Weathered blue Cornish shunter…

This Bachmann 08 has been lightly worked over from a 2000 era grey livery to a more ‘useful’ faded rail blue…

I’ve written about it’s transformation on the blog, it’s a model that represents the ribbons through our modelling lives, and it’s been a real tonic to work on again, lifting the standards where needed. I really do need to add some laser glazing to finish it off, and it still needs a whistle and wipers…

The finish has come out really nicely. I was keen to add some lustre, so used a gloss lacquer to bring up the Matt finish from the Precision faded rail blue. This has been knocked back through a combination of washes and airbrushing, so it still has a nice sheen in places. 

The rods I’m sure will get a mention by someone… this is a OO gauge layout model and replacing the rods falls into my ‘one of these days’ categories. For now, the Cornish identity may give some idea of what I have in mind for the next cameo layout…

Fundamentally, it shows that although the Bachmann model has aged and has plenty of failings, it’s a neat model. To me it looks like the 08s I remember as a child, it’s mine, I have brought it to life, I am happy with it and it brings a warmth to me as I remember where it came from, and how it’s been along for the ride. Breathing new life into old models is great fun. If you’ve got something you think I could help with drop me a line and I can work up a proposal. Until next time, more soon…