Modellings tips and answers - Paint for all needs - Videos
Hello
Don't forget to read our latest modelling tips and unboxing videos located at the bottom of the newsletter.
Most images in this newsletter are clickable for more details.
Feel free to send this newsletter to your friends, family and club members if you think they will benefit from it. They can subscribe for free.
Railway song of the week
Quintessential Southern Rock Lynyrd Skynyrd released their Railroad Song in 1975 while at their peak with their third album "Nuthin' Fancy". The video below is illustrated with scenes from old black and white movies including Buster Keaton's. Click on the picture to watch the video and listen to the song.
This week in history
On Friday 19th August 1921, the Railways Act 1921 was first published, although the Act which has also been referred to as 'The Grouping Act' did not come into force until 1st January 1923. Prior to the publication of the Act, there were over 100 independent railway companies operating within the UK. This inevitably led to an overlap of operating
areas, duplication of some routes and other inefficiencies.
During the First World War 1914-18 the Government stepped in and
directly controlled the railways which proved to be very successful.
With this in mind the minister of transport, Eric Geddes proposed a series of proposals that led directly to the development of
the Railways Act 1921. The Act stopped short of full-scale
nationalisation but led to the creation of what has become known as the 'Big Four' operators,
namely Great Western Railways (GWR), London Midlands and Scottish
Railway (LMS), London and North-Eastern Railway (LNER) and Southern
Railway (SR). These four Companies continued to operate very
successfully until the Nationalisation of the Railways which came into force on 1st January 1948.
Do you have one?
Do you have a Xuron Vertical Track Cutter? Specifically designed to cut track that is already secured in place the cutter is equally suited to working with HO, N and Z gauges.
The unique design of the cutter ensures that the blades bypass during
the cutting process aiding tool longevity and ensuring a clean cut with
no requirement for filing. The spring-loaded mechanism makes the
cutters both practical and easy to use.
Paint for every need
When building any model kit inevitably the thought processes stray
to the subject of painting the completed model. How should it be
painted, enamel, acrylic or lacquers?
Which colours do I specifically need to faithfully reproduce the
original subject matter? This can be a time-consuming process and end in
duplicate paints or compromises on colour schemes if the desired paints
are not readily available. Luckily, there is a simple and effective
answer to these paint scheme conundrums. The hobby company HATAKA has taken a refreshing approach to this issue by producing paint sets for specific subjects.
So if modelling early Second World War Luftwaffe aircraft is your
passion then there is a specific set for this containing all the paints
you would require. There are also three different paint types available:
- The Blue range is water-based acrylic paint specifically designed for brush painting.
- The Red range is also acrylic paint but optimised for airbrushing.
- Lastly, we have the Orange range which provides lacquer-based paints specifically optimised for airbrushing.
So most of the available paint sets covering a particular subject
are available in three different varieties to meet a wide variety of
modelling preferences. The subject matter covered by the range is very
diverse. For example, those wishing to model locomotives or buildings on
a specific layout could choose the 'Polish Railways Vol.1' set. Further variety on the subject matter is catered for by the 'Polish Railways Vol.2' set. The need to paint realistic-looking buildings for a layout is also catered for by the 'Brick Buildings and Ruins' set.
For those who prefer to model armour subjects then there is a good selection of paint sets covering the fighting vehicles of a number of countries over a wide time frame from conflicts of the early twentieth century up to the present day. The 'Late WW2 German AFV' set offers modellers a comprehensive selection of colours covering vehicles on the Eastern Front and those involved in the Defence of the Reich. Fans of more modern armour subjects are also catered for, the 'Modern British Army and RAF AFVs' set covers a range of British vehicles from the Cold War to more modern conflicts and service with NATO. Likewise, the 'Modern US Army and Marine Corps' set covers US fighting vehicles for the same timelines.
Military Aviation modellers are exceptionally well supported by the HATAKA range with a considerable variety of sets covering the major Air Forces of the World and their involvement in campaigns throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Those modellers whose interests cover World War 2 are particularly well supported. The 'Royal Air Force' set will cover RAF aircraft of Bomber and Fighter Commands from the Battle of Britain up to D-Day and beyond. Fans of US Navy and Marine Corps subjects will find the 'Late US Navy' set particularly useful for modelling the War at Sea from 1943-1945. Likewise, Luftwaffe fans will enjoy the 'Mid War Luftwaffe' paint set which covers 141-1944 and matches its constituent eight colours to RLM numbers for ease of use.
Modern Military Aviation subject matter is a particular favourite with modelmakers and correspondingly is well covered within the HATAKA range. The 'Modern Royal Air Force Vol.1' set provides 8 paints and covers paint schemes for RAF aircraft operated from 1990 onwards. The Modern Czech Air Force uses a variety of colourful schemes and is a popular subject for modellers. The corresponding 'Modern Czech Air Force' set covers Czech aircraft from 1990 to the present day. The 'US Navy and Marine Corps' set caters to another popular subject, that of US Carrier-borne aircraft from the 1950's to the Cold War, including the Vietnam campaign. The wide scope of the HATAKA range and its one-stop approach to a particular subject, coupled with the three-line range makes them a good option for a broad scope of subject matter. Why not try them out on your next project?
Modelling tips
We keep on adding modelling tips to our website. Here are the latest ones:
- What is On30?
- What is Thomas the Tank Engine?
- What is a yard switcher?
- What is the leading edge of an airplane wing?
- What is the third rail?
Or re-visit these slightly older ones:
- Where should I apply grime and rust effects on my locomotive to best achieve a weather-beaten look?
- What do the Revell skill levels mean?
- What is a general purpose locomotive?
- Should I use a girder bridge for a river crossing?
- How does Woodland Scenics Realistic Water work?
Unboxing videos
You want to know what is inside the boxes of modelling products? We open them for you! Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified before everyone else or simply click on this selection. Please note that videos are at the bottom of each page.
Events and exhibitions
Do you need to order?
Send us an email or give us a call to check availability or to reserve anything, whatever scale you model in. As usual, if we do not have in stock what you are looking for, we will order it for you and you will get it fast (usually within a week if the manufacturer has it in stock). We place weekly orders with most suppliers.
Remember, you can park for free for one hour on the High Street. So no excuse not to come and visit us!
Upstairs Downstairs is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am till 4.30pm. Obviously, our website is open 24h a day and we can post to most locations, including Europe, USA and Australia.
Upstairs Downstairs
3 Pier Street
Sandown, PO36 8JR
Isle of Wight
Tel: 01983 406 616
http://www.trainshop.co.uk or find us on Facebook
If for some reason you do not want to receive this newsletter anymore, click this link to unsubscribe