Darius43

Spares box buffer beam details added to one end. Cheers Darius

I have no idea what you are talking about or why you PM’d that strange video to me - please don’t send any more to me. Let’s stick to modelling - on the subject of which I’m off to work on the Class 27… Cheers Darius

To which I would state that I was tought* English in the 20th century not the 17th. Cheers Darius * at Belfast Royal Academy.

I haven’t yet fitted the replacement motor. How this is done is shown* in this video. * I don't favour “shewn” as we can’t have archaic and eat it… Cheers Darius

MTK supplied mesh fitted to bodyside grilles. Cheers Darius

Primary painting completed. Cheers Darius

Body fitted to chassis. Had to thin down the inside of the body using a Dremel for it to fit. Cheers Darius

Primer on. Cheers Darius

MTK Class 27 started this afternoon. Plan is to use a Lima Class 33 chassis with new wheels and motor from Peter’s Spares. First task is to trim the bottom chassis edge from the side parts and glue them together. I held them against a straight edge whilst doing this to keep them true. The fit of parts wasn’t bad considering it is an MTK kit. I used tape to hold the cab ends in place whilst the glue set. The Peter’s Spares replacement wheelsets are light years better than the Lima pizza cutters. Gone are the traction tyres - I reckon there’s plenty of weight in this kit. Some trimming and fettling of both will be needed for the body to fit the chassis. Cheers Darius

Cheers Darius

This type of doom laden story keeps popping up. Here’s a 1995 version. Only time will tell… Also helps authenticity wise if the video cover picture actually shows Hornby products instead of a mixture of US and European models. Cheers Darius

2600 Class DMU kinda sorta not really Repainted Bachmann Class 150. Fair to middling effort but the cab front is way off. Not Murphy Models… All for £250 plus postage. Cheers Darius

Arrived today Cheers Darius

Architectural model makers typically charge £1,000 to £2,500 for a model of size 200x200x250mm. Those are professional rates for businesses with overheads etc. but do not underestimate the time taken to produce a model of the quality that you exemplify in your work, which is superb by the way. In determining a total fee you will need to account for the time taken researching the station building(s), gathering whatever photos and drawings are available and then planning how the model will be constructed even before building commences. Based on your experience of the time taken to complete your models and a suitable hourly rate you would be surprised at how quickly the fee mounts up. Add to that the model topography issues and the shipping box etc. As to a suitable hourly rate I would suggest no less than £75/hr (or the equivalent in Euros) and, as you are clearly a talented modeller, probably more than that. At the end of the day the fee may be more than your prospective client is prepared to pay but I would advise you stick to your guns, so to speak. Another facet to building models to order is that it may cease to be “fun”, especially if the client wants to set a deadline or orders further models. This can leave you with little time for your own modelling and lead to stress, especially if the client wants changes or is not happy with something. I have built a few models to order and it was not a pleasant experience. Consequently, I now decline all requests to do so and only build the occasional model for friends for free. Cheers Darius

I ordered two and they are on my order along with six green ones. Cheers Darius

No algal blooms here. Cheers Darius

The flight path to Denver from Dublin took us due north so I was able to get a few snaps of places visited many years ago… Carlingford Lough. Lough Neagh foreground With Aldergrove Airport centre - just below the cloud. You can also see the former Langford Lodge airfield. North coast - Portstewart and Portrush. Cheers Darius

I'm now in Dublin en route to Denver having cleared US immigration. In the lounge in time for lunch Cheers Darius

Cheers Darius

Back to the B Class locomotive. I fitted a resin Sulzer powerplant to remove the see through effect and squeezed in DCC sound courtesy of Roads and Rails. Cheers Darius

Centre coach given the same treatment. Cheers Darius

Improved another Limby Class 101 DMU… Cheers Darius

Built over the past few days using the Silver Fox resin body and a cut down Hornby Railroad Class 55 chassis. Cheers Darius

Wipers, cab ladders and light weathering to chassis. Cheers Darius