Friday Update: Twenty-four Four Twenty...

Well the week has just disappeared infront of my eyes, I've managed a little personal modelling and some work on Planet Industrials projects, but very little in the way of customer work as I've been home schooling again, as well as assembling a greenhouse - an all together bigger sort of kit...

I've picked up a new iPad and Apple Pencil this week, and it's rejuvenated my interest in Paper... so above is a mock up of a Planet Industrials liveried Hornby Sentinel - this (and it's partner No.1) will be produced in the coming weeks for a potential project with Planet Industrials co-conspirator Steve Fulljames. The idea is to lift the branding from our kit company and apply it to a pair of industrial shunters, then build some sort of joint project for them to operate. A slow burn, but a nice distraction. If you have a project or relivery in mind and think a visualisation or artwork would help, I'm happy to take personal illustration commissions - get in touch using Facebook, the forums or the contact form on the website.

This week my Judith Edge kit (left) of the North British shunter has been progressing in the evenings. It now has a cab and bonnet, and I've ordered a flywheel to finish the chassis, which is now wired up with pickups and tested. There are a few things left to add before I can prime it, and I plan on making a few alterations to items in the kit to make it a more 'industrial' shunter than a BR one...

The Planet Industrials 'Peckett post-date' seen with the NB diesel was primed too, and then has worked it's way through the printshop. The first stage was to mask and paint the cab white undercoat, followed by Ivory interior and yellow back. Once dry this was masked and wasp stripes applied. The chassis had the buffer beams and sides of the footplate painted red, all using Humbrol enamels and my airbrush.

Once dry a green was painted, this had a dark green pre-shading applied before a custom mixed faded green colour was applied. This morning, whilst my youngest was on Purple Mash I managed to paint the black bits in with matt black so it's looking more like an engine (see below). I will do a proper post about it soon - but I'm waiting on the roof and works plates, held up in the etch fiasco.

Finally, it was wonderful to read Phil Parker's review of the Planet Industrials kit in the May 2020 BRM, an industrial special, with some lovely layouts in it... the NCB colliery is wonderful and I'm very taken by Howard's Runcorn Salt Union project, if only I had the space for something similar.

Hopefully next week will settle down and I can get on with customer work again - there is enough o keep me busy so thank you to all my readers and customers during this trying time. I hope you all have a good weekend. More soon...