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A view along the river
Found buried in my collection of old photos - this shot of the Hurt Arms take looking along the (flock covered) river at Ambergate in Derbyshire.Of course, this is a model. It's part of John Webb's...
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Modelling rising damp
When Humbrol produced their range of weathering powders, one colour stood out amongst the selection - Chrome Oxide Green. It's a pretty vibrant colour and for railway modellers, one that you don't see...
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009 PW Train and tracklaying in Hornby Magazine
It's all a bit high-tech in this Month's Hornby Magazine. I've built the Narrow Planet multimedia kit for a 009 diesel and added a Boston Largs Works flat wagon.Multimedia kits are nothing new - we've...
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Bedford QLD and QLT
I don't do military modelling but know someone who does, so when Airfix released their new Bedford QLT and QLD truck set, I generously thought I'd build him a pair. In the real world, as opposed to the...
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Meccano Fire Engines
AGM's can be dull at the best of times, so The Knightcote Model Boat Club always tries to book someone to give us a talk on something interesting after the official business has concluded. This year,...
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Talking about painting
On Tuesday I was asked to give a talk on model painting to the Warwick Flyers model aircraft club. Being local and cheap (free in this case) I was easy entertainment for the committee to organise....
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Frogtape masking tape
While yapping about painting on Tuesday, a guy in the audience asked about something called "Frogtape" which he'd seen at the local DIY shed. He didn't know much about it other than the makers claimed...
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Halfords spray enamel
As a wise man said to a group of RC aircraft modellers last week, "When painting a large area you are probably better off with an aerosol can than an airbrush."How right I am. Which is why when it came...
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Book Review: 7mm Modelling Part Two - Building a Layout
As you may know, I'm currently building an O gauge layout, Clayhanger Yard. To help me, I've been reading up a bit on the subject. In this case, that means buying the second part of Gordon Gravett's...
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Can you glaze a big window with Krystal Klear?
Well, to find out, I had a go with a pair of skylight windows in a Skytrex O gauge goods shed. Each pane is 20mm square.The answer is - YesIt's true, you can glaze with Krystal Klear, a high quality...
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Jouef Goods Shed
Here's a little puzzler for you on a Friday. I've been asked to Anglicise this Jouef goods shed. As you can see, it's a wooden structure that looks a bit Swiss chalet to me. Most UK facilities would be...
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Cheap tools have a place
Behold, the latest addition to the Parker tool kit. A pack of "precision" screwdrivers.You may see a price tag of $9.95 but to me, these cost a whole pound. Yes, it seems that one of the Queens pound...
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Exhibiting a model railway by public transport
Over at Wood End and Beyond, there is a thought-provoking post post about the idea of transporting model railway layouts by public transport. The cause of this speculation is the rather excellent...
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LNER Y6 kit
Sometimes you acquire kits and sometimes they are thrust upon you. The later is how I ended up with this Connoisseur kit for an LNER Y6 tram engine, or Toby if you prefer. The donor is an old friend of...
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Y6 Chassis
A simpler chassis for a model railway engine, you couldn't hope to find. Only 4 wheels, a short wheelbase and since the whole thing is hidden under the body, none of that fiddly brake gear or indeed,...
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Book Review: Locomotive modelling from scratch and etched kits
Geoff Holt is the sort of modeller I aspire to become and know that I never will. He is the man who scatchbuilt many engines for Pete Watermans collection in both O and 1 gauges. Each one is a...
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Pickups on - Chassis tested
There's loads of space under an O gauge loco, or at least this O gauge loco, for pickups.The kit has holes in the chassis for those intending to use Slaters pickups. I seriously considered ordering a...
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Dimples for rivets
The first job on the Y6 bodywork is to push through the rivets in the side skirts. To aid the modeller, half-etch dimples are found on the back of the metal.Well, they would aid the modeller if they...
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Wavemaster update
Just a quick update on my Dad's Wavemaster build first mentioned in January.The hull outer sheets were fitted with difficulty. Getting the pointy bit at the front in place was a nightmare. One of the...
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The rise of the chequebook enthusiast
Don't be scared by the non-train mags railway modellers - I'm coming to chuff-chuffs in a minuteThis week I cancelled my subscription to VW Camper & Commercial magazine. I've been with it since...
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