WCML100 Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 Some seriously good work there James! That reminds me to get to work on my two Cavalex RBA barrier tanks! Will certainly be using a similar method to yourself! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 6 hours ago, 46444 said: For some unknown reason that did cross my mind too! Day trip to Toton anyone ? ” I was only here to do a brass rubbing , your honour “ 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhysb Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 On 28/05/2024 at 23:23, James Makin said: All those big dirty freight locos need something to pull! Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr I've been having some fun weathering up a few Cavalex TEA petroleum wagons, having hoovered up a batch when first released, and the chance to get a few more from @Southwich lately, it seemed only right to get some through the weathering workbench! Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Available in plain grey and the gorgeous 'Total'-branded versions, the wagons are pleasingly weighty and stable compared to Bachmann's take on one of the other TEA designs, and they certainly seem to come alive with a bit of attention. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The starting point can be seen below, and looking back, how beautiful and bright they look! Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr These have been given an all-over coat of Railmatch matt varnish, before being left for at least a month to allow the varnish to harden before weathering would begin. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Cavalex have modelled the weld lines on the tankers, and one great starting point is to help these to show through better, by masking off and painting each line, using Tamiya tape and a smidgen of brown paint. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Next, layers of brown and grey paint were applied to the tanks, starting here with the lightest shade, Humbrol No.62 Matt Leather or No.186 Medium Brown shades, following prototype pics of the wagons in the late 1990s for guidance on the colours to use. This was then wiped away, working vertically downward with some kitchen roll - Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Having wiped off most of the first layer of brown, the overall colour of the wagon is tinted brown, losing that bright grey colour straight away. Then, a cotton bud was dipped in enamel thinners, wiping it down the barrel of the tank to remove more dirt and help recreate the effect where dirt gathers on the 'flatter' areas of the barrel, while the near-vertical parts are kept cleaner in the rain. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr By removing more of the dirt, the parts left behind can also be fashioned into dirt streaks too, following prototype pics at all times to see how the real things would weather. It's also important to consider the timeline being modelled, as the years went by, these TEAs became gradually dirtier until being almost entirely dirt-covered as the 2000s progressed. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr With the first layer of brown applied and wiped away, a few more day passed before adding further coats of different colours, to build up a layered effect, including darker brown, applied to more targeted areas around the roof catwalk and lower solebar areas. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr It's fun to experiment with different levels of 'wash' - paint mixed with enamel thinners, varying from near-neat paint, through to just a tinted brown thinners, and seeing how it changes the colours of the tanker - the great thing about the experimentation being that more thinners could just be added if needed to fettle with the effects before drying on the model. Next, after the main traffic grime was added, some of the darker markings could be added to replicate where the actual oils have spilled and left marks on the side of the tank barrel. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Again using thinned paint, this was applied to the model in key areas and selectively wiped away in certain places - gradually revealing the desired spills and streaks as required. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Eventually, you're left with the spills in place, and these can be topped up with manual dashes of paint added from brushes afterwards to match up with the prototype photos. With the bulk of the weathering completed, the attention could then turn to the smaller areas - Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Using a fine 5/0 brush, hundreds of little marks were added across each wagon in a range of dark browns and greys, just fine dashes of paint added in a vertical fashion near the top of the barrel - just something noticed on these, and possibly a blend of 'product' being spilt and streaking on the wagon, and other weathering marks on the barrel. It's a bit painstaking, taking a good couple of evenings to do, but worth a shot! Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Attention then turned to the underframe, being painted in a mottled mix of Phoenix 'Track Dirt', 'Sleeper Grime' and various other blacks and greys - essentially the leftovers in tins from previous airbrushing jobs, as I couldn't just chuck away the dregs of paint from these projects! Up on the catwalk, this then received a bit of attention too, Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Several browns and greys were already applied and wiped off, then topped off with Humbrol Metalcote Gunmetal, drybrushed on and later polished up with cotton buds to highlight wear on the catwalk. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The underframe solebar was given a paint-on/wipe-off treatment in the same track dirt/frame dirt shades, using a cotton bud to wipe down and let the red solebar paint shine through the grime. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The edges of the bogies were picked out also in gunmetal paint, and rubbed with cotton buds, to bring out the hard edges and to help add some 'weight' to the visual appearance too. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Those lovely Total logos were starting to look quite worn by the late 90s, so before the weathering stage, a fine emery board was taken to the logo just to file back a few areas to remove hard edges and break up the beautiful colours! It felt like a crime to start with, but think it worked out in the end 😂 Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr One of my favourite things is the Trainload Petroleum logos on the wagons, faded down and muted with all the weathering layers on top. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The ends of tank wagons can be challenging to weather as the bulging circle needs to be weathered evenly to avoid any streaking going at 'wrong' angles, and there's lots of nooks & crannies on these TEAs that can catch a cotton bud, not to mention the delicate catwalk that would be a nightmare to break off if not careful! Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The overall effect looks quite complex, but the reality is just different layers of paint built one on top of another, adding more and more shades to give a deeper weathering finish - the reality is just a simple paint on & wipe off application with a few different colours! Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Alongside the weathered catwalk, those fiddly little 'dashes' on the shoulder of the barrel can be seen, along with the horizontal weld lines high up on the tank. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Side on, the lovely detail that Cavalex have put on the underframe, can be seen to good effect! Despite looking quite fragile, the detailing is impressively robust and stood up to a good amount of handling too. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Wheels and axles were all painted and weathered, again a mix of browns and greys to blend in with the overall underframe weathering. Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr It was great fun modelling these - quite time consuming compared to smaller wagons, it's easy to forget how much surface area there is to treat, but it's a worthwhile project to do! Cavalex TEA Project by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr These are now ready to sit behind some heavyweight Trainload Type 5s, and I can't wait to get them running! Cheers, James Epic! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Pilotman Posted June 1 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 1 On 28/05/2024 at 22:23, James Makin said: All those big dirty freight locos need something to pull! 6V53 from Lindsey to Langley used to go through Didcot with a class 60 and thirty TEAs. Good luck! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted July 9 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted July 9 Naturally some projects take longer than others to complete, and are sometimes put to one side to allow others to progress, and having first started these in early 2022, these wagons have witnessed no less than four Prime Ministers and two Monarchs before finally crossing the finish line! MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The latest completed project rolling off the workbench is of course a trio of ZKA/MKA 'Limpet' spoil wagons, finished in the attractive yellow-and-rust livery! MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Mirroring the prototype, the starting point for these wagons was the four-wheeled Bachmann POA/PNA aggregate box wagons - MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The real things started life as TTA petroleum tankers, before being rebuilt with a box body for use on relatively lightweight coal and aggregates work. As the 1990s progressed, the wagons found new life in the engineering department as spoil carriers - however the sheer weight of waterlogged spoil meant that the trademark holes needed to be cut in the high sides to prevent overloading. MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr So this happened in miniature too! I'm sure the builders didn't chain-drill holes in the side, but it's all a question of scale... MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The new holes were all tidied up, and styrene strip added below to represent the additional bracing attached below the aperture. Meanwhile the chassis would receive extra detailing too, hacking away the old brake spring detail to create a rendition of the Bruninghaus springs on a budget - a James Bodging special..! A quick slap of paint was added, varnished and the fun could begin - MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Railtec Transfers launched a very useful pack of Limpet decals a few years back now, and these contain so many of the essential livery elements and data panels for these wagons. I'm a glutton for punishment though in painstakingly cutting up the TOPS panels to get ones to match the prototypes I sought to recreate! After having matt-varnished over the decals, this was the point at which the wagons were just parked to one side in 2022 whilst I moved onto tarting up a flurry of dirty diesels and so on, as you'll have seen on these pages, but having finally cleared the loco backlog, I forced myself to dig out the Limpets and finish them off! MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The weathering process was interesting to do, having several stages to take the basic brown & yellow and turn it into a varied patina of rust patches. Firstly, a wash over with Humbrol dark brown (113) would take place first, being wiped away with cotton buds and touch of enamel thinners, to leave dirt gathering in the recesses. Trying to model the large panels of rust was a challenge, and here it was simply a case of layering on numerous mottled coats of brown paint, stippling on with a scabby old brush, colour by colour. MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Eventually, as more shades are layered on top of each other, the depth of colour builds up and starts to look a little more like prototype pictures - but it's useful to keep pics of your chosen prototype with you at the workbench to check progress. MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr After more layers were added, the distinctive scrapes could then be modelled - the legacy from being unloaded by mechanical grab, the angled dents on the inside breaking the external paint layers and kickstarting the deep surface rust patches. MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Recommended listening for 'Limpet' projects comes from the solo material of the brilliant Lauren Mayberry, lead singer of Scottish synth-pop masters Chvrches, making for the ideal accompaniment to brown rust gouges! Meanwhile, on the inside of the wagons, the based of the spoil load would be created: MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr A base of foamboard was added, cut to the exact dimensions of the inside of the wagon, and glued in with PVA. Care was taken to cut to the exact size to minimise the chances of the wagon sides being pulled in once the layer of 'spoil' was glued in...which has happened to me before! MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Coded as 'ZKA' by the BR engineering department following conversion, the wagons would start to be re-coded as 'MKA' under EWS' ownership as privatisation continued, with logic that all wagons would now be considered as revenue-earning, and thus no longer eligible for the special 'Z' codes reserved for departmental stock. MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The 'Limpets' were a massive part of my trainspotting experience at Didcot in the late 90s and early 2000s, seemingly a stronghold of the old 4-wheel ballast wagons, and their incredible palette of liveries. MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Each wagon is based on available photographs, this example modelled is MKA 390307, wearing a mixture of rust and yellow. When converted, the wagons were rarely repainted fully, often just receiving the engineer's yellow stripe over the underlying livery - whether plain grey, Yeoman or ARC for example, so as the years went on, this original paint just flaked away almost entirely! MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr MKA 390318 closely follows, with a lighter palette of rust, but a whole load of scrapes and damages painted on, albeit with a yellow stripe that's in much better condition than the other examples. MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Following up the trio is ZKA 390287, lettered up with Railtec's lovely 'Limpet' stencils and a dark rust shade, alongside the big number '20' painted on the side, gently fading away as the years passed by. MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The work isn't just limited to the wagon bodies, down on the underframe a few extra details were added, including the brake pipework, representation of some chassis structure as well as instanter couplings to replace the tension locks. MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr It's all finished off with a overall weathering gunge mix, dark greys and dark browns, mottled on in a slightly haphazard way, and touching over with some Humbrol Gunmetal Grey to represent the oily patches around brake levers and other moving parts. MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr For the interior load of spoil, some fine Woodland Scenics grey ballast was added, secured with squirts of watered-down PVA and washing up liquid, before being weathered by adding thinned brown paint over the top and letting the thinners soak down between ballast lumps. MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Little finishing touches included the painting of the brake handles, buffer shanks and axle boxes too - I do rather like the pretty blue & yellow ones too! MKA ZKA Limpets by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Despite the extremely long gestation period (I would like to say 2 years is a record, but I do still have other things that have been lurking for longer!) it's been enormous fun to get these finished off and finally into service, to bulk out the existing Limpet rake and help clear the decks of dusty items on the workbench too! Cheers, James 32 5 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted July 10 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10 I have a pile of these awaiting similar treatment over the winter, having so far only managed to convert the chassis springs / cut the holes in the side of those that started as POA. The colour mix for the rusty side is looking very affective so I will have to give it a go on mine. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolk Dave Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 As ever, inspirational! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 Well played, sir, well played ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted July 11 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 11 Thanks ever so much guys! On 10/07/2024 at 06:35, The Fatadder said: I have a pile of these awaiting similar treatment over the winter, having so far only managed to convert the chassis springs / cut the holes in the side of those that started as POA. The colour mix for the rusty side is looking very affective so I will have to give it a go on mine. Cheers Rich, I've always found with doing these full-rust wagons it's a bit of a gamble as to what they'll turn out like, I tend to find myself layering on more and more brown shades until it starts to resemble something meaningful! Look forward to seeing your Limpets when the time comes! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted July 11 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 11 12 minutes ago, James Makin said: Thanks ever so much guys! Cheers Rich, I've always found with doing these full-rust wagons it's a bit of a gamble as to what they'll turn out like, I tend to find myself layering on more and more brown shades until it starts to resemble something meaningful! Look forward to seeing your Limpets when the time comes! That was my main concern with them, I have a bunch of spare bodies still so have some spares to test on first. Keep meaning to add an ARC wagon to the set given that’s the only doner body I don’t have (and I fancy one of those where the ARC branding is still showing through). The next one will be a Mainline blue respray 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 Very nice indeed James. I've enjoyed working on these conversions too. Mine were a slightly earlier timeframe and not quite so rusty but they make very interesting weathering subjects. I like the way they were converted then the yellow stripe, TOPS panels and Limpet names were just added over the top of the dirt! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted July 16 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 16 On 12/07/2024 at 05:53, sb67 said: Very nice indeed James. I've enjoyed working on these conversions too. Mine were a slightly earlier timeframe and not quite so rusty but they make very interesting weathering subjects. I like the way they were converted then the yellow stripe, TOPS panels and Limpet names were just added over the top of the dirt! Thanks Steve, I really liked yours, and they're such utilitarian wagons but with so many different options for branding, livery and weathering! The lack of paint applied during a lot of the conversions certainly resulted in there being a lot to love about them - the impetus behind my first ever 'Limpet' conversion was from wanting to model one of the ex-Yeoman POAs, where I just loved that the big 'y' logo was brutally cut in half by the new slots in the side. My model below of (from 2005) looks a bit crude nowadays but I'd love to do it justice and have another crack at a Yeoman one in due course! MKA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Cheers, James 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxokid Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 3 hours ago, James Makin said: Thanks Steve, I really liked yours, and they're such utilitarian wagons but with so many different options for branding, livery and weathering! The lack of paint applied during a lot of the conversions certainly resulted in there being a lot to love about them - the impetus behind my first ever 'Limpet' conversion was from wanting to model one of the ex-Yeoman POAs, where I just loved that the big 'y' logo was brutally cut in half by the new slots in the side. My model below of (from 2005) looks a bit crude nowadays but I'd love to do it justice and have another crack at a Yeoman one in due course! MKA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Cheers, James Funny enough james just made start on 13 of these wagons for the new layout build,im with you on using matt enamel paints as always get super results over the acrylic colours.. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 On 16/07/2024 at 08:43, James Makin said: Thanks Steve, I really liked yours, and they're such utilitarian wagons but with so many different options for branding, livery and weathering! The lack of paint applied during a lot of the conversions certainly resulted in there being a lot to love about them - the impetus behind my first ever 'Limpet' conversion was from wanting to model one of the ex-Yeoman POAs, where I just loved that the big 'y' logo was brutally cut in half by the new slots in the side. My model below of (from 2005) looks a bit crude nowadays but I'd love to do it justice and have another crack at a Yeoman one in due course! MKA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr Cheers, James Most of the photo's I've seen are of the Yeoman wagons, I'm keeping my eyes open at shows as they are addictive, I'd like to have a go at a few more! Was that one of the wagons you did at a DEMU showcase many moons ago? I remember that demo 🙂 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted July 19 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 19 3 hours ago, sb67 said: Most of the photo's I've seen are of the Yeoman wagons, I'm keeping my eyes open at shows as they are addictive, I'd like to have a go at a few more! Was that one of the wagons you did at a DEMU showcase many moons ago? I remember that demo 🙂 The most unusual soldering demo to be seen at a show 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted July 19 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 19 4 hours ago, sb67 said: Most of the photo's I've seen are of the Yeoman wagons, I'm keeping my eyes open at shows as they are addictive, I'd like to have a go at a few more! Was that one of the wagons you did at a DEMU showcase many moons ago? I remember that demo 🙂 1 hour ago, The Fatadder said: The most unusual soldering demo to be seen at a show Ahah, cheers guys yes, that was an unconventional demo looking back 🤣 That would've been DEMU Showcase June 2006, I'd actually done the Yeoman 'Limpet' as the first back in 2005 (madly Gareth ended up photographing it for Rail Express that Autumn, that really blew my mind!) - then as we know in 2006 I was allowed to stink out Burton-on-Trent with the smell of molten plastic (makes a change from their Marmite at least) - I was tackling my second and successive Limpets - including the ARC one - MKA wagon by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr It was great fun to do but of course looking back it all looks a little crude now, so I certainly need to have a second stab at some Yeoman and ARC ones and see how we get on. Talking of Demonstrating as it happens, a little plug - I've been asked to do a weathering demo at Scaleforum 2024 in High Wycombe this coming September 21st & 22nd (guessing they haven't seen how close together my wheels are - don't tell 'em Pike!) so be great to see any RMWebbers who are floating around then - might not be melting stuff this time though..! 😂 Cheers James 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted September 22 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted September 22 I’ve just got back from a most interesting weekend doing a weathering demonstration at the Scalefour Society’s ‘Scaleforum’ event today, feeling a mixture of happy and utterly knackered! I had a motley collection of stock with me to display different techniques… …and also to distract from the dodgy modelling going on! I brought a load of specially-prepared OCA ballast wagons along with me, and another Accurascale ‘Heavyweight’ 37/7 for treatment, I was staggered by how many people dropped by and said hello! It was the first weathering demo since back in 2008 so I didn’t know if I could still do it, but ended up talking for England, having a lovely evening with Tim Horn & Jim Smith-Wright, and pinching loads of cute little jams and marmalades from my Alan Partridge breakfast, great fun! Now resting briefly, until all the excitement of our Worthing MRC exhibition next week (our biggest one yet!) - visit www.worthingmrc.co.uk for full details! Cheers, James 22 1 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodnight Sweetheart Posted September 23 Share Posted September 23 20 hours ago, James Makin said: I’ve just got back from a most interesting weekend doing a weathering demonstration at the Scalefour Society’s ‘Scaleforum’ event today, feeling a mixture of happy and utterly knackered! I had a motley collection of stock with me to display different techniques… …and also to distract from the dodgy modelling going on! I brought a load of specially-prepared OCA ballast wagons along with me, and another Accurascale ‘Heavyweight’ 37/7 for treatment, I was staggered by how many people dropped by and said hello! It was the first weathering demo since back in 2008 so I didn’t know if I could still do it, but ended up talking for England, having a lovely evening with Tim Horn & Jim Smith-Wright, and pinching loads of cute little jams and marmalades from my Alan Partridge breakfast, great fun! Now resting briefly, until all the excitement of our Worthing MRC exhibition next week (our biggest one yet!) - visit www.worthingmrc.co.uk for full details! Cheers, James Hi James, long time follower first time comment’er I think….have you ever renumbered a Hornby 67 ? I’m thinking about buying a doubler and renumbering but I’m not sure if it’s a pain or possible to do with the deep bodyside ribs? I assume using class 66 numbers would be okay and that they are a tad oversize to allow the ribs? Thanks in advance ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted September 23 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 23 1 hour ago, Goodnight Sweetheart said: Hi James, long time follower first time comment’er I think….have you ever renumbered a Hornby 67 ? I’m thinking about buying a doubler and renumbering but I’m not sure if it’s a pain or possible to do with the deep bodyside ribs? I assume using class 66 numbers would be okay and that they are a tad oversize to allow the ribs? Thanks in advance ! Railtec sell transfers specifically for Class 67 numbers, I can’t recall if they look much different to a 66 in size. I’ve found 67s easier to number than 66s which are a colossal pain in the backside! 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted September 24 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted September 24 (edited) 15 hours ago, Goodnight Sweetheart said: Hi James, long time follower first time comment’er I think….have you ever renumbered a Hornby 67 ? I’m thinking about buying a doubler and renumbering but I’m not sure if it’s a pain or possible to do with the deep bodyside ribs? I assume using class 66 numbers would be okay and that they are a tad oversize to allow the ribs? Thanks in advance ! Thanks! I have renumbered a trio of Hornby new-gen '67s' over the years, I just used the same size numbers as for the '66's at the time, and they seem to turn out generally ok - these were back in the days when Modelmaster EWS decals were in plentiful supply, but times have changed since. The decals were softened using Microsol decal softening solution that you can apply during the transfer application - sloshing on the wet decals. This helps to then get the decal to lay flat over the ribs to get a finish a bit like the below - 67017 'Arrow' by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr I've done similar features on each of the projects below, 67017 created in 2017, and the pairing of 67002 and 67008 made in 2019, where the key ingredient is a gloss finish on the EWS gold stripe, the Microsol solution and then gently pressing the decals into place with kitchen towel after - occasionally a cocktail stick can come in handy when teasing out any air bubbles. The easy part about using the (sadly practically obsolete) Modelmaster decals was the lack of carrier film around the numerals, and the ability to peel away the upper layer after it has dried on the bodyside - the Railtec or Fox ones don't do that (yet) but it did help to minimise air bubbles and get the painted-on finish over those pesky ribs! Now that time has moved on, Railtec decals are the way to go, but beware on the softeners - I recommend Humbrol Decalfix if you do need to soften them (or just give a good press with kitchen towel!). For a recent experimental Class 66 project Steve @ Railtec kindly supplied a number of test pieces which I trialled different softening solutions on, and the Humbrol one worked the best, whilst Microsol wrinked the decals beyond a useable state, so it's worth matching your chosen softener to the brand of decal you've opted for, or at least experiment on some decals that you have spares for, just in case it goes pear shaped..! Hope this helps and very best of luck! James Edited September 24 by James Makin . 2 1 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodnight Sweetheart Posted September 24 Share Posted September 24 31 minutes ago, James Makin said: Thanks! I have renumbered a trio of Hornby new-gen '67s' over the years, I just used the same size numbers as for the '66's at the time, and they seem to turn out generally ok - these were back in the days when Modelmaster EWS decals were in plentiful supply, but times have changed since. The decals were softened using Microsol decal softening solution that you can apply during the transfer application - sloshing on the wet decals. This helps to then get the decal to lay flat over the ribs to get a finish a bit like the below - 67017 'Arrow' by James Makin by jamesmakin2002, on Flickr I've done similar features on each of the projects below, 67017 created in 2017, and the pairing of 67002 and 67008 made in 2019, where the key ingredient is a gloss finish on the EWS gold stripe, the Microsol solution and then gently pressing the decals into place with kitchen towel after - occasionally a cocktail stick can come in handy when teasing out any air bubbles. The easy part about using the (sadly practically obsolete) Modelmaster decals was the lack of carrier film around the numerals, and the ability to peel away the upper layer after it has dried on the bodyside - the Railtec or Fox ones don't do that (yet) but it did help to minimise air bubbles and get the painted-on finish over those pesky ribs! Now that time has moved on, Railtec decals are the way to go, but beware on the softeners - I recommend Humbrol Decalfix if you do need to soften them (or just give a good press with kitchen towel!). For a recent experimental Class 66 project Steve @ Railtec kindly supplied a number of test pieces which I trialled different softening solutions on, and the Humbrol one worked the best, whilst Microsol wrinked the decals beyond a useable state, so it's worth matching your chosen softener to the brand of decal you've opted for, or at least experiment on some decals that you have spares for, just in case it goes pear shaped..! Hope this helps and very best of luck! James Smashing thank you ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted September 24 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 24 38 minutes ago, James Makin said: For a recent experimental Class 66 project Steve @ Railtec kindly supplied a number of test pieces which I trialled different softening solutions on, and the Humbrol one worked the best, whilst Microsol wrinked the decals beyond a useable state That is really useful to know, when I did my last 66 it took me two packs of numbers to get the loco done properly after damaging transfers after ignoring the instruction not to use Microsol. Before I number up 66002 I will invest in a jar of the Humbrol version. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Geep7 Posted September 24 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 24 (edited) 2 hours ago, James Makin said: Now that time has moved on, Railtec decals are the way to go, but beware on the softeners - I recommend Humbrol Decalfix if you do need to soften them (or just give a good press with kitchen towel!). For a recent experimental Class 66 project Steve @ Railtec kindly supplied a number of test pieces which I trialled different softening solutions on, and the Humbrol one worked the best, whilst Microsol wrinked the decals beyond a useable state, so it's worth matching your chosen softener to the brand of decal you've opted for, or at least experiment on some decals that you have spares for, just in case it goes pear shaped..! Extremely useful to know this as well, as I have had a similar experience using Microsol on Railtec decals. I think I see a bottle of Decalfix making it's way to my modelling desk..... Edited September 24 by Geep7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railtec-models Posted September 25 Share Posted September 25 (edited) 20 hours ago, Geep7 said: Extremely useful to know this as well, as I have had a similar experience using Microsol on Railtec decals. I think I see a bottle of Decalfix making it's way to my modelling desk..... Very briefly delurking as there is a pile of R&D taking place for some more new concepts. So, just a quickie - it's been some while since I scrutinised the chemical compounds in MicroSet/Sol, and there have been mixed reports over the years. Whether this is attributed to the formula evolving, I just don't know. BUT, this lovely little short reel a couple of weeks ago by tomsmodellingcorner on Instagram shows at least MicroSet being used with a stunning result: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wggojI0Tc/ Edited September 25 by railtec-models 2 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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