Friday Update: Twenty-three Ten Twenty...

I've been airbrushing like crazy this week, I'd forgotten just how long it takes to paint the bodywork on a 7/8ths scale Hudson Hunslet, and luckily we had a few days with long enough periods of settled weather to be able to undertake the task...

Pont-y-dulais, with a crew figure on the Hornet's footplate and a new Modelu standpipe.

The thing about airbrushing can be the build up of moisture in the air hose, especially on a damp day, and the risk that this will blow through on to the model as you're painting it. This is bad news! I've got two moisture traps on my setup, and they do a reasonable job, along as the relative humidity isn't too high. 

1:24 Plymouth in orange...

7/8ths Hudson Hunslet's in various greens

As well as painting customer models I've also managed to get a coat of CN orange on the ends and cab of the S13, and the 2mm diameter jewel lenses I ordered from Modelu arrived and are a perfect fit in the headlight mouldings. At a later date I may re-visit and add LED lighting, DCC etc, but for now it feels like an un-necessary, to me, complication. I've got some Humbrol paint arriving this week with a gloss black and gloss dark grey so I can mix up a suitable shade for the bodywork on this Canadian switcher.

Kaslo Shops CN S13u with Modelu 2mm diameter jewel lenses

Whilst models were drying I gained a few more grey hairs working on the valve gear of the 0-14 WDLR Hunslet model, the kit was supplied by my customer and was missing a few parts. These valve rods for the cylinders weren't in the kit so I had to cratchbuild something, otherwise the valve gear couldn't be completed. I chose some 0.9mm brass rod, flattened a section on it using a straight flat steel edge (old lawnmower blade actually) and a hammer. This was then centre punched with difficulty (no space to see where you're punching) and a hole drilled slowly from 0.5mm up to 0.85mm to clear a valve gear rivet. This was a labour of love, I fabricated 6 to get a good pair - and these are now fitted and the valve gear in bags to protect it from tangling up and disintegrating. Next up is to get the wheels on properly and gearbox fitted...

Finally, as well as the Modelu lenses, I took delivery of some figures and details to try out on my own layout, Pont-y-dulais. The hanging coats and water standpipe look good on the layout, and one of the crew men were cut down for the Peckett - although you can barely make him out - it must have been a horrendous working environment - although I do wonder if the floor may have been dropped between the frames across the whole cab and not just in the door way. Anyhow, there is someone in there now!

Modelu jackets handing inside the shed, along with Planet Industrials lockers.

A busy week behind the scenes for Planet Industrials too - lots to share on that in the coming week or so - keep your eyes peeled to the new look website, we'll be launching that properly next month. In the meantime, I hope you all have a good weekend. Thanks for reading, more soon...