Morgan Three Wheeler - part three

The front suspension was one of the most fiddly parts of construction so far, there were parts that were less than 1mm in section and lots of reaming out of holes to make things work.

In this final image I have loosely attached the two front wheels to give an idea of the stance of the model.

Tony

Morgan Three Wheeler - part two

 

When I was first given the model kit I was told that there might be the odd piece missing and this has proven to be the case. The chain drive was missing so I built a replacement from bits in my spares box. I used some yellow gears and blue tape which was strengthened with superglue. In addition there was a small feature missing from the gear box, but this was easy to replace, I used a short section of knitting needle which was glued in place with more superglue.

The second image shows the rear wheel, gear box and the first parts of the frame. Up to this point all of the painting was brush painted with acrylic paints and Galleria matt varnish. I have used Tamiya thin and superglue to glue the parts so far.

Throughout the build I have been very impressed with the very fine detail of this old kit - parts of the frame are less than 1mm thick and easily damaged, as you can see by the missing part of the frame (lower edge and support cross member). I've kept this safe and will add it later in the build. I can also confirm that I have yet to glue any piece in place without some considerable cleaning up and de-flashing particularly on any chrome parts!

Tony

Silicone Workstation

Some time ago I saw a YouTube video giving details of a new silicone workstation or mat that the YouTube-er was using as a work mat for plastic kit modelling. The soft silicone mat is described as a silicone soldering mat and as expected has sections for holding circuit boards and screws (see below).

I thought it would be interesting to pick one up and ordered my via Amazon. My intention is to add a self healing cutting mat over the main work station (I have a spare cutting mat - which I will cut to size). The silicone mat will not allow glues or paint to stick to the surface, so should be OK as a base for painting BUT SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR CUTTING!

This image (taken from the internet) shows the size and design. I also chose the blue version, but I have seen different designs and colours are available.

I am very well aware that I have loads (I mean loads) of different tools, many of which I do never use. But I'm confident that this new addition will be useful.

Tony

Morgan Three Wheeler - ACADEMY model kit

Earlier this year I posted details of this 1/16th scale Morgan three wheeler Super Sports model kit from ACADEMY that I had been given as a birthday present. I thought it was about time I started to assemble it. For more details, see this post.

I have decided that I will finish and paint the model as a well used and slightly run-down Morgan as seen on a Bonham's action site for the Morgan three wheeler registration number CHP 68. The Morgan will be British racing green with Claret red wheels and trim

I started with the wheels which were dismantled, cleaned up and then glued together before I brush painting them in a Claret red colour. In this image you can see that I have fitted the soft vinyl tires and given the finished wheels a light rust wash.

I would hope to get some more work done on this beautiful model very soon.

Tony

Malvern Flea Market Haul May 2024

Sue and I have just returned from the latest Malvern Flea Market held at the Three Counties Ground, Malvern. For most of the morning the weather was glorious and apart from a brief shower around lunch time, the rain held off.

The first image shows my tool haul - total spend less than £12.00. The best purchase was this Thayer & Chandler air brush which I picked up for £5.00 for both the air brush and the wooden boxed Exacto knife set. The air brush was in a terrible state, but less than one hour later I have cleaned off all the gunk and polished the main body. I've not been able to test it as the screw thread is different to my air hose connector, but the plunger and needle adjuster work perfectly.

Here you can see the air brush after cleaning. Thayer & Chandler air brushes are now sold/manufactured by Badger.

In the bottom of the plastic box was this receipt dated 82 - 04 - 03 for £38.32 so I have had a great bargain. 

The serial number 14203 A A is clearly stamped on the upper barrel.

I look forward to testing it with some paint.

Tony

Dress like an Egyptian

Lats week my grandson had to dress up as an Egyptian for a school project. I was asked to produce some home-made props.

The staff was built on an old broom handle with the cobras head constructed over foam balls using paper mache and card. The eyes were cut from old Christmas decorations.

Sue was responsible for the tunic, a black T-shirt with gold decorations and tied with gold rope from an old curtain.

Finally, we have the necklace. The base was a piece of nylon tent and the main decoration was cut out wallpaper. Additional decoration came from my scrap box.

I can confirm that Finley loved his Egyptian costume.

Tony

Magazine Articles - an update

Earlier this month I asked my followers and readers of this Blog what they thought of magazines that publish articles split over two or more issues. The response was very much appreciated. For more details of the initial question, see this Blog post.

I received 34 responses and the result of the survey is;

10 had no view one way or the other

2 had a great dislike of the format

6 were OK with splitting over two magazines

10 responses sat in between not liking and OK

Taking all of the above, I would surmise based on the responses, that publishing articles over two issues - for example part one - the construction and part two - the painting is OK. The most recent issue of Miniature Wargames has such a split article with part one - showing the construction of the Armoury, and part two - next months issue, detailing the painting and finishing.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my short survey - your comments were a great help.

Tony