Polystyrene Capers - Take 2!

More polystyrene capers with the last of the scenic sub-bases being constructed for my Last Great Project Layout. Similar to the one I built last week, scrap polystyrene was cut to shape and glued into the mounting card 'box'. Some tooth pick nails and masking tape helped keep things in place whilst the glue drys.

Being somewhat brazen, this was taken into the warmth of house to speed the glue drying and is in the kitchen until Mrs. Woody tells me to move it!

Hmmmm! Soup! Now that's an idea for a wet and cold day. If only it wasn't needed to act a weight!

Wet, wet, wet!

Wet, wet wet! Not the boy band from the 90s but the prevalent climatic conditions at the Rocks By Rail Museum. 

Given such weather, I could have been sensible and found a job in the dry of restoration shed giving Andy a hand cleaning the running gear of loco 1931....

.....or doing something with loco Barrington....

...or even helping John out with fettling the brakes on loco Mr. D!

I could even have done some of the jobs on this rake of brake vans and wagons where I could have been in the dry of one of the brake vans....

I might even have considered doing something on the cab or water tank of loco 1931 which are temporarily stored on wagons awaiting repatriation with the rest of the loco once the boiler returns from being retubed.

However, being pessimistic and not having faith in the weather forecast I decided to try out Benny Brush Cutter! Similar to Sammy Strimmer, but Benny has a metal cutting disk instead of strimming cord. I thought that this would be a major step forward in the arty of vegetational butchery down in the bone yard. Having managed to awake it from several years of slumber since it last saw action off we went. The rain appeared to be getting less heavy so I thought that I was on a winner. I had to tackle a different area of the bone yard as there were dog training activities going on where I was intending to be but that was not a problem. I did uncover some interesting 'lost items' such as this engine!

There was also a door, some wheels, pipes and an assortment of yet to be identified metal parts!

I also began to uncover part of some remote point control mechanism.

But by this time I was extremely wet and lunch beckoned in the dry of the Snap Cabin! I was that wet that I abandoned going back down to the bone yard and instead sorted a couple of small inside jobs out and them it was home time with the car heater on full blast to try to dry me off! I still had a great day though!

The signal box finds its home!

I have managed to put together the mounting card 'box' for the last scenic sub-base that I need.

Built in my usual way but the floor does have a cut out in the form of that rectangular bit and that is where the 3D printed signal box will finds its home. A trial fit of the 'box' and placing the signal box in the cut out gives a reasonable idea of how things will look once finished,

As I hoped it looks 'right', well, to me anyway! The next stage is some more polystyrene capers to fill in the 'box' and then I will carve that and the other one I built a few days ago to shape ready for plaster bandage. I foresee much mess!

3D print signal box.

At the Lincolnshire Model Makers Show that I posted about earlier this week I did mention I made a few purchases. One of these was from my friends at 3D printing for charity who support the Lincolnshire Air Ambulance. Eddie told me that they have now raised £4000 which in effect pays for a flight of the helicopter which is great going. Anyway, a further purchase goes towards the next £4000 and it was this signal box.

I like the proportions and design which is probably why it appealed to me opening my wallet under the supervision of my Financial Advisor Mrs. Woody! I still find it amazing that things like this can be printed out and the level of detail as the printers evolve just gets better.

So where am I going to put this? Well, there is a spot on My Last Great Project layout  for it where the last of the scenic sub-bases needs to go and I think it will look just the job once the sub-base is built and the signal box painted and detailed but more about that hopefully tomorrow!

More polystyrene capers!

There are still two more scenic sub-bases to construct on my Last Great Project 00 gauge layout. Having now got some motivation to finish these I have started the second to last one. In my usual construction method, mounting card has been cut to shape to make a 'box' into which which the polystyrene can be glues and later shaped.

As can be seen it is a bit of a strange shape which tested the powers of my measuring skills hence the various pencil marks denoting my various attempts at getting it right!

However, it does fit its intended location!

With that done, it was time for the polystyrene capers to commence! Always a somewhat messy job, but an assortment of polystyrene packing kept in storage, much to Mrs. Woody's bemusement, found its way into the 'box' where it was roughly cut to size and glued with PVA. 

It certainly looks a bit strange at the moment but once carved to shape, with even more mess, and covered in plaster impregnated bandage, it will take on a landscape form! I just need to wait for the glue to dry. Now should I take it into the  warmth of the house to dry the glue and hide it away from Mrs. W??? She will never know - I hope!

Lincolnshire Model Makers Show 2025.

It was off to the Lincolnshire Model Makers Show. It is one of those shows where you never know what you will see so it is always a surprise! 

First off was this display of traction engines, stationary engines and other steam related vehicles.

I have never had the urge to build something like this but I can recognise the skill and dedication these things take!

There were some dolls house related displays as well in 1/12th scale.

Any one need some fish?

An old style nursery room.

Out of the nursery and into the Dragon's Den!

Keeping on the railway theme, I really did like this layout, Drinkallby West.

It was a compact layout but presented like a picture with a frame around the scene and with the way it was constructed and presented you could stand there with nothing happening and still be drawn into the scene. 

Talking to the builder, this was a layout built during lock down, as so many where!

Most layout builders tend to set their layouts in the warmer parts of the year so to see a layout with snow is unusual but there was one at the show.

Moving onto military models, there was a good show of various types. This diorama took an interesting take on a war time scene with children using a tank as a play park!

Another interesting take on Germanys development of Wonder Weapons was this Star Wars vehicle that was painted up in German military colours. It is the sort of thing that some speculate that would have come out of the design rooms for far fetched military vehicles.

The thought that goes into creating dioramas must be difficult in finding an idea not already done but this Tiger tank being painted was something that I have noit seen before,

Building a lot of models can lead to a storage issue and one way to create space is to sell them as this modeller was doing. £30 to £40 was the asking price which was probably the cost or less of the unmade model.
 

Not for sale but impressive was this collection of mainly aircraft models.

Circus models tend to be large as were these models of the transporters that move them. Very nicely made.

Finishing off with a couple of large scale radio controlled ship models, these two trawlers were large and detailed.

A great show and one were there some traders too which saw my wallet opened but more of that another day!

Are you still messing about with that bit of polystyrene?

The words of Mrs. Woody the other day as she read my blog, "Are you still messing about with that bit of polystyrene?". Well. I am, but progress is made! It is now painted in an initial coat of dilute brown paint which highlights the rock strata.

Having got to this stage I thought that it would be best to see if it still fits onto the layout. It still needs some work such a s dome greenery on top but that will come later.

It does and is looking good! Now I have to construct the hills on the side of the tracks nearest the camera so that question from Mrs. W may still part of my life!

Other supermarket bags are available!

Gone is the polystyrene which is now all covered with plaster impregnated bandage. Now it is the turn of the bandage to be covered up as you can see from the photo below, it looks nothing like a rock face! In fact,, those of a certain age may see similarities to the punch cards that computer programmes were once written on!

Anyway, enough about punch cards and lets get on with the covering! I mixed some plaster up to a thickish consistency and added some brown paint and PVA glue. The paint was to tint the plaster so it was not a glaring white if chipped and the PVA to help it adhere to the plaster bandage. Then it was a case of stippling it into place to give a rock face finish.

The Iceland shopping bag was there to catch any spills but given that the Man cave was cold it did seem an apt choice - other supermarket bags are available! This job will keep me busy for a while now!

Cover up!

The scenic base for my Last Great Project layout is coming along with the patchwork of plaster impregnated bandage slowly covering up the polystyrene. Once it is all covered I will be adding some plaster to add texture to the rock surfaces which is usually a messy process! 

Smallest manhole?

Arriving at the Rocks by rail Museum today I found that last weeks hole digging had now been partly filled with what is commonly termed as a 'manhole'. Now, quite what sort of person could access this manhole is open to debate.

Those responsible for its construction seemed happy with it though!

After some backfilling the original excavation was almost invisible - in the dark when looking from the other side of the car park!

Meanwhile I set to with Sammy Strimmer back in the Bone Yard!

This is what I started with and after a days strimming, hacking and cutting there was a bigger clear area!

Slowly but surely the area is being cleared but there is a lot more to do which should keep me busy for some weeks yet!