Dad-1 - Workbench - West Bay Wagon Works

[Dad-1]

A quick spray from a rattle can ......... the wife was out.
Kitchen stinks of paint now, but at least I feel it's a small
step forward, even if it is only a white undercoat !!



Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Following up on the New Years Resolution to finish jobs .....
I've finished my etched brass deck-chairs and am now painting
figures - too small for me to fettle into better shape. While this
lady has a big bust she has awfull celulite on her legs !!
Lump on forehead are her sun glasses, to be painted this afternoon
when I hope this mornings paint will take some handling.



Geoff T.

[railwayjim]

Geoff,
I am sure I have seen this lady on our local beach!
Nice work on the coach, spraying in the kitchen? how did you get away with that one.
Household authorities here would be livid!
Jim.

[Dad-1]

Hi Jim,

I think the wife's sense of smell had deteriorated, all I got was a mild rebuke !!
It was only the one side ..... couldn't turn over as it was wet.
NEXT time I'll do all the other sides (4) loose and t'other of this coach so we may
get a lot more airborne pollution ......... Then perhaps sparks will fly !!

Those deck-chairs are good, and with a very fine point soldering iron quite easy to
make up, just a shame the Langley figures are so roughly finished

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Found at last .........
Searching out all the things I need to take to Beaminster exhibition I stumbled on my Ink Jet printable decal paper.
FS123 has time and again said do your own decals, this is something I was doing back as far as the late 1990's.
Then I had better programmes & printer and was capable of producing exhibition standard decals for some of my
aircraft where at the time commercial decals were not available. Here is a No.10 squadron Victor B.1 where the
fin squadron emblem & squadron crest under the cockpit were home printed, as in fact were the aircrafts XA
serials.



This was a retro build turning a K2 model into the shorter winged & smaller engined B1 series, a B1A conversion under
construction in the background. All from a lifetime ago, or so it seems.

Geoff T.

[skyblue]

What a fine beast that Victor is - do you still have all your aircraft models?

[Dad-1]

Hi Skyblue,

Sadly no I don't have all of them, I had to scrap about a hundred as we simply don't have enough room
here. One of the major problems of downsizing is deciding what can be saved & what has to go.
My friends in the IPMS Bomber Command special Interest Group took a few, like the Victor K2 & B1A, as
well as my Vulcan B1 & part built Fairey Hendon from the now rare Contrail Vacformed kit.

I do still have all my Aerobatic Team models plus a few larger ones that includes a Victor B.2 & couple
of Vulcan B2.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Neglected for 2 weeks, but tonight I've returned to my GWR 4 wheel coach.
I've finished making up all 3 partitions and bench seating. Once I contemplated
adding piping to separate individual places along each bench, but even without
the reflecton from glazing it's difficult to look in. I still don't know if I'll paint the
seating red, or blue. Interior of partitions and internal sides a timberish shade.



I have 1 week to try & finish before the February competition begins. I also need
a few seated passengers, something I'm certain I don't have.

Geoff T.

[nickbrad]

I have loads of people to populate my layout/coaches when i reach that stage, I just don't quite know where I put them.

[Bufferstop]

Your Ratio coach shows up a problem that I have noticed with their kits. The definition of the panelling on yours even when painted is excellent, I have one from some years ago which by comparison is pathetic. I've noticed this with others of their kits. From time to time the quality of the moulding falls off, and then suddenly improves again. I assume it's down to the tooling being refurbished from time to time. I check them very carefully these days.

[Dad-1]

Interesting Bufferstop, I wonder if some are made when injection pressure is low,
or perhaps plastic mix not hot enough ? I can't see moulds being re-furbished, but
they are made in batches which is probably why qualities vary ?
Old & heavily used moulds tend to not close tightly enough giving rise to excessive
'flash', but these kits don't have any sign of that.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

What to do ????

I painted the Ratio coach seating blue - mind you in a 1920's 3rd class coach wouldn't
all the seating have been strip wood ? Rather like I remember from the Newcastle-upon-Tyne
trams from the 1940's ....... Late 1940's I'll add !! Just don't fancy painting today though.....

I will split the Thomas layout in half this afternoon to start laying grass seriously, but not just
yet..............

I can't open the aircraft kit until the beginning of Feburary.................

It's too cold in the loft to just play trains..............

Ahh well, there is this Ratio GWR Mink van kit by my side

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

It must be true - My camera says so !!
I couldn't resist, I opened that old Ratio box and apart from some flash on the roof it
looked like quite clean mouldings.



One hour 35 minutes later I had this



In that time I'd even painted the roof grey.

This was quite an old issue, the wheels were plastic on plastic axles. I have loads of Dapol wheel sets
in the loft, but not been there today so no brake gear fitted until after I sort out & fit those axles.
It should also allow me time to paint most of it. It says rooves started as white, but as mine is in late life
it would be little short of black. My first coat of paint is grey to act as an undercoat.

My only 'problem' area will be making fittings to accept narrow tensionlock, but that can wait.

Geoff T.

[skyblue]

The Mink looks good. Are you doing it in GWR grey?

[nickbrad]

Looking good, I'm currently bidding on an airfix mineral wagon kit which ends tomorrow so hopefully I can join the kit building brigade soon.