Looking for some information in old magazines a couple of weeks ago I tripped over an old article of mine in the late lamented Modelling Railways Illustrated. After getting over the shock of how long ago it was (late 90's since you ask) I reaslised that the model featured had stood up pretty well.
The locomotive kit is a Nonneminstre Models whitemetal Planet Diesel. Mine runs on a re-wheeled Tenshodo SPUD (another article a couple of months earlier) but most interestingly, is assembled with Superglue.
To many modellers, or at least many of the vocal ones at shows it seems, are suspicious of Superglue. It's too new fangled for them. Not strong enough. Will fall to pieces after a few minutes. You'd be better off with solder. Or nails. Or if you must use glue (looks to heavens at my stupidity) then something involving boiled bovines or fish is what you need.
These same people of course will extol the virtues of 1960's H&M controllers and deny that any form of technology has moved on in the last 50 year - a bit like their wardrobe or opinions on personal grooming.
The truth is that if you use a good glue, my oft stated preference being for Zap-a-Gap, then it will last. The loco in the photo is 15 years old and as good as it was when I built it . Use some rubbish from the pound shop and yes you can expect trouble. After all they aren't going to invest in lots of R&D when you are paying 10p a tube including the cost of tube, packaging, delivery and profit, are they ?
While digging out this photo I got a bit carried away with the Photoshopping (actually Paintshop Pro V7, but we'll stick with the genericised term) hence the sky "borrowed" from Flickr and the extended building (you can see how much here) as the micro layout didn't allow for a full depth building but this looks really odd from this angle in the photograph. I won't normally do this as it's (IMHO) cheating to improve modelling with electronic trickery but this is my Blog so I my rules apply.
Those low angle shots we use are an attempt to show the model as if it was the prototype. When viewing the model in reality it has quite a different look and feel. (as your two photos demonstrate). I like a bit of photoshop trickery. For the modeller it enhances his/her work placing it even more in a prototype context. The emphasis is on the 'bit'. Too much and we might as well switch to virtual world software modelling.
ReplyDeleteH@M controllers...you can't beat them! By the way, don't be surprised if your loco falls to pieces any minute now. Superglue? You must be mad! Seccotine. Can't beat it!
ReplyDeleteTerry
Pretty snap Phil! If you defocus the CGI sky to match the rear of the layout the effect will be more convincing;-)
ReplyDeleteIf ever you get bored with the rather fecthing little loco I'm sure I can help you out here;-)