Kennel Lane, Broadway - A quick update

Not much to add to the earlier posts, but here is an experiment in trying to duplicate the Cotswold stone or honey stone colour and better photos taken outdoors in natural light.

For larger images, just 'click' on the pictures.

Tony

An Industrial Narrow Gauge Adventure - Recent purchases

Today's update shows two of my most recent purchases. A sample pack of various grass matting from Model Scene and a bottle of Aqua Magic from Deluxe Materials. The matting will be used to add some foliage and greenery to the layout and I hope that the Aqua Magic will add more depth to the canal water surface. Both were ordered via the Internet.

I will have some more updates soon.

Tony

Kennel Lane, Broadway - Building the stairs

The stairs end has been worked upon. First adding the large upstairs wooden door which was built from scraps of green foam and detailed with more green foam and plastic card.

The blank for the stairs was built from eleven separate layers of 5mm thick foam underlay material that was cut into layers and then glued together with superglue. After the former was sanded smooth I added a thin layer of DAS modelling clay and began the process of carving the stone blocks.

For most of the modelling the steps were kept separate from the building but once I was happy with the progress I glued them in place and started to fill in any gaps with more DAS and thinned filler.

Tony

Abe Sapien - Hellboy Painting Article

At long last, I have painted the Jim Bowen/Graven Images miniature that has sat on my 'to-do' list for ages. The figure is a rare 40mm casting from the short-lived Hellboy range distributed by Graven Images. I already have the Hellboy figure based and painted - see this link from ten years ago!

As you can see from the images below, the original casting has been modified and based on some LEGO blocks.

Finally, we have the Hellboy and Abe (Big Red and Blue) figures finished.

Tony

Kennel Lane, Broadway - Adding the doors

The latest additions to the model were the doors. I have used some spare scraps of green foam (a modelling foam that I find holds carved detail better than blue or pink foam) to construct the main stable door and the small shuttered window to the side.

The door and window were built from individual pieces of green foam stuck to thin card and then trimmed and glued in place with superglue. Both were detailed with more green foam.

The larger doors on the front were made from two pieces of spare card (a Ritz cracker box) and detailed with thin plastic card and plastic rod.

The lead flashing above the larger doors was modelled from strips of newspaper.

The larger window to the side (upper floor) was also modelled from spare card, see image below.

Tony

The Taming of the Shrew - RST

Last night Sue and I attended a performance of The Taming of the Shrew at The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon but not any standard performance.....

In a reimagined 1590, England is a matriarchy, Babtista Minola is seeking to sell off her son Katherine to the highest bidder. Cue an explosive battle of the sexes in this electrically charged love story and offer a fresh perspective on the portrayal of hierarchy and power.

For further details see this link.

Sue and I had seen the same play back in 1995 (which stared Jocie Lawrence) but this production was very different - both funny (laugh out loud funny) and thought provoking as the gender swap has some dynamic inter-positioning of roles and meanings. But don't get me wrong it was one of the most enjoyable if not the most enjoyable performance both Sue and I had ever seen at the RSC. And that's saying something.

We stayed for the (very late) after-show question and answer session and once again loved having the intimate and informal chats with the cast and the director.

A great night out.

Tony

An Industrial Narrow Gauge Adventure - Labelling the layout

Regular followers of this Blog will know that I have been working on an industrial narrow gauge railway layout built to 1:27.7 scale or 11mm = 1 foot. The choice of such an unusual scale has meant that much if not all items needed for the layout have had to be heavily modified and/or converted from existing models, completely 'scratch built' or sculpted by me.

In these latest posts I will update the Blog with 'work-in-progress' images and text showing how the initial project is developing. For more information look out for the Narrow Gauge Labels to the right.

Earlier this year when attending The 7mm Narrow Gauge Association Show in Burton upon Trent, I had been impressed by the number of exhibition layouts that had included similar white lettering on black displays. I ordered some vinyl lettering via the Internet and applied them to the OSO Salt layout as you can see above.

It has never been my intention to exhibit the layout, but with this latest update, I might.

The simple addition of a name and in this case the scale has lifted the whole model and made it look much more professional.

Tony

Kennel Lane, Broadway - Inscribing the stone blocks

I used both the sketches I had made on site and some photographs of the building to add the individual stone blocks to the DAS modelling clay.

I have used a selection of tools to scratch into the DAS, for example; A scalpel with a No. 11 blade, a  large sewing needle, a dart and even a scratching tool which uses the blade from an Olfa circle cutter mounted into an Exacto knife blade. I should also add that the carving was done freehand without the use of a straight edge as I wanted to portray the rather haphazard techniques used in the building of the original kennel.

Further texturing was done with sanding sticks and a wire brush. I then sealed the stonework with some dilute PVA glue before taking these images. Please note this is was messy business and I regularly cleaned the workshop with my vacuum cleaner to remove the dust.

I have used scraps of green foam to add both lintels and the wooden beam over the main doors. These were glued in place with superglue.

Far from being monotonous, I find this technique rather soothing and with Radio 5 and The Ashes in the background I was able to get the carving done in two or three sittings.

Even more texturing was added by brushing-on some acrylic modelling paste to which I had added fine sand.

Tony

Kennel Lane, Broadway - Construction part three

I have used DAS White Modelling Clay to cover the walls. The DAS was spread over PVA glue (which helps with adhesion and stops shrinkage and cracks), It was applied to a depth of about 2 - 3mm and when fully dry, I lightly sanded the surface to smooth out any imperfections.

Tony

Magazines for sale on e-bay

I have a selection of books, magazines and leaflets for sale on e-bay. For full details of all the items available see this link.

Tony

An Industrial Narrow Gauge Adventure - Finishing the base surround

Regular followers of this Blog will know that I have been working on an industrial narrow gauge railway layout built to 1:27.7 scale or 11mm = 1 foot. The choice of such an unusual scale has meant that much if not all items needed for the layout have had to be heavily modified and/or converted from existing models, completely 'scratch built' or sculpted by me.

In these latest posts I will update the Blog with 'work-in-progress' images and text showing how the initial project is developing. For more information look out for the Narrow Gauge Labels to the right.

Most of the painting has now been finished. I re-varnished the canal water surface with another layer of Klear (Future in the US) before painting the exposed edges of the layout. I had seen a dark grey paint in B&Q which I was going to use, but on returning home I found a tin of Ronseal water-based black paint in the shed and after adding some parchment coloured acrylic paint to it, I had a slightly off-black or dark grey paint (I though pure black might have been too stark).

I used a large artists brush to paint the edges. It took three coats before I was happy with the finish. I then sanded out any brush strokes before adding a fourth layer of the dark grey paint and finally varnishing it with Dulux satin varnish.

I have started to add vegetation to the layout, using any wargaming flocking or tufts that I had in the shed. I stripped a couple of HO-OO scale trees of the foliage before adding it over the artificial garden hanger material with spots of superglue. You can see the effect on the trees or bushes along the back of the layout and against the scenic back board.

Even with all the layers of Klear, I still think the water effect could be better and I have ordered a bottle of Aqua Magic via the Internet to see if I can get a glossier effect.

Tony

On The Seven Seas by Chris Peers

In an an earlier post I said that I would give more details of my recent trip to Oxford. On The Seven Seas - Osprey Wargames No. 7 was picked up for a couple of pounds in a second hand book store in Woodstock on the day that we visited Blenheim to see the Shakespeare play. For such a bargain price - I thought it was worth a punt and have to say that I have enjoyed reading it. It has spurned me on to start thinking about how I could used the hundreds of Flintloque dwarf miniatures that I have painted up for The Great Sauerkraut Wars as I think small independent bands of dwarves with flintloques and blunderbusses would work well with the system of small units led by strong captains that is the core of these rules.

For more details of The Great Sauerkraut Wars, see this link.

On The Seven Seas by Chris Peers
Wargame Rules for the Age of Piracy and Adventure c. 1500 - 1730
Osprey Wargames No. 7
Published by Osprey Publishing in 2014
64 page card bound booklet/rules
Illustrated by Steve Noon with lots of Angus McBride colour plates
ISBN 9781472801401
List price £11.99 (but available from a number of sources for much less)
For more information see this link.

Tony

Kennel Lane, Broadway - Construction part two

The roof sections were cut from the same blue artboard before being glued in place with superglue and PVA glue. I added strips of scrap balsawood to the inside corners to give more area for the glue to stick to.

 

The doorways and openings were backed with more artboard before I covered the whole building with strips of torn newspaper which were glued in place with PVA glue and then sealed with more PVA glue. This 'core' provides a very strong basis on which to add DAS modelling clay as well as providing strength to the thin artboard panels.

I would always recommend over-engineering the basic core as the amount of time and materials that will be invested in this model warrant a firm basis on which to proceed.

Tony

An Industrial Narrow Gauge Adventure - The canal basin

Regular followers of this Blog will know that I have been working on an industrial narrow gauge railway layout built to 1:27.7 scale or 11mm = 1 foot. The choice of such an unusual scale has meant that much if not all items needed for the layout have had to be heavily modified and/or converted from existing models, completely 'scratch built' or sculpted by me.

In these latest posts I will update the Blog with 'work-in-progress' images and text showing how the initial project is developing. For more information look out for the Narrow Gauge Labels to the right.

The canal basin was painted in a mix of dirty browns which were mixed on the model. I also added some dark green to the mix where it butted-up alongside the stone wall. The colour was copied from studying the local Worcestershire canals which show  a very unhealthy hue - a very murky brown.

Once painted I varnished the water surface with 3 - 4 layers of Klear (Future in the US) until I had a suitably glossy surface.

I have been asked; why I have built this layout this size and in this way? The answer is simple. I started this project with the intention of testing-out the 1:27.7 or 11mm = 1 foot on 16.5mm track scale/gauge combination and as it was a test I have used scrap materials or materials that have been donated or I already had in my shed. Up to this stage there has been very little that has been bought especially for the layout, the exception being the track (bought from Tennents Trains in Halesowen) and an Italeri kit of 1/35th scale field equipment which was purchased from e-bay.

If I were building a more permanent layout I would have used lighter materials and designed the track layout in a different form with a curved back scene.

I think of OSO Salt as an operating diorama rather than a true layout.

Tony

Shakespeare's Rose Theatre, Blenheim Palace

Sue and I have just returned home after a whistle-stop visit to Oxford and seeing A Midsummer Night's Dream at the pop-up theatre situated at Blenheim Palace.

On Monday we visited Oxford and had a great time walking around this historical university city and visiting the museums. We stayed in Witney and had a fantastic Thai meal at the Suwanna restaurant. On Tuesday we visited Blenheim Palace for the matinee performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream before driving back to Witney and an evening meal at the hotel. Then earlier today we drove across country - first to Stow-on-the-Wold and then onto Moreton-in-Marsh where we had a picnic lunch before travelling home to Droitwich Spa.

This is not the first time we have visited this pop-up theatre, but despite the open roof and heavy rain - it was first class entertainment and well worth the trip. For more information about this theatre see this link.

I'll be writing more about the short stay in later posts.

Tony

An Industrial Narrow Gauge Adventure - Canal wall

Regular followers of this Blog will know that I have been working on an industrial narrow gauge railway layout built to 1:27.7 scale or 11mm = 1 foot. The choice of such an unusual scale has meant that much if not all items needed for the layout have had to be heavily modified and/or converted from existing models, completely 'scratch built' or sculpted by me.

In these latest posts I will update the Blog with 'work-in-progress' images and text showing how the initial project is developing. For more information look out for the Narrow Gauge Labels to the right.

The canal or wharf retaining wall has now been painted. I used low-tac masking tape to mask off the painted groundwork before painting the stone wall in various greys then drybrushed and washed the stones prior to painting the wooden strakes or rubbing strips. I had seen in some reference photos that the stones were both highly worn and colourful and I have tried to copy these features. Finally the green algae was added with washes of dilute acrylic paint.

The cast iron metal waste outlet (copied from one I had seen in the Droitwich Canal) was painted in various rust effects. At the same time the iron mooring rings were painted in the same mix and rust staining was added along the wooden strips with both paint and powders.

Tony

Kennel Lane, Broadway - Construction part one

The basic construction was done with some spare 2mm artboard that I had in the garage. I have used the canvas and Gesso coated sides to the outside as this should hold the DAS modelling clay better than the smooth side. The individual parts were cut out with a snap-off bladed knife and I used a mixture of both superglue and PVA glue to build the walls and roof.

As you can see I have used balsawood and scrap artboard to add internal strengtheners and deeper returns to the window and door areas. The arched lintels above the windows and doors were first drawn around a cup of the correct size and then cut out freehand.

Once again - you can 'click' on any of the images to see larger photos and more detail.

Tony