Clik here to view.
Testing the new club track
A sunny Sunday, and the first chance I've had to try the new Outdoors @ LWMRS track. Fresh from the attention of Dave Mees (see the current Garden Rail), I set the gauge to 45mm and headed off to the...
View ArticleSaturday Film Club: The Special Weapons Dalek
Not your usual nerdy Dr Who stuff here. OK, maybe a little, but there is an awful lot covering the development and construction of a new type of Dalek, including the multiple rebuilds the prop endured...
View ArticleOut of service
I'm writing this on my phone from Hatton ward in Warwick hospital, where I've been since Tuesday. A routine blood test showed a problem with my kidneys, and I was rushed in for bladder drainage.All...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Warehouse Wednesday: Pipework
The view from my hosptial ward wasn't exactly inspirational, but I did find the pipework running along the top of a nearby building interesting*. Some good joins in the yellow one for a start, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lego London
I recieved a lot of lovely messages while in hospital, once of which suggested ordering some Lego to aliviate the boredom. A suggestion borne out of experience sadly. Once back home, I sort of took...
View ArticleGarden railway runs!
While I was lounging around in hospital, my parents had worked on a pleasent surprise for me - they finished assembling the track in the station area of the garden railway - and it runs!Everything is...
View ArticleSaturday Film Club: Behind the scenes at Century 21
An interesing interview with designer and model effects expert Mike Trim about his time working on the Anderson shows. Be prepared to weep at what happens to the models at the end...
View ArticleTime to have your say
Slight grumpy post alert.There's a lot of "consulation" around railways right now. Let's start with the plan to close all the ticket offices in England. The argument is that most people buy online or...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A pre-painted Bulldog
Time for a simple kit. Last year, I finally sucumbed to a G scale Lanz Bulldog kit from Pola. An odd choice you might think, except that my first novel (still available) culminates with a tractor...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Need some black
Assembly starts well enough with a shelf stuck in one side of the main casting, but then it's time to move on to the cab area. Here, we find that everything is painted, except the black bits, which...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Warehouse Wednesday: Bus stop
Spotted somewhere in the Cotswolds when I was on a photo job, you could lift this sign from the picture here, and stick it on a bit of rod for a convincing scenic addition.
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ups and downs in Garden Rail
We're going up and down in the world in August's Garden Rail. Starting with the down, Paul Galyet has constructed a slate quarry in his back garden. It's one of the most unusual layouts we've ever...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wickham shed, scammells and wheel cleaning in BRM
Another busy month for me in August's edition of BRM. I start by building a Wickham trolley shed in O gauge. This makes use of an Ellis Clark laser-cut kit. It's one you don't really want to build to a...
View ArticleSaturday Film Club: ASTEROID CITY, miniature effects
Hat tip to Ben Buki for this one. Another behind-the-scenes from a current film. Fascinating stuff that makes me want to go and see the movie.
View ArticleClik here to view.
Melbridge on the TV
Watching an episode of the TV show Not Going Out, a detail caught my eye. It seems one of the children in the sitcom attends Melbridge Park Academy. That's odd, because Melbridge doesn't actually...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Do NOT glue...
The Bulldog should, if built correctly, have working steering. This means there are quite a lot of parts that mustn't come into contact with the glue. First, we have a sterring stuport, which is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Big bits, swift progress
Detailing the Bullodog isn't a slow process. Great big lumps of plastic clad the inner body shell. Part fit is excellet, so it's just a case of splodging on some Contacta cement and pushing the part...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Steering and suspension
Now for the fiddly bit - the steerting. A couple of pre-bent lengths of brass wire are included, which have to be slotted through the plastic pivots and arm. I'd pre-painted everything, and let it dry...
View ArticleClik here to view.
G scale Lanz Bulldog
And with one bound, we were finished. First thoughts - this is an impressive size. 15 1/2cm long and jus under 11cm tall, the complete model certainly has presence. I suppose in G scale (1:22.5), it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tea, tram and cake
A couple of days after I escaped the hospital, a parcel arrived for me - with instructions on the outside to open it imediatly as the contents were perishable. Inside, were some cakes. From my...
View Article