On Track models NHEF Hopper - weathering tips

Hi all, 

I have another weathering "how too" guide. This time, it's for the NHEF coal hopper RTR by On Track models. I have weathered one and posted it on my facebook page as I was asked by a few people to do another "how too" guide. So...lets get started!

Please Note: All photos are taken under a desk lamp so the pics may be off in colour. However, no PC screen is the same so I believe it will be good enough for this posting. I will add a better (outdoor) shot of the finished model on facebook as soon as I can.
 

The above photo shows the model with some other projects painted in Dullcoat and with the bogies removed for painting in plastic primer. Plastic primer is available from auto parts stores and contains "flex aid" and is also specifically formulated to adhere to plastic surfaces! It is about your best shot for painting Acetal polymers like Delrin bogies.

As you can see above, I have dusted the model with a light gray pigment and painted all the parts that are to look rusted, with brown paint.

Now I have added some brown pigments to the gray, and blended them by adding more gray or brown as I needed it. I also coated the brown painted parts with a rust pigment.

Now I gloss coat the model, and as you can see it has lost some of the weathering, but that's okay; we need a gloss surface for the decals. Note: If your not adding Graffiti you may skip this gloss coat step.

In this photo you can see the finished model. I reapplied dullcoat on the graffiti covered model, and repeated the pigment steps listed above. I also added some rust pigment to a thinned flat clear (50/50 mix) and painted all the steel parts again.  I then painted the plastic primed bogies with flat white and weathered the same way I did the model, only this time using black and dark brown pigments.   


Cheers, Dean

SDS Bogie Cattle Wagon

Hi all,

Just thought I would do a short post on the SDS Cattle wagons.

I used some of the SDS models for demonstrations in weathering at the Sydney Model railway exhibition and I was impressed by the detail of the models.

However the roof was more suited to freshly "out shopped" wagons being a neat and smooth roof. It did not suit the 1970/80's all that well. So, I thought I would make a replacement roof in polyurethane (which will be released In a few weeks), with all the wear and tear of a well used wagon.

The roof has all the detail cast in place like the weathered timber, with what is left of the "Malthoid" or "Duroid" bituminous paper strips used to seal the timber planks.

So I will start with a few pics showing the weathering stages, and don't forget, I have older posts of weathering livestock wagons, so take a look! I will announce the roof release on Facebook

In the above photo, I have used a sharp hobby knife to score the surface to give an impression of aged wood.

I have then added some livestock, and gave the model a dry brush to highlight the metal bracing.

Now I have weathered the model using the same techniques listed on my older blogs.

The last photo shows the new roof in place, with weathering, by colouring in the Malthoid with a black marker pen.

Cheers Dean
 

 

Road bridge kit - released on Ebay

Hi all,

I have released the first of the two bridge kits on EBay, and I have added some photos of the finished kit.

The bridge kit is based on the Lions Rd-Cougal Northern NSW, border loop area. However it would look at home over any creek on most Australian themed layouts, and perhaps, other layouts based on a different country.

The "Lions Road" is a road running between the Summerland way in N.S.W, and a junction at the Mount Lindesay highway. It is a road that joins two pre-existing sections of rural road - Wilson Avenue in New South Wales, and Running Creek Road in Queensland. It was so named as most of the funding, planning and voluntary labour for the road came from the Kyogle branch of the Lions club. A Kyogle resident, Jack Hurley, was one of the most prominent advocates for the road and despite the NSW Government rejecting the idea in 1969, it was opened the following year.

A good deal of its length is a narrow one-lane road that cannot be used by trucks or cars towing caravans/trailers. It was only recently that the road was fully sealed with bitumen. The road has many creek crossings along its length, and several of the bridges are of wooden construction that can only support low weights.

Kyogle has over 240 bridges and around half are made of wood.  My research tells me the bridge I have based my kit on is much older than the Lions Rd itself!  It appears the pre-existing roads may date back to the late 1800's and were mostly used for logging. Timber cutters made serious in-roads into the regions resources, being red cedar, and bullock teams made their own roads and bridges as they worked the area.

  ^{.Cheers Dean.}

NSWGR 47 Class loco weathering.

Hi all,

Again way to much time has passed since my last blog posting. However I have been so busy, with my 75 year old father taking a fall and hitting his head, which put him in hospital for a week. Things have just been crazy!

For this post, I have weathered a N.S.W.G.R '47 class loco from a photo taken by Bryan Vandestelt, way back in 1989. I spotted it the in Railway Digest of October 1990 sometime ago, and I have used it for weathering inspiration more than once.

This time, however, I decided to match the weathering to the model, rather that just use it as a general guide. I must say a "thanks" to Railway Digest for tracking down Bryan, so I could get the O.K to use the photo. Another thanks to Bryan and his brother who went to so much trouble getting the image to me. Bryan sent the slide to his brother who scanned it, and sent me the photo so I could use it for this blog posting.

 

Cheers,
Dean

Better late than never!

Hi all,

It's about time I updated my blog - better late than never! I have been very busy of late with two stints in hospital not helping. I have managed to keep my Facebook page up to date with new Rails In Scale kits and detail items.

My work on the coil wagon kit continues, with much progress being made. I hope to have the re-release kit ready soon.

I have also completed two bridge kits. One is of a bridge that runs over a creek on the Lions/Border loop road in Northern N.S.W. The other, a rail underpass based on a few I have photographed around N.S.W.

I also have added a number of small detail items to my RIS range including line side water tanks, sleeper and rail platform facing, old sleeper junk piles, rail buffers (low wood type), brass turnbuckles and wagon junk loads. All will be listed on my eBay store.

In the RIS range of signs, there are five new sets available from petrol stations signs to cigarette billboards.

I also weathered a NSWGR 47 and some QR locos (see facebook page).

I will do a full post on the 47 class with some photos in a few days.
For now hears some photos of the bridge kits!

              The finished underpass, road sign, and billboards kits are all displayed in this diorama.

                                                 Above photo shows the rear of the diorama.

                                                  Front side with signs and 1980's billboard.

                                                        Close up shot of bridge detail.

 

                                         This new release bridge kit will be available at Gold Coast exhibition.

                                                           Tar covered wood plank.

                                                          Close shot of wood detail.

  .                                            Both kits will be listed on eBay asap.

Cheers, Dean

Weathering crusty cement

I received an email from a customer who purchased some of the weathering pigments I sell on Ebay, as linked below:

Shadow Grey weathering powder


The problem he had encountered was mimicking, that is weathering, the crusty dry cement found on cement wagons. I was asked if I could help out, so here we go! I should also point out he asked about dipping the wagons in real cement. I don't recommend this, as you have no control over where the cement goes and you may well just finish up with a wagon that looks like it's been dipped in wet cement.


The first thing is to build (or buy) your wagon. In this case I used an AR kits NPRX wagon with a Keiran Ryan Brass etch walkway kit which I then paint and decal. I used the gray primer as the finished colour plus a gloss coat for decals. I then dull coat the model and let it dry.  

The next step is to brush paint some clear (water base) paint on the model where you want the crusty cement .

Then add the pigment by dropping it over the wet paint and shaking the loose powder off. Don't dab at it, just leave it to dry. 

It may look thick but you can tone it down when dry by rubbing or picking at it until you have a realistic look.

I now use Extra hold hair spray over the model to blend the powders. I tone down the spotty patches by adding powder where needed, giving an even weathered apperance over the whole model.

Another layer of dull coat and some more powder work to finish off. I then weather the bogies, add the KD's, and it's ready to roll! 

Later Deano.

P.S. I will do my best to answer all your emails but please be patient some envolve a lot more work to get a blog post up with details and photos. Next I will show how to colour sand stone walls. 

NSWGR WATER TANK

Hi all,

As most of you know I have had some major computer problems that have caused me some big time headaches! I am pleased to say I'm back on track with a new PC. However, I lost all the art work for my kit instructions and sign kits. It was not an easy thing to come to terms with, as the data loss was the result of a mistake made at a PC repair shop. I kept this quite while I sorted the mess out with the repair guys. Efforts were made to recover the data, but in the end I decided to move on and get over it, before it got the better of me!

I do have printed copies of instructions and signs, so at least I will have something to go off, as I redo everything. I wish I could just scan it all but the images are not clear enough.

Once again I thank everyone for their patience and will do my best to get orders out ASAP.

Now for a modelling fix - I have worked from sun up to sun down, and then some, over the last few weeks whilst sorting my PC. I was burnt out and I needed a modelling fix! It came in the form of a Laser rail bits, timber tank stand.

An easy and enjoyable kit to assemble and I was really pleased with the end result. So I mounted it to a diorama, added extra details like bolts, inlet/outlet pipes and a tank of course (an old Rails North kit). I milled down the inside of the tank by screwing it down though the top half of each side, then ran the cutter over the parts and cut the top half off when finished. The end result gives a more realistic thinness to each side.  
 

                                               You'd be a Galah to drink that water!!!!

                                                        Water Column UNEEK kit 680

 

 

                     I adjusted the colour - see my Face Book page for the original and extra photos.
                            http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rails-In-scale/266244323495711

                                              Sole plates UNEEK and Woodland scenics
      Later, Deano