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scoopey

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Everything posted by scoopey

  1. scoopey
    I used to do a lot of "papercraft" a few years back and ended up downloading many plans....one of the most complex I saw as Mad Max's V8 Interceptor..that was a nightmare to even look at!
  2. scoopey
    Thanks for the compliment. I think I might have posted another model here already including plans - A 1/16 scale Czech Hedgehog. I suppose with card the only issue I have is cutting the bloody stuff out lol! On another note I learned how to sculpt it because I was quite reasonable at origami...
  3. scoopey
    Since I started building my tramway I always wanted an open boat tram. Alas all the options are gone these days from the conversion kit to hadfields model. I therefore decided to get some plans and scratchbuild. Since I'm good with card I decided to make a development model before creating in plastic. This would expose any flaws before using more expensive materials. This is my first trial.
  4. scoopey
    Thought I'd do a couple of eye level shots to see how the tramway looks...
  5. scoopey
    Paving complete now... I like the Metcalfe individual paving slabs so I used them throughout disposing with the paving runs that came with the kits....
  6. scoopey
    Not posted in a long time since I've been building buildings since Christmas! Here we see the main units complete...the need custom signs and other details but they will be added later. The paving has already been started.
  7. scoopey
    This is a quick test view I took at near scale human eye level. I'm pleased with the overall look as it simply "feels" right for a look on the prom at Blackpool.
  8. scoopey
    My first building is nearly done - got to eventually add lights and an internal back scene as well as a custom sign. Since the layout is narrow I had to go low relief. Santa brought be some Metcalfe models. Annoyingly almost all of them will need modifying on some way. This building will be my fish and chip restaurant. Its modded from 2 x Bank and Shop. The shops are being used elsewhere. Whilst most of the Metcalfe buildings have provision to be modified easily the bank was not designed that way which was annoying for my first building. Due to a triple set of tracks I had to make it thinner and remove 1cm from its width. The centre and left building are almost kit standard with little alteration other than making them thinner. The right section involved flipping the door position from left to right and then rebuilding the top coping stones as they are mirror image. The roof also needed modding quite a bit.
  9. scoopey
    Well its been a while since I've posted but I have been busy with the infill concreting! Some of the plasticard I had to rip out between the rails as the UHU glue warped it and caused it to balloon upwards which was a bit odd. This is the result of 3 x layers of prime coat, 2 layers of top coat enamel paint. It looked a bit uniform so I used a wash of Vallejo Iraqui sand acrylic but then that made areas a bit too yellow, so I added an umber wash and then two pale grey washes from the Vallejo game color range. These latter three washes I stippled on. Lastly I added two layers of matt varnish. Despite the masking the paint leaked underneath and its taken 3 nights to clean the track up to working status again. Overall I am happy with the colour result
  10. scoopey
    And now I decided to add the primer. Years ago I used Airfix/Humbrol enamels but then switched to Acrylic by the same company and then switched to Vallejo. However I have noted that Acrylics tend to "rub off" so I needed something tougher for the tramway so switched back to Humbrol Enamel. The primer looks a bit rough for a first coat but I think a lot of primes tend to do this anyway...
  11. scoopey
    Time to start painting the concrete around the tramlines...oh boy that means masking them first!
  12. scoopey
    Thanks, Its more of a "captured feeling" than exact replica. That much is obvious as I'm not making exact reproductions of buildings. Today I had another idea to throw into the mi - sound. At some point I intend to have some "illuminations" although not sure how the hell I'm gonna do it. A lot seem to have sequenced or chasing which are out. Not that I could not do it but the extra wires running down the lamp posts would be a mess. I though a bit about lighting in the low relief buildings to go along with the street lights and illuminations. Already figured out how to make custom lit shop signage. Anyway I digressed - one of the shop will be an amusement arcade and whilst they are usually dark from the outside I thought some random flashing lights would do nicely. There is already an Arc welder lighting FX on eBay. This is when I thought wouldn't it be good to have arcade sounds emanating from the building. This is what I remembered as a child walking along the prom. How to reproduce it though seemed tricky but then I figured by RC tanks have sound units in them that use a micro-usb memory card - okay they are more tricky since they play specific files but surely there has to be a simpler unit that will play a sound file. Sure enough those wiley Chinese are selling all sorts of stuff on eBay that will play an MP3 sound file...so looks like I will have my Arcade sounds...and perhaps a bingo caller!!!!
  13. scoopey
    Interesting ideas. I decided to go with Metcalfe due to their die stamping - makes the window edges cleaner. Also having done card craft before there is often a compromise. Ink jet print outs are preferred as they soak into the top layer but then the inks tend to fade worse than a laser jet. Still an interesting place to visit. I also noted if you use the glazing packs the kits get expensive. I had looked at the super quick low relief range but they have no glazing in either.
  14. scoopey
    Hmm food for thought. I think a good "novelty" shop would be a "Rock Shop". I know its stereotyping but its been a long long time since I went to Blackpool but things remain. For instance walking down the prom one would hear the many Amusement Arcades (actually it would be good to stick a sound unit blasting out a layered recording of different machines), Bingo Callers were another. I can't state anything in regards to smell as I lack that sence! I do know no trip to the seaside would not be complete without fish and chips (hence the Harry Ramsden idea). Since it would be a conversion of the Metcalfe bank, I'm not too sure what would be on the upper floors. A suggestion was flats or holiday letts but do people really reside above "big" fast food places? This is a serious question by the way! I know smaller takeaways often have flats above them but not sure about the bigger establishments. Obviously some are purpose built but I did see a picture of a Harry Ramsden's in an older building. I suppose in some city centres taking over older buildings is the only way to get a location.
  15. scoopey
    Well I have had to do some thinking outside the box regarding buildings. 30 years ago when I had a model railway I used the super quick buildings and modified a lot of them to become different types of shop. I think I turned an estate agent into a chippie amongst other things. These days I have a computer and could do so much more and with a lot of sellers on eBay with 3d printed products the conversions would be neater and easier. Anyhow I was looking at the Metcalfe low relief buildings and planning to buy 2 x Banks with shop, 2 x Departments Stores, Pub and Shops, Cinema and Shops - 6 kits in all. Thinking of Seaside resorts I was planning on merging both banks to create a hotel and the same with the department store. The Cinema would become a night club. Already I have worked out how to back lit shop signs...but the night club would be a problem as most are "names" and often used neon letters. This could perhaps be replicated with EL wire but I don't think it would bend tight enough in OO scale. It was then that an idea hit me - a old cinema in Sale (in my local area) was converted to a MECCA bingo. Now on Blackpool prom as a kid I remember the sounds of bingo callers so that works. Then a second idea hit me - instead of converting a bank to a hotel...turn it into a Harry Ramsdens! Seaside - fish and chips? All I'm left to come up with is a hotel name and repurpose 5 shops! I think I might make one an Amusement arcade - If I use the spare 2 shops from the bank kits these could be changed to a double fronted unit (owners knocked em through). On ebay someone makes Arcade machines so that is catered for. That leaves 3 shops... Blackpool Rock Shop? Souvenirs?
  16. scoopey
    Well some major reconstruction work over the weekend. Decided to usr Metcalfe low relief buildings. The boards are too narrow. I thought I could get away with it, but realised I was wrong. Decided to cut the wooden back off and add a 20mm spacer....with the remnants of the original back it gave me an extra 29mm by the time I added a new back. I'm still going to have to squash things front to back but it will not look all that bad. I'll probably reduce the "thickness" of the building at the narrowest section. Since I'll be using a couple of bank kits and turning them into a hotel I have seen the instructions so its an easy modification. Here's the current town planning
  17. scoopey
    Thanks...I went with the traversers to save space. They are a tad noisy but compromise is necessary!
  18. scoopey
    Here's the stages I used on the between rails infill. The trickiest area is around points. Already I had the first layer which is in the first picture. This gets the level past the moulded chair "bases". The next two layers act as one but it's easier to but two of 0.5mm plasticard than a single 1mm piece. These upper layers can butt against parts of the point frog on the exits but the entry still needs clearance.
  19. scoopey
    First "layer" of infill fitted between the rails. It was definitely awkward lol!
  20. scoopey
    All areas outside tracks have now been levelled and foam filled in between the sleepers... Only got the difficult part of filling in between the rails which I think I'm going to do in layers
  21. scoopey
    Modellers are a strange breed of hoarders. Like plastic loving jackdaws we collect interesting items and shove them on a shelf or in a cupboard knowing one day they may come in handy. Already I've used three year old foam board. Now on the next part of the tramway. I'm out of plasticard until tomorrow so decided to look at the infill between the rails. Was considering initially putting a layer of plasticard over the sleepers sitting on top of the moulded chairs so you can't see the remains of the sleepers when you look down. That though would lift older type wheels off the rails (knowing my luck I'd win a tram on ebay that would have those wheels). That meant I was left with filling in the sleepers.... Did not want to use plaster. Then I remembered I had a piece of A4 thin black craft foam in my "stock pile". This is a start of a long boring job! And this is the preparation ..
  22. scoopey
    More infill done and the infill "packing" outside the tracks complete.
  23. scoopey
    Road surface raised to rail height... After this I decided to give it a blood sacrifice and cut my finger!!!!
  24. scoopey
    This is more like I was thinking...https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291547463320?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&fromMakeTrack=true As you might have imagined it's not an exact part of the real tramway. As the "North" end on the layout there are three lines, the outermost represents half of a passing loop type terminus. The promenade road thins at this point so cars need to kept away from the tramways, and people cannot walk between the road and tramway at this point. Had I more width then the true prototype has a grass verge and fence at such locations. I only added what is essentially a siding to add some operational interest and avoid a more typical layout of just two lines and a crossover at each end. Unlike a lot of tramway models which just use the cross overs to change tracks on my version the crossovers, represent the trailing ends of a passing loop. A tram can thus enter at one end of the tramway and another "over take" it on the wrong side to cross over. Most lane switching is done via the traversers with one exception. Both traversers do not connect each track to every position on the mainline. This would require 5 positions. I opted for a four position traverser so at some point at both ends a tram will enter in one direction and get "stuck" due to the direction of travel and end positions of the traverser. For the tram to go in the return direction on the tramway it needs to change lanes via the crossover. Harder to explain than it is in practice!!
  25. scoopey
    They would be so tempting.....I really would want to use them but I think in a section that just separates the road from the tramway for a short distance the modern steel fences might be needed to stop cars crashing onto the tramway. Shame but I'm adding them to my wish list anyway in case I decide otherwise!
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