Quote from: NARSES2 on October 29, 2024, 06:05:49 AM

Quote from: Nick on October 28, 2024, 09:17:09 AMYES! I have the double arrow decals and numbers already. It's getting the coal matt black and the brass bits shiny that concern me.

Coals not really matt, there's a slight sheen to it, and it can look a very dark blue/black in certain light 

That's a good point. I'm used to the house coal which came in moulded balls, the stuff used on steam rail is more like natural pieces of rock.
Like the Rolling Stones said - Paint it Black (with a hint of dark grey).

Quote from: Nick on October 29, 2024, 07:52:18 AM

Quote from: NARSES2 on October 29, 2024, 06:05:49 AM

Quote from: Nick on October 28, 2024, 09:17:09 AMYES! I have the double arrow decals and numbers already. It's getting the coal matt black and the brass bits shiny that concern me.

Coals not really matt, there's a slight sheen to it, and it can look a very dark blue/black in certain light 

That's a good point. I'm used to the house coal which came in moulded balls, the stuff used on steam rail is more like natural pieces of rock.
Like the Rolling Stones said - Paint it Black (with a hint of dark grey).

I once read a post of someone painting a steam locomotive tender, first painting the coal stack satin black, then dry brushing it matt on top. Looked great in photos.
I've never built anything like it, so I haven't tried myself.

For the VERY few steam loco models I've built (maybe 3-4) I used real coal in the tender, after suitable 'treatment' with a big hammer of course. 

These days in the UK that's not so easy because it's almost illegal to buy coal here!

Quote from: PR19_Kit on October 30, 2024, 04:25:40 AMFor the VERY few steam loco models I've built (maybe 3-4) I used real coal in the tender, after suitable 'treatment' with a big hammer of course. 

These days in the UK that's not so easy because it's almost illegal to buy coal here!

Surely that would attract comments for its inaccurate non-scale sheen and colour...
 

Quote from: Pellson on October 29, 2024, 11:59:26 PMI once read a post of someone painting a steam locomotive tender, first painting the coal stack satin black, then dry brushing it matt on top. Looked great in photos.
I've never built anything like it, so I haven't tried myself.

That sounds like a good way of doing it. Think I might well try it. Thanks.

Quote from: Nick on October 29, 2024, 07:52:18 AMThat's a good point. I'm used to the house coal which came in moulded balls, the stuff used on steam rail is more like natural pieces of rock.

That was probably "Coalite" or similar. It was illegal to buy coal for domestic use in London after the Great Smog of 1952 even when I was a kid, . You had to use one of "manufactured" smokless substitutes. All the northern half of my family were still using coal until the miners strike, and not paying for it, whilst if you worked at one of British Steel's Big 5 works then you got an official issue of coking coal (it stopped it being misappropriated  ) well into the 90's.

People don't realise how many different types of coal there are and that specific types are more suited to certain uses then others. Most UK coal was steam coal, whilst in the steel industry we prefered steel making coal for chemical reasons, but there's very little of that in the UK, whilst Australia has zillions of tonnes of the stuff. The miners strike changed where we were allowed to source from.

I'll go back into my hole now 

Quote from: NARSES2 on October 30, 2024, 06:55:52 AMI'll go back into my hole now 

Your cole hole?

Quote from: kitbasher on October 30, 2024, 01:18:37 PM

Quote from: NARSES2 on October 30, 2024, 06:55:52 AMI'll go back into my hole now 

Your cole hole?

Coalite hole, don't forget I live in Greater London 

Quote from: NARSES2 on October 31, 2024, 01:52:37 AM

Quote from: kitbasher on October 30, 2024, 01:18:37 PM

Quote from: NARSES2 on October 30, 2024, 06:55:52 AMI'll go back into my hole now 

Your cole hole?

Coalite hole, don't forget I live in Greater London 

Of course.  How quickly have I become a country bumpkin, eh?

Happy birthday Nick

Quote from: zenrat on October 30, 2024, 04:47:46 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on October 30, 2024, 04:25:40 AMFor the VERY few steam loco models I've built (maybe 3-4) I used real coal in the tender, after suitable 'treatment' with a big hammer of course. 

These days in the UK that's not so easy because it's almost illegal to buy coal here!

Surely that would attract comments for its inaccurate non-scale sheen and colour...
 

Aeons ago, I built a non-scale  J36 LNER tender  loco for an elderly acquaintance. It was 65293, the loco he'd driven between the various goods yards of Carlisle for many years.  I even remembered to model (but not very well )his bike, which he kept on the tender for bunking off to the bookies during a shift.   I used real coal to half-fill the tender (as Kit suggests, my  modelling tools include a 4 lb hammer)   and was told by the local  railway JMN society that  " I should have  modelled  the coal much more accurately than that"  The retired engine driver was delighted with the model and I don't give a brightly coloured d**n about the rest  of humanity's opinions.

Quote from: Rheged on October 31, 2024, 09:43:28 AM

Quote from: zenrat on October 30, 2024, 04:47:46 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on October 30, 2024, 04:25:40 AMFor the VERY few steam loco models I've built (maybe 3-4) I used real coal in the tender, after suitable 'treatment' with a big hammer of course. 

These days in the UK that's not so easy because it's almost illegal to buy coal here!

Surely that would attract comments for its inaccurate non-scale sheen and colour...
 

Aeons ago, I built a non-scale  J36 LNER tender  loco for an elderly acquaintance. It was 65293, the loco he'd driven between the various goods yards of Carlisle for many years.  I even remembered to model (but not very well )his bike, which he kept on the tender for bunking off to the bookies during a shift.   I used real coal to half-fill the tender (as Kit suggests, my  modelling tools include a 4 lb hammer)   and was told by the local  railway JMN society that  " I should have  modelled  the coal much more accurately than that"  The retired engine driver was delighted with the model and I don't give a brightly coloured d**n about the rest  of humanity's opinions.

You should have put some coal in some JMN's stocking!

my late father in law being a 009 railway modeller, always maintained the best way to model coal, was as you guy have done, take real coal, and smack it down to retentive size....
i have a box of it some where should i ever need it. 

I have given up on the Mistercraft Hunter. I am literally polishing a turd. It actually looks worse with the gloss white coat which shows up all the dimples and cracks. Looking to start again with a decent Revell Hunter kit.

Iran F-16. Looking quite good to me. Main camo done. I've had to eyeball the colours as there are very few exact paint matches for the Asia Minor scheme. Put any differences down to sunlight fading and lack of US paint in Iran post revolution. They were due to get 55 in the first batch which were built but sold to Israel.

M41 - built and green. Need to paint the wheels and do a tiny bit of weathering on the smaller parts. One of the aerials snapped off but I'm not worrying about that. Going to be 'depot ready' when done. Need to give it a satin varnish to get that sheen as it's too matte now.

Evening Star - We're Getting There, just like British Rail in the 1980s.

All this is affected by my car needing repairs to the A/C compressor whihch is rattling like crazy. Took it in last week and the parts ordered were for the previous model of my car. Hoping to have the new one in and fitted to my car by Thursday.

Ah bad luck with the Hunter, Nick.  Must be very frustrating.

Haven't seen the plastic 'in the box' but have seen online pics of the sprues on the web and it looks as though Mistercraft were 'inspired' by the FROG FGA.9 via the Plastyk kit.

I recall the FROG FGA.9 being highly lauded when it first came out.  Built one - went together fine but the windscreen is rather blunt and the rear fuselage contours are somewhat overly curvaceous.

Can you recover the Hunter and put it in a different colour scheme?