goodbyes and hello's

and welcome to another episode of the infrequent drivel that is this blog!

and finally i've finished a few things.. the Scania's for work have been done and are now inhabiting the head ofice of ALC in Bicester

here's a couple of snaps of one of them installed in it's pretty DSC Showcase, quite literally the night before i handed them over!

i d think they do look the part, the uh komatsu's on the back also look good, and as usual the the final recipient was very happy so everything is good!

just got to hope we can keep the contract, up against a bunch of rateslashing agricultural hauliers from leyburn!

also finished is the brown group daf, that featured earlier in the blog.

as you can tell bythe pics, its a belter!

this really recreates the prototype which is the look i was aiming for!

just dont remind me about doing the bloody number plates!!

and the next instlment will explain how much i despise a certain kit....

a bit of a catchup

well..... i've finally managed to get a mo to point a camera at things currently demanding time on the work bench

first up another job for work, more silver and purple ALC liveried wagons with matching loads

and for a change these have two almost JCB 4CXM's on the back... not quite really as they are UH's Komatsu WB97's repainted and tweaked and a spares pack fabricated and placed in the buckets

at this point all im waiting for is decals and some beacons for the roof

and lurking in the background is this beauty!!!

a model of the Brown group's DAF2800 with a 4 axle nooteboom low loader

the tractor is from WSI, which is very nice to start with, a fairly simple repaint with the addition of correct mudguards, headboard and a chaintray

also as its a right hand drive it requires the cranked aircleaner as found on them... a bit of head scratching and scrap plastic and this appeared!!!!

The trailer itself is also a bit of an animal! its an early 80's prototype so needed the heavyweight neck scratchbuilding, i think its captured the prototype quite well.

Pictures of which can be found in my flickr photostream which can be found here: http://http://www.flickr.com/photos/41229863@N06/

this one is going to be a surprise present for the former driver of it!, just got to finish it.....

worringly enough there seems to be a queue of stuff for other people building up!

next to make an appearence is ALE's Unipower MH8875 (to give it its full title), which preliminary investigation is going to be a proper pain in the bot! as there is lots of discrepancis in the asam kit to be rectified! but this will warrant a post all of its own..

also in the queue is driver mechanical services Volvo FH16, Cadzows scania 143 8x4.......

is there no end in sight!

anyway, other challenges this week involve a mastiff with a damaged tail!!!

anyway ttfn!

New bat time.... New bat channel......

well.... it's a been a while as the age old phrase goes!

and looking at the date of my last post... a very long time!

but divorce and house moves have that effect.. but anyway we'll see if we can resurrect some kind of order to this rubbish!!

i've actually been doing a (very ) little bit of modelling but currently i'm doing battle with one of WSI's DAF 2800's and very modified nooteboom low loader!

i will get me bum in gear and get some pics i promise......

hmmmm....modelling...or working..

as the title says.... thats mostly what the happy smiley (caution may contain sarcasm)people here at norman's howse have been up to.....

the fun packed roadshow that is heavy transport continues apace at work...helping out ainscough with the very accident damaged AC2000 http://www.vertikal.net/en/stories.php?id=7129 if you havent already seen the pics...we recovered from site to an ainscough depot..and then it's going to germany to demag's to be rebuilt...apparently there's an ac500 coming from spain to cover/replace it...600 ton boxes on the docks at ellesmere port..115tonne generating rotors in newcastle..we've actually run out of axles and had to hire some in!!!!

plus trying to keep a brace of smaller trucks running during these "trying" times....all good fun..or so they say!

but anyway on with the modelling...WSI's very nice Scania R620 6x2 toplines have a had their first visit to the desk...

as you can see..a stunning model in its own right..it just looks right! the stance..etc one of my pet hates! is good...

but...we are not here to sit there and fawn over it! (a couple of hours with different trailers if your interested)

how do we take this apart.... as they dont generally supply instructions for this...we now have to enter the zen like mental approach of...."why the fishcake isnt this coming apart!". so an evening later...with a variety of sharp flat bladed tools and the latest weapon in the fight against ready built models...!!SUPERGLUE REMOVER!!! something every modeller should own! you should end up with stage one...

then more levering swearing and dissolving...

gets you to stage two as the next pic shows...

and then its upstairs for the first soak in paint stripper and into the paint booth...

and currently as i type this....chassis and mudguards are primered..awaiting purple...and the cabs have got their first shot of silver...along with the transit's....

more on airbrushing..motorart's jcb's meet the the desk...how to get orange spray paint of your fingers.. all this and more...in your next instalment of the non-award winning part work that is norman's howse......

Hello...Good Evening and welcome........

well...couple of random updates.....

first a handy guide to dismantling corgi's new ford transit which shock and indeed horror, is actually a good model!!!!!

so..if you've read earlier episodes of normanshowse...you'll know why the transit is on the desk...if not feel free to refresh yourself....

so anyway...back to the tale in hand...how in the wide, wide world of sports do we take it apart!!!!

right then...we are looking for screws or rivits in the bottom somewhere..

so flip it over and exahust off..and start looking for hiding places..spare wheel carrier at the rear

and a clipped in panel at the front...took a bit longer at the time mind.....

screws out..floorpan away...glazing and lights out.. and an ingenious way of holding on the rear panel.. and jobs a good 'un!!!

and next on the desk...WSI's Scania R164 6x2....possibly more of a challenge than the van.....

and the rebuilt compressor has been pressed in to action.....

My CAT 740 ADT has been for its first trip to the paint booth....

Here's an early build shot..

The idea came from Scott fenwick's website

http://www.earthmovermodels.piczo.com/closeInterstitial();?cr=7 where after working out the donors.....Cararama/motorart Volvo A40D..and Norscot's CAT 725...and lots of plastic.....!!!!!

so got the parts and game on!!!!.....anyway...got some CAT Paint via work...and here's he first build after a shot of paint...

Couple of shady paint finish bits....so out with he micro mesh...(6000+grit sandpaper)

and back to the booth....

Oh...and mostly this week i have been drinking Old Peculiar from california...and Tusker kenyan lager!!

So tune in again for another exciting normanshowse adventure...........

D

finally.....i finish another one!!!!!!

firstly my apologies for the tardy updates...

but this week i finally (at 2am on the day of delivery! i hasten to add) finished and handed over the Challenger tank and lowloader model...

The brief was to produce a retirement gift for someone at the MOD, a civilian low loader carrying a piece of military equipment...so....first thought was one of WSI's absolutely lovely Nooteboom Lowloaders....another check with the customer what did he want on the front...

i did suggested a GCS Johnson Titan, but as the guy i'm building it for deals with several Heavy Haul companies..so didn't want to favour one company over another...(But we are damn good!)

so i suggested a plain blue outfit..and found this from WSI...and for the load....An Academy Challenger 1 in 1/48th....so here's the first meeting of the components

So....with the truck i removed the operator logos from the front and sides..using nail varnish remover...and that was pretty much all the tractor received...until later...

basically a brief dip into the world of military modelling for the tank..revealed the kit actually isnt that good...

and as a big part of this build is that all uk military equipment has a scheme laid down for the securing procedures. so that means the tank has to acquire tie-down brackets for large diameter shackles to be fitted so it can be chained down to the trailer safely and securely!....in this case 40mm diameter shackles...so i've had to rebuild the rear of the tank to give it a more correct profile

and after moving the external fuel storage at the rear....and brief trip to the spraybooth...did you know that british army green is actually a mix of standard nato green and olive drab..everyday is a schoolday!

so here's a shot of the debadged DAF XF105 with green modified tank...look closely and you can see the shackles on the front

Now...got to chain it down...so we need securing points on the trailer..drilled holes with brass loops to attach the chain...4 chains at the rear... 2 on the front...crossed left to right...talk about bloody fiddly!!!!!

next step...got a glass case from DSC Showcases, I'd recommend them to anyone! absolutely topclass service and an outstanding piece of kit.

a small engraved plaque to go in it...and got to fix it to the case..drilled holes and fixed brass rod in the bottom of the model and matching holes in the case..some more epoxy and jobs a good un...

so with great pleasure...i'd like to unveil it!

and finally...a shot showing the cats cradle of knitting on the rear of the tank!!!

but the best thing was when the guy collected from me...he was over the moon with it!

and on that note....thats it till next time...where you can join us for norman's howse adventure!!!

wooo...package day!...ish...

actually it's the result of three deliveries but.....

..finally it's all turned up!

from the top....

4 of Motorart's JCB 3CX's

2 of Corgi's New Ford Transit

2 of WSI's lovely Scania R 6x2 Tractors

plus 2 lion toys Nooteboom 4axle Ramped semi's to go behind them..

oh...and the JS330 in 1/35th.....

The best thing is when i've finished there wont be a trace of JCB Yellow amongst them!!!

An awful lot of silver...and Green is destined for them...

these are destined for a customer at work...here's the fleet inspiration

This is not the first i've done, that was a DAF XF superspace... but this time its scania's with 2 x 3CXM's on the back...no pressure but these are destined for the MD's desk....the transit's are intended for the same customer...as they run them as fleet engineers vehicles......

i'll stick something up here as i do each part of the conversion and repaints...as the first of the ford transit's is already on my desk in pieces.....

And a couple of updates from other projects......

Super Long Front.....Started on the base machine....http://www.land-water.co.uk/page.asp/LongReach25m.htm yep...one of land & water's Hitachi EX750's!...nothing like doing things the hard way!!!!....i'll try and put a more detailed post up eaplaining a bit more!

Challenger tank and Low Loader....not much really just got to chain it down and get a a case for it..apparently the recipient finishes with the MOD on the 5th of November!!!!!!! no rush then!

Dave