7mm On Heather's Workbench - one final time, with feeling

[Heather Kay]

The ends of the E83 are detailed. Like the other top light in this set, the CPL cast passcomm bits need some careful trimming and fiddling to fit. Fiddly, frustrating, but done at last.

Interiors next. Once they’re at a certain point, I need to review the underframes and bogies again for odd bits I may have missed. Then it should be warm enough to start painting things.

 

[RichardG]

Heather these will look fabulous when they are painted.

 

[Heather Kay]

The component parts of a C54 third are finally about ready for primer and moving through the paint shop.

The top lights will need me to go through and work everything up to the same level, for the same reasons.

Its a drag, but I am getting there.

 

[LarryG]

You're getting there. I liked the CPL lost-wax end bits and bought a few communication chord parts with a view to building a couple of 7mm scale GWR coaches. But 4mm GWR coaches are such time consumers that I never bothered with building 7mm ones in the end. Thank goodness for the recently announced rtr corridor Toplights!

 

[Heather Kay]

Primer. Yay!

 

[Heather Kay]

Ah. I had hoped my stocks of Phoenix Precision enamels might have survived. The tins were firmly sealed, and stored in a cool, dry place.

But, no, lids glued on solid, or the contents dried up. Oh well, I'll order some more then.

Meanwhile, I should start painting the bogies and underframes. There might be piccies later.

 

[Osgood]

... Thank goodness for the recently announced rtr corridor Toplights!

Can you enlighten me further?

 

[MarkR]

This might help!

 

[Osgood]

Ah, thanks Mark - with his mention of 7mm I'd forgotten Larry is currently in 4mm mode

 

[simond]

if I could get 7mm ones at 68 quid...!

 

[Phil O]

Ah. I had hoped my stocks of Phoenix Precision enamels might have survived. The tins were firmly sealed, and stored in a cool, dry place.

But, no, lids glued on solid, or the contents dried up. Oh well, I'll order some more then.

Meanwhile, I should start painting the bogies and underframes. There might be piccies later.

Hi Heather,

My maternal grandfather was a painter and decorator and instilled in my mother that paint tins should be stored upside down. Since passed down to me and my siblings.

 

[Heather Kay]

Phoenix Precision despatched my order yesterday, and it arrived this afternoon. Their UK mail order service has always been good.



While I waited for the van to arrive, I mixed up my patent underframe grot. It’s roughly half matt black and half matt dark earth. The airbrush was broken out, and painting underframes and bogies commenced.

My client has commented on the cream colour. I will be preparing a swatch for him to check against existing models he owns. I did explain I have used PP's GWR coach cream happily for ages with no complaints. For the swatch, I’ve sprayed half of it with the standard grey primer and half with a white primer. It may, or may not, make a subtle difference to the cream. I’ll send the swatch off and the client can decide which he likes.

 

[Heather Kay]

It has been decided to go with white primer as the base coat, so I've just blasted the sides accordingly. Over the long weekend, all the ends were painted gloss black.

The plan today is to research interior woodwork colours, and begin painting the interior of the sides. Once they’re done, I can mask the window apertures and begin the livery colours. I also have a dim recollection that I added interior detail to the ends to represent the vestibules and gangways.

 

[Heather Kay]

Just to show I haven’t been slacking, here’s progress so far.



Pinning down interior panelling colours was a bind. The client sent a photo of one of other coaches, and I have attempted to get close. Bearing in mind, no internal lighting, and most of the innards will only be glimpsed through windows and be in the shade…



At the start of the long weekend just gone I revisited painting the roofs, and got the cream on all the sides. Everything then spent the weekend in my airing cupboard, so should be nice and hard by now. The next stage is fiddly masking over lumps and bumps so I can get the brown on the sides.

Funnily enough, I don’t find the exceptionally warm weather conducive to airbrushing. I think I may await slightly cooler temperatures.

 

[LarryG]

I love Toplights and have altered the period on my layout to suit. GWR coaches probably started off all the same cream, but my goodness did they differ after being in service. Good examples can be found on the Severn Valley Railway where the cream on some coaches looks distinctly custard. It is probably due to longevity if heritage coaches do not get repainted as often as they did in the steam era.

BR carmine & cream has similar characteristics and so I no longer spray over the various creams found on rtr coaches. I simply respray the carmine so that they do at least have half a homogenous appearance!

 

[LarryG]

I wondered if these images would be useful seeing as they show various shades of brown and cream...