Roof making

 

Regular readers will know I'm a fan of dry-fitting kits together to spot possible problems later in the build. 

Looking at the sides on the barge, I'm not 100% sure where they sit. Logically, the bottom of the side sits atop the sides of the hull. But there is a gap at least one layer of card could sit in. Get it wrong though, and the roof won't fit. Looking at the photos in the instructions, I think I'm right, but there's one way to be sure, make the roof. 

Work starts by putting a curve in the piece of card forming the roof. A set of metal rollers would be ideal, but mine are buried in a cupboard, so I just rolled a bit of dowel back and forth, with the card on my thigh - less chubby people can use a couple of towels. 

It worked fine, so the next job was to fit some MDF formers in, which are clipped in place as shown. Finally, a spine fits into these. I did all this quite quickly so the glue didn't have time to dry until everything is in place. The cutting of the MDF ensures very tight fits, but there is a tiny bit of movement of the MDF formers in the holes in the card. 

Speedy work ensures this isn't a problem. Using normal PVA rather than Roket card glue would have been wide too, but didn't occur to me at the time. Fortunately, I've got away with it. Luck or skill, you choose.  

Bow pen rims

 

Looking at the sides, I thought a nice brass rim around the edge of the windows would look good, but it would need to be perfect. 

It occurred to me that maybe I could run a bow pen around, with the corner of the card in between the jaws. This would keep it consistent. 

With no idea how this would work, I loaded it with neat Darkstar Molten Metal Brass, and had a go. After all, if it went wrong, I could wipe away my shame, and slap some red on top. No one would be any the wiser. 

And you know what? It worked perfectly. I was able to trace around the edges easily, and the acrylic paint flowed perfectly. I'm quite pleased with this!

 

Barge sides

 

Back to the barge! Various work projects have got in the way, but it's back on the workbench. 

There's a lot of painting going on. Also a lot of ignoring the instructions, which, if I'm honest, aren't the easiest to follow. Apparently, you are supposed to build some furniture next, but as far as I can tell, this can wait until the sides are ready. That way I'll know if it fits. We'll see how this pans out. 

Anyway, the sides are made up of three card layers, sandwiching some clear acetate. The basic idea is to make painting easier, as the shaped outer can be painted red, and then overlaid on the next one, which is green. That's clever, if not particularly prototypical, but I can live with that. 

The card is really nice quality. Sharply cut and it takes paint really well. OK, the satin green took three coats for a decent depth of colour, but that's down to the Humbrol paint as much as anything. 

Inside, I'm going for a varnished wood effect. OK, a mid-brown, but from the outside you won't be able to tell. The MDF dividers looked like they might be a problem, so I went over them twice with a AK white paint pen. After that, the brown looked great, even on the burnt ends. Mind you, the MDF absorbed the white like crazy. I'll remember its usefulness for priming in the future though. 

Would you care to join me in Lutterworth this Thursday?

 

The Joys of Model Railway Publishing 

Phil Parker is the editor of Garden Rail magazine and a features writer for BRM (British Railway Modelling) magazine and website. Phil shares his experiences of these roles and of the UK modelling scene.

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Earlier this year, I received a call asking if  I'd be willing to speak to the Lutterworth Railway Society about writing for model railway mags. Years ago, I used to pop up at lots of conferences for work, and generally enjoyed the experience, so I thought, "Why not?"

I understand that it's an open invitation, so if you fancy a trip to The Pavilion, Coventry Road Recreation Ground, Coventry Road,, Lutterworth, United Kingdom, LE17 4RB at 7:30pm, why not join me? 

And, if your group fancies a speaker for an evening's entertainment, hit the Ask Phil button, and we'll have a chat. I can talk about publishing, how you get into it, or the future of the hobby as I see it. Just remember that tea and cake will be required!

 

Saturday Film Club: What is kitbashing?

They have let me into the studio again - this time to talk about kitbashing with Steven. 

As well as the video, he has put together an excellent guide on World of Railways.