[Norman Byrne]

Hi John,
That's good news on the new laser cut kit fronts - looks like they will be an enjoyable build / kit bash too.
Is there brickwork engraved on the inner face at all, could use as a practice area before tackling the outside face perhaps. It's certainly quite a dark looking colour / well weathered in the photo from the books rear cover; but with a nice variety of damaged / different colours mixed in too - a few test samples might be in order for sure.
The clearance on those platform canopies to the roof / top of the train in that photo is also on the tight side too !
Anyway will look forward to following further progress.
Cheers as always & Happy Modelling, Norm

 

[Greyvoices]

Monday late afternoon.

A day of modelling punctuated at lunchtime with a trip to the Hypertension Clinic. Who says I don't have much fun anymore. In my book if they don't puncture you with needles or put a finger up the rectum you can file the experience away as being a success.

Back home it was straight back to the engine/goods shed. They are both built now and await modification and paint.

I am going to scratch build an overall roof with overhanging gable ends (as at Wells) and then add the apex roof vent over the loco part. The gable end of the shed entrance is clad in timber at Wells so that too will be modelled. The buildings have to be slightly recessed into the platform and that will be done when the In the Greenwood platform kits arrive.

The two kits go together like a dream but the instructions are printed badly ............ very feint so hard to make out anything on the exploded diagram .............. so if Mr & Mrs Greenwood sort out their printer it should be a lot better. I think that lasercut ply is a much better material than card and so much better than MDF. I was tempted to paint the various parts before construction but as I am still working out how to acheive the finish as illustrated in the photo in the last post I will be painting the completed kits.

I am thinking of putting a timber frame around the Julian inspired baseboard sandwich and I have to get some height under the board to accommodate the turntable motor which "hangs very low". This is why the mockup has the TT at such an odd angle to the baseboard. It will be fitted with much more neatness when there is more depth to the board.

Now what to do this evening? Could make a start on that roof or return to the turntable ........... or could slob out.

Best regards .................... Greyvoices (alias John)

 

[Norman Byrne]

Hi John,
Congrats on the "non intrusive" medical visit !
Those kit buildings do indeed look excellent & the laser cut models are definitely very nice to work with - sounds like you have quite a lot of bespoking work to do, but sure that will be an enjoyable exercise too; like the level of detail you have in mind like the boarded soffits on the overhangs on the roof - that sort of thing makes a very nice detail. (* We actually used to do that on quite a few of the high spec houses we built down here always made a stunning detail, especially on the large overhanging soffits too - as pic below) -

Are you going to try to use the existing kit roofs in part at least, or build a complete scratch build roof ?
Enjoy whatever you chose to do next & will look forward to following further progress of course, Cheers for now, Norm

 

[Rich]

Hi John,
Congrats on the "non intrusive" medical visit !
Those kit buildings do indeed look excellent & the laser cut models are definitely very nice to work with - sounds like you have quite a lot of bespoking work to do, but sure that will be an enjoyable exercise too; like the level of detail you have in mind like the boarded soffits on the overhangs on the roof - that sort of thing makes a very nice detail. (* We actually used to do that on quite a few of the high spec houses we built down here always made a stunning detail, especially on the large overhanging soffits too - as pic below) -
View attachment 40590
View attachment 40606

Are you going to try to use the existing kit roofs in part at least, or build a complete scratch build roof ?
Enjoy whatever you chose to do next & will look forward to following further progress of course, Cheers for now, Norm

Nice finishing touch.

 

[Greyvoices]

Are you going to try to use the existing kit roofs in part at least, or build a complete scratch build roof ?

They will not be needed Norm. I also remember you asking if there was a brick effect on the interior of the buildings and the answer to this is, partially. There are some odd framing pieces that are inserted internally that are lasered with brick but the outside walls are not "etched" on both sides. I suppose that this would require the pieces being turned over in the lasercutting machine and this would entail a very difficult process of alignment. I'll not second guess the process which is way beyond any skills that I possess. The interior will be painted an off white and where there are no bricks there will be no bricks.

I made up a dummy roof yesterday from my pack of A4 grey boards tht I bought well before the pandemic and which, up until now have seen not a jot of use. What was I thinking ............... 50 boards. I need a length of 38cm and an A4 sheet is shy of 30cm so a join was neccessary. It looked awful so I cast around and found an A2 Daler board that in the dim and distant past I purchased and painted one side with the inevitable Halfords grey primer. There it sat, slotted behind a bookcase and try as I might I cannot remember what purpose I had in mind for it. Goodness knows what else I have squirrelled away in this house ................... it's like a voyage of discovery every day (these new tablets are good). Today I will be cutting out the roof sections.

I have also ordered from Scale Model Scenery their "realistic weathered roof slates that they laud as being the most real look available. We shall see. Not cheap as I had to buy two packs but the most prominent feature of any model building is the roof ............. get that right and other imperfections might just be overlooked. A model roof on, say, a card kit can look very unrealistic and for a time I toyed with the idea of using a printed sheet from Scalescenes but even that looks very 2D.

Before the roof is affixed I need to paint the interior so i best get on with spraying the buildings, inside and out with Humbrol Acrylic varnish. I have a job lot of varnish spraycans from Amazon which could do the job but I imagine it to be thicker than the Humbrol and likely to fill up all the etched detail. I could undertake some comparative trials as the Amazon sourced stuff is far cheaper. Life is too short, I'll just use the Humbrol.

Such is the small and intricate life of Greyvoices.

Best regards .................. Greyvoices (alias John)

 

[dwb]

Anybody interested in how a laser cut building can be put together complete with interior engraving, this video is a good one to watch.

David

 

[Eltonfrog]

Flipping heck! That’s some detailing.

 

[Greyvoices]

What a great video David. Thank you. This chap is seriously gifted.

Best regards ............... Greyvoices (alias John)

 

[Rich]

Almost wants to make me quit scratch building!

 

[dwb]

This chap is seriously gifted.

I have found his tutorials on 2-D CAD particularly useful.

David

 

[dwb]

Almost wants to make me quit scratch building!

If you have made a model from parts you have designed and created yourself is that not still scratch building even if you have used a laser cutter to create the parts rather than wielded the knife yourself?
Sadly laser cutting any plastic sheeting is a very bad idea because of the fumes it generates so my current project must continue to be hand cut and my finger tips will be flatter and number than ever.

David

 

[Rich]

If you have made a model from parts you have designed and created yourself is that not still scratch building even if you have used a laser cutter to create the parts rather than wielded the knife yourself?
Sadly laser cutting any plastic sheeting is a very bad idea because of the fumes it generates so my current project must continue to be hand cut and my finger tips will be flatter and number than ever.

David

Not being an __ about it, kits have not appealed to have what I want on the layout, always looking for something to create that no one else has. But some of this new stuff makes me think of another way to make my own. But then again my fingers would get jealous!

 

[Greyvoices]

Thursday evening.

The In the Greenwood platform kits arrived and it took but an hour to build the two platforms:

I got stuck into it this morning as I had a meeting to attend this afternoon. These kits are a breeze; a complete contrast to the battle I had with the Dapol plastic kits. I still have to shave off the overhang on the shed side of the one sided platform and I will then be ready for painting etc. Let's see what a hash I make of that.

I have two left over ramp sections which will become the concourse behind the buffer stops. I am still looking for a suitable station building, preferably just the relief and if not successful will have to create my own roof.

On the subject of roofs I have been hesitating to start on the loco/goods shed roof because I wanted to be sure of my design before I start. I now have it worked out in my head so hopefully will make a start on that tomorrow. My model of Wells-next-the-Sea started out as being "loosely based on" but over these past few days has gradually moved across to "as accurate as kits (slightly modified kits) will allow".

Best regards ................ Greyvoices (alias John)

 

[Norman Byrne]

Hi John,
Just a little quicker platform build eh ! Looking very impressive too.
Your mention of starting to move more towards more accurate modeling of the actual buildings - did wonder how long that would take you to decide
Anyway Good Luck with further progress & keep having Fun, Cheers again for now, Norm

 

[Greyvoices]

Thanks Norm ............. rest assured, I am having fun.

It is Friday afternoon and I just had a late lunch following a busy modelling morning:

So, work on the concourse and the engine shed. The platforms still await being sprayed with varnish but as it's raining that awaits a clear day. I have a spray booth with extractor gubbins but the nose of SWMBO can detect the merest whiff through a succession of firmly closed doors. I have left the window panels of the shed unpainted as I will be blanking the windows out ............... the wall adjacent to the platform was, in the 1:1 world, just bricks ............. or so I believe.

The other side looks a bit more developed paintwise but this is the base coat awaiting weathering etc. The cladding on the gable end and the upright post between the tracks are my attempt to do justice to the shed as I see it from the photographic evidence. The cladding is made from railway coffee stirrers and the upright is balsa wood (it still lacks a piece on the front edge). I still have to make the roof but I wanted to be sure of the overall length of the building before I cut the roof sections. I plan to beef up the roof trusses to the level of the ridge beam so the the roof will not sag. Any exposed ply edges at the corners I plan to scribe with brickwork .............. that does sound very tedious but it just entails extending the existing mortar lines around the corners. It surely won't take that long. Likewise I plan to scribe mortar lines through the stone block corners of the goods shed ................ with the off-white mortar wash that should integrate the two buildings into being one structure.

All the paintwork has been achieved with the AK Real Color Markers as I wanted to see how useful they can be and how long they last. Overall, for just a first coat I am pleased with their performance. I did not use any undercoat or varnish so the color has sunk into the wood (once again, wet weather is to blame). I am hoping that the various washes and weathering powders will help produce a convincing finish.

Yes Norm, the more I get into this the more serious it becomes. I am very conscious that the space I have given myself is far too small so I plan an extension section to adequately model the station approach. I will still have no room for the Heacham or harbour branches but the station is being modelled in the days/years before the closure of them both. I will elaborate on that in, perhaps, the next exciting post (well it's exciting for me).

Best regards .................... Greyvoices (alias John)

 

[Eltonfrog]

I really like that platform.

 

[Norman Byrne]

Hi again John,
You have been busy, looks like more great progress.
Think that dark base brick colour works a treat against the previously posted reference photo too.
Also the timber boarding on the Gable End looks spot on too.
The platform kit off cut ramps have also fitted in ideally at the platform ends.
Out of interest how have the pens lasted / worked on the kits timber surfaces - looks good in the photos ?
Cheers for now, Norm

 

[Greyvoices]

I really like that platform.

The first section is now painted Carl. I spray varnished it and then used the AK Color Markers.

This is before I used the Humbrol White Wash to define the morter.

This now after the White Wash and I really don't see the mortar. Experimentation will now be the order of the day. It's obvious that I have to blank off those windows.

Closeups like this are very unforgiving and show up my freehand work for what it is ................ amatuerish. I think that judicious use of masking tape and perhaps firing up the spraygun might give crisper results. On the other hand, once I've cracked the mortar issue the subsequent weathering might look ok even if I continue with the AK markers.

Best regards ........................... Greyvoices (alias John)

 

[Shedman]

That makes a dramatic difference (improvement!) to the platforms.

 

[Norman Byrne]

Hi John,
Indeed it has transformed those platforms already.
On the mortar front, you could always try some pastel crayons which can be rubbed into the surfaces mortar rebates & rubbed off the bricks surface, to the extent you wish too - also depending on colours used can provide weathering / staining & even a degree of efflorescene perhaps.
Think you are being far to harsh on your efforts, close up photos always are very non forgiving !
Keep up the great progress, Cheers again for now, Norm