Progress!

Yes! Progress! The reason for this positivity is that the T80 MiniArt tank is just about finished! The tracks are on, it has been treated to a wash to highlight nuts, hatches, hinges and similar as well as having had a bit of weathering powder added. I just need to add the clear lens to the light and I think I will call it a day. Not my favorite or best build and one that I started just over a year ago on the 20th March 2021 (click here to see my post on the start of this kit) so its not been the quickest either. However it will go on the shelf as a further reminder of my modelling ineptitude of which I have a lot!

WMD out and about 2.

 Leaving Sherwood Forest yesterday I spied a road sign. Nothing unusual in that but this one had an important message that I had not seen before. It was directing me towards the Sherwood Forest Railway. A railway in Sherwood Forest. This I had to see! Course was set and despite Mrs. W rolling her eyes at the prospect of another railway, we soon were heading down a track to be greeted by a little gem of a 15 inch miniature railway.

We arrived at about 4pm and just in time to catch the departing train. A very reasonable £3 return ticket for each of us allowed access to the train and we took our seats in one of the small carriages standing at the platform of Loxley Station - Loxley being the supposed surname of Robin Hood..

Both at the station and along the length of the line there are various things to catch your eye and bring a smail to your face such as these gnomes on the platform.

The line runs for about half a mile climbing out of Loxley and going through some nice countryside.

There is work on going to extend the line by another half mile with much of the track laid so hopefully opening soon. The terminus at the moment is at Weldale Station where a passing loop allows the locomotive to run around its train for the journey back.

Our steam engine for the day was an 0-4-0 locomotive called Smokey Joe. I gathered that much of the rolling stock has varied history with the carriages having been built in England, exported to I believe Tanzania, then returned to England and coming to Sherwood via Cleethorpes!

A great time even if only for the hour we had there but worth returning and having a proper look around. The railway has a website which you can access by clicking here.

WMD out and about!

Mrs. Woody is off work for the next few days and with some good weather today we headed off to a place we have not seen for years - Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. 

Famous for both Robin Hood and the Major Oak which is the oak tree that Robin was supposed to have hidden in a cavity to escape The Sherriff of Nottingham and his men. It may or may not be true but let's be optimistic about matters and obviously there are many people who enjoy both the visitor center and the remaining forest surrounding the Major Oak. The oak will never win any best looking tree prizes but never the less looks impressive being between 800 and 1000 years old. It certainly did not look any different in the intervening years from when I last saw it but unfortunately the passing years have had their affect on me!

Although Sherwood Forest is a shadow of its former size you can still find your self alone and in some wonderful scenery. A great day out and well worth a visit.

As a final note and in my usual way I always look out for signs that I find amusing. This one in the forest made me smile. Do cyclists and horse riders need to slow down to pick up pedestrians and picnics? Sorry - just my sense of humour!

Leaving the Forest I made a rather unusual discovery that made the day even better but more on that tomorrow.

Jet lag!

Not that I have been anywhere to get jet lag but with the clocks going forward on hour my body is a little out of sync! I actually beat the cats getting up this morning so they were a bit staggered at getting an early breakfast as their cat clocks were still operating on GMT not Summer Time! No doubt we will all get into the swing of it in a few days and it is nice to have the lighter evenings.

With that extra evening daylight comes the various gardening tasks so time for model making gets squeezed a little more. However I did grab an hour this evening to do a few bits to the T80 tank. The rubber tyres on the main wheels have been painted. People often look at you a bit oddly when you say tanks have rubber wheels but they do and have done for years. Towards the end of the Second World War when Germany had major logistical supply problems they could not get rubber so some of their later tanks did have all metal wheels. However the ride is rough and the wear of two unlubricated metal surfaces of wheel and track brought about premature wear and failure issues. The tracks for the kit have also been airbrushed a rusty dry brown colour and the surfaces where there was wear with the various wheels and drive sprockets have been dry brushed with aluminum paint to show bear shiny metal. Al that remains is to get the wheels and tracks on the hull of the tank and give it all some weathering which will hide (hopefully) any failings in the build of the kit that I have done! 

A reflective day.

My Mum, had she still been alive, would have been 92 today. Her Birthday and Mothers Day normally feel within days of each other. A visit to her grave and my Dad's today saw flowers laid on both but for my Mum both for her birthday and Mothers day and a time for reflection for me. I am not going to go into all sorts of details of my personal reflections other than my lessons in life have told me to be glad for health, life, friends and live each day as fully as you can  - oh and keep on model making no matter how bad that latest project goes! Yes! I can be philosophical on occasions!

Model making does offer that ability to escape into a World of your own making where you set the rules and create what you want - lovely! And on that note, I had an hour this evening progressing the T80 tank which now has its various tools painted and installed, the exhaust undercoated in a base of rust paint and  the decals that come with the kit applied to the turret. The tracks have also been given an airbrushing of black and now await some rusty type paint. I still think these tracks will be giving me problems (which they have done from when I started the kit last year) when I come to put them on the tank but on reflection the rest of the build has not been too bad. Maybe that break from building it has let me see it in a new light.

London double decker bus.

This morning it was a bike ride with good friend Mr. Beecham, he off modelling and cycling skills beyond mine! However my weight advantage still plays in my favour going downhill and as I said to Mr. B, he either needs to be more streamline or put some weight on to keep up with me downhill! However he did have the last laugh leaving me looking like an over sized load going up the hills! Going out with Mr. B always results in one of us finding something that we didn't know about. Today it was my turn to be surprised by finding out about two ex London Transport double decker buses in a farm yard in Leicestershire. I have cycled through the village on a regular basis but never knew about these hidden away down a back road but Mr. B did and guided me to a spot where I could at least see them from a distance.

We also had a look at the local church which was a fantastic building - again hidden away.

A bit more riding saw us at a suitable sausage cob selling establishment - delicious! Obviously the weather drew out a lot of cyclists and I have never seen so many cyclists in the area - they say cycling is the new golf!

Back at WMD HQ the T80 tank has received both a primer coat and top coat of paint which is making it look as though it might actually get finished! I do have a double decker bus kit in my stash of kits to build - today might have brought that up the list to be built!

Things going up!

As you may have noted from some of my recent posts the cost of fuel and its progression upwards at a local service station has caused me much interest. Whilst the Chancellor has announced a 5p reduction in the rate of fuel duty which taking VAT in account means a 6p per litre overall reduction in price the price at the local supplier this morning was this.

 I will be interested to see what it is next week!

Taking my mind off fuel prices a day at the Rocks by Rail Museum is a great way to do this. More track levelling today again something going up - this time by the small platform outside the engine shed. This has sunk considerably so that rolling stock was leaning towards the platform. Using Betty the Sentinel locomotive to move the tool store vans and the Lowmac loaded with ballast into the adjacent track meant that the work was a bit easier but still involved shoveling and packing ballast.

The guys busy levelling and packing the track and the Lowmac wagon below with  a few tons of ballast on board.

Betty with todays work train.

The last tool van of the train dates back to 1910 with a wooden underframe having lasted well over 100 years. The state of the wood and the way it has weathered is a great example for modellers trying to get that weather beaten look.

Back at WMD HQ a small amount of progress on the T80 tank means that it is almost ready for the paint shop so once again something going up - this time going up in the list of jobs to do!

We are where we are 2!

We are where we are is what the people in the balloon that I spot whilst out on my bike ride this morning might have been saying. Completely at the mercy of the wind, their eventual destination somewhat of a mystery!  

For the model Scania 143H the final destination is a bit of a mystery. I had a plan to repair the damage to the decals and this was to use par of the Belgium number plates included in the kit which have a red boarder around them similar to the pinstriping on the truck. By cutting the red strip I could repair the missing parts.

This is what it looked like.

I am not sure! I am in a mind to strip the cab and repaint it and then perhaps find some alternate decals. I will put it to one side and see how I feel in a day or so. Sometimes you have to accept that what you have already done has to be sacrificed in order to get something that you are really satisfied with rather than keep something that you are never really going to be happy with. Stay tuned!

On the T80 tank model, a few more parts added so after many months of being left in the box because of the issue with the tracks it is at least making progress just like the balloon I saw this morning!

We are where we are!

We are where we are is a phrase that a great boss of mine used to sum up a situation. Pointless in moaning about the past and the best way forward was to take on todays problem not yesterdays! That is what I had to do with the Scania 143H model which yesterday had a few setbacks whilst I was trying to fit the front panel to the main cab. In brief the part did not quite fit so I tried to use masking tape to pull it into position. The tape did not do the job and pulled off part of the decals. Ouch!

In addition whilst trying to pull things around I managed to push the side windows in on both sides as well as break one of the side spoilers off. All the windows also got stained by a super glue accelerator that I sprayed on to get the glue to set. The decals will be hard to solve but I have a plan which will be reveled if it works or even if it doesn't!!!! Here at WMD HQ you get it warts and all! The windows have been polished and most of the staining is removed but they will never be super clear but hey ho! One of the windows is now back in and having shaved part of the interior parts down to enable the front panel to properly fit it is now in place. I need to wait until glue properly sets so this will be a repair in stages but hopefully the end result will pass muster from a distance! 

On the T80 tank the wheels have been painted green and now need the tyres painted in a rubber coloured paint . The exhaust and engine vent grill have also been fitted which is all positive progress. If that continues when I come to fit the tracks, which I had so many problems with as described last year, I will be grateful! So this is where I am today!

Sometimes things do not go according to plan!

I attempted to fit the front panel of the Scania 143H to the main cab today. Not all went well! I will go into details of the failure once I figure out how to rescue the issue but lets say the swear jar is bit fuller! These things happen and I have stepped away and will leave it for the moment and come back to it with a clearer mindset!

One thing did go according to plan though and that is the priming of some parts on the T80 tank which moves that previously well stalled project on a bit more.