I have often been surprised at how relatively fast building models can be compared to finishing and detailing them. This can be especially true of basic kits where the supplier gives you the relatively easy bits but leaves you up to your own devices for all the minor parts that are actually the more difficult. …
When a bunch of bits arrives in the mail there’s always the choice of what to work on first. In this case it was the Q hoppers, but once they were out of the way it was the turn of the La-2 and the various wooden Ls (L1/L2). As readers on the blog will know,…
New product update: Q1 and Q4 hopper wagon kits. These kits have been promising for a while. Final test builds have been completed, instructions are nearly written and stock is on order. So here’s a preview… The Q1 and Q4 were both unbraked iron bodied hopper wagons that could be found in both the Westport…
My approach to modelling is a little like cooking dinner. You want everything to be ready at the same time! So I try to problem solve and enable projects so that they can all be completed at some future point. Or maybe I’m just good at justifying to myself why I seldom finish anything. One…
I’ve been contemplating the next steam locomotive project, now that the F kits are done. The Wa is a fairly obvious candidate as it appears to have so much in common with the W. With that thought nestled cosily in a corner of my mind, I optimistically set out to discover what might be needed…
If you aspire to a model railway, the thing you need most of is wagons. This post is a little retrospective of my wagon-building journey and a preview of new kits on the way. I have a long-standing enthusiasm for West Coast coal railways and my first scratchbuilt wagon was a Q5. Scratchbuilt in styrene,…
In which your correspondent actually finishes something for a change, and the travails of doing so… F154, my final test build for the F kitsets has been lingering at the point I typically get my models to before putting them in a box for ‘later’. I.e. all the soldering and construction done, but little of…
NZR trackwork is always a challenge. RTR track is easy, but inevitably wrong, being intended for other scales/gauges. Injection moulded or printed sleeper bases are much better but still not entirely convincing. Handlaid track is nice but, even with etched bedplates, track fixings are tricky. If you want a Fell centre rail, then it is…
As a manufacturer, there is nothing quite as rewarding as seeing others turn your humble offerings into really nice models. What’s particulary neat is seeing builds or finishing that are not how you envisaged the product at all. This blog post showcases a lovely build from the Gig kit (KS016) by Rick Schreuder. Rick’s natural…
Personally, one of the great joys and challenges of model making is to make something that is not only an accurate scale model, but also looks like the real thing. This is, I suppose, the crossover between the science and art of modelling. I have to admit with struggling a little on the artistic side,…
It’s been a bit quiet while I’ve been beavering away so here is a progress report on the F kit… To recap a little, the kit will be etched in nickel silver with cast bronze parts and some 3D printed plastic details. There are also some design novelties as well. Test shots of various parts…
The F class is an iconic NZR locomotive. It was one of the most numerically predominant and longest lived locomotives in the country. Examples continued in industrial service after withdrawal and a number of examples are preserved. Just about any NZR layout can justify one. The Fs were built by seven builders in the UK.…
