bits and pieces

More trees added to hide the terrible break in backscene!!

Another week flies by. This has been a very slow week of modelling, but a fantastic family get together this weekend is a good excuse! Most progress was made on the heljan class 33/1, with the buffer beams removed and detailed it is nearly ready for spraying. I also have the time to finish the walrus and grampus in the next few days and have the 33/1 and a blue 03 lined up for the weekend. With my girlfriend away/working all weekend I am hoping it will be a mighty productive week of modelling!!!

I also did some general tidying up of Amberleigh the weekend before last. I gave the tunnel portals a wash of sleeper grime and added some conifer trees in front of the horrendous joins in backscene. I also finally got round to painting the steps black. It is true about rushing things. All the little niggly bits of this scenic test track are the bits rushed or things done when really I was probably just a little too tired.

Another task I have to accomplish is the fitting of the second fiddle yard to Amberleigh. To finish this I have to buy a second telescopic trestle. I decided on buying these from screw fix. At £25 they provide a trestle that will last a lifetime, are sturdy and just the job for someone like me, i.e. limited woodworking skills, limited time and small interchangeable layouts.

With a lot of computer work going on this weekend I read several online internet forums on what people think we need in rtr form from the big manufacturers, i.e. hornby and bachmann. I found in interesting the difference of opinion and also the debate on what we should pay, what is realistic, etc. My own opinion is that prices are only going to go up (which personally I do not mind, if this addresses environmental and workers rights issues in other countries) and I am modest about what I need/can afford.

But if I could have my own wishlist, it would be very simple. How about a class 121, class 120, class 101 and class 119 up to modern standards. I know DMU biased, but it is such a glaring gap in the market and the 108 and 105 are so good, surely it lets the manufacturers know there is a market out there which will buy these products. I know I am biased, in dmu/diesels and the southwest, but that is what I would like to see. Bachmann please take notice!!!!

Lastly, I fixed my air brush last week, after a quick call to the airbrush company for advice and I am mighty relieved. I should also add that the advice/time taken to discuss the problem by the air brush company was second to none and I would heartily recommend them to anyone thinking of/buying an air brush. A small offending blob of paint has not been removed and spraying is resumed!!!


A more general view of the nearly finished Amberleigh Halt