Looking for my mojo in a Lego Beetle

 

My creative mojo is still missing - I can get on with work, but enthusiasm for making anything for fun just isn't there. All those projects aquired in fits of eagerness over the years aren't calling to me. Even part finished models like the Hudswell Clarke shunter sit on the workbench, untouched for weeks. 

A bit part of this is that I'm busy. Very busy. And that's dented passion for pretty much anything I used to enjoy. Not a good place to be, but there are many who are far worse off, so I can't complain. And if I do, people are welcome to tell me to shut up. Even if I'm whining about a Windows re-install suddenly forced on me right when things were manic...

The good news is that the workload should start to ease right now. And with a bit of luck, I'll have some downtime I want to fill with interesting and unusual stuff, which can then appear on here. 

So, for the moment, posts will still be sporadic, and very likely a bit random, but then this is my blog - if I want to be wierd, then that's my perogative. Sorry about this (not the weirdness, the lack of posts).

However, the other evening, I found time to unpack and build a Lego Beetle  that has been kicking around my office for many months. Truth is, I can't remember when I bought it, possibly over a year ago. 

Anyway, a very pleasent hour was spent putting the bricks together. OK, you can argue it's not "proper" modelling, but it's a box off the pile and more importantly, I enjoyed it. As I always say, if you are enjoying a hobby, you are doing it right. 

Saturday Film Club: The 10 most interesting transport systems in the world

I know travel isn't an option at the moment, a situation unlikley to change for a few years, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a bit of virtual tourism. 

Despite being very poorly travelled, I can actually claim to have ridden on a couple of these: The Hong Kong "Ding Dings" and Adelaide O-Bahn, but I'd love to visit the number one on this list...

Virtual Show this weekend

 

As you read this, I, and the rest of the team, will be finishing up all the important tasks ahead of this weekends Big World of Railways Virtual show. 

A whole weekend of features - with something new every 15 minutes plus a full layout lineup to enjoy. We've packed in more than ever before thanks to some very long hours gathering exciting and interesting content for you. 

And it's all free, so don't bother getting dressed, just get sat in front of the computer and enjoy!

www.world-of-railways.co.uk

Cottages, layouts and heavy metal in BRM

  

In the January issue of BRM, I'm takling an old kit - the Dapol thatched cottage, which I've built in mildly and very modified versions. 

While the kit has been around since the 1950s, it's still manufactured by Dapol and so there's still a good reason for modeller to have a play with it. 

You might wonder what inspired this build, well, I've been out with the camera and spotted a couple of thatched cottages on Hadarford. 

An interesting 009 layout, it's built in to a traditional coal-carrying canal boat, which happens to spend time moored pretty close to where I live.

There's a lot of challenges if you chose to build afloat, but the owner has managed, and the results ia lovely, detailed layout. 

However, in a first, I've bagged a second photo shoot in this issue, this time with the N gauge layout Meldon West. 

With a scenic section only 2 1/2 feet long, this is very much a Phil type of layout. Highly detailed, it shows the potential of N gauge, and I hope it inspires many more similar models. 

Finally, on BRM TV, I have a chat with Carl Hart from Hornby, to learn a bit more about injection moulding. 

As well as being interesting and education, I get to do some spotting of interesting blocks in the Hornby storage area.

 All this in the January 2022 issue of BRM

Warehouse Wednesday: Nissen Hut

Spotted near Margate, a cracking Nissen Hut, and a lesson to take photos when you see them. 

I first spotted this the evening before, and the light on it was perfect. Of course, I was focussed on fiding some fish'n'chips (it had been a long drive to the hotel) and so decided I'd grab a shot the next morning as there wan't any pressure on time. 

In the morning, the sun was behind the hut, messing with the camera setting in a way even fiddling with Photoshop can't cure. 

This doesn't make it any less interesting of course.