Andy's railway misadventures.

[FramFramson]

Daaaammmn, now that's a scratchbuild.

[Michi]

It does really look the part! I am used to the standard gauge sliding panel vans and that one reminds me very much of those.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Very nice work.

[Hammers]

Very impressive.

[marianas_gamer]

Inspiring modeling 
LB

[Andy in Germany]

Many thanks for the kind comments. It's very encouraging.

It does really look the part! I am used to the standard gauge sliding panel vans and that one reminds me very much of those.

Thanks Michi.The van is loosely based on a design used on the Metre gauge Rhaetian Bahn in Switzerland. They have a couple of designs of which this is the more complex: the plan is to make two 'simple' vans as well so I have a bit of variety.

At the current speed of working that may take some time...

[Andy in Germany]

I'm starting on the next wagon to accompany the Big Van.



Way back in the mists of time when I'd just restarted making models, I tried to build one of these in 1:43 scale. I also started a couple of other wagons and a railcar, and they all looked pretty awful. Partly this was a lack of experience and partly because no matter how much I tried the mahoosive models I was making just didn’t fit the tiny wheel sets available, so I changed to 1:55 scale.



It shows how easily I can be distracted that it took nearly a decade before I got around to making this in 1:55.



I remember carefully making the original from fairly thin plastic sheet so I wouldn’t make the frame too thick. This is probably why the old model is now the shape of a banana.

The new version is a bit more pragmatic, made of several 0.5mm thick sections glued together, partly for strength and partly because that way I could use up the offcuts of 0.5mm thick plastic I had kicking about. I’m hoping the over scale thickness will be made up for by the model lasting a bit longer.

Besides, I can hide everything with weathering, right?

[Michi]

Besides, I can hide everything with weathering, right?

That's what modelers do... 

[FramFramson]

That's what modelers do... 

Aye. Can confirm. 

[Andy in Germany]

That's what modelers do... 

Aye. Can confirm. 

Thanks. It's good to know I'm not alone...

[Michi]

Thanks. It's good to know I'm not alone...

There are more than you would believe...particularly with scratchbuilts:

[FramFramson]

Man, that makes me think of the truck from "Duel". 

[Andy in Germany]

I like that truck.

How do you get that dirty windscreen/windscreen wiper effect?

[Michi]

How do you get that dirty windscreen/windscreen wiper effect?

I put a dirty wash on the windscreen and wiped it away with the tip of a toothpick. The wood is softer than the plastic and does not harm the window, but takes away the paint. It´s rather easy. I did that a couple of times with other vehicles too:

[Andy in Germany]

Lovely stuff there Michi. How do you weather the models in the first place? And do you use a template or the shape of the 'clean' bit of windscreen?

I've been working on the wood wagon. Slowly. I added the 'decking' after making a frame I'm pretty sure won't go bendy:



Of course, I couldn’t go and choose a nice simple wagon with a flat deck, oh, no, I had to go for one with a complex arrangement involving a frame and lots of tiny, and rather battered aluminium cross pieces.

Will I ever learn?