So we had the polybulks primed and ready for some colour. I had already painted the bogies using humbrol light grey from a can and used this for the bodies too, building up the colour depth gradually to avoid pools of paint.
This dried OK, however, it was still necessary to give the wagons a careful examination before the green was applied to spot any blemishes or stray dust spots etc. I did have to go over a few spots with a fine sanding stick before the green was added.
These wagons are really delicate and probably the most fragile things in my whole collection. I realised this after Kelvin contacted me to say he might have a piece of a ladder with him. I had taken one of the wagons with me to show Graham and Kelvin at the Stowmarket model railway exhibition and was lucky he spotted this little piece of ladder while clearing up.
I needed to mask the wagons to apply the green and so I used Tamyia masking tapes. These are really excellent and if used correctly, prevent colour creep or bleed. If you are serious about airbrushing or spray painting, its worth looking at a few books or DVDs. I purchased a DVD featuring George Dent from Model Rail who is an excellent modeller.
I had spent many days considering which green to use and came to the conclusion that all the reference pictures didn’t help much due to different lighting conditions when the pictures were taken, the quality of the picture or the cleanliness of the wagon. I considered using acrylic and enamel in my airbrush but eventually I settled for Ford Modena Green in a spray can made by Holts from a local car parts shop called Wilco.
As with most spraying, I carefully masked the wagons and sprayed them carefully, building up the density of colour and avoiding pools of colour at the ends by ensuring I passed the ends fully before making a return pass.
Eventually the green paint dried and I was able to see if I had done a good enough job. Removing the masking tape made me feel anxious but it was also strangely satisfying and I am relatively pleased with the outcome. Once the green fully dried, I added etched brass ladders instead of the ones supplied and I’m also awaiting some brass brake hand wheels which will be added once they drop on to my door mat.
I’ve also added some additional pieces of wire to the handrail at the platform end of each wagon and some fine Evergreen plastic rod to other end which will represent some stantions.
So, having got as far as I could, I guess it was time to get the transfers on. The kit maker supplies the transfers with a white transfer layer to apply first over the green to help the yellow layer have greater depth of colour. This morning, I have started to apply some of the white transfers. They appear to come lose from their backing really quickly, which isn’t bad, but took me by surprise as I soaked the first white box.
Well, I’m not going to rush this stage, it has to be right or I’ll end up really mad with myself.
Princes Street Station 