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 2023 Christchurch show, this last weekend, was my first as an exhibitor in a long time and Rewanui’s first outing. Deadlines are great for focussing effort, and a great deal was accomplished in the lead up that would otherwise have languished in the ‘too hard’ basket. Rewanui is a work in progress but I…
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…
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…
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. …
In the last post I outlined an ambitious car building programme. In this installment progress is outlined… One thing I didn’t cover last time was the ‘how?’. It’s one thing to write a to do list, another thing entirely to realise it in a timely fashion. Followers of the blog will not be surprised to…
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…
It’s been a long time between layout updates. Mostly this has been due to absolutely no direct progress, but this is deliberate. My plan is to have all the stock and structures completed before getting too much into the layout. The reason being that layouts fall into decline after completion, so I want to avoid…
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…
