Friday Update: Four Twelve Twenty...

Where do the weeks go, it seems like only yesterday I was writing a Friday update, anyhow I was hoping to have a quiet December, but it looks to be busy for another week or so yet as I drive to complete a commission whilst planning a few to start in the New Year...

First up this week, we've announced a livery survey for the Planet Industrials Kerr, Stuart Victory. If you head over to our site you can complete the survey, and we've arranged for one participant to receive a £25 voucher for the Narrow Planet marketplace which offers a range of scales and gauges as well as being the exclusive stockist of our Planet Industrials range. Have your say, tell us what you'd like to see and we'll use the information to finalise the livery details with the factory.

The Hudson Hunslet I shared earlier in the week is now finished, having had the radiator screen mesh painted black at my customers request. This will be left to harden for a few days and then packed up for it's journey in the new year. I've not announced the 7/8ths limited edition locomotive for 2021, there will be news on that in the new year.

I've had a few of my own kit built models out to play on Pont-y-dulais. The other week, when taking a photo of the Ruston on Mollington Road, I mentioned this pair... the predecessors to the Ruston. The North British is from a Judith Edge kit, modified to represent an industrial example, and the RT Models Sentinel is built as it comes, a lovely kit from Robert. This layout, if I haven't said a million times already, has been such a rest cure this year!

The 0-14 WDLR Hunslet is beginning to look like a real model now, I've painted it black, there is still a lot of work to do before I can weather it, but it's nice to see it come together after all the trials and tribulations with the chassis. It will never be an amazing runner, because of the trouble with the rear axle and rod lengths, but it does run, and quietly, and its got some real mass with the white metal bodywork. I'm hoping to finish it off this side of Christmas.

Finally, this is one of this weekends projects, a Rapido H0 scale SW1200RS with sound that needs detail specific items added and the start of some weathering (black is a hard colour to weather so it's a good experiment). Yes it's not narrow gauge, or British, but I'm happy with my Canadian project. It's mine, and unlike all my other modelling that rubs over into some commercial aspect be it commissions, kit design or ready to run, this is all mine for the love of modelling alone which is a lovely tonic - it's making it a good slow pace, helped by the scarcity of information and parts here in the UK but the people I've met online have been friendly and helpful and wonderfully welcoming into their prototype interest, what they must think of a Brit being interested in their often obscure local prototypes who knows! Whatever you get up to this weekend, take care and enjoy what you can. Until next time, more soon...