albergman

Hi Phil Nice to someone else having a go at scratchbuilding a few pieces for a loco. Lovely job you've made of it I must say and I like the fact that you've just done your own thing with colours and fit and finish. I remember seeing these very rarely as a lad in Scotland and always thought they were a strange looking beast with that boiler set so high above the wheels and, yes they were usually the worst maintained of the engines I saw. You've given her a reason to be proud of herself and she looks smashing. Frank

LOL ... Gawd, they'd be youngsters! I remember air-raid sirens and bomb shelters, fighter planes being trucked past our house and later riding behind many a steam engine across the Forth Bridge. By coincidence I built that Tamiya Lotus 49 Nick and my youngest thought it was a neat toy ... end of story. I was going to also suggest that a hacksaw, some files and some metal scraps might be used to fabricate the suspension but I won't ... no, this is the new world. Happy New Year everyone ... this has to get better. Frank

Just read through this latest project and enjoy watching you solve problems. I want to test my memory of Fusion and ask if this would have worked for that beautiful, brass, "bent" Bentley badge. How's that for alliteration? If you had drawn the BBBBB extra thick and flat could you have extruded the correct bonnet curve through it ... once above and once below to trim it to the desired thickness and curvature? Frank

Hi Nick! Great to see you off on another masterpiece which should be appealing to many modellers. I wish I could follow more detail on Facebook but I'm so reluctant to join that platform. I have a few engine shots that just might have that detail you want so badly ... can never have enough reference pics eh? These first 2 I took at the Beaulieu Museum when I was over there. These next three were at Mosport in 2015 at the Masters series Hope they prove useful Frank

Hey Nick Just had a look at that new milling machine. Pretty exciting development for sure. Would seem like a perfect fit for someone like yourself with the expertise with Fusion that you have. I didn't see anywhere that they mentioned what code is acceptable to it but it would be perfect if Fusion could generate what is needed. Exciting times and makes me wish I were a younger fella! When do you anticipate the F40 being available to purchase (asking for a friend).

Gawd ... that's beautiful! Cosworth next? OK he wants it in 1/6th.

"JUST" a class win! At a show of this size and calibre that's no small feat I'd guess. I've been sharing your progress with a friend and he's curious whether you might embark on any of the great engines from the 60's ... Cosworth FORD V8, Gurney-Weslake V12 or the Ferrari 312? Any idea where your imagination might lead you next?

Well done Nick!! I reckoned you'd come away with something. May I ask where the award fits in the scheme of things ... Best in show? Best scratch build? ???

Yep, still out of superlatives! Wishing you great success with your masterpiece Nick.

Sorry, I'm out of superlatives. Great stuff Nick.

A strange journey indeed. As John Wayne once said "You've come a long way Pilgrim" and I don't think he was talking about Fusion 360 ... lol. Frank

Not Dickensian Nick ... just good old fashioned craftsmanship. As we speak I'm soldering up stainless steel rod as I fabricate a railing around the deck of a boat I'm making (all by hand too!) Dickens would approve! Still, your project is wonderful. Frank

OK good, now I can see that you have some leeway in fitting it. Just curious why there's a market for such pieces? These should never wear out (??) so maybe there are some lost to accidents or fires but surely it's a pretty small market. If this is something you'd rather not discuss here I'll understand. Exciting project though!

How exciting Nick. Will you print a 1:1 in resin first to assure proper fitting? Frank

You keep raising the bar ever higher Nick. Just incredible detail. I'm usually left wondering how you did this or that in Fusion. Now that I don't use it any longer I'm starting to forget how things were done. Did the purchased version bring you any new tools or could you do most of this with the free one? Anyway, your skill level with Fusion is what is setting you apart from others with printers. Frank

That's just breathtaking Nick! Hope there's a nice market for them.

A one-man production line! Glad you added that pencil for scale Nick.

Having just commented on the passing of "Codger" I felt moved to mention the passing of another BM member Martin Field who went by the name "Scratchbuilder". He didn't post very often so his name may not be familiar to most of you. I started an email correspondence with him 17 years ago back when I decided to take up scratchbuilding myself after I retired and I met him on another forum. He was "old school" having been a professional model maker for Porsche and VW before computers took his job away and probably contributed to his lasting distaste for computers and devices such as 3D printers. I know that my own casual approach to modelling wherein I never build to a known scale and am cavalier about perfection endeared me to him as he was always "tilting at windmills" and out to "get the b*stards". I think it would be safe to say he was a true English eccentric but I loved the old git! (He was 20 years younger than me). Martin built masters for many modelling companies over the years. He has a collection of fabulous wooden boat models on display in Artie's Restaurant in Virginia USA and built a 1/24th scale Maserati Birdcage brass chassis with working steering and U-joints in the steering column for a collector. At the time of his passing he was almost two years into another masterpiece. He had been contracted to build the masters for a 1/8th scale Vincent Black Shadow for a company and that was to be followed by the Black Lightning and a BSA Gold Star. The master parts for the compete Shadow were finished and many copies of each part have been cast. He documented a lot of the fabrication on a public Facebook page (now closed) and was in the process of assembling one from the parts bin and writing the instruction manual. Hopefully this model will be completed, possibly by his son who had been involved in the build, and made available some day. He was one of the most well versed men I've ever known and was a keen observer of the world around him which was reflected in the dioramas that he sometimes built for a model ... A true renaissance man I'd say. I think of him every day and whenever I've finished handmaking some part for my latest steam engine it flashes through my mind ... have to send a picture to Martin then it hits me again ... he's gone. As I said before, many of you may not know of him but he is a true loss to the modelling world. Frank Smart

Been away from BritModeller for many months and just came back to read this awful news. Always thought of Codger to be from the "head table" at BM and a master of the craft. He only chipped in a few times to comment on my own perverse style of scratch building but even though it was a criticism he was always kind and was usually correct. I was more flattered than put off that someone of his obvious calibre took the time to look and comment on my efforts. A great loss to this forum. Frank

Nick, have you thought about maybe getting a modelling magazine to do an article on your stuff? The engine and wheels could generate a lot of interest. Frank.

These are wonderful and just begging for a nice chromed rim!

HA! I'm so glad you sussed that one. I knew you couldn't have made a mistake. As I said before your own arrangement looks better anyway.

Glad you're OK with me mentioning it. Believe me there are rivet counters out there! Pity though, your arrangement actually looks better and more robust.

As a builder of wire wheels the old fashioned way and someone who doesn't really care how many spokes I end up with far be it from me to critique your results ... they're outstanding! I'm comparing yours to the "real" one you posted and I'm wondering if you have the wiring pattern correct. The "real" one seems to have "clusters" of 4 spokes with more open space between them. No doubt you have the correct number of spokes (I didn't count them) so maybe it's a matter of just realigning them? Frank

You are too clever by half Nick!! Just lovely. My son who has my old filament printer is now intrigued by your results and is starting to stroke his chin and think about resin. He's working on larger production parts (not models) and just can't get the dimensional accuracy he needs. Is there a noticeable shrinkage at all in any of the larger parts ... say the rim diameter?