The Big Reveal

At last our model of 150 is ready to show you.

I don't think any of our models has taken so long to paint, line and varnish as this one.

Himself began painting it in the final weeks of last year and I had hoped to be able to post some pictures of it finished in January, and now it's almost June!

One of the delays was because we didn't want to risk spraying the varnish until the ambient temperature improved (it is not done in a heated part of the house, you see) and then when it did get sprayed some of the lining, in particular the really fiddly bits on the window pillars, blew off and had to be replaced.

We'll be the first to admit that some of the lining is a little over scale because we're using transfers designed for 4mm standard gauge rolling stock but I think trying to get some bespoke crests produced for 009 is going just a little too far.

I'm particularly pleased with how the curtain effect turned out

In the end Himself decided just to go for it with a brush painting onto the back of the glazing and given how difficult it was to make up and fit the glazing with both the bend and the curved roof line at the front it was a real one-shot, hero or zero, moment.

Along with the WHR Obs 'Glaslyn' it is one of the trickiest scratch building projects we've ever taken on and it's a true team effort between us.

The question is how we're going to summon up the will to do it all over again with 152?