Aussie Phil

Brilliant stuff mate. Love it as usual. Thanks for the continued inspiration.

Spent a couple of days making some peat wagons the first of which has returned from my paint shop. Masking was incredibly difficult but in the end the time I think has paid off. Next up is addition of couplers and bogies before its first test run.

Have also been working on the layout for the first time in a little while. Today I finished off the concrete slabs that I made from balsa wood and painted with a mixture of water paints and powders. Then finished with various ground covers and textured woodland scenic products. Then a hedge row was put in along the main straight. Finally started the plastering and with hopes will have it all down and base coated with brown paint next week. Any questions feel free to ask and I look forward to your feedback

Great stuff. Track plan looks epic and love the functionality it will have. Will be a great layout to play train on.

1:48 mate. The pair are kit built from shop here in melbourne.

Got going again on the layout looking at how to hide the loop. Put some baseboard work in and started a road. Also cut a hole for a bit of a pond. Will hopefully keep up momentum and get one board finished soon.

Couple of projects underway

Such a brilliant concept. Don't know many wife's that would permit such a wonderful plan to come to fruition. She is truly a special lady. Thanks for sharing and can't wait for more updates.

Delightful and brilliantly modelled

Will have to set up the tripod and smoke a nice cigar for effect

Stephen I dumped the standard Silverfox chassis in favor of some American muscel. I hand built a chassis from plastic card and fitted it with Proto 2000 motor running gear and bogies.

The good old SD9 chassis have served me well in my early days of modelling aussie prototype. Glad to hear its universal

Great idea building a chassis out of plastic card. Was it overly hard? I only ask as have a couple of locos that need frames and was leaning towards brass scratch built but always feel stronger in my abilities with plastics.

Looking at photos the front seems to have a defined edge when it changes angle into the windscreen area but apart from that looks stunning. Great model mate. Keep up the top work.

Finally have started the next section of ballasting ready for it to disappear again under a heap of peat and grass covering

Have started the hills that will lead up to the road bridge on the left end of the layout. Plaster down and have started to detail the old oak tree. The loco has stalled with life taking precident for a little while but will get back to it soon.

The scenery is a mixture of foam from some electronics purchased. Shaped by breaking it up and covered with wet newspaper / wood glue. Then a layer of plaster and when its dry it will be painted then scenery will be added. Old school technique but so effective.

Have also built a couple of power poles. They are basla wood shaped poles, reinforced with wire through the centre and then weathered before painted white metal castings are applied for the final touches.

Thanks and hope you like.

Phil

Brilliant stuff. Still blows me away your only 15. Top class stuff. Agree about the backscene. I had similar when modelled HO Aussie stuff and used a 10-12 Matt photo as backscene and looked great with a model in front of it. Cheers for sharing.

Brilliant stuff

Looking great. There is some really nice trains there.

Great modelling mate. Agree that it has made a massive difference.

Great piece of construction mate

Have started a KB scale Deutz kit modified to BnM. Bit of a way to go but so far so good. This kit was my first time working with brass, doing any sort of significant soldering and kit building a loco. Was great fun.

Brilliant models and a wonderful layout. So realistic mate. Love the truck have one in 1:50 for my layout

Great weathering. Love the fading and the quality of the overall grubbiness. Great job

Thank you for letting us in on all this - and what are you doing up at this time of the night?

Retiring to bed now after drinks in New Zealand on a weekend away. So no modelling unfortunately but some really good pubs were visited... Even sore a couple of great Irish comedians to boot.

This sort of thing.

 

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http://briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Bord_na_Mona_panel_wagons_low_view_P1570383.jpg

That's them. There are two different types one squared off and one curved. I have another five to build and the last one will be built with rotating bolsters so hopefully can take a load of rail and not derail. Fingers crossed.

Thanks all for the kind words. Have started to build the deutz kit from KB scale models. Bit of an adventure as haven't ever built brass kit before... Or kit built a loco. Only ever scratch built in styrene and used mechs off old locos or black beetles. So far I'm rather chuffed with myself as although learning curve has been steep it has not defeated me.

The first of six railset BnM wagons being built from modified kits.

A heavily kitbashed KB scale models kit. The sides have had styrene channel added to them and the inside sill trimmed. The wheel set has been lowered and the bolsters replaced with closer representatives in white metal that I cast. The model was then sprayed gun metal grey before being weathered.

I also have a KB scale loco deutz kit to start and am in the process of scratchbuilding a ruston.

Hope ya like and will keep the thread updated with some tree photos as I complete my first oaks. Will also post a how to kind photo bit for building these little gems.

Phil

Brilliant project. Your ability to manipulate plastic is spectacular. Truly inspiring.