Paint one side, turn over and repeat!

With the wheels painted in dark yellow the tyres now needed to be painted. Normally tanks have a rubber tyre on the running wheels. However, from my research and looking at the kit wheels, most Tigers were fitted with steel tyres. Two reasons for this. Firstly was the issue that rubber during WW2 was a scarce material so alternatives were used by Germany especially towards the end of the war. Secondly, slthough the early Tigers were fitted with rubber tyres, the weight of the tank literally ripped them to bits. Most early production Tigers received steel tyred wheels later on in their lives. It was, apart from emergency situations, forbidden to mix the two types of tyres on a tank.

With that sorted out it was easy to start painting the tyres on my Tiger build with some Tamiya Dark Iron paint which seemed like a good shade to fit the bill. Again, a monotonous job and a case of paint one side, turn over and repeat but it got done eventually.

With the tyres painted it was time to tone down the paint with a brown wash. The effect is shown in the photo below and markedly makes the wheel look much more realistic. 

Once again, another monotonous job but I have at least done both sides of every wheel now.

They still need a highlight wash of black so that will be another hour or so of paint one side, turn over and repeat!

Its a bit brighter!

It seems like one of those periods when everything seems to have either slowed or stopped at WMD HQ. The kitchen rebuild is on hold awaiting the rest of the correctly coloured floor. Some should have been here on Wednesday but then was put back so hopefully next Tuesday will see us able to get back on with that project.

On the Tiger 1 build, I am dealing with the wheels and there are a lot of them on this tank! About 20 sets in all and they all need priming, painting, treads painted and then weathering which means that the build is now very slow - almost glacial in speed which is about normal for me! However I have already primed the wheels and parts of the underside of the tank hull as well as the tracks so all, apart from the tracks have received a spraying of Tamiya dark yellow making it all a bit brighter and which is the rightish shade of yellow for the colour scheme used on most German WW" tanks mid to late period.

 

Lego wagon at the Rocks by Rail Museum.

The World of Lego is certainly different to when I was a child which to be fair was some time ago although Mrs. Woody maintains that I am still a child at heart! The change in Lego was highlighted when a group from the Lego UK Railway Club attended the Rocks By Rail Museum last Sunday and presented a very accurate copy of one of our hopper wagons made entirely from Lego for display. Brilliant it is to and a long way from my days of Lego!

The guys who came to the Museum to present the wagon were a fantastic group and well versed in railway matters. They have a website showing what they do which you can see by clicking 

here. It is well worth a look if you want to see just how far Lego has come along!

Meanwhile, in the kitchen rebuild, new doors have been fitted. In fact the whole of the lower part of WMD HQ has new doors which has pleased Mrs. W and that makes my life so much simpler!

The painting begins!

The painting has started! Parts of the Tiger 1 tank build are now in black primer including the wheels and the tracks. This is a good undercoat for the lighter top coats and will give shadows where necessary.

In addition parts of the main gun have been painted up. You wont see a great deal once it is in the enclosed turret but with open hatches there should be enough vision to at least show some detail.

 This is going to be a complex kit to paint so it will take some time and knowing me I will have to rectify some errors I make along the way!

Mr. D derails!

I hinted that it was an unusual day at the Rocks By Rail Museum yesterday with the Bank Holiday Monday quarry day. It was almost derailed by Mr. D derailing on the point to the exhibition centre where the locos are stored. Luckily, two of the three we needed were out on the main line when the incident happened so it could have been worse!

Here is Mr. D off the rails in-between the point rails.

Jacking the loco up required high powered manual jacks and lots of wood.

After three failed attempts one set of wheels went onto the rails following a big push from one of the Sentinel locos.

Then, at the end of the afternoon Mr. D finally was back on the rails - much to the relief of everyone!

How the rest of the event went I will explain tomorrow!

Detail painting.

Having been shunting at the Rocks by Rail Museum, more about that later in the week, there has not been much time to do anything else but I did get half an hour to paint the seats in the turret of the Tiger 1 tank.

I just followed the instructions on painting so have no idea why the gun loaders seat is painted red. Maybe it was a hot spot to be in?

Anyway, small progress it may be but it does bring the build another step forward.

Similarities between the kitchen rebuild and the build of the 1/35 scale Tiger 1!

There are similarities between the kitchen rebuild and the build of the 1/35 scale Tiger 1 as I have informed Mrs. Woody! Basically, you have to paint certain things before you can progress to the next stage. In the case of the kitchen the clear walls and ceiling needed painting before the units were fixed in place. With the Tiger tank, there are interior parts to paint before the upper deck to the hull can be glued in place and likewise with the turret.

White, which is the colour most tank interiors were painted in,  has been applied to the undersides of the various hatches, the gun and the turret which will require further detail painting of some parts such as the seats in the turret and parts of the gun. Once that is done I can progress onto the next stage of the build!

Although it is the Bank Holiday weekend I have not escaped working on the kitchen. Whilst it should really have been done before the plastering but there was no time, Phil the builder has fitted new door casings. The old ones were somewhat twisted and to fit a new door to current standards would have been impossible so two new ones have gone in. My job is to try to fill the damaged plaster and also to get something a bit straighter to match the straight frame! Nearly a kilo of filler has gone into this project but it is just about there now. Then I will need to get the paint out again so that the next stage can progress!

Grill time!

It is a Bank Holiday in the UK signifying that summer is coming to an end and what better way to celebrate than getting a grill out on a BBQ and having a feast. However, this is the UK and it being a Bank Holiday it has rained most of the day! That did not stop me grilling though! Only this grilling was related to the etched brass grills for the Tiger 1 tank build.

I was really pleased to find that they had been pre-bent to form a lip around their edge which made life a lot easier for me.

Fitting them to the model with a few drops of superglue really brought the rear to life.

Another step forward! 

Talking about grills, I saw this parked up by a dog training section. 

Never seen anything like it but apparently the dogs are happy with it although I did see this one looking from behind the grills of his travel compartment.

Mr. D comes alive!

Following on from the floor issues outlined yesterday that floored me, I had a day at the Rocks By Rail Museum where I was again floored! This time pleasantly with witnessing the starting and first running of  Mr. D the 0-4-0 diesel shunter that has been worked on since I first started volunteering at the museum. In those years I have never witnessed a loco awakening from years of slumber so I was floored and it was great to see Mr. D come alive! Here is a very short video of him.

It sounds sweet and should not take too long to finish now. There was certainly a triumphant feeling for all those present!

Floored!

Much as Murphy Cat was enjoying the sit on the flooring for the kitchen he had little idea that I was about to be floored today when Phil the builder told me that two different colour shades of floor had been delivered which means that the floor cannot be finished in the kitchen which means the units that can be fitted are limited and on it goes! Replacement flooring is on the way but not until next week! However all issues can be overcome so I am only temporarily floored! In  the mean time what progress that has been made is looking good.

On the tank front, the Tiger 1 build has seen the interior parts for the wooden cladding on the fuel tanks painted. I certainly learnt something in that I never knew there was wooden cladding which I presume is some sort of shield against bullets or shrapnel entering through the grill above and potentially puncturing the tanks. Not found anything on line yet but I will continue looking - I wont let myself be floored by this! 

Lofty heights!

 Things move on with the Tiger 1 tank build. I was particularly impressed by the inclusion of a pre-bent metal conduit for the light on the front of the tank. Never seen that in a kit before but is a nice detail and easy to fit with a couple of drops of superglue.

I have also got round to starting on the wheels with these front drive and rear idlers being built.

I have also mounted some of the running wheels which makes the tank begin to come alive!

It is a slow build but it is looking good - to me anyway!

Back with the kitchen rebuild, Marty the Cat has decided that the tall units make a great lofty height vantage point! I had to laugh when I saw him up there looking as though he owns the place - well he probably does!

The floor has also arrived and those packs are heavy as I found out having to bring them in!

Hopefully tomorrow, if the underfloor heating mat arrives Phil the builder can get a start on laying it. I'm sure Marty would be enticed down from the lofty heights to be able to walk on a heated floor!

Momentous occassion!

A momentous occassion today but lets start with the limited progress on the Tiger 1 1/35 scale kit. A few more turret details have been added such as the the machine gun mount which was made up of an extraordinary 4 parts! 

I also have started on a few things I still need to do to the lower hull such as these radiators that fit under the rear grills. The sides are etched parts but nice and large so easy to work with. They now need adding to the hull when I get the chance!

A momentous occassion as Mrs. Woody sees it, in the kitchen rebuild project with the kitchen being delivered and now filling the WMD garage. I just hope that Phil the builder doesn't now suddenly decide to go on an extended holiday!

What a difference a day makes!

Its been a long hard day but what a difference a day makes! Early this morning I ventured into the freshly plastered kitchen and began the task of painting on a misting coat of paint to seal the plaster. 

With that done it was then the neck aching task of painting the ceiling. And boy does my neck ache now! However it did look brighter in the room.

With two coats on the ceiling it was time for the walls and that was a lot easier and so the room is now at least in colour. It could all do with another coat and hopefully I can get that done tomorrow but Mrs. Woody will certainly notice what a difference a day makes when she gets home!

In the meantime I am going to be the victim for testing the bath out. I'm hoping for a bit of a soak to relax my muscles but that could depend on whether yesterdays repair of the split in it holds!

Talking of holds, the track links that I built up yesterday are now being fitted to the Tiger 1 turret. Hopefully they will hold!

There's a hole in the bath dear Mrs Woody!

There maybe some of you who recall the wonderful comic song, 'There's a hole in my bucket' and it is on YouTube  by clicking here.  I was reminded of this song as there was a slight disaster at WMD HQ yesterday with the bathtub gaining a 6 inch split in it rendering its water holding capabilities at nil! 

I won't say how it was caused but luckily I was not present at the time so am blameless!

Having reviewed the split I thought that was it for the tub. Mrs. Woody had already announced our intention to rebuild the bathroom to Phil the builder who wisely said it would be at least next year before he could get round to it so I had visions of having to have flannel bathing for the next 6 months! However, having regained my calmness a search of the internet showed that splits in baths are not that uncommon and there are ways to repair them. For something of the magnitude of the WMD bathtub a glass fibre repair seemed the best option. I had to go and put the banners for the August Bank Holiday events at Rocks By Rail (where I found there is some competition for visitors!) ....

...so it was the ideal opportunity to get the necessary repair materials. Strangely the WMD Store was out of glass fibre materials so I actually had to buy some! 

I won't tell you that Mrs. W thought that I had posed for the box illustration but I was impressed by the claims made on the Big Boy repair box! This stuff should repair just about anything if the claims were right. I just hoped that it lived up to expectations.

Bad as it was that the bath was split, that split had to be on the side of the bath against the wall so the whole bath had to come out. Now I fitted that bathtub decades ago so getting it out should have been simple. However, decades ago I was somewhat more flexible than now so it was a pig of a job. With the bath out and upside down the extent of the damage was more evident.

With the split pushed back together a small hole was drilled at the each end of the split to stop the it spreading. Then the area was sanded to roughen up the surface and give the glass fibre something to adhere to. As WMD HQ has a number of cats who would love to take part in the repair process and no doubt become a permeant part of the repair patch the door to the bathroom was shut. Even with the window open I was as quick as possible mixing the resin and applying it and three sheets of glass fibre mat to the repair area and getting out of the room before I began to see strange things!

An hour later I returned to the room where vapours had diffused and the resin had set. It looked good. With the tub back up the right way I ran some epoxy into the crack just as a belt and braces approach. It may be grey but ait sanded back and as the tub will be replaced it will do as long as it is water tight.

Looks OK, from a distance!

With everything connected back up the tub was filled! No leaks!!!! Now it just requires a suitable victim volunteer in the shape of Mrs. W to test whether it is capable of offering the full bathing experience it previously did. Mrs. W will be volunteering later!

Meanwhile, this slight distraction has meant that things that needed to dry in the kitchen rebuild have done so with these cats able to explore without leaving paw prints! I really need to get that painting started!

Despite all the excitement I have managed to construct seven track links for the Tiger 1 tank build. 

Dragon even make the track links complicated! Three parts for one link with the guides being a challenge to fit. Rather than try to clean them up as I cut them off the sprue I just glued them to the track and once set will clean them up - working smarter not harder as I get older!