It was a great day with warm weather just right for a bike ride or indeed two and some gardening. I also had the urge to start something new model making wise. The Tamiya Puma is nearly done but I really need several hours in one go to finish the weathering which I did not have today. So, something that has been lurking in the Man Cave for some time - I think several years actually, was unearthed.
Recording my progress, or usually the lack of it, in building kits, creating model railways and other related and sometimes unrelated matters!
Search this blog
Sunday, May 7, 2023
Time for something new!
Saturday, May 6, 2023
Coronation - a day to remember.
Friday, May 5, 2023
Dirt Time!
After yesterdays 'dressing the set' of the Tamiya Sd.Kfz 234/2 Puma, today was the start of 'Dirt Time'! I used my favoured application of diluted Vallejo Flat Earth paint to in effect give the parts of the vehicle a wash of paint. The theory is that there will be a general light coat of the paint that will tone down the existing paintwork giving it a weathered look and that it will also accumulate around the edges and corners giving the affect of dirt having gathered as in real life. It is a long process that requires patience which is something that I have learnt to develop, after many years of failures due to impatience! Luckily Mrs. Woody has also developed patience over the years waiting for the jobs to be done on her list for me to do!
First thing to do was to disassemble the vehicle in order to be able to easily weather the parts.
Thursday, May 4, 2023
Dressing the set!
Something they do on those make over TV shows where after a frantic session of building and painting the bare room is then dressed up with accessories to make it 'homely'. This of course is something this Mrs. Woody is never able to do as I never seem to manage to finish those make over jobs she has envisaged in her mind.
I don't think you can make a military vehicle 'homely' but I did 'dress up' the Tamiya Sd.Kfz 234/2 Puma today. All the various pre-painted tools and jerry cans were added using gloss varnish as an adhesive. It certainly brings the vehicle to life. In addition the two figures are nearly finished - the officer does need his binoculars adding. Normally I would have glued them to an ice cream wooden stick but I cannot find my stock and unfortunately the WMD HQ Chief Ice Cream Buyer (me!) has failed to have stocks of ice creams available to consume just for the stick of course! Oh well, they are on the shopping list! In the meantime I will complete painting the figures without the aid of the aforementioned stick.
The wheels still need attaching and the eight small discs on the masking tape are the hubs to fasten the wheels to the axel. In addition the two hatches have had their inside faces painted white before being attached to the turret.
Unlike those TV make over shows where the lucky recipients basked in the delights of a newly created and dressed pristine room, this vehicle, after its 'dressing' will suffer the onslaught of weathering but that is for another day.
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Gardening, rusting, cute cats and a mauled toilet roll - welcome to a day in the life of Woody!
Nobody I believe can accuse me of not having a variety of things going on in my life. Mrs. Woody would like to see those things expanded to include more of the jobs she has lined up for me but as I tell her I have lots on! Today was a case in point. An early morning bike ride and a bit of cleaning house started the day before a bit of a gardening as the weather was good. What remains of my lawn (after the builders destroyed much of it at the start of the year) was cut and edges trimmed. The reseeded areas of lawn are beginning to grow to so hopefully before long the mud pit will all be green! A bit of greenhouse work saw lettuce, spinach and radish seedings planted out so those together with the tomato plants should see some salads on the menu - then again with my growing skills......
In the sanity(or should that be insanity?) of the Man Cave I did have an hour doing some rusting of the tools and jerry cans that I had painted for the Tamiya Sd.Kfz 234/2 Puma over the past few days. I also did a bit more on painting the two figures.
For the rusting I used Vallejo rust paint applied with a sponge. The procedure is to did the sponge into the paint, then dab it off on a paper towel until very little is left on the sponge. Dabbing the sponge on the item to be rusted then leaves a random pattern of rust paint that should replicate what happens with rusting metal in real life.
Going back inside I found these two cute cats - a real Ying and Yang.
How wonderfully incent I thought as I headed upstairs. That thought soon went out of my mind to be replaced by !!!!!!!! (cue contribution to the swear jar) as I found this mauled toilet roll that those two cuties had got off the holder and proceeded to destroy!
Now I need to get the hoover out - again! Just another day in the life of Woody!
Tuesday, May 2, 2023
It's a fair cop!
There is not much they can do but, with all such matters, an individual incident can provide a piece of information that makes building a bigger picture a lot easier.
In the meantime it was a day of grass cutting for me but not before catching up with some projects going on.
In the exhibition center the Yorkshire loco DE5 that I have shown being rubbed down in preparation for a repaint is now in primer ready for its top coat.
In the workshop John was busy fixing the disabled access door to the brake van that is undergoing a quick makeover by, as he stated, disabling it! With John's skills it will no doubt soon be back in place and looking good.
Monday, May 1, 2023
May Day Misdemeanors at the Museum!
Todays Quarry Day at the Rocks By Rail Museum was a success but somewhat dampened for the volunteers by the fact that vandals had visited overnight and their misdemeanors were concentrated on window smashing of the various excavators and excavator cabs that we have. Unfortunately the face shovel excavator was that badly damaged that it was inoperable.
Why did someone do this? Who knows? It is upsetting, costly and difficult to deal with getting repairs on machinery decades old. However this didn't stop the visitors having a great day with both the quarry still operating which was where I was based as Shunter...
as well as brake van rides behind a steam engine.
.The Shark brake van that was undergoing a rapid makeover last week was looking good out in the fresh air.
Last week the buffer beams on this Yorkshire loco were in primer but now looked stunning witha fresh coat of gloss red.
Back tomorrow to probably cut more grass but hopefully I will not ne seeing any more misdemeanors!
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Anniversary!
Not much model making today as it is mine and Mrs. Woody's anniversary of her putting up with me for more years then both of us can recall! She does deserve a large medal!
Whilst she was still slumbering this morning I did go out for an early bike ride to bring my mileage for the first third of 2023 up to a measly 1107 miles which compared to the 1500ish of this time last year is not good! I had 779 miles in by the end of March but have averaged only just under 11 miles a day this month. I blame the weather! Even on this morning's ride after last nights heavy rain there was flooding on parts of the road where I have never seen flooding before. Maybe I should take up sailing?
I also manage a half hour and painted the tyres on one side of the Tamiya Sd.Kfz 234/2 Puma this evening which makes it look even better.
Tomorrow sees me at the Rocks By Rail Museum volunteering as we carry out a quarry day of operation for our visitors so I am hoping for a dry day!
Saturday, April 29, 2023
Decaled after visiting a country house!!
A coat of gloss varnish on the turret and parts of the hull of the Tamiya Sd.Kfz 234/2 Puma this morning....
In between the varnishing and the decaling I did take Mrs. Woody out to visit Belton House as it was one of those rare things this year - a nice day! A National Trust property we have visited before but always good to see how we could have lived if our lottery numbers had ever come up!