Mrs. Woody gets to see some water and it is not the sea!

Mrs. Woody had a desire to go to the seaside. However by the time we actually got going it was getting late so I took her to the next best thing - Rutland Water! This is about as near as you can get to the seaside whilst being near the point furthest form the sea!

Now this is England's largest water reservoir by surface area (Kielder Water in Northumberland has a larger overall capacity), and created between 1971 and 1975 by flooding a valley it has some fantastic walks and is a water recreation haven for many.

During the course of flooding, two villages were submerged, Nether Hambleton and Middle Hambleton. Upper Hambleton survives on a peninsula and is now next to the waters edge. Also next to the waters edge on the opposite shore is what remains of Normanton Church.

To quote Wiki, 'The church was de-consecrated in 1970, and was to have been demolished as part of the reservoir construction, as its floor was below the proposed water level. Following a public outcry, the lower half was filled with stone and rubble, and a concrete cap constructed just below the level of the windows. An embankment was built around the church leaving it a prominent feature on the water's edge.' It certainly provides a memorable land mark looking like something out of an apocalyptical film set and it is now available for civil marriage ceremonies!

Mrs. W seemed to enjoy the day despite there being no ice cream or fish and chips available!

Back in the also ice creamless and fish and chipless WMD Man Cave things have progressed with the Heller 1/25th scale tractor kit. I have got to the stage where it really is looking like a tractor and despite there being good detail on the parts I still felt that the solid exhaust pipe was something that needed a bit of extra detail by drilling it out. Out came the pin vice drill and a suitable hole was created.

Adding the exhaust pipe to the manifold on the engine required some masking tape to hold it in place whilst the glue dried.

With that added I added the inner parts of the rear wheels and I then built the bonnet with its lights 

I also added the contraption hanging off the back of the tractor which I have no idea of what it is supposed to be but whatever it is it looks the part!

Just about ready for some paint!

The devil is in the detail!

It may not look that different to yesterday but the devil is in the details so they say! I have to admit that I did look up the Google AI definition of 'Devil in the detail' and it read - The idiom "the devil is in the details" means that something may appear simple, but the details are actually complicated and could cause problems. It's used to warn or remind people to pay attention to all the details of a situation to ensure success. Well I think that definition covers both the kit and me!

Anyway, back to the kit and the details relate to more brake linkages and steering linkages.

I don't think that I have built a kit with so many rods to it but at least most are now in place. What is evident is that each wheel was braked separately by a foot lever on either side of the gearbox which must have been interesting to operate.

The instructions were also lacking with the positioning of the stub front axles which I initially glued wrongly but luckily worked out that was wrong before the glue set.

I believe, that the rest of the construction is very much wheel and body work focused if the instructions are to be believed! In the meantime I will let the glue set before moving onto that stage.

I might be letting the glue dry but the devil in me could not resist just trial fitting the radiator and one of the rear mudguards!

Looking a bit more like a tractor!

 I have to admit, if I did not actually know what I was building with this kit I might be pushed to think that it was a tractor from the initial stages. I have, in the past built model tanks with engines which this could be at these early stages of construction. However, getting the rear axle built and adding a few more items like the rather fragile braking rod system slowly brings some identity to the model.

Overall I am impressed with the level of detail on the moulded parts and in general the parts fit is good. However, the instructions are something to take as a guide rather than a definitive placement plan. The rear linkage to the brake disc is a case in point. Mounting it n the hole on the transmission shown in the plan means it wont fit, and it trying to get it to fit I broke it! This was not the end of the World though as the WMD Stores had some suitable plastic rod in stock so a new part was made and mounted in the position that the plans should have shown. I do know it is in the right place now as drawings further n in the instructions show it in that place! There have been one or two other similar issues but I am now double checking if it doesn't look right during test fitting. At least it now is looking more like a tractor!

Doesn't look like a tractor!

Whilst I peacefully slumbered away last night the glue joining the initial parts of the Heller Fergie tractor was drying ready for me to continue to strike whilst the iron was hot on this kit.

As I outlined yesterday where two parts are glued together there is usually a seam line that needs to be smoothed out and this was the one on the main engine/gearbox/transmission backbone of the tractor. Nothing that some needle files and fine abrading paper can't solve though.

With that done I could start to attach various parts to the backbone. I have some idea of what some of them represent but not being a tractor fanatic there are parts that I have no idea of what they do in real life. However you can see that the fuel tank is fitted on top of the engine and the beam for the front axel is attached. So it is making progress but I guess not many people would recognise this as a tractor - yet!

Next on the agenda is applying the rear axle. maybe it will look more like a tractor then?

Striking whilst the iron is hot!

One of my traits is that I probably have too many plans and planned projects for one lifetime! That means that I have projects waiting in the wings some of which will get done and some which won't - just like the chores on Mrs. Woody's list for me! The ones that won't may just be down to lack of time but also the passage of time can change your ideas about, what at the time, seem liked a well thought out and reasoned plan becoming one which no longer makes sense! This does mean that sometimes I get something, like a kit, and it ends up in the 'waiting' pile. However there are other things which never see that pile because I strike whilst the iron is hot! That is the case with the Heller 1/25th scale Fergie tractor kit I got for Christmas.

The box is fairly large  and the instruction booklet is also fairly large and glossy for a relatively small kit.

There are two sprues and a set of 6 tyres (there are two different front sets for whether you model the very early Fergie or the layer one). 

Having spent some time going through the instructions it was actually time to do some kit building. I tend to join the two part pieces first so that the glue dries over night and I can then eradicate the seam line with some filing and sanding. So after an hour or so the spine of the tractor - the engine, gearbox and rear transmission were joined as were the starter and a couple of cannister type attachments to the engine block. These should hopefully be ready to work on tomorrow when I will hopefully be able to keep this build going before the iron cools!

Woody's Christmas Day!

 

Well this was the scene on my pre Christmas lunch bike ride - you need to build up an apatite or so Mrs. Woody told me as she encouraged me out of the house! Certainly not seasonal but what a great day to go for a bike ride even in shorts!

Prior to that Woody had been recipient to a couple of very nice presents. First off was this unusual, for me, 1/25 scale kit of a Fergie tractor by Heller. Going to enjoy the new challenge of building that and there are no brass etched parts!!!!

Second was this 00 gauge model of an Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 tank engine by Accurascale. Very much like the one being re-tubed at the Rocks By rail Museum at the moment. The box is certainly large for such a small loco.

It certainly should not have been damaged in transit with that protection round it!

It looks fantastic - really do like that.

I will need to take it the Museum and photo it on the footplate of the real loco but that is something for next year!

Hope that you all had a great time over the past couple of days even if you ended up in front of the TV where I did for some of the time but well worth the time to watch Wallace and Gromit! 

Merry Christmas!

 

And if you want to see the video of this, here it is......

3D colour printed figures and cat hoovering!

Its been a busy day here at WMD HQ as I complete the pre Christmas Mrs. Woody chore list with some cleaning and hoovering including some cats. On to that in a minute but first lets take a look at some 3D printed figures. I have some that need painting but these two from Accurascale are designed as the crew for their Class 37. 

The difference between these and the 3D printed figures that I already have is that these are actually printed in colour! Now that is another leap forward for 3D printing. These figures are small in 4mm scale and they don't have legs as they are designed to be sat in the seats in the model loco which doesn't have room for their legs - Ouch! You can se the small size as they are posed next to a 1 pence coin which I had to remuage about for as the WMD coin pot is somewhat empty after buying Mrs. Woody's Christmas presents - hope she reads that!

Whilst the colours are sort of fragmented with white it is still impressive that they can be printed in colour. 

This figure even has his beard!

I think I will let the technology come on a bit so that the colours are a bit more solid in nature before I buy any more of these but it is never the less impressive to see where 3D printing has got to already. Who knows where it will be this time next year?

One thing I am fairly certain of this time next year is that I will still be getting on with Mrs. Woody's chore list! However today I did score a bonus point by hoovering the cats! Now I should say at this point the cats in question are not the real ones that form the WMD cat fleet, but are Mrs. Woody's collection of cloth cats as well as a couple of mice! They sit on the floor near the log burner so do get rather dusty from that as well as from the attention they get from the real cat fleet but today saw them hoovered and dust free! 

Here they are, out of their dusty area with hoover nozzle attachment providing a gentle dusting.

Back in place, dust free much like the rest of the lounge once I finished! That should earn me a good set of Christmas presents!

A quick Man Cave job in between Mrs. Woody's never ending Christmas preparation chores for me!

 This truck has featured in the blog before but today it is in for repairs! The door mirror and the ballast weight mirror had both come off. As I was just after a quick Man Cave job in between Mrs. Woody's never ending Christmas preparation chores for me this seemed just the job!

The arrows indicate where the mirrors should be.

Some superglue had them back in place and a bit of dusting followed - perhaps a new years resolution for me to dust my models on a regular basis!

It is an impressive looking truck and I do like these wreckers - they look tough unlike me!

So with that small job done its back to the chores! Just hope that Santa recognises my hard work on Wednesday morning!

Deciduous decisions!

Turning back to my 00 gauge Last Great Project layout, I need to think about making the scenic sub-bases look a bit more like the natural countryside. Not as easy as it sounds as you need to make it actually look natural rather than put together in a garden centre! Knowing that this would be happening, a number of items have been purchased over the last few years and put into the WMD Stores ready for this moment Included in those items are four deciduous trees made by Woodlands Scenics. Bought as secondhand saved some money and they are trees with a presence rather than a 2 inch twigs which is something you can end up buying if you are not careful.

Now to achieve 'natural' is quite a hard process and sometimes it just comes as you work along and on other occasions you have to work at it. Working at it usually means taking your time and putting things temporarily in place to see how they look and feel over some time. That is what I am doing with making a decision on where these deciduous trees will end up on the sub-base. At the moment this is the initial positioning with an old bard in the centre. I quite like it but there is just a little nag in the back of my mind that says leave it for a few days and see how oit looks then.

Something that could not wait a few days though was my work bench which got yet another tidy! That is probably the fifth or sixth this year which is somewhat incredible knowing my usual habits of working in chaos! However, I have to admit that it is nice to look at a clean workbench - almost makes me want to build some models!

Bar, bar, bar!

Bar, bar bar is not a misspelling of my sheep impression (and believe me spell check has been a fantastic development for my limited literary skills) but relates to the three coupling bars I have made to connect the three 09 gauge skip wagons to the loco.

First off I had to find some suitable brass strip to form the bars which handily came in the form of some left over etched brass fret from the Italeri T34 tank build a couple of years ago. It has been hanging on my workbench since then but I knew it would come in handy! Please note Mrs. Woody!

First off though, I had to drill some holes in the skip chasses for the pin that would hold the coupling bar. My pin vice drill came in handy to do the hole drilling.

With some etched brass strip also cut to suitable length and width, the pin vice drill was also rather useful to drill a hole at each end of the bars. Some suitable brass wire also allowed me to bend up a suitable pin to hold the coupling bar to the skip chassis.

They are a bit fiddly to connect but given that once painted the wagons are unlikely to be uncoupled that fiddly coupling should not be a problem!

I added all the coupling bars to the skipswhich shows the are the right distance apart. I now need to sort the loco coupling arrangement out as it is similar to the skips but just slightly enough different to require a bit more thinking about it - never my strong skill!

In the meantime, Mrs. Woody wants me to wrap some Christmas Presents so its a different sort of bar now - Bah humbug!