I'm making things better, or worse, in the Spring issue of BRM.
When launching their popular castle kit, Metcalfe Models also added this rather attractive cottage from the village of Laycock to the range. The bigger kit can keep for later, but the cottage looked really attractive and I knew I could make it look even better.
Actually doing this proved a bit trickier than expected, because my initial plans for the corners didn't work out, but with a little experimentation, I cracked this. A few more mods and the result is a fantastic looking model that could grace any layout.
We've already reviewed the latest Hornby generic pre-grouping coaches in the shape of a 4-wheeler last month. It's the 6-wheel variant that really interests people though so I blagged one from the big H and then faced a problem - another review? Not really.
So, I turned it into a project making a run-down example, and am pleased with the results.
Finally, the BRM TV.
I'm looking at road vehicles for your layout - taking them apart, adding some dirt etc.
The most impressive thing is that I start by showing how we used to make cars from whitemetal kits and don't just go off on a 30 minute rant about how useless those expensive kits were...
3 comments:
Phil -
30 minutes? Why spoil the fun?
60 minutes? That sounds more like it!
Let's face it - I always thought hyper-critical comments were supposed to be a key part of railway modelling - even if actual modelling was not ... .
I was very good. I didn't mention the make of the kit. But as a guide, the car I show built from a kit included 2 roofs in the box. I had to use 3/4 of each since neither was long enough...
To think that some people complain about the fit of parts in certain plastic kits ... .
As you've undoubtedly worked out, my comments about an hour of hyper-critical rants were a reference to an opinionated minority who frequently pop up on railway modelling forum sites, to moan about just how terrible and overpriced every RTR model and kit is - and THEY MUST KNOW IT'S SO, BECAUSE THEY SAY IT IS!!
Of course, very few of these "comedians" ever seem to build any models of their own - but don't worry - as they keep reminding us, THEY KNOW BEST. Anyway, isn't it reassuring to note that, if they ever were to build models, they'd probably be the best models in the World?
Whatever.
Anyway, returning to people whose opinions I am prepared to listen to, I agree with your assessment of certain white metal kits. I'm sure there must be some amazing kits out there, but I'm yet to encounter one that I really like.
There are some that I've managed to make a real mess of (which I put down to a lack of experience on my part) and some that I've ended up abandoning mid-build. If, instead of WM, they'd been made from polystyrene, I would probably have known how to "rescue" them. Instead, I haven't got a clue how to proceed. When shows return, I guess I might need to take the kits in question with me, so I can ask someone for advice.
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