Skip With Brake 1/10 Scale

The second laser cut kit from the Feldbahnfactory-delivery is approaching a finished stage. Although time for modelling has been quite limited, the skip has slowly inched its way towards a finished stage. Now only final weathering is left before the braked skip and its cousin, the unbraked skip can be called completely finished.

Current status on the braked skip number 67. Looking quite worn and weathered even before I have begun the final stages of weathering. It will get worse!

Assembly presented no problems and with the experience gathered on the first, unbraked skip everything seemed like smooth sailing in well chartered waters. Even with the added parts of brake shoes and rodding no problems arose. The attentive viewer will notice, that the axle boxes on the braked skip are of a different type than those on the standard skip. I find it great that Feldbahnfactory have built in a little variety in the design with different pattern axle boxes. 

I also did some assembly on the kit in the summer cottage, and I managed to finish the basic frame and wheel assembly in two calm modelling evenings.

I painted the skip in the same as the standard skip, with rattle can spray paint: black primer from Games Workshop and Beltoni texture rust. I added dark grey and black from Vallejo with brush and added the number 67 on both ends of the skip body with etched stencils and semi-dry light sand paint stippled on. The wooden boards on the brake platform were scribed as being made from two planks and then heavily distressed with knife and coarse sanding sticks. The platform boards were then painted with a mix of heavily dileted oil paints and acrylic for the bolt heads. Both wagons are now ready for final weathering.

A single skip will make an impressive object for exhibition in your living room with careful lighting applied. No one will have doubts about your hobby!

Large Scale Skips - Really Large! (1/10)

I have developed a serious 'multiple scale dispersion syndrome' regularly drifting from 1/19 scale as my mood sees fit. I'm now trying out two kits from the new manufacturer Feldbahnfactory in the Netherlands. Also trading under the name of 'Spoorhout' the small manufacturer is just about to lanuch a production of 1:10 scale 600 mm industrial railway wagons and locomotives in laser cut wood. I couldn't resist the urge to build two classic steel skips in 1:10 scale.

The skips (one braked and one unbraked) comes in flat boxes measuring 36x23 and 41x22 cm. Curiously the braked skip (the kit with the most parts) came in the smallest box.

I have only been opening the boxes and carefully examined the parts. The instruction in A4 landscape format are expertly done and the impression of the kits is very promising. I can say that packaging is solid and the the four frets of parts are wrapped in silk paper. Obviously the maker, Arnoud Bongaards, is talented in digital design and drawing as well as presenting his kits to a very high quality.

Opening the box you are greated by silk paper wrapped frets with laser cut parts for your large scale O&K skips. I had the feeling opening a jewellery box, not a model kit! The kits will have great gift potential for industrial railway enthusiasts.

I received instructions in Dutch language as Arnoud wasn't quite finished doing the English version. Fortunately I'm pretty used to reading Dutch - and lets face it: the drawings says more than a thousands words!

Having carefully removed the silk paper wrapping I examined the parts that seem to be cut nicely and probably needing only very little work to separate from the fret. As with any wooden laser cut kit I'm looking forward to see how the prototype's round shapes are represented in kit form. A few other things I'm looking forward to experience is how the layering of parts will work out and how well the wood will take paint. 

Four frets A, B, C and D - and a small extra one taped to fret A.

Close up of fret D. For any resonably knowledgable skip fan the parts are readily identyfiable.

The well illustrated instructions seem to leave no question unanswered. Time will tell if it really works out that way.

The two skips are not meant to become the beginning of a huge undertaking in 1/10 scale. A fun diversion from my rather serious 1/19 scale modelling is good and I plan to exhibit the finished models on my work office where I have varying displays of railway and construction equipment models. Always a good starter for a talk with colleagues.