Childhood models: Lima Western...

I started model making as a child with my Dad and my best friend Tim providing guidance, encouragement and inspiration. I was also lucky my Grandpa had a large library of books and photos, and too was a model maker. It was almost inevitable, with that mix, that model making and especially railways would play such a large role in my life...

Today's blog post shares some photos I've taken today of a model that's very dear to me - my first OO gauge diesel model, bought by my Dad I think when I was still very young. There are old slides of a train set on the floor with the GWR Airfix/GMR Castle set he'd bought 'me' when I was born (!!) and the Western with a trio of three Hornby 'modern' wagons (a TTA in Gulf, a VDA in Railfreight and a HAA coal hopper - I still own all three)...

Obviously over the years I modified and weathered it several times. It appears it ended up with a faux TOPS identity and some rather over the top, yet still carefully applied weathering. I note, the finesse with which the 15 year old me has painted some of the markings by hand! All of this was pre-airbrush for me, using washes, dry brushing and powders alone.

It just goes to show, I think, that the courage to break out the tools on a treasured model to attempt to recreate something more realistic, started young for me - this was not the first attempt art this model - I suspect the handrails and Craftsman detailing kit had been fitted 2 or 3 years earlier. Towards the end of my teens I weathered some Mainline steam engines, I still have a pair of these, and they'd pass muster today, but perhaps this is something to share another day. More soon...