A daily updated blog typed by someone with painty hands, oil under his fingernails and the smell of solder in his nostrils who likes making all sort of models and miniatures. And fixing things.
I love "Art in the Park". The beautiful, if somewhat yellow, Jephson Gardens, are filled with stalls. Each of those stalls is manned by an artist selling their wares. All the hand-made creativity you could want, in a small(ish, it's getting bigger) space in Leamington Spa. Now, I know it's possible to spend a lot of money here. There is everything from ridiculously cheap cards (I stock up for…
Some wise advice from my good self, all hidden behind a thumbnail chosen by one of my rotten colleagues! I will get my own back...
OK, I'm a sucker for one particular Groudle Glen Railway engine. When I saw this painting of the best steam engine in the world on eBay, I managed to resist, for a couple of weeks. Week three, and £25 later, it was mine. The watercolour may be slightly "naive", as the art world might say, but there is a lot right about it. The proportions of the loco, and the perspective for a start. Distorted…
You know I said I wouldn't be messing around fettling this kit? It seems I lied. On the manufacturer's website , the hull is clearly shown as a series of slices on their finished model. I didn't have a massive problem with this, but my lining up of the hull slices wasn't as perfect as I'd like. They were good, all within 0.5mm, but you could see the differences. So, down to the garage, and out…
Garden railways are never finished, and the 16mm scale Snape & Thornton Watlass Light Railway proves it! In our latest issue, builder James LePage reveals how his much-loved line has evolved over the years, the lessons he's learned, and what's next for the railway. Plus, on the workbench: Building Corris vans with a modern twist Constructing a narrow gauge tanker kit Bole Laser Craft's beautifully…
Most of the MDF parts in the Petite kit , are layers that make up the hull. It's a simple job, fit the first two, and then add the internal walls. PVA holds everything together, but it's important at this stage, to ensure all the parts are square. The walls provide some positive location for all the rest of the hull slices. All this is made easier by the accuracy of the cutting, and that the…
I'm starting to get back to normal after all the events earlier in the year, and one thing I'm determined to do is build a few projects for me. No worrying about publishing, other than on this blog. A chance to rediscover the fun of modelmaking. First kit out of the stash is a 1:48 scale kit for a small narrowboat from Petite Properties . I've built enough stuff from this firm to be confident…
You may remember that at the BBC Gardeners' World show, I had an issue with my Merlin Mayflower . A cab full of flame made the RC wiring a bit crispy. My assumption was that this would all need replacing, but out of curiosity, I switched it on during the week, and it worked! Next stage was a trip to the club track for a proper test. The evening was warm, high 20s rather than last week's 30+. The…
I'm not sure why I haven't seen a locomotive point of view trip around Bekonscot's extensive Gauge 1 railway system before, but here we go.
It's about Groudle, so therefore, brilliant. What more is there to say? OK, there is a bit more. This latest version of the guide, at 70 pages, is far more than a simple stock list. The text takes the reader from the earliest days of the Glen, and then the railway at the end of it. It introduces the steam locos, then their electric replacements, and exactly how badly those worked out. We go…
You could say one of my practicals in BRM is a bit rubbish - well I was asked to take a modern dustcart, and work it into a diorama. The good news is that as well as the modelling, I've written a little history of wheelie bins! As a bonus, I've modelled a man using a manhole to come up from under the road. In the four-step section, my first coach makes an appearance, being fitted out with…
I'm nearly through the Manx photos, but had to use this one taken in the little museum (I think) beside Laxey station. Information is a bit sparse, but I assume this is a tiny shelter from the Manx Electric Railway. The post box is a fairly typical Manx feature - there is one at Groudle Station , which I always try to remember to send a postcard from. Both are very modelable, although that shelter…
Many years ago, young Phil borrowed this book, Narrow Gauge Railways in Mid-Wales , repeatedly from my local library. I've never actually read it, but that wasn't the point. Inside were plans. Lots of plans. For locomotives, carriages and wagons. At the time, I dreamed that I'd use these plans to make models. I didn't dream of just owning them, I was going to build them myself. Of course, I never…
If I'm honest, Smallspace was a lot about resisting temptation this year.Even I have worked out I really don't need any more plastic kit right now. Not Space: 1999 Eagle & Hawk War Games Edition 1:72 Scale Model . Not V.I.N.cent from the Black Hole . Nor the Visible V8 kit I've wanted to build since seeing it in Model Maker magazine back in the 1980s. Although that one has been superseded by the…
Check me out! I am full qualified to dock a Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS! OK, a few caveats. I docked it on a simulator provided by the British Interplanetary Society . I bounced off the first time, and the controls, and the level I was working at, only allowed me to line up on the target using up/down left/right forward and back thrusters. No yaw control, that's for more advanced pilots. Mind you,…
A quick look at the Tin Bath racing that I saw on my visit, along with the skateboard racing I missed because Groudle was calling.
Obviously, I bought some tat from the Isle of Man. This was limited because I already have so much Manx tat from previous visits, I always buy a couple of Groudle dayglo pencils for example, that I have to work harder to search out the junk. But a visit to Peel soon sorted me out. From the Bonded Warehouse, I bought a Summit Hotel plate. 8 inches in diameter, with real gold (yeah, right) edges,…
This blog firmly supports Count Binface in the upcoming Clacton by-election. It is time for an elected representative with sensible policies such as bringing back Ceefax, and stamping down on the price of a 99 ice cream. Some time ago, before all this was fashionable, I bought a miniature Binface from Troublemaker Games , and with everything in the news, it was time to paint him up. Work started…
One of our Manx highlights was the Castletown Tin Bath races. It's one of those events that people on TV travel shows seem to find, and the rest of us never see. Taking place in the middle harbour, it's a big deal. OK the town isn't huge, but we found ourselves parking on a lane a good few minutes from the water. Not a problem, and when we arrived, it became obvious why. This is popular! There are…
I loved visiting a Little Chef restaurant. An Olympic Breakfast was a thing of beauty, especially if you were heading back home after an exhibition. Obviously, this wasn't always prefect; it was in the car park of one of these establishments that someone broke into our van and stole my stockbox, toolbox and camera bag thirty years ago. The story of dealing with the insurance claim formed the basis…
Commune: A commune is a shared living group, a local government unit, or a deep mental connection. There is a park full of office blocks near Stratford that has appeared on the market. Ryon Hill is known to me as a couple of my friends were based there for work. You can read the full details here. It's a nice place, with some 80s-style buildings, and I think it would be perfect for a commune. Not…
One of the fun things with the garden railway scene, is being invited to run on other people's lines. I recently had the opportunity to try the Arrow Valley Railway, a 45mm line about half an hour from me. My railmotor was first out. Being electric, it's perfect for this sort of thing, and allowed me to the explore the track, which you have to move around to see properly. As you can see, Little…
I've always enjoyed films showing how things are made, and so British Pathe have done me proud here. And there are two more to watch too!
My "big" Manx purchase came from the antique centre in Peel, a pair of railway cartoons. They appear to be originals; even studying them under a loupe, this seems to be the case. Mind you, I'd not have been ripped off if they were prints for the price I paid. The first is a Manx Northern Railway train. Very much in the style of Rowland Emett, but the signature says Gordon Ellis, 1948. So, who is…
With a bit of planning, our trip ran from Friday to the following Thursday. This meant I could enjoy a Wednesday evening visit to Groudle - handy! Pride of the line, Sea Lion was running, and the early trains were well loaded. Of course, there was cake. A delicious gluten-free slice baked by Chris the Guard's wife. While I don't need to avoid the glutens, I like to try the stuff and send photos to…