2996 Victor

Airfix Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat

Built completely out of the box with no additions except for masking tape seatbelts. Painted with Vallejo Model Air acrylics used through an old Badger single-action airbrush and clear coated with Tamiya rattle can lacquer.

It could do with a little weathering here and there, notably exhaust stains, and also the addition of a radio aerial line!

Thanks for looking in!

Cheers,
Mark

Hi,

I thought I would start a thread for my occasional aeroplane builds: they will be to 1/72 scale and mostly fighters from the two World Wars. And rather than a blow-by-blow account of each build, this thread will act more as a gallery for finished models. I might also do an occasional build thread as the fancy takes me!

I might also add an index here if this thread ever manages to get onto more than one page  

Thanks for looking in!

Cheers,
Mark

Beautiful work, George, the Viggen is absolutely stunning, as is the Hurricane. I must be completely ham-fisted as I've had several goes at the Airfix Mk.1 Hurri and I just can't make a decent job of it! Looking forward to seeing how the Mustang shapes up, too!

Cheers,
Mark

Love the little grey Fergie in the field! Great modelling, Noel, the trees are certainly looking good. Apologies if you're already planning on this, but have you considered another wall or hedge where the rear of the scenery meets the backscene?

Cheers,
Mark

59 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

You’re not a million miles off, really. Vans like the planked one above started appearing about 1915 - at that stage, though, they were the very latest thing! The KMCE wagons are the best for you, plus the ancient style Provincial Wagons guards van, and the Studio Scale Models “soft top”.

I've recently had a small string of wagons arrive from @KMCE and I have to say I'm extremely impressed with the detail and quality of Ken's prints. I haven't yet begun to finish them, but they're approaching the top of my list! I've looked at Provincial's kits, and although the Guard's Van is in period, it doesn't suit my favoured MGWR unfortunately. However, I'm fermenting a cunning plan to hopefully solve that! Are any of their other wagons suitable for use/back-dating? I'm thinking primarily of the SLNCR cattle wagon and goods van. I've had a couple of Studio's MGWR convertibles languishing in a drawer for a couple of years, too.

Cheers,
Mark

1 hour ago, Andy Cundick said:

Hi Mark Yes The locos are all Backwoods in the early cab form,the coaches are all Worsley as Alan has done them in the original form,sadly the Peco and Langley ones are both in the Southern condition,still at least i can use the  PECO brakevans the first bit of ready to run i've bought in years.To be honest doing an actual location is easy someone has already done the planning for you and if its an interesting prototype it should come through in the model plus i find knowing what is needed in advance stock and that can be built first along with buildings etc and only then do you put saw to wood and by that stage what you have is kit of parts for the whole layout.The downside to this approach is the vast number of appealing prototypes which leads to multiple layouts,in my case 8 up and running and another 4 in the planning construction phase,Andy.

Hi Andy,

I'd like to have got my hands on a Backwoods Manning kit, but as usual arrived to late! I have hopes of finding the cab parts as left-overs from someone else's build, but failing that I'll have to butcher a Heljan model: at least the early cab details are all available in "Measured and Drawn".

Not needing passenger stock for this little layout, I hadn't looked into the PECO coaches in close detail, so hadn't realised they were in later condition. However, I have a notion to build a fictional Simonsbath branch, so its good to know that Worsley Works' etches are correct. The PECO 4-wheeled open is also in later condition with its cupboard-style doors but of course Dundas do the early top-hung version so I'll be needing a few of those in due course!

I must admit that I'd never considered your approach to modelling an actual location: put like that it certainly has an appeal! I'll look forward to seeing your progress when the time comes.

Kind regards,
Mark

32 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

What’s your preferred period, Mark?

In terms of variety, since the 1970s there has been less variety every year as things get standardised. Great for efficiency, not so much for enthusiasts.

By far the greatest variety of locos and rolling stock in Irish railway history was the 1955-65 period, as modellers are (thankfully) increasingly embracing.

Hi Jonathan,

the early Edwardian period is my era of preference, 1905 give or take a couple of years either side. A good variety of liveries and different companies to choose from.

Having said that, I'm thinking of an early 1950s micro at some point.

Cheers,

Mark

At times like this, I really think I model the wrong era..... Superb models, John, now how can I justify them?  

Cheers,
Mark

Hi Patrick,

Great work on the buildings! What sort of card are you using for the shells? I've been using artist's mounting board recently and found it to be quite stable, even without a coat of shellac.

I've also recently "found" the Roket card and paper glue - it's absolutely indispensable now

Looking forward to seeing the quoins and window reveals, and smaller details go on.

Cheers,

Mark

3 minutes ago, Andy Cundick said:

Nice to see someone else doing early L&B one of my current projects is Lynton in 1898 to scale(it works out at 12'x18"),currently got one  Manning finished and 6 coaches with enough little green boxes to do the other 2 and Lyn, Fortunately Worsley does etches for all 17 coaches in their original condition so i'm plodding my through them,its the livery that takes the time.still its a bit of challenge,Andy.

Hi Andy,

Sounds like you're being a whole lot more exacting than I am an exact-scale Lynton will be a gorgeous project! I'm not sure I've got the patience to model an actual location.

I have to say that I find the very early livery much more attractive than the holly green. Presumably, your Manning has the early cab arrangement - is it a Backwoods kit, by any chance?

I'd love to see some photos of your progress if there are any.

Best regards,

Mark

Not sure whether this will bo of interest, plus it's to O Scale although the technique should be readily adaptable to other scales, but Chaz H's "Athena" layout on NGRM-Online has some wonderful scenic work including trees, which starts here.

Chaz's other layout, the Furness Valley Railroad, also has fantastic scenic work and is well worth a look.

Cheers,

Mark

Here are a couple of shots of the evolving plan, as scrawled on wallpaper lining paper and stuck down to the kitchen table.....

Apologies for the slightly dingy phone camera pictures.

With the exception of the front-most black line which is the edge of the baseboard, the other black lines indicate track centres with Templot point templates in place.

In the middle is a point template which has a few pencil lines emanating: I'm not sure yet how to tackle that area, but it's all very and hoc anyway

I'm thinking of adding a boiler house and chimney to the building complex at left-back, aka Habberfield's Flour Mill, which would go on the end nearest the Prospect Inn.

The scabby first-generation houses at front-left are there to give an idea of where another building will go to disguise the holes in the sky!

Onward and upward!

Mark

1 hour ago, Westcorkrailway said:

MGWR J26

Yes, please! Or an L Class 0-6-0

As you may imagine, there's not been much in the way of progress over the last week-and-a-bit! Daisy and Arthur have continued their nursing duties with their customary aplomb.....

Daisy:

Arthur:

Seriously, though, I'm well on the way to being mended, but of course it always takes longer than expected (or wished for!).

What I have managed to do over the last few days is commandeer the kitchen table, to which has been stuck a length of wallpaper lining paper measuring the same size as the scenic area of the layout. On this has been drawn the positions of the buildings in progress and the quayside track.

My purpose is to finalise the whole track layout so that I can organise the points I need. I'm going to outsource these to a professional builder so I know that they at least will work  The points themselves I'm designing on Templot so I know they'll fit.

Hopefully, there'll be a few pics of progress soon.....

Cheers and thanks for looking in!

Mark

8 minutes ago, David Holman said:

That's the one, Mark. Alongside The Art of Weathering by Martyn Welch, one of the most useful books you can have. Gordon has done two excellent books on modelling trees too.

Oh, my aching wallet!

Thanks, David

This afternoon I picked up on eBay an old Mainline LNER J72 0-6-0T with the intention of trying out a bit of butchery to turn its upper works into an MGWR E Class.

I'll be relying heavily on @murrayec's thread HERE for inspiration, although I won't be keeping the original split chassis and I'm not of the ability to build one like Eoin's, so that's going to be interesting when the time comes

Onward!

Cheers,

Mark

4 hours ago, David Holman said:

Salvation came in the form of Gordon Gravett's book on Scenics

Is this the book you mean, David?

https://wildswanbooks.co.uk/Books/Modelling-Grassland.htm

Cheers,

Mark

6 minutes ago, Noel said:

Stunning. Those photos are almost like the set of an 1950s movie in rural Ireland. 

Shhhh!

Great progress, David, just as the others have said. The use of talc is an interesting one - looks like another book I need in my library

Cheers,

Mark

7 hours ago, Joe Keegan said:

The late Alec Phillips former member of the MRSI passed away in the 1980’s.

Back then Alec would you showed/explain to you on how to do the conversion but unfortunately it was never documented. 
 

Alec’s pride & joy was his scratch built GNRi 4-4-0  accompanied him on his heavenly journey.

Thanks Joe, that's greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

Mark

3 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Fair day beckons, and five cattle trucks have been ordered in. Tomorrow the place will be full of cattle lorries after the mixed has gone.

Gorgeous modelling: the overgrown track, the down-at-heel rolling stock, the air of decay. Simply stunning!

Cheers,

Mark

On 2/5/2017 at 7:10 AM, Mayner said:

The Mainline J72 was the nearest thing to an "Official" RTR conversion for the small Midland E Class 0-6-0 tanks or CIE J26 Class. The late Alec Phillips a very talented modeller pioneered the conversion of the J72 into an E Class after struggling to get the early TMD E Class to run.

Apologies, Eoin, for thread hijack, but John could you possibly suggest whether Alec's J72 conversion was ever documented?

Cheers,

Mark

17 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

One more for the time being; from an old print found in a drawer….

A goods transfer from “town” sidles into Dugort Harbour in 1946….

(Without a visible “flying snail” it would be 1929!)

The goods van is off for weathering next week.

Another superb photo, Jonathan, please keep 'em coming!

Cheers,

Mark

21 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

An early view at Dugort Harbour, April 1946.

Wonderful, atmospheric modelling, Jonathan! Fabulous!

Cheers,

Mark

47 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Yes, Mark. Companies like the Claremorris & Ballinrobe, the Loughrea & Attymon Light Railway, and quite a few others existed right up to the creation of the GSR, with the “large” company having entered into an operating agreement with them for a (usually very substantial) proportion of receipts. Liveries on stations buildings were as per the “large” company, as they used their own paint!

In the case of the MGWR, stations were usually painted in a combination of bright red and either white, or possibly a very light beige or light greyish colour.

Thank you, Jonathan, that's brilliant! I think we may have talked about the bright red and cream/beige colour scheme previously, so that's great to know that it was applied universally across the MGWR's sphere of operations.

I think (!) I'm beginning to know where I'm going with this now  

Thanks again and best regards,

Mark 

21 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

While researching the history of the Achill, Clifden and Loughrea lines - starting over 20 years ago - I ended up reading through the entire MGWR boardroom minute books from about 1885 until it became part of the GSR.

The thing that comes across VERY strongly is that the MGWR, with shareholders to please, had absolutely zero time for what Broadstone saw as small-town unprofitable schemes promoted by unrealistically over-optimistic local interests.

They continually maintained an ultra-businesslike stance, refusing point-blank to even entertain local groups, promotors or committees unless they had some well-researched and well-funded proposal. In other words, idle chat and vague, bland ideas of "how great" something might be were off-limits. It was a case of "Show us the MONEY and then we MIGHT talk".

This was a reasonable stance to take, as they knew perfectly well that these lines would never do anything but lose money; had there been the likelihood of a sniff of a profit they would have built the lines themselves.

If someone else put up the cash, they'd start listening, but only after that became evident. As far as they were concerned, it didn't matter whether local interests, the British government, or the tooth fairy coughed up; it was no money, no deal, stop wasting our time.

Frequent requests for financial assistance with quite a number of projects were turned down flat.

Once funding WAS in place, and seen to be, they would agree to terms - but only if and when the entire new line was built exactly to their standards - and that included main line standard buildings. Even as Achill was opening, the MGWR were still picking holes in various issues in Mallaranny station, and had demanded major changes to that site once the extension to Achill appeared. Similarly, the Midland took issue even with level crossing gates on the Loughrea line, and the goods shed at Loughrea....

Harsh as it all sounds to a railway enthusiast, this is the way a well-run business operates; one must remember that the railways were at that stage private companies for profit, not state-owned as a social service as now.

                 

Hi Jonathan,

many thanks for confirming what I was suspecting! The MGWR board seem to have been incredibly shrewd, especially compared to other companies which, having a successful enterprise then set about expanding at all costs to the point of penury. One can't but admire them for their fortitude and level-headedness.

What's interesting, though, is the degree to which the MGWR's engineers were involved during the construction of the minor lines. Understandable, if those lines were to be taken over for operation.

Please forgive my ignorance, but perhaps you could clarify another point for me that I'm having trouble understanding. As I understand it, the Balfour and Baronial lines were constructed with guaranteed returns for the companies' shareholders regardless of actual working revenue. Did those companies remain in existence with their lines being worked by the MGWR, or were they absorbed in total by the MGWR as soon as they were completed? If the latter, presumably the MGWR received the guaranteed returns and the shareholders of the minor lines received shares in the MGWR and benefitted from the latter's dividend.

Is it fair to say that the minor lines' buildings were painted in the MGWR's house colours at the outset as part of the MGWR specification for acceptance?

Many thanks as always,
Mark