Any layout is a melange of challenges large and small. A bunch of these have slunk incrementally forward of late, which is just as well since another exhibition outing is looming. Rewanui has featured here from time to time without really exploring the design in detail. The whole thing was (mostly, hopefully) thought out some…
In which your scribe continues his narration of the construction of We198… In the first thrilling instalment of this little exposition, I presented a CAD render of the cylinder and motion. Those parts have since been refined, printed and cast. The cylinder/slidebar/motion bracket were cast as a single part, as this simplifies construction significantly and…
The first of, what may be, a series of posts describing the build of We 198. The culmination of over 30 years of interest and occasional research on the class. The class, it’s genesis, and development have been well summarised in the recent NZMRG publication by Alex Smith. The heavily abridged version, for the purpose…
Modelling steam engine underframes I am the first to admit I have not completed all that many locos, but I have designed a few and completed a lot more running underframes, so maybe that qualifies me for the forthcoming pontification. I’m currently in the throes of finishing a couple, and developing a couple more, so…
Here on the blog, I’ve pontificated on all manner of matters relating to Rewanui (real and model), but it has been a while since the line’s raison d’être has featured. The extraction, movement to the bins and loading of the coal is outside the scope of the model (taking place ‘off scene’ as it were),…
There are many occasions in model making where there is a need for small (0.2-0.6mm) holes. If you are building a kit these holes may be present, but undersized. You can, of course, use the correct drill to open out holes but you may not have the ‘correct’ drill on hand. In any case drills…
The Addington car Many of my blog posts offer some philosophical insight (I hope) or practical dodge that I feel a burning need to share with the modelling fraternity. In contrast, this post is a shameless promotion for an upcoming kit that I’m super excited about, having just completed the assembly phase of the pilot…
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. …
A question I seem to frequently be called to answer is “where do I find drawings?” On the one hand this is good to hear as original drawings underpin great models, but the answer is not so straightforward. In this post I’ll explore some of my sources. I’d certainly appreciate hearing about any sources I…
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…
Scale modelling is changing Remember the days when you went to the hobby shop and purchased the model you liked best from what was in stock? Or mail ordered whatever you could get with your fingers crossed? The Internet changed a lot of that, and now technology is offering even more choice. Model what you…
