Saturday, 12 May 2012

N gauge - Harvey The Crane Engine

Well, I guess I'd been holding this one off for a while but now it's revealed. Tomy/Yujin's range of wind up Thomas characters seemed to be around 2mm scale or thereabouts, making them ideal conversion candidates. Having converted Rusty into a passable OO9 locomotive, I set to work on one of my favorite characters.

Having around 9 Ibertren Cuckoo chassis for OO9 use, I decided to employ a spare one for this project, simply as it's slightly smaller than the Fleischmann option.








Just a final picture to show how small he really is!


That's all for now, just going to go to sleep!

Friday, 11 May 2012

BoCo - Strip Down

I'm sorry for the lack of updates recently, but I'm afraid that I've been busy away from the modelling side of things. Work are posting me abroad within a few months (not badly paid either!) so I've been sorting that out as it keeps me going finacially. While I've still been doing things here and there, it's generally been delayed to a point where I need to restart it all.

Looking into the collection of models I've bought and made so far, it's obvious I needed to concentrate on one thing rather than several. Therefore, I've decided to make almost every character from seasons one to four, along with a few later additions. Those seasons in particular are the ones I remember the most, so it makes sense to replicate them exactly as I remember them.

First off, I've managed to start work on BoCo. I know it won't be 100% accurate to the TV series model due to the fact the sides are different, but it'll be a decent match for me and what I need it for. Luckily, I managed to snag a Hornby Dublo model for a decent sum, so I could do a model of a true fan favourite. Had I not been able to get this Dublo model, the Heljan one was tempting me but I feel it's far too detailed to use as a TV series model.*

* - Heljan do however make D5702 in RWS Livery, I have one and will supply pictures if anyone is interested. I'd say you could just give it a face and it'd be a great representation.

Using a mix of paint stripper and sandpaper, I got the majority of the paint off the body leaving it ready for respraying. I shall get newer pictures, but I've managed to get it in primer and a light green base coat.





In the meantime, I'll get around to taking newer photographs to show off the progress. Will post more soon!