Clik here to view.
The longest journey starts with a single step
Does anyone else find themselves bogged down when facing a new kit? I bought a cheap plastic kit for a Suzuki Jimney recently as a way to try and break my lack of enthusiasm for making things. My plan...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Aoshima Suzuki Jimney 1:32 model
I buy odd kits. And something about the regular adverts from Plaza Japan for a Jimney plastic kit appealed to me. I quite like a boxy car, and the Jimney might have a stupid name, but I just fancied...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Roll on the April issue of BRM
Something both different and traditional in the latest issue of BRM. Different in that I've not built anything 7mm scale for a while, and traditional in that's it's a whitemetal kit. That lead-alloy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Probably should have got a BOGOFF on this model...
I've been at the MRC second-hand shop again, and among some useful stuff, I picked up a few oddities, the first of which is this Peco Wonderful wagon. Youngsters probably don't know who Izal are, and...
View ArticleSaturday Fim Club: Sleepers in a model shop?
Time for a bit of a laugh with this Fry & Laurie scketch set in a model shop. Taking those kits apart really is a long project...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Building the Hornby rocket
No, not the Stephenson's one. A space rocket. When the press release came through on Friday, telling us that the Hornby Playtrains portal had been expended with a range of free Print and Stick models,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Peugeot 308 tail light unit/bulbs replacement
Even at very low speed, revering your car into the corner of a shipping container is going to result in Peugeot 0: Steel box 1. That, and a lot of swearing. A scuffed bumper aside, the main damage was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Scratchbuilt(ish) Manning Wardle H Class
Back in 2012, I was freelanceing for Hornby Magazine and in my "Parkers Guide" column, pushed the envelope a little with some simple scratchbuilding. Taking the Dapol (now Hornby) L&Y "Pug" as the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rescuing brass parts superglued together
Look at this photo. What have I done wrong? Yes. Yet again, I've but the signal levers in their frames back to front. The hand grabs should be facing away from the signalman, and if the majority of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
R475 - Platform with operating crane
With my collector hat on, I've had a watch on eBay for some time looking for a nice example of the R517 good yard crane. It's basically the crane part of R127 operating crane truck mounted on a small...
View ArticleSaturday Film Club: A look around an IC125
My mate Anthony wanders around an Intercity 125 with a camera - and makes a really good job of it.
View ArticleClik here to view.
Not at York
It's Easter Sunday, and that can only mean one thing - getting up late and scoffing chocolate eggs. Well, this year and last anyway. In days gone by, I'd have been in the car bright and early, heading...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chocolate egg time
Easter provides a great excuse for me to buy a couple of Kinder Eggs to scoff and then build the toys found inside. I've done it before, so why mess with tradition? You don't want to know about the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hood update
I've been asked for a HMS Hood update - my dad's boat hasn't appeared on the blog for a while. The photo (click for a bigger version) shows the current state of play. Progress has been slow as he's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Beginners Barclay
This little Barclay is built from a DJH Beginners whitemetal kit. It was a Hornby magazine project that was nearly a complete disaster. Not the build - that went very well. The reason this isn't the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Taylor & McKenna bags
Some great post arrives - a package containing a load of old model railway catalogues which we'll look at another day, and the prize - two Taylor & McKenna bags. Old readers might look at these...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dermic oiler
From a very long time ago, the "Dermic" oiler for all your model railway lubrication needs. It's a nice bit of kit. The plunger slides incredibly smoothly with the glass tube. I've not yet tried it...
View ArticleSaturday Film Club: Supeglue and accelerators
I use a lot of superglue, so when Mythbusters Adam Savage recorded a video on the glue, it was going to be worth a look. There's a lot of good advice in here, especially the baking soda trick, that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Duke of Edinburgh on my layout
The Duke of Edinburgh's recent passing reminded me that he, and the Queen, once visited my layout, Flockburgh. At least, they visited it in the form of miniatures based on their 1950s selves by the...
View Article