Graham's Workbench

[irishthump]

20 hours ago, JasonB said:

I encountered the same problem when working on mine. I over complicated things, and ended up going around in circles on an 18 wagon rake.

The dusting you've given them with the airbrush has blended everything together very nicely. Great work. 

Yeah I found these hard work! Like yourself, I though they only looked convincing when they are really filthy with layer upon layer of grime and cement. The only way to get that effect was to apply layer upon layer of weathering! I ended using every technique I could think of....

I found the streaking effects particularly hard to get right. Removing the paint with a fibre pencil was way too aggressive. I ended up letting the Tamiya paint dry for several days before scrubbing at it with a stiff brush moistened with isopropyl. The effect is quite convincing. 

The chipping cement was done using Maskol before the paint was airbrushed on. The cement dust is REAL cement. It's as fine as any weathering powder and looks great when sealed with varnish.

[JasonB]

51 minutes ago, irishthump said:

Yeah I found these hard work! Like yourself, I though they only looked convincing when they are really filthy with layer upon layer of grime and cement. The only way to get that effect was to apply layer upon layer of weathering! I ended using every technique I could think of....

Your perseverance definitely paid off! They look fantastic.  

[irishthump]

16 minutes ago, JasonB said:

Your perseverance definitely paid off! They look fantastic.  

Thanks man. Yours set the bar!

[irishthump]

A present from the wife and kids, a Piko M62 in DB livery.

Fitted with a Loksound V5.

Still some tweaking to be done with the various sound levels, but overall delighted with it. Can’t wait to detail and weather it as these locos got pretty grubby in real life.

 

Edited January 1, 2022 by irishthump

[Galteemore]

Nice to see a Ludmilla appearing here ! 

[irishthump]

13 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Nice to see a Ludmilla appearing here ! 

OK you're gonna have to explain that one.......

Edited January 1, 2022 by irishthump

[murphaph]

Isn't the Class 232 the Ludmilla? Is this one not a Taiga Trommel? (looks similar anyway)

[Galteemore]

https://www.world-railways.co.uk/general-photo-063

Could well be! I’m not an SME…

[jhb171achill]

3 minutes ago, murphaph said:

Isn't the Class 232 the Ludmilla? Is this one not a Taiga Trommel? (looks similar anyway)

I didn't know you lads were fluent in Nagorna-Kajasthanian!

[irishthump]

9 minutes ago, murphaph said:

Isn't the Class 232 the Ludmilla? Is this one not a Taiga Trommel? (looks similar anyway)

Yeah this is the Taigatrommel.

[Georgeconna]

Beats my 160 pairs of Socks big time.....

 

[irishthump]

1 minute ago, Georgeconna said:

Beats my 160 pairs of Socks big time.....

 

Have to say I never saw it coming! One of my sons noticed me watching Youtube videos of the real loco then found the model on Modellbahne Lippe. Even ordered the correct decoder for it!

[irishthump]

So I’m stuck at home now for the next week or so. Both my youngest sons have tested positive for Covid! 
I seem to have escaped it for the moment so that leaves  modelling as just about the only thing I can do right now. A flurry of activity has been the result!

First up some US freight cars got hit with the weathering stick…

 

Next was something I have been pondering for a while. I prefer to fit Kadee draft box couplers to my all my locos but my Heljan Class 26 was proving to be a pain. As you can see there is no room to fit a draft box on the underframe because it would interfere with the bogies…

 

Edited January 3, 2022 by irishthump

[irishthump]

So I removed the bogie mounted NEM pocket and built a bracket and new pocket to fit to the back of the buffer beam….

 

I used brass angle strip and box section tube to create the bracket. After cleaning up my dodgy soldering it was fixed to the buffer beam.

 

A quick test proved it was at the correct height.

 

 

Although the couple now protrudes further past the buffer than o would like some  black paint should make it far less noticeable. 

[irishthump]

More from the lockdown workbench!

Dapol Interfrigo refrigerated van. Assembled, painted, weathered and Kadee couplers fitted. 

 

[Galteemore]

Nice, these really need a subtle weather like this to lift the detail. 

[murphaph]

Very impressed with the boxcars especially. The rusty roof in particular is excellent.

[irishthump]

6 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Nice, these really need a subtle weather like this to lift the detail. 

Yes, any photos that I could  find of the prototype were'nt very mucky so I went easy!

1 minute ago, murphaph said:

Very impressed with the boxcars especially. The rusty roof in particular is excellent.

Thanks! The rust effect is simple enough; various weathering powders mixed with thinned down matt varnish and simply stippled on.

[David Holman]

The process might be simple, but still demands plenty of care and skill to execute it effectively.

Fine work!

[JasonB]

Excellent stuff. You can tell that some serious time and effort was put in to achieve that finish. Time consuming no doubt, but always beats just giving the model a blast of an airbrush.   

[irishthump]

1 minute ago, JasonB said:

Excellent stuff. You can tell that some serious time and effort was put in to achieve that finish. Time consuming no doubt, but always beats just giving the model a blast of an airbrush.   

Not as time consuming as you might think. I used MIG washes on the body and roof, let in run into the crevices then feather the streaks with a brush moistened with thinners. Underframe was stippled with track dirt and brake dust acrylics.

[popeye]

On 3/1/2022 at 9:57 PM, irishthump said:

So I removed the bogie mounted NEM pocket and built a bracket and new pocket to fit to the back of the buffer beam….

 

I used brass angle strip and box section tube to create the bracket. After cleaning up my dodgy soldering it was fixed to the buffer beam.

 

A quick test proved it was at the correct height.

 

 

Although the couple now protrudes further past the buffer than o would like some  black paint should make it far less noticeable. 

Could the pocket be turned to face the other way without hitting the bogie and then attach the coupling.

[irishthump]

3 minutes ago, popeye said:

Could the pocket be turned to face the other way without hitting the bogie and then attach the coupling.

Unfortunately not! If you look at the bogie side frames they actually wrap around a little so they’ll hit anything mounted behind the buffer beam.

[irishthump]

Something a little different….

A 20+ year old Star Wars TIE Interceptor kit that has been kicking around in my attic since I bought it.

Its one of those dreadful “snap” kits but I was bored so decided to throw it together. The fit and finish was pretty bad as it just snapped together, so I didn’t bother with filling and sanding any gaps but it’s passable and I’m happy with the paint job.

 

 

Edited April 18, 2022 by irishthump

[Broithe]

If it was a CIE Interceptor, you could try it in a few different liveries...

[irishthump]

2 minutes ago, Broithe said:

If it was a CIE Interceptor, you could try it in a few different liveries...

I just decided to go with the "freight grey"!

[irishthump]

A little weathering….

Did the first of my 42’ flats and a 20’ container.

 

[irishthump]

More filthy goodness!

These are a couple of HO German wagons. 
 

 

By the way, does anybody know what type of load would typically be carried in the wagon shown in the last picture?

[murphaph]

Lovely stuff. Really nicely done. I particularly like the Eal. 

[murphaph]

The Eal is an open high sided wagon. Typical loads would be scrap metal, coal, aggregates. Even finished steel I think. 

[irishthump]

7 minutes ago, murphaph said:

The Eal is an open high sided wagon. Typical loads would be scrap metal, coal, aggregates. Even finished steel I think. 

Thanks for that. Scrap metal loads are always fun to make!

[Broithe]

6 minutes ago, murphaph said:

The Eal is an open high sided wagon. Typical loads would be scrap metal, coal, aggregates. Even finished steel I think. 

Hochbord wagon is the local term, I believe. They seem to be a common feature all over 'the continent'.

[irishthump]

German “U Boat”,  a Piko BR 119. 
This one was crying out to be grunged up! Hopefully I didn’t overdo it…

 

 

[irishthump]

Here’s a couple of extra pics as I’d forgotten to add the buffer grease!

 

[Georgeconna]

thats a bit of the alright for sure!