a clue about any of that stuff. I could do fuel, oil, tyres and lights on a landrover and even the wiring loom for a radio or the tracks on an armoured vehicle (with a bit of help from my friends) but this kind of stuff is way over my head.

This is more what I have in mind and yes, I see the problem with brush painting and extreme close ups! Note to self, wet and dry paper before I have another go!!!

Desert Tan https://uk.humbrol.com/products/no-237-desert-tan-modellers-spray-150-ml-ad6237 and Desert Yellow https://uk.humbrol.com/products/no-93-desert-yellow-modellers-spray-150-ml-ad6093 ??? Sand https://uk.humbrol.com/products/no-63-sand-modellers-spray-150-ml-ad6063 just looks TOO yellow...

Thanks very much indeed everyone - especially @NHY 581 and @MrWolf An airbrush is on the wishlist but I can probably justify the Humbrol sprays. Need to work out the right colours though - I'm after a yellower (limestone-ey) shade but hopefully the idea will work!

This morning I have been playing with colours - trying to get that sun-bleached concrete look. Not very sucessfully. I know I can mix something suitable, but I want to have an even enough base to cover the whole thing before shading highlights and weathering which will only darken it further I'm veering towards the Aged White (extreme left) as a wash/glaze over the stone grey (far right) as the Halfords Grey primer is way too dark... Anybody any thoughts...?

And a bit of plasticard bodging gives me this... Needs a bit of filling and sanding around the entrance walls but encouraging progress...

Stunning. I'm lost for words.

Ow

Two steps forward, one step back. The baseboard, if you can call it that, is coming along following the excavation of my rather over-enthusiastic application of DAS between the rails. The battery holder has arrived but it’s just too big for the brake van (which now has decals). That led me to another thought – a small length of concrete bridge does not a photo plank make. So, grasshopper mind that I am, I’ve decided I need something to record my progress on because Project X doesn’t really fit the wider Restaurant at the End of the Universe theme. Plank is probably grander than it deserves, even in my wildest dreams, but the Lighthouse Underpass now joins the Works In Progress. There is no lighthouse, but I would quite like one at some point, so maybe one day this will be on the road to it… Just for @MrWolf I include a bus, sort of. But it’s going under the bridge (or will/might be) not over it, so hopefully the Stuka crew can continue their restful afternoon…

Thanks very much Tony. That looks like an ideal solution - when I've resolved the bigger issue, power. As I've noted on my build thread I'd aquired a button battery holder that I was hoping to slip inside the wagon in question, but its just too big. Need to re-think the power source, though it might be as easy just to tape the wire to the battery...

Thanks Tony - I am very much interested. Could you point me in the right direction please. I have some experience of crimping things that go bang so may already have a suitable tool... Think I'll try this, then the glue - then the soldering!!!

That gave me the urge to add some more slime - as I said at the begining, not factory fresh, but not too manky either. On that note, I think I've gone a bit too far with the weathering powders (or rather too dark). The Restaurant isn't set anywhere specific but in my mind's eye its something like Provence, Ibiza or the Croatian Karst - definitely limestone. I'll tone it down when I get some lighter shades but the water tower is really just a modelling exercise anyway. I bought it for Project X but it made things look too cluttered so I'll probably just carry on using it for colour ideas/practice and then put it back in a box.