Matt B's going loco (mostly)...

[splash]

That looks spot on, well done

[ShaunW]

Lovely and I agree with Splash, that is spot on Matt.

[mattbacon]

Thanks, chaps! Well, having returned from a delightful family holiday in the south of France, with a couple of weeks of cloudless skies and 30+ C temperatures, it's back to the bench.

First, a guessing game -- who knows where this is going to end up?



It's not in here;



The Mountain in it's pre-restoration glory. It's not a bad job, actually, so I'm mainly going to re-paint lightly and weather gently. It's an impressive beastie, and will certainly be a talking point!

bestest,
M.

[PaulBradley]

Mmm. It isn't a Spitfire, Matt?

[chrism]

it does look nice as it is though.

[mattbacon]

And here's this one, done:



...on with the mystery machine!

bestest,
M.

[mattbacon]

Just in case anyone was wondering what I was up to, the bench is pretty crowded:





"Duchess of Atholl" is coming together, with the detail painting and decalling to do before some light weathering to pull it all together. The New York Hudson is also in need of detail painting, and a rather heavier weathering session. And finally, the Baureihe 23 is lending a welcome splash of colour to the black.

bestest,
M.

[splash]

Matt I'm glad you have the Baurelhe 23 as I'm not going to have time to build mine.

Regards Splash

[JamesPerrin]

Is that a Cobra in the background?

[mattbacon]

Is that a Cobra in the background?

Certainly is... 'tis an interesting Hasegawa/Fine Molds boxing of the Monogram 1/24 Cobra. It comes with 50 or so additional very finely detailed and nicely cast white metal pieces, mostly a new engine and ancillaries, which will really trick out the engine bay (and leave me with a spare Ford 427 engine, which might go into a curbside Fujimi GT40).

It's only just out of the starting gate, so pictures are not yet forthcoming, but they will be.

bestest,
M.

[ShaunW]

A bench cluttered with good stuff Matt. I saw a couple of progs on TV this week featuring this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed with quite a bit of Cobra racing action!

[mattbacon]

Nothing like an approaching deadline to encourage progress!



"Cockpit interior" for the Baureihe 23. I'll build up the top 'jigged" on the frame, and then pop it off for painting separately while I assemble the running gear.



Really pleased with these -- it's amazing how easy it is once I figured out that I should try using a silver paint marker!



Coal.. painted Revell Anthracite, washed with Citadel Nuln Oil, and then rubbed gently with graphite powder. Almost like the real thing.




I'm going to shorten the tender coupling and close it up behind the cab somewhat. A few details to add, and then it'll be time to bite the bullet and decide whether to line her out or not. A decal set costs more than the kit, so I've got to get up the nerve to try the bowpen I just ordered...



The new arrival. A bit of TLC and tidying up, and then Dark Green over Neutral Grey...

Bestest,
M.

[chrism]

That looks stunning. Your attention to detail is amazing (read annoying). The lines on those bloody dials!!! Nice . Very nice.

[PaulBradley]

Terrific work, Matt!

[mattbacon]

Thanks, both. Progress continues on the Baureihe 23 (sounds so much cooler than "Class 23", doesn't it?)





Building the working mechanism is very satisfying, albeit challenging. It takes a couple of reads of the written instructions (this is one area where working from a single large exploded diagram is a real pain) to figure out what you're doing, and still it's best to dry build at least the first side so you can see exactly how it goes together. From the evidence of my "spares or repairs" built up collection, it wasn't always obvious to modellers back in the day, either...




Largely built, now, with just a few detail parts to add. There are only two decals for this one, so they won't detain me long, though there's still a bit more detail painting to do. A light (very light) weathering should bring it all together (I'm going for a preserved but occasionally in steam look for this one, rather than a battered workhorse -- I like the colours tooo much to smother them all in mud!





A bench full of WIPs... though "we're getting there", as someone once said... ;-P

bestest,
M.