RedRich

Squadron white (forget the green stuff) the white one seems to have finer particles in it. However on big filling jobs it can shrink over time so be careful. Bondo a car filler is one that I have heard very positive reports about from other modellers. Holts knife putty is one that I used in the past on a non modelling project, I thought it was amazing, it sanded well with little or no shrinking. I must use it on a project in the future to see how it turns out. Both should be available from autofactors or Halfords. As Richie has said stay away from Milliput, the man knows what he is talking about. Rich,

Here's a link for the small shop Fran. http://www.thesmallshop.com Rich,

GW models do the Rolls Royce of rivet punchers Fran and I would give serious consideration as it is worth every penny. I don't have one myself but I know modellers that do, and they wouldn't be without one. If you are looking at investing in a steam model kit Fran, it's a no brainer. My own Hold and Fold is from the small model shop. I bought it many years ago from the USA. It's a marvellous piece of kit. Having said that I will definitely go for the one George has. Off to their website now for a good look at it. Rich,

Great episode Vincent. I waited to see a preview of the finale after the credits had ended and I thought it was strange that Tommy says to Nidge, wasn't it you that had Darren clipped. Hadn't Nidge given Tommy the brutal beating before he decided to clip Darren. Maybe all will be revealed next week. Bit of a shocker that Debbie died. Rich,

Great treasure haul George. Is the hold and fold the 8 inch version, I have the 4 inch version myself and was thinking of a larger one in advance of Des's flats. The 4 inch one is great for bending small pieces of brass and etched brass bogies. Top marks for the show as everyone seems to have had a ball. Rich,

I was lucky to have travelled on a PP set with power car, two coaches, and a 121 from Limerick to the junction many years ago. PP sets and 201's were used on the Dublin Heuston - Plunkett and return to Heuston for many years after the MK11's were scrapped so I used them a lot. It's a crying shame to see them going. Rich,

They look great David. The close up nature of the shots really brings the quality of the work to life. Rich,

That's top work George. It's not too overstated, the dirt is in all the right places. Panel lines have dirt encrusted in them, the difference in the shades of dirt from the bogies, the body sides and roof looks really effective. Plus the bleaching effect of fading orange paint is spot on. Put up a few pics of the cabin when you have time, I'd love to see it. Rich,

I hope you will be feeling better soon Dave. Rich,

Fantastic David it looks as it should, and you can't achieve that level of finish without hard work and using all the experience you have gained during the years. Gordon Gravett is a remarkable scenic modeller. Pempoul is one of if not the best scenic layouts I have ever seen. Rich,

I bet he thinks he owns the gaff Richie. Eating a man's drumstick especially when he has been looking forward to it so much is unforgivable. Rich,

This has been a fantastic thread and the step by step process of the build accompanied by the photos makes it really interesting, it is very straight forward and precise. The model looks fantastic and fully captures the shape and look of the prototype. Rich,

No one expected the 201 3 years ago. I can't make it up this weekend, Monday may be a possibility. I hope everyone has a good time, and upload lots of pics folks. Rich,

I agree Stephen, and the Scania Irizar at 85 quid is crazy for a diecast model even if they are not available through the shops anymore. I bet Supermum4kids is praying Corgi don't do another run. Rich,

Pat I know of some lads that are modelling Irish Railways in 00 that use EM and P4 scale track. They are happy with the compromise as it helps them get things up and running quicker. Especially in EM gauge as they can re-use the wheels and axles already fitted to the loco and coaches by just pushing out the wheels a bit. I think it is an acceptable compromise and gets things a little closer to 21mm. There are even a couple of 21mm non finescale layouts out there too that have the same track standards as EM, they are just a little wider, but still require compensation and longer axles. Again the original wheels can still be used. Rich,

I can see why you are searching for the Mehano 66 in H0 Fran. That would look amazing and show what Huge machines that the SD70's are. I remember seeing some pics of Egyptian Railways class 66's a few years ago and if I remember correctly they had anti vandal windscreen bars on the front cab windows. Rich,

Looking good George. Rich,

Excellent idea and well executed. The most important thing will be uniformity of the chassis within the rake of wagons and this way you will have that, well done. Rich,

Why they wouldn't have done what Richie has done in his pic of the 201 is strange. A MK111 could have been photoshopped and seen in it's entirety. I think that if there were four different shades they would have clean lines between each colour. The darker green across the widows seems to wrap around the ends to the gangways as the black does on the orange livery. I think that the grey on the coach side is there to act as a barrier between the green and orange. As Vincent has said if you look close you can see the white lining showing through. If you look at the upper side of the coach where the curve towards the roof begins, you can see that where the orange paint begins the orange is lighter looking as the side curves into the roof. I just hope that the guy coming up with a new livery (if this is what it is) is not the same guy that proposed the grey for the 071's. Rich,

Is the son in the ad the guy on TV3. Rich,

To be honest and I stand to be corrected, I think the areas where the green is getting lighter is where the flat sides of the coach are starting to curve towards the roof and chassis. Rich,

Excellent pics Tom. I would urge anybody with a camera and some spare time to try and get as many shots of the coaches before they are scrapped like Tom has done. Otherwise it will be a bit like some of us trying to explain what LP's are to our kids. Rich,

They are my own personal favourite class closely followed by the 141-181 class. Taking into account the standard of technology today in the production of models, and what can be achieved, I seriously hope that there are enough of the other classes of models sold so that MM will be able to push ahead with a 121 model. Just looking at the pic of 121 it's made me wonder were 121-123-124-134 the only members of the class to have had the two central windows on the bonnet end of the cab plated over. Rich,

To hard to make a decision without seeing all the coach painted. Is it just me or does it look like the black from the original livery is showing through behind the green paint as it looks a bit darker in that area. I wonder why the bogie is also painted grey. Cheers for the pic Richie. Rich,

Good man Des. Richies description makes it worth the wait. Rich,