Wednesday 28th August

A thinking day.

The previous week, a telegraph pole was found in a box of bits. It was tentatively placed beside the road outside Edwards yard and we both agreed it added something to the scene. If we chose to use it permanently, it was decided that 'wires' ought to be included. This week was taken up investigating 'detachable attachments' and magnets figured strongly. The wires had to hang 'naturally', but if someone accidentally caught a wire, it should detach cleanly and be easy to re-fix. 

Several ideas and assemblies were tried out, but it is not looking to good at present. Thin thread rather than thin stainless steel wire is next to be tried, but tiny magnets will still be employed.

Wednesday 21st August 2024

Stephen had produced two more TV aerials and so a discussion continued as to which houses would receive them. Originally, the scruffiest house had the only aerial, but it was decided to plant the three  BBC/ITV aerials on the smarter houses and produce a BBC aerial (H grid only) for the scruffy house. Additional magnets were glued into the rear of the chimney stacks, and Stephen will make the earlier/simpler aerial for the remaining occupied house.

The bike was glued in its chosen location.

The pigeons were given a few painted highlights to create a more realistic effect.

Geoff had found some more people and animals and did a combined print run. However, they were a bit small, so an adjusted batch were also printed, which were much better: The dogs cats and rabbits were cute! Geoff still seeks out figures to bolster the Opening Day crowds on Worton Court. Parent and child combinations featured in the latest batch.

The method of printing is always a strange affair, with all of the support rods making a rather macabre image. 

Wednesday 14th August 2024

Geoff had printed another design of donkey and a small horse. He decided to file-out the dimples on the animals (see previous post) and paint/repaint them, which he did. Once dried, they were glued in place. The extra donkey was not as well detailed as the first two, so it was relegated to the rear half of the field. The horse was placed in the middle of the field staring into the distance, as they often do.

Stephen was initially painting the new chain for the gasifier coke lifter and then started touching-up any bare/rusty patches on anything else on the board. A couple of fence panels were also in need of some remedial work.

[Modelling time was reduced, as immediately post lunch was spent up a ladder, cutting down some of Geoff's wandering wisteria that had long ago taken over the neighbours holly tree.]

Wednesday 7th August 2024

Worklist:

Animals for the field and pallets for the yard.

Cows/bulls were ruled out. Goats were mooted, but apparently they can climb fences. Chris - operator and blog reader (yes, there are at least 2!) suggested donkeys. After some searching, Geoff found a 3D file of a donkey online. Getting the scale correct was difficult, but finally, he produced 2 options. The second was a slightly smaller and mirrored version of the first (Animals being printed upside-down for stability - see later).

Mother and daughter?

The daughter has a floppy ear.

It was noted that the support rods, when snapped off, left dimples in the smooth donkey skin, which normal paint did not 'fill'. Sometimes, small residues of the supports remain, but these can easily be filed off. Investigations required into detaching supports and/or filling dimples..

In order to cut down setting-up and packing-away time, we have generally been gluing down lots of the small features and Stephen made a start on the yard, gluing pallets together into blocks. Gluing onto the ground was vetoed for the time being, to keep our options open for additional items or alternative layouts.

Wednesday 31st July 2024

More figure painting and long grass along the fence panels together with some additional climbing weeds and flowers etc.

Some gloss varnish was thinned down and poured over the water in the trough. It doesn't look any different, but we'll see what it's like next week.

No ponies yet, but we did find a 3D printed bull lying down that neither of us can remember. We were tempted to have it in the centre of the field looking straight at the hiker - a bit of tension in the scene? Geoff will keep looking for ponies.