NIR 80 Class DEMU

[Glenderg]

Here's some inspiration for you, if you don't mind.

 

Nice one Nelson! Love the commentary - overlay.a 4 coach sandite train would be stunning. ...yummmm

[heirflick]

Here's some inspiration for you, if you don't mind.

 

great footage of the sandite train:tumbsup:

[BosKonay]

Absolute stunner thanks for sharing!!

Are you taking commissions!

[Train model]

Absolute stunner thanks for sharing!!

Are you taking commissions!

He has his work cut out trying to get the wipers working

[33lima]

Painting is now well under way. All three bodyshells were sprayed with Halford's Ford Polar Grey. This turned out to be a slightly warmer shade than the more blueish-grey version I used back in 1992, but I think it's at least as good a match for the NIR shade. When this was thoroughly dry, the sides were masked and the upper panels brush-painted on with Humbrol gloss French Blue. It was hard to get the masking tape into the narrow strip under the gutters and a certain amount of touching up was necessary.

 

Next, the blue and then yellow panels (Humbrol Lufthansa Yellow) were painted on the cab ends of the motor car and the driving trailer. The buffer beams were painted a bright orange-red shade and the roofs brush-painted in Humbrol gloss Dark Admiralty Grey (they will be coated with matt varnish later).

 

The 80 Class in this 1990s livery had a black strip along the bottom edge of each side at about solebar level and these were brush-painted Revell Satin black after more masking. The roof and side grills on the motor car were touched in with Satin Black.

 

At this point, I brush-painted in the white NIR logo to the motor cars cab front. I then cut the wire between motor and trailing bogies and soldered in an extension wire, to allow for the extra distance between the ex-HST power bogies, and checked it moved freely and still ran on some test track.

 

I then glued back in place the corridor connections I had removed at the outset. Finally, I started the process of applying Model Technics Trimline adhesive vinyl stripes to the motor car sides, below the blue panels. I had forgotten how fiddly this is to apply, but the end result, tho thicker than waterslide decals, is, I found when using it on my 1990s 80 Class sets, precise, neat and durable, so I ended up using it again. So far I have only applied the deep white line; next will be a shallower yellow one below this then a black one along the centreline of the white strip. Finishing the lining process will be the next step.

 

[Dunluce Castle]

That looks absolutely beautiful, the paint job is amazing, well done mate, the hand painted NIR logo looks superb.

Can't wait to see all 3 cars finished.

[enniscorthyman]

A fine job you have done on them.

[Sulzer201]

brilliant 80 class there lima

[jhb171achill]

WOW!!! Best 80 model I've ever seen....

[Hunslet 102]

Ivor,one word, superb

[33lima]

You're too kind, really guys, especially as those close-ups really expose my limited abilities with paint!

 

Final pics for tonite, showing the Trimline completed on one side of the power car; also the latter's interior, complete with soldered rear bogie pickup wire extension and seating and floor/bulkheads made from plasticard sheet, cut away as needed at the rear to allow for the swing of the bogie clips and pickup.

 

Original 1992 model in the background of the first pic.

 

[Dunluce Castle]

Absolutely beautiful. The interior is superb, a real credit to you, well done.

Captures the look of the 80 class perfectly.

[UP6936]

In all honesty, that model is so so good it could conceivably have come out of that heljan box. Lovely, lovely job!

[Kirley]

Superb Model Ivor, and shows in the fine detail on each car. You must be very pleased with the end result. Is there any chance of a video of it in action?

[Train model]

Superb Model Ivor, and shows in the fine detail on each car. You must be very pleased with the end result. Is there any chance of a video of it in action?

 

As soon as it arrives in galway there is a party waiting to happen and a video camera on stand by and ya I could have come out of the heljan box

[33lima]

Don't have a layout yet Kirley, just a partly-ballasted double track oval in the garage, but am looking forward to seeing it running on TrainModel's excellent layout when he's taken delivery, which hopefully won't be TOO long now:

 

[jhb171achill]

For that 80 to work, you have to include, inside it, 7 drunk 20-something lads singing offensively sectarian songs, on the 22:50 from Botanic..... fuelled by a certain Mr. Arthur. Guinness. ... Your model is so superbly realistic, it evokes these memories straight away!

 

Excellent!!!!!

[John-r]

Hi 33lima,

 

I have to say that is one seriously good looking piece of craftsmanship lovely model,

The shape is captured very well .have a fondness for the 80s myself

 

Cheers john

[kevrail]

This is a great tutorial for Nir Class 80 - Thanks for sharing this it is certainly inspirational

[popeye]

beautiful job, looks so good. Can i ask are the yellow & black stripes done with tape ?

[33lima]

Hi Popeye

I used this stuff for the lining, ModelTechnics Trimline:

 

http://www.modeltechnics.com/trimline.htm

 

I contemplated trying to make, print and apply the lining stripes as home-made decals using white decal film but there were a lot of points in the process, up to an including application, where I was concerned this could produce an inferior result if not go completely t*ts up. The Trimline has an appreciable thickness even after you have scored on door or panel lines but it goes with the medium-to-semi-gloss finish I prefer and it produces a neat, durable result so I settled for that.

[David Holman]

One very impressive piece of work. Really interesting to see how it developed too!

VERY well done.

[33lima]

Update after some more work this weekend, showing the Trimline lining applied to all three cars. Passenger window frames have also now been picked out in silver, as have the insides of the lights. The Trimline sometimes tends to lift where turning the corners of the coaches at the ends and will be stuck down firmly later.

 

 

Flush glazing is starting. I discovered that I needed to file back the inner edges of the ventilator framing to get the SF Finecast flushglazing to fit, a common situation on thicker-bodied coaches like Lima or Hornby Mk2 coaches. I had already cut this back a bit but needed to repeat the process, likely as painting had undone some of my work. Some windows aren't covered in the flushglaze sets and will have to be made separately, possibly using CD jewel case covers.

Edited November 17, 2013 by 33lima

[Dunluce Castle]

That is absolutely fantastic, you must be very proud of it, you've done a grand job on her, well done,

Captures the look perfectly.

[Sulzer201]

Absolutely smashing looking 80.

[jhb171achill]

That really is the very best modelling you'll get! Very well done sir! Would love to see a beast like that running!

[Kirley]

Beautiful!

[Train model]

Wonderful

[33lima]

Work has now been concentrated on the power car, which is now basically complete.

 

First task was to apply the flush glazing. The tricky bit here was dealing with the larger rectangular windows - eg the three on the LH side at the engine compartment - which had their horizontal framing removed during construction, and which therefore aren't covered by the SE Finecast Mk2a Flushglaze set.

 

Home-made flush glazing was made for these by cutting approx 9mmx12mm pieces from the clear front of a CD case. Corners were rounded and these were then 'glued' onto a slightly-larger rectangle of thin clear plastic sheet, using Humbrol Clearfix. They were then fitted and glued from the inside in the same way as the normal flush glazing. They are slightly recessed; I could have simply used the CD cuts and tried to keep them more 'flush' but they would have been liable to be dislodged on handling and more difficult to refit without messing up the paintwork.

 

 

Next, the cab-side NIR logos were hand-painted on, in Humbrol French Blue. The logo on the RH side is smaller on the model as it was in real life, as it fitted onto the cab door on that side.

 

Next I fitted the cab-front glazing. These were not flush-glazed as the plasticard - tho re-inforced on the inside - is thin enough to make this non-essential. I then fitted a wiper to the LH window. This was made from two strips of plasticard painted black and 'glued' in place to the window with Clearfix. This replaces the wire one I'd made as I think it's neater.

 

Finally, I re-fitted the wire handrails and grab handles, and painted these, and the door handles, white.

 

All that remains now for the power car - apart from fitting a grab handle I missed and numbering - is to fit a coupling or loop to the rear bogie (having had to remove the extended HST one) and give the roof a coat of matt varnish, which I'll leave until all three cars are finished. At TrainMan's request I'm not going to bother with cosmetic sideframes so the bogies will stay as they are. The offset front step is pretty-well in the correct position for the 80 Class and I've cut some excess plastic away from the Hornby one's front 'skirt' which somewhat improves the appearance.

 

Edited November 23, 2013 by 33lima

[Dunluce Castle]

That looks absolutely beautiful, the windows are perfect and spot on, the hand painted NIR logo is just amazing, such skill along with such a steady hand.

You've captured the look perfectly, well done mate.

Anymore 80 classes after this one?

[Train model]

Still can't believe it and all it took was 4 months of pure skill thanks Ivor she is a beauty

[heirflick]

pure class there lima..some fantastic craftmanship in your work=D

[josefstadt]

Stunning workmanship!

[Glenderg]

Great build lima, most impressive. I've tried the trimline and found it on par with electricians insulating tape, you seem to have the magic touch with it. Mine likes to fall off models!

 

The cd cover option for windows is something i've advocated for ages, and you'd be surprised at wedge fitting them, and how well they look, especially since you can adjust them afterward. Only when they are perfect can you glue them with varnish. Your alternative with the backing plate is interesting though, will happily steal that idea!

 

And any man with il2 sturmovik on his desk, gets a serious thumbs up. Tried "Cliffs of Dover"? Richie.

[33lima]

Thanks for the positive comments guys, it's really encouraging! And yes Nelson, I have another one or two of these to make, but it looks like it'll be a 70 Class DEMU, next, for a bit of variety if nothing else.

 

No Rich I haven't tried Cliffs of Dover. My 512Mb 8800GT isn't really up to it (tho it plays Rise of Flight reasonably well) and the single-player campaign sounds a bit weak ('Spitfire girl' or no 'Spitfire girl'). It's only since I tried the Dark Blue World mod, which seems to support the ETO much better than previous iterations, that I've really got into IL-2, tho I've played it on and off from the first version. In between sessions on the 80 Class, I'm currently having a blast with FlatSpinMan's and Bloelcke's Defence of the Reich campaigns, well worth trying if you miss the sort of missions you get in European Air War: http://combatace.com/forum/307-mission-reports/

Edited November 24, 2013 by 33lima