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Comments

  1. Could you consider an article on repairing D.C.C.locos. A friend has had a bad experience
    with a dcc sound loco as it is out of warranty
    he contacted the manufacturer and has been told
    that parts i.e. PCB boards and sound decoders are not supplied as spares nor can it be repaired by their service department.
    However they suggested contacting a supplier of D.C.C.decoders to sort out the problem. The makers should make the buyer aware of the lack of back-up for their products. The loco is still currently available. The manufacturer ?
    the name doesn't start with a H,D,or V!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      Thanks for the comment. Sorry to hear of your friend's problem. We've contacted the manufacturer in question who informed us that all locomotives can be repaired by the service department, even when out of warranty (for a fee), but the problem lies in the DCC sound decoders being used under licence from a third party and these cannot be replaced on out of warranty repairs. They can only be supplied as replacements from the third party, in this case South West Digital.
      Full warranty terms and conditions are supplied with every model (and are similar across all manufacturers) and can also be viewed on the manufacturer's website.
      Hope this helps and that your friend gets his loco working.
      George.

      Delete
  2. George,
    I am weathering our stock and need to 'sun bleach' the paintwork on the diesel locos before further weathering. The basic colours are either orange and blue, or green (CNJ colours - USA). They got badly sunbleached. I have tried airbrushing a thin layer of white or light yellow but it doesn't look right. Should I try a different type of paint - gloss? translucent? ...any thoughts?
    Many thanks
    Steve

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Steve,
    Good question! My preferred method of mimicking bleached paintwork is to apply a lighter version of the same paint. For instance, with my blue BR stock, I over-spray a mix of BR blue and white or light grey. By varying the mix (more or less white/grey) and adding streaks here and there creates a really effective result. Adding white on top of a previous coat won't work, as we need to actually blend the paler shade with the original colour.
    I do the same thing on the yellow ends, simply mixing the same yellow with some white/grey and spraying over, very lightly. Masking is applied where different colours meet and, with complicated liveries, this can be a bit tiresome. But it works - it just takes a bit of practice.
    An alternative is to use a 'filter' paint, as produced by MIG Productions and a few other brands aimed at military/aviation models. Choosing the right shade may be tricky but they're a translucent formula that helps to lighten underlying paint. I've yet to try them myself, but I've seen some interesting results in military modelling magazines.
    Model Hobbies stock the MIG filters. See www.modelhobbies.co.uk
    Hope this helps.
    George.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi George,

    I am looking to build a layout for my grandchildren, (my excuse), and have been purchasing 00 gauge rtr GWR steam era loco's, coaches and wagons. I have invested in a compressor and airbrush and been practicing spraying the Cooper Craft and Ratio wagon kits I have bought and made up, including some basic attempt at light weathering. I would like to try lightly weathering some of the lesser expensive loco's I have bought, reading your reply to Steve about mixing original color with the weathering color begs me to ask what brand paint of original color I should try and get from the UK. I can source GWR Green Humbrol Acrylic here in Australia but the green looks totally different to the manufacturers shade, I did contact Phoenix Paints by email but they do not have any distributors in Australia, any tips would be greatly appreciated, have gone through my collection of Model Rail magazines up to last month but haven't seen any reference to this at all.

    Best regards

    Kevin
    Sydney

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Kevin,
    As well as Phoenix Paints, Railmatch enamels are also great and they do a GWR green. However, I don't think they're available in Australia so you'd have to contact Howes Models to see if they can deliver overseas. See www.howesmodels.co.uk.
    For the GWR loco green, there's always Lifecolor's BR standard loco green which is a very close match, depending on what model you're working on (manufacturers' versions have varied over the years). Brunel Hobbies of Victoria stock the full range of Lifecolor paints, which are great for painting by hand or airbrush (thin with Lifecolor's own thinners). see www.brunelhobbies.com.au. And you can slightly alter the shade with a light grey or a shade of red (which will darken green nicely) to introduce highlights and shadows in the livery - but make sure you only mix paints from the same manufacturer to ensure compatibility. There's also a nice set of Rail Weathering paints in the Lifecolor range.
    Hope this is helpful. All the best,
    George.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi George,

    Many thanks for your advise, I will see which of the recommended products I can source, I purchased a couple of Hall bodies from the UK that I have been repairing, I will do some test spraying on those first.

    Best Regards

    Kevin

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi George,

    I regularly read your articles in Model Rail magazine, and a few years ago remember reading an article on detailing a Railroad Caley Pug. I seem to recall that you used a tool to make rivets, and I'm trying to purchase one, but nobody seems to stock one! Any ideas where I can get one from? It's so I can make rivets for an ancient Jamieson kit in OO.
    Any help/advice is much appreciated!
    Tim
    Cardiff

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tim,
      The tool I used on the Caley Pug was called 'The Nutter', from The Small Shop EU. However, this company went out of business some years back and the tools passed to Cammett UK. However, the last time I spoke to Cammett, there were no plans to continue production of the Nutter, which is a shame as it's a great device.

      There are other sources of ready made rivets, in the form of self-adhesive or waterslide transfers, but these are aimed largely at military modellers. The likes of Hannants or Relish Models may have them listed on their websites, although most of these are invariably aimed at 1:35 scale.

      There are some HO scale rivets available, albeit from Micro Mark in the USA: http://www.micromark.com/ho-scale-decals-with-raised-3d-rivets-and-other-surface-details,9968.html

      All the best,
      George.

      Delete
  8. When is Model Rail magazine going to complete 0 gauge Scotswood Road refurbishment project

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      Chris Nevard's final instalment on the layout's refurbishment appeared in MR209, with the building of a diesel refuelling point in what was the fiddleyard. The previous instalments were in MR203/204.

      Delete
  9. Hello George -I am in the US, is there anyway to get your Model Rail Weathering Expert DVD here?
    Thanks -Al

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Al,
      You can order any of the Model Rail DVDs direct from Telerail, who ship worldwide. Email: info@telerail.co.uk or call +44 1524 735774
      Best wishes,
      George.

      Delete
  10. Hello, I am trying to find an article published in Model rail magazine called Modern tank upgrades, concentrating on the Bachmann's JPA and Dapol's Silver Bullet.

    Can you help at all?

    Thanks very much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi - we ran a detailing feature on the Silver Bullet/JPA in the March 2012 issue of Model Rail (MR166). Be aware that the demo for the JPA upgrade was messed up during production and the step by step images ended up in the wrong order, so a revised version is available on here:
      http://georgedentmodelmaker.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/jpa-demo-derailed.html

      I've also written a few Blog posts on the subject of the Dapol Silver Bullets - just type 'Silver Bullet' into the SEARCH tab on the top right of this page...
      Hope you find what you need.
      GD.

      Delete
  11. Hi George,
    I enjoy your modelling skills very much, Am I right in thinking you did an article on the Hornby Town & Country Victorian Semi Detached houses R273 and Shops R274.
    Would it be possible to put them up again or are they on the web somewhere. Thanks Dave H

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Dave,
      Yes, I did do something with those Hornby building kits, way back in Model Rail - I think in late 2004/early 2005. I'll have to have a root through the archive to find some images and post them on the blog in due course.
      Cheers,
      George.

      Delete

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