4mm On Heather's workbench - on a Holden to…Yarmouth?
- Thread starter Heather Kay
- Start date
Lancastrian
Western Thunderer
There's a few Elvis impersonators in the mix as well!
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
I glued everyone's bottoms to some lolly sticks using PVA.
I’m not sure what my plan is, but I do need to tone down the rather bright 1970s colours the factory used. The first stage has been a light wash with a dark grey enamel let down with thinners. It brings out the nicely modelled detail, especially round the faces. Once that’s dry, I’ll consider which figures need further painting. I always consider the 1920s as being rather a dull sort of place. Bright colours seem to be worn by the wealthy and for nights out. Day wear would probably have mostly been based on hard-wearing woollens, in rather subdued greys, greens and browns.
I always find it hard to remember these figures don’t need super-detailing. They’re going to be inside a coach, behind small windows, and some distance from the viewer.
I’m not sure what my plan is, but I do need to tone down the rather bright 1970s colours the factory used. The first stage has been a light wash with a dark grey enamel let down with thinners. It brings out the nicely modelled detail, especially round the faces. Once that’s dry, I’ll consider which figures need further painting. I always consider the 1920s as being rather a dull sort of place. Bright colours seem to be worn by the wealthy and for nights out. Day wear would probably have mostly been based on hard-wearing woollens, in rather subdued greys, greens and browns.
I always find it hard to remember these figures don’t need super-detailing. They’re going to be inside a coach, behind small windows, and some distance from the viewer.
Eastsidepilot
Western Thunderer
With regards the guy sitting on the left end of the first lolly stick I wouldn't recommend his barbers and his mate with arms folded is probably disgruntled 'cause he's been sat next to Maggie Thatcher ! 
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
That’s a bit less lairy. A couple of figures will get some dark grey for their clothing, then I’ll dab some flesh colour about for faces and hands - though most folk wore gloves in the period.
Then I’ll tackle the relative giants from Modelu…
michael mott
Western Thunderer
“You might all be wondering why I have brought you up to this meeting, we are here to discuss seating arrangements for the trip.”
I’ll get my coat…..
Michael
About those roofs…
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Back to the roofs, specifically the seven roofs that don’t fit.
Here's the problem. The vacuum-formed roof has been cut from the sheet, but it’s not left enough material along the bottom to meet the top of the coach side. With no prospect of new roofs forthcoming, I need to see if I can graft replacement material along the bottom edges without the whole thing looking utterly rubbish.
The first job was to try to ascertain the centreline if the roof was of the right size. I did this by eyeballing the centre at each end, after aligning the roof on the body as best I could. I drew the line all along the inside of the roof. The roof braces were likewise marked with a centreline. The reason for all this chicanery? Read on.
If I could fix the crossbraces in the correct place, they would reveal the extent of the patchwork to do. A datum, of sorts, would be provided by the cutouts in the crossbraces that allowed the roof to slot into the coach body. It was important, too, to ensure the roof matched the brace curves as closely as possible. Time and swearing was needed to ensure this happened.
The photo shows the next stage, where I’ve added backing strips along each edge. In the end, I’ve since added more strips to support the grafted strip. The latter is much deeper than it needed to be, as I reasoned it was easier to remove material to get to the right depth than to add more if I got it wrong. The jury is out on that score.
After some more time and swearing, this was the result of one side grafting. Good enough. A little filler, and the rainstrips to be added, and it will pass muster.
Eventually, both sides were done to my satisfaction. Fettling and detailing can wait. Now I know the task is feasible, I ought to press on and get the other six roofs to a similar state. But first, I will go and lie down in a darkened room.
Here's the problem. The vacuum-formed roof has been cut from the sheet, but it’s not left enough material along the bottom to meet the top of the coach side. With no prospect of new roofs forthcoming, I need to see if I can graft replacement material along the bottom edges without the whole thing looking utterly rubbish.
The first job was to try to ascertain the centreline if the roof was of the right size. I did this by eyeballing the centre at each end, after aligning the roof on the body as best I could. I drew the line all along the inside of the roof. The roof braces were likewise marked with a centreline. The reason for all this chicanery? Read on.
If I could fix the crossbraces in the correct place, they would reveal the extent of the patchwork to do. A datum, of sorts, would be provided by the cutouts in the crossbraces that allowed the roof to slot into the coach body. It was important, too, to ensure the roof matched the brace curves as closely as possible. Time and swearing was needed to ensure this happened.
The photo shows the next stage, where I’ve added backing strips along each edge. In the end, I’ve since added more strips to support the grafted strip. The latter is much deeper than it needed to be, as I reasoned it was easier to remove material to get to the right depth than to add more if I got it wrong. The jury is out on that score.
After some more time and swearing, this was the result of one side grafting. Good enough. A little filler, and the rainstrips to be added, and it will pass muster.
Eventually, both sides were done to my satisfaction. Fettling and detailing can wait. Now I know the task is feasible, I ought to press on and get the other six roofs to a similar state. But first, I will go and lie down in a darkened room.
Chas Levin
Western Thunderer
Agreed on both counts!
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
I hear what you say, Larry. An original plan considered using aluminium roof. Then I looked at what came in the kits, and decided to go with it. My reasoning went along the lines of "some of those kits are at least thirty years old, and the plastic seems sound enough; let’s just see if the plastic roofs work before we decide on alternatives". Apart from these short-cut roofs, things seem to be okay.
LarryG
Western Thunderer
I can't say, as I don't know about the long-term stability of the materials used in 3D printing.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Nearly there. The patch repairs were mostly successful, so I’ve pressed on with the wind behind me to complete the detailing. Then found I didn’t have enough of the particular strip in stock to finish!
Ah well. A quick online order to replenish. I don’t know how long it’ll take to get to me, but hopefully not too long.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Roofs are complete - save for carriage board clips. Some, if not all, the salvaged roofs are somewhat banana-like. I like to think glue may help to hold them down - but that’s not really going to be my problem.
Today I decided to fit the bogies. I discovered Past Me had left sixteen nice boo-boos for Present Me to sort out. I may have said a rude word or three, I definitely grumped about for a bit, then decided to just get on and sort it out. It’s all done now, and I won’t be telling you what it was.
Board clips for tomorrow, then. They’ll keep me gainfully employed while an engineer swaps out our life-expired gas and electricity meters. It looks like we shall be moving our utility supply metering into the 21st century at last.
Today I decided to fit the bogies. I discovered Past Me had left sixteen nice boo-boos for Present Me to sort out. I may have said a rude word or three, I definitely grumped about for a bit, then decided to just get on and sort it out. It’s all done now, and I won’t be telling you what it was.
Board clips for tomorrow, then. They’ll keep me gainfully employed while an engineer swaps out our life-expired gas and electricity meters. It looks like we shall be moving our utility supply metering into the 21st century at last.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Self-assembly carriage destination board clip kit for 16 coaches.
I hope the MEK fumes don’t get me before I’m done…
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Thank you, Tim. I used to use Squadron White and Green putty. Sadly, that’s not currently in production. I got some Humbrol filler, and it works well and it’s what I used on these roofs. The only thing to watch for with that stuff is it’s solvent based, and can become separated in the tube when stored for a long time. Like all solvent-based putties, it does suffer from mild shrinkage. That can usually be avoided by applying thin layers and allowing them to dry, rather than slathering it on.
I also use Deluxe Products Perfect Plastic Putty. That’s a water-based acrylic filler. I use it mainly to fill thin gaps in the model aircraft I build. instead of sanding back, a damp cotton bud or tissue can be used to wipe excess filler away.
I use Apoxie, a two part filler, easy to use and can be smoothed before it sets with something damp. It's not a cheap filler but the smallest tubs last a very long time. I came across it on the Scale Model Workshop site where Paul Budzik uses it on plastic aeroplanes.
The Apoxie video is here:
The Apoxie video is here:
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Interesting. I have a love-hate relationship with any two-part stuff. I’m also impatient, so squeezing a tube to get filler in one hit that dries in a few minutes suits me. It’s probably why I have a new box of Milliput on the shelf, but haven’t even opened it yet.
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