Monthly Archives: January 2023

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TVG Modelling Day – Post Match Report

Trent Valley Group Modelling Day – Post Match Report

OK so coming back to life is perhaps a bit melodramatic but that’s how it felt on Monday.  After an excellent weekend I was knackered and it’s taken a bit of time to recharge.

Liz delivering the news that there was no cake left

To rewind a bit Saturday 28th January was the Trent Valley Group of the 7mm NGA’s annual Modelling Day. A day of modelling, Tea/Coffee, Bacon Butties, Cake and Gossip and 2023 was a bit of a relaunch event for which the core group of organisers had put a lot on effort into hoping for a return to the pre Covid sort of event.

This day is not an exhibition in the usual sense. Its not turn up and spectate event, you might be expected to get involved. The aim of the day is to have a mix of layouts, demos and trade in an environment that promotes having a chat and having a go.

Most of the layouts were operated from the front and you could easily find yourself having a drive. Demonstrations were of the sort where you could find yourself trying it. Mention in earshot of the soldering demo that “I wish I could Solder” and you’re likely to find yourself iron in hand trying it.

There is no magic that we were gifted with the ability to solder, paint, build layouts etc. They’re all learned skills. It’s a fair bet that if you asked the smug looking person showing their latest model he’d also tell you there was a trail of rubbish ones buried away whilst he learned how to do it. The key is to make a start and we hope these days promote people making that start.

Credits: As with most events there’s a core few who do the organising so that would be Neil, Mike, Andy, Simon and me. On the day others are roped in for key roles which adds Dan, Mary, Liz and Leigh manning the kitchen on the day and baking in advance.  I am bound to have missed someone, for that I apologise, consider yourself thanked.

Then there is the exhibitors and demonstrators and I suspect we must be organising a decent day as the usual suspects seem to want to come back each year with something different.

I’ll come back to these ideas and plans but for now here are some pictures. Keen to see the day recorded but knowing we’d be too busy to do it ourselves we asked a few people to take pictures. Those in this document are from Andy’s dad

The Pictures all get bigger if you click on them.

 

Firstly, here is Simon (on the left) demonstrating one aspect of the day – talking about the displays. In this case its his King Edward Street layout, a model of a potato railway.

The last picture of the spud railway sort of demonstrates that we want all to be involved with Annabel checking out the models.

 

 

This layout was 0-14 narrow gauge

 

 

 

Elsbridge is an 7mm scale standard gauge light railway operated, mostly, as a tramway.

 

 

 

 

 

Neil with his layout following some midnight oil burning.

 

 

 

 

Wheal Ponder. A narrow gauge (0-16.5) clay dry by Andy

 

 

 

 

Conceived as a small portable layout to compliment a permanent loft layout at home.

 

 

 

 

Me with EDM Models, part of my Brymston RR layout and a stub turnout building demo.

 

 

Unusually for one of these events I actually got something done

Before

 

 

 

After 

 

 

 

The layouts featured so far are those of the organisers and from our fortnightly zoom sessions and group messenger chats I can vouch for these having been the subject of a lot of midnight oil, deflection of other tasks, leniency by partners etc resulting in more modelling in a few weeks than we usually achieve in years

Also making its first appearance at a show was the start of the next chapter in the Henmore Dale Saga – Hopton (for Carsington)

This is the groups layout and shown were two of the four boards. These didn’t exist at Christmas!

The story of the Henmore Dale Railway is being told in a thread on this blog which starts HERE

 

 

 

The West Midlands Group brought their recently acquired WhiteOak Light Railway

 

 

 

Phil, another original but now distant member of the group brought his standard gauge 7mm Blackdrake Wharf layout

 

 

 

The Basin was another layout new to us and built by the same person that originally built Blackdrake Wharf

 

 

 

 

There was a trade presence appropriate to the day too

Iconic Rail and their models

7mm NGA Sakes and Slate Wagon building demo

422 Modellmaking

The genesis of this event was the TVG building a layout that was too big to set up in anyone’s house so to do run it, other than at an exhibition we had to hire a hall. Originally we used the community centre just up the road from the current venue.

Having got the hall we invited others to join us and utilise the space and the modelling day was born. All are there because they want to be and want to join in.

Like a lot of things Covid put a stop to the 2021 event and shunted the 2022 date to April, which didn’t really work. This was the first post Covid event back on the traditional date and we were determined to come back with a bang. A lot of effort was put in within the group to get our exhibits done and to promote the event online. We also introduced our new layout that doesn’t need a hall to be rented but that’s not going to stop us.

Was it a success? You bet. 120 visitors on the day may not sound a lot but the format of the day means a good number of them were there all day – there is a large seating area within reach of the serving hatch. Other stats: –

  • Highest Attendance
  • First one where we’ve reached car park capacity
  • Most bacon butties consumed. Learning from previously we got the emergency extra bacon at the start but still had to send out for more
  • Most brews drunk
  • Most hot air expended (probably)

When we started the TVG was principally a Notts and Derby based group. With time members have spread out so the event has become a bit of a reunion and once the dust had settled on the day there was a rather large gathering in a curry establishment for an enjoyable evening whilst considering the day and planning the next.

On that note the counter has been reset

 

 

 

 

And put the 27th January 2024 in your diary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Was it Worth It?

As predicted………

You can hardly see the figures now they are `on the job’ as it were and you have to wonder if it was worth the effort. This is on a model that I am now trying to finish to a deadline.

Given that it took me close to two days to get raw 3D printed figures mounted on rods, painted and installed in their workplace a more slapdash and quicker approach might have done.

I am pleased with the results and am therefore going to come down on the side of it being worth the effort for the following reasons.

 

  • I know they were done properly
  • I have to push myself with my modelling
  • It’s part of learning to do a better job

The thing is this. Not having painted figures before I think I’m no good at it. Not totally true, I’ve splodged paint on engine crew in the past and from those rubbish efforts I know how bad they were.

I kept putting this off but then decided that it was time to learn to do it properly with base colours and then shading with washes and filters. The figures were primed and than sprayed black from the feet towards the head. The aim there is to get back in the underside of folds and edges where there would be shadow. Next they were sprayed from above lightly with white. This is to get white on the upward facing surfaces where light would shine.

Only now did I add any actual colours and I’ll let you into a secret, the only blue I had was sky blue, way too light & bright for overalls but by spraying it lightly over the pre shading it took on slightly different shades of blue and, done mostly from above it didn’t get on the shadowy undersides of jackets and creases. I finished of with post shading, washes and filters applied to enhance the `lighter’ bits and darken the shadows. Lastly a spray of matt varnish brought a mix of finished together.

Its actually a good thing you can’t see their faces because that is the worst part of the figure painting. Part of the problem is that the facial features on the printed figures is poorly defined but the colours don’t work.

Skin isn’t just pink! This has some carry over into my photography interest where light is everything and you can highlight or shade with light to enhance or hide features.

Do I still not like painting figures?  No, but worryingly I feel a figure painting rabbit hole opening up. Speed wise for the O scale figures rather than doing two chaps at a time I ‘d set up and do the prep and initial spray work on a batch of figures as this will reduce the waiting time for paints drying, Brush works could be done later to customise each figure without the full desk chaos. I am tempted – post deadline -to get some larger `fleshy’ 3D models and practice skin tones on them.

 

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Well, that figures

I started the day with “I don’t like painting figures”

However the Garratt won’t drive and fire itself and I wanted to do something better than I had previously. The starting point were some 3D printed figures that are OK but the facial features are a bit indistinct. I have been watching a couple of military modellers channels on You Tube and their figures make anything we have on our railway models look pretty rubbish. Then, they’ll spend a week painting one figure.

Without the luxury of a week something faster was required. Firstly they were sprayed with black aimed at them feet to head and into all the folds of their clothes. Next was a light spray of white from above aiming to get paint on the high spots where the most like would fall. With those dry the clothing was sprayed with the only blue I had which was a bit too sky blue.

Now it was brush work with flesh picked out with base flesh tone and later highlighted on the upward facing surfaces. Boots, Hat and other Clothes were picked out in colours mixed on a plastic tray starting with a coat of dark and then lightened on the high spots.

When that was dry darker washes were brushed onto the folds in the clothing and allowed to run in to folds and crevices. Up to this point it had all been done in pretty quick drying acrylic paints but the washes are deliberately slow to dry to give you time to work them. You sort of end up flooding it and then dry brushing it off the tops and blending it in.

The last colours were some filters of grime and dust that moderate extreme edges in the colours. These are oil based and take time to dry. Once dry the chaps got a shower in acrylic matt varnish.

My thoughts now? Intrigued, I’d guess. I certainly enjoyed putting into practice what I had watched in the videos. In self critical mode they could be a lot better, starting with better quality figures and more practice. I almost want to do them again to put what I have learnt into play.

In more rational mode I remind myself they’re only about 35mm tall and are going to spend their life driving and firing a Garratt from tomorrow where they will hardly be seen.

Its taken me much of a day to do these two chaps whilst doing other things in the “drying” interludes and at the end of it what was a clear table looks like this mess. Would I do more? Yes, but I’d do more figures at the same time and I need to expand my acrylic paint colours to be a bit more peoply as palette is all a bit too “train” at the moment.

 

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Finally……….

Murder  Of  A Garratt – the  coming  together

Finally, its very nearly done. Have to be very careful what I write here as I now the customer reads this blog but if ever there was a model I wish I’d walked away from its this one. It seems to be fighting to the end. Today has been a tale of broken glass.

First, my fancy York Gin glass fell out of the cupboard and smashed. Should have gone back to bed then or chosen to read a book for the day but its been a tale of broken glass model wise too.

Microscope cover slips to be precise.  They’re only 0.15mm thick optical glass and individual ones will break with a hard stare let alone trying to handle them. Get one out and separated from the pack and you’d better keep an eye on it as, with it being ultra clear glass, if you put it down they tend to disappear.

Cutting them is a whole new ball game. Theoretically its the same as cutting any glass. Scribe a line with a sharp thing and then flex it along the line.  Its not so straightforward when it gets so fiddly. Armed with a carbide scriber the glass slip is placed over a marked sheet or cutting block and a line scribed. The tricky bit is getting the pressure right, somewhere between not touching the glass and the weight of the scriber plus a smidge.

There’s added jeopardy if the slip needs a second cut as the first seems to warn the glass you are coming and it breaks from fright. The worst of these needed four cuts. Best I managed was getting one right at the second slip but the ones needing four cuts took many goes. Luckily they’re only about a fiver for a hundred.

I think its worth the effort though. I know, you’re going to say, “I can’t see the glass” to which my answer would be “precisely!”

This article was written because its ages since I wrote anything about the Garratt and its sort of some enforced patience to not touch it until the glue has dried fully. I have been saving pictures for a larger update but I’ll save that all now for a post entitled “delivered”.

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