Christmas 2025 Project - update # 22

I might have gone a little overboard with my 'clutter' modelling.....

The first image shows a couple of scratch built barrels (made from either pen barrels or tubes from the centre of till rolls) and scrap plastic - a cog from a toy tractor, wheels from a cheap train model and the top of a garden stake light. Painting uses my usual technique - an all over basecoat some drybrushing and washes followed by rust coloured weathering powders.

Image two are scratch built oil barrels modelled from a scrap piece of plastic tube detailed with sticky-back plastic and plastic card. The handles were made from a piece of aluminium card folded over the end of a pair of pliers and glued in place with superglue. The numbers came from an old decal sheet - I never throw any part used decals (or transfers) away.

Finally a round up of the barrels. I'm not sure I will be able to use ALL of these on the Pizza layout but I do enjoy building these simple pieces of clutter and I am sure they will find a use somewhere.

Tony

Christmas 2025 Project - update # 21

Another update showing some of the scratch built pieces of clutter that I have been working on. This riveted oil tank was constructed over a clear plastic container with various thicknesses of plastic card and detailed with plastic rod while the stacked timber and stone base was modelled from blue insulation foam.

The tank was painted over a mid grey basecoat and washed with weather rust colours while the base was painted an aged wood colour and drybrushed with lighter greys. I'm still not sure if I will include this on the Pizza layout but I do like the finish.

Tony

Christmas 2025 Project - update # 20

Following on from yesterdays post I have included this single image of rusted clutter. Earlier this year Sue and I visited a car boot sale in Droitwich Spa and had a great time browsing the various stands and enjoying the glorious weather. One of the vendors was selling hundreds of diecast cars and toys - three items for just £1.00 and I picked up a load for spares and remodelling.

The ore bucket or kibble is a modified cement mixer barrel which after removing from the metal body was cut down and detailed with plastic card and plastic rod. Once completed the kibble was painted in a well worn dark brown, highlighted with lighter brown and rust colours before being given a covering of rust powders.

The two V skips are cut down skips from a Thomas The Tank Engine wagons. I removed one section of plastic between the ribs and glued the two sections together with Poly cement before trimming and sanding smooth. Once again I painted the skips in brown and rust colours before adding them to my Ogam & Stone O-16.5 narrow gauge layout.

The final item was just a section of a plastic wheel trimmed and sanded before being painted.

I would expect to be adding these items to the different narrow gauge layouts later this month.

Tony

Christmas 2025 Project - update # 19

One of my favourite parts of building these small narrow gauge layouts is adding 'clutter' - those additional details that bring the layout to life. Most of my clutter items are scratch built and I thought it would be interesting to show a couple of these details.

The first image shows a couple of barrels constructed from two pieces of a children's toy that was donated by my grandsons. Both are unmodified and painted in back, brown and rust colours.

The second image shows what I am calling a brazier and this was made from a small section of an electrical construction toy (the main body) and bits from my spares box. Once again it was painted in aged and weathered rust colours.

Next we have a scratch built steam powered winch, a more complicated piece of scratch building that uses the main body from the same electrical construction toy (see above) and various bits from my spares box. I was inspired to build this model after reading about stationary steam engines on the internet and although not an exact copy of an actual steam engine it does follow the design and colours seen on many such engines.

I would hope that most if not all of these items will find their way on to the latest Pizza layout but as I have literally dozens of these item built and painted I might have to be a little reserved on how many I actually use.

I will post more images of these scratch built items in later posts.

Tony

Model making and wargaming magazines - what now?

Another TGJones store closes. I worry about the health of so many magazines as TGJones or as it was previously known WHSmiths has been the go-to outlets for so many modelling magazines over the years.

As an avid magazine reader I used to look forward to my regular Christmas present of a WHSmiths voucher which would usually mean me browsing the shelves of my local TGJones or WHSmiths outlet and picking up a magazine or two. The situation in the midlands is that the number of stores has been dramatically reduced to just a few in major cities or stores with large post office counters. I wonder where YOU get your magazine fix?

Tony

Christmas 2025 Project - update # 18

In this post I will give more information about how I built the metal ore bucket or Kibble.

The image below shows the finished, textured and painted kibble alongside a 1;27.7 scale figure

It was constructed from a plastic shot glass with plastic card/rod detailing and a florists wire hoop. Prior to painting the kibble was textured with acrylic medium which was 'stippled' on to the surface to imitate a light rust coating. The bucket was painted in a dark brown/grey basecoat with orange or rust coloured highlights and finished with rust weathering powders.

Prior to modelling the kibble I produced this series of pencil sketches after searching kibble on the internet. As you can see there are many different styles and shapes of ore buckets most made from metal but some from hardened leather.

The kibble was weighted by adding a metal coin to the interior and base with superglue and the inside had some sieved stones and sand added over PVA glue to hide the coin. I did this as I wanted to ensure that the kibble was under tension when the braided cord cable was attached and fed through the shieve then tied off in the roof mounted gondola.

Tony

Christmas 2025 Project - update # 17

One of my favourite parts of modelling these small narrow gauge layouts is adding all the clutter and small detailing. In this case finally adding the kibble or ore bucket to the end of the cable and some of the scratch built or salvaged items that I have been working on to decorate the side of the building.

These images show some of these bits of clutter 'bedded' in to the groundwork with sieved stones and sand applied over PVA glue.

The cable was modelling from some white thread which was dyed dark grey before being 'aged' with rust washes and runs from the bucket, up over the shieve wheel or main bearing and back in to the gondola where it is tied off on a piece of plastic rod and glued with superglue.

You should also be able to see where I have continued to add weathering and small details to the main mine building, a process that is never truly finished.

Tony