Commission: Rapido Hunslet pair…

This pair of Rapido 16" Hunslet are heading off to their new home in the Netherlands this week. The industrial duo have had a bit of a makeover, fitting of DCC decoders and etched plates, real coal and a decent weathering...

The finish is wonderfully nuanced, the result of many hours pouring over industrial railway photo albums and even more working on similar models previously. What have been initial mistakes are now proven techniques in my collection to effect that 'begrimed' well worn yet loved appearance that so many of these machines took on later in their lives.

 

Weathering is the art of bringing a plastic toy to life, and should not be a paint by numbers affair - instead you're considering how the prototype existed, where dirt, coal dust, grease and oil accumulate or are washed off, where feet wear through paint and hands burnish the finish. Flat and lifeless airbrushed finishes may be the main stream accepted approach, and those that peddle such work make a fair amount doing so - but for me, whilst a useful tool, it is not the only one in the box. 

I prefer to work from a soft sheen if possible, and preserve this through the work. This then provides contrast in the finish not only in colour but reflection. Whilst footplates, smokebox and cab roofs are matt and dirty with soot, the tank has a sheen under the dirt, one that remembers once the day it left the paint shop gleaming in the new sun.

Different colour base models can really emphasise a difference in finish, but in fact both of these models were weathered in the same manner - and show how much the base shade effects the results. On George we also see a third level of sheen, that of a freshly filled water tank and the over spill still drying down the tank and on the footplate. Touches of life, telling the story of their living, fire breathing character.

 

If you have a model you'd like me to work on, be that an out of the box model to weather, to rename or relivery - through to kit or scratch builds I can provide a one stop service sourcing and designing all the relevant parts and materials required. I work with you to understand your exact requirements and provide a fixed price proposal so you know exactly how the work will unfurl, when you can expect to make a payment and feel the results are of your heart, if not your hand.

You can contact me through the contact form here on the website (top left in the menu) or through Facebook or the forums. Until next time though, more soon...

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