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Silos (no nuclear missiles)


Mjwomack

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This has been in the stash for a bit too long, but it needs to be built because there's a gap on my model railway waiting for it...

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A pair of industrial rather than military silos.

 

One of the reasons it's sat in the stash is the instruction sheets

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Do you remember the old Airfix instructions which were mainly text and regardless of how complex the kit always had 4 stages? Well, these ones are pretty much text with a grand total of 5 illustrations, but run to 34 stages and as you can perhaps see end with

It is stressed that this is an adult's model containing very small parts and is not suitable for children

Maybe I shouldn't attempt it; open the box or take the money time! Too late, I've opened the box

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The very small parts don't look that small after all, I just have no idea what most of them could possibly be. The instructions start with  Important- It is to your benefit to read the following information fully before proceeding. Please identify each part and remove any obvious flash mould flashing. This time I think they mean it, now to work out the difference between a Cat-ladder double hoop (never seen my cat jump through a hoop) and a Cat-ladder Pegged-hoop (to be modified)!

 

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What! This build has started?!!

Can't be rushing us country boys, and tradition dictates that I NEVER start a build on time; give me a couple of weeks and I should be along.

There again, I might slip in a bit of cleaning up while waiting for paint to dry etc on other builds.

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I sort of started last night; I was tidying the work space, which was a big mistake as I dropped this and everything contrived to fall out of box and bag. So I took the opportunity to stop tidying up and see if the carpet monster had dined well. It hadn't! Every part identified and accounted for. But oh my days, some of them are very rough indeed and will need a lot of cleaning up when I get started for real.

Always nice to do a bit of parts fondling and getting to know the kit though. The white metal ladders worry me because I think they might turn out to be hard to work with- might look around for some brass replacements, but the problem is that they're far longer than the usual ladders you can get for signal posts.

Edited by Mjwomack
typos
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45 minutes ago, Mjwomack said:

The white metal ladders worry me because I think they might turn out to be hard to work with- might look around for some brass replacements, but the problem is that they're far longer than the usual ladders you can get for signal posts.

 

Langley models do some long brass signal ladders in N gauge, about 10cm and you get 5 on a sprue.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I seem to have started... you know how it is; stalled on a build so you look at the next one for some light relief. Part fondling leads to a test fitting and before you know where you are, out comes the CA😜

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That was easy. I'm now up to step 5 in the 37 stages of the instructions. They're not quite as bad as I'd expected but a few more pictures, or even a note saying, you can put this where you like BEFORE you've glued it exactly how the previous stage said would help.

Next 'up' come the ladders, which have a lot stages to them in the instructions. My new year's resolution was to be less ambitious (or maybe more pragmatic) about what I attempted in my builds...but it IS the 1st of May so

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I'm going to replace the kit ladder with etched brass because I prefer the finer nature of it. Also I think that a ladder up the side of each silo is far too generous towards my serf workers and they can get by with just the one and an elevated walkway joining the two at the top!

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I love the way these Group Builds so often produce something ... unexpected!

 

Don't forget for the 'I know it is there' brigade, the silo needs to be full of 1/160 scale dry bulk corn

 

Good luck with the rest of the build, Ray

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This is different. :popcorn:

 

On 4/13/2021 at 8:40 AM, Mjwomack said:

One of the reasons it's sat in the stash is the instruction sheets

A clear example of the value of a picture

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On 4/13/2021 at 9:20 PM, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Famous last words. 
 

That and “Whats the worst that can happen” are the two phrases no one should ever say out loud. 

It'll be fiiine... 

 

 

Nice PE bendybits. Should be a breeze (to stay on brand) :P 

 

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On 5/1/2021 at 2:04 PM, Ray S said:

 

Don't forget for the 'I know it is there' brigade, the silo needs to be full of 1/160 scale dry bulk corn

I'll get milling- on extra fine setting. It'll probably be easier than building the ladders and walkways; after two days of studying the instructions, lay out parts and dry runs, I'm still none the clearer on how they go together!

I might need to go and find a local farm and study a real one; Monty, it's time for your walk!

 

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Written instructions, tsk... My take on such instructions is that 1) you shouldn't need them, the workings of any device should be clear at first glance and 2) if they're not, my wife reads the instructions and explains the workings to me :whistle:

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On 5/3/2021 at 11:18 AM, JeroenS said:

Written instructions, tsk... My take on such instructions is that 1) you shouldn't need them, the workings of any device should be clear at first glance and 2) if they're not, my wife reads the instructions and explains the workings to me :whistle:

I think you might be onto something...I'm starting to think that if the instructions don't make sense, why bother with them? Especially as Monty enjoyed his walk...

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tbh, if you were a dog, you'd love a walk by a pig farm😬. These are conical topped but most probably I'll try to make the walkways as close to the ones on these and see how many parts that I'm left with.

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1 hour ago, Mjwomack said:

These are conical topped but most probably I'll try to make the walkways as close to the ones on these and see how many parts that I'm left with.

Sounds like a plan. 

 

Oh boy, pig farms... the only thing worse than stepping into one is stepping into a poultry farm! Slaps you in the face it does.

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2 minutes ago, JeroenS said:

Sounds like a plan. 

 

Oh boy, pig farms... the only thing worse than stepping into one is stepping into a poultry farm! Slaps you in the face it does.

Finally someone else who finds chicken farms far worse than pig ones; slaps your face and never leaves your throat. Hope I don't come back as a dog 🐕

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1 minute ago, Mjwomack said:

Finally someone else who finds chicken farms far worse than pig ones; slaps your face and never leaves your throat. Hope I don't come back as a dog 🐕

Better than a chicken... 

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Psychologists call it displacement activity; waiting to hear if I got and interview (I didn't) and trying to figure out a plan for the ladders (I didn't), I turned my attention to the walkways atop the silos, and finishing the easy bits (the ground floor doors and equipment boxes)...

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Then I decided that there should really be 'toe boards' around the top of them (I've known two serious accidents of farmers sliding off the top) so I added them as well....

 

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I've started formulating a plan for the handrails, though they need a bit of modification from the ones supplied to fit over the toe boards and I might just be starting a plan of attack for the ladders.  @JeroenS, you were quite right! The instructions are unnecessary!!!

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Oh dear, right near the bottom of page 3 and lots of 'completed' threads around me.... not for the first time in my life, I asked myself why am I doing this? Except this time it wasn't at an existential level or even some philosophy of modelling musing but the simple business of making an etched brass ladder when I couldn't see a thing. 

Then I realised that I what was effectively two brass grids together against the grid of a cutting board so it was not so surprising that I was making no progress and getting headaches. Change of plan, sprayed one of the ladders in red primer because I could and I really like it! And put white paper atop the cutting board.

 

Result!

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It's a very battered farmyard ladder for sure but it's servicable so hopefully they'll be progress before the harvest is in (I notice the barley is coming along nicely out there)

 

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