Whats New

Martin Nield    [Publisher: Cygnet Magazines]    Magazine

Martin Nield is in the editorial chair, reflecting upon how Covid did not spell any kind of end for our most splendid hobby, and pretty much everything that goes with it. Small suppliers forum kicks the issue off, featuring a nifty looking "kit" for the stylish Trans Pennine DMU in 4mm scale, being followed by "Postcards from Port Solway", which is a description and pictorial tour of the magnificent P4 layout built by the Newcastle and District MRS, a truly fantastic piece of work set in the pre grouping era, appearing at Railex North East this summer. David Clarke next shows how he lines locos using Fox transfers rather than a bow pen, followed by Jim Rowbottom describing his 3D printing journey. Simon Edmunds describes the planning of a new layout, "West Hallam" a Great Northern prototype in the East Midlands, before Bevis Heap upgrades the old Wrenn utility van using a Masokits chassis, preceding a consideration of the splendid LBSCR signals for "Ferring". Paul Karau shows us his wagon weathering in 7mm scale, done for a friend and featuring both RTR and kit built models, upon which Pal reflects. Anyway, who doesn't love a wagon, or two, or three. or... Letters, "Across the Yard", a nice preview of Railex and "Cider for London" complete the line up.

Francois Fontana    [Publisher: LR Presse]    Magazine

After the Voie Libre team have wished us all a happy modelling year, there follows a good section of reviews of a variety of products for sale, which underline how relatively cheap this hobby is in the UK. Included are the quirky Peco/Kato "mini modules", Tillig coaches and some great etched nettles(!) The book reviews feature three quite different titles, quite tempting, then the text proper starts with a HO9 layout inspired by the Disney "Big Thunder Mountain" attractions - a very creative piece of work with huge visual impact and a great sense of fun, just the best. Eric Fresne next treats us to a series of practical construction articles which show how different modellers have used widely differing techniques to produce their individualistic models of buildings, very inspiring whatever your level of competence I think. Next is a tiny Locotracteur and layout built to show off a nicely built 1/48 Tamiya Citroen Traction, with an invitation for similiar ideas to be submitted to the magazine, the "prize" being publication and a year's subscription. The drawings and historical photographs and research cenre section is given over to the Blangy mines haulage system and its tubs and trollies. After a build up of a P'Tit kits locotracteur, we are plunged into the most fabulous piece of whimsey with Jean Pierre Schenfelle's graphic layout model built on to a "Dual" record deck, fiendishly clever and featuring rabbits and a Baobab tree - irresistible, and he sort of thing that would give P4 modellers multiple mental circuit failures I think. Fear not, we next move closer to "reality" with Jacques Boileau's "Chinon Pass" an HO9 bottle cork mining railway built for a film, or something like that, the director was Cecile Baidemill and it starred Jean Wayne, amongst others... The editor next details the construction of basic scenery and a waterfall for an O scale narrow gauge layout which will feature forced perspective, which article is followed up by the genesis of a lemon based HO-6.5 layout and idea set on the Amalfi Coast. We finally return to earth with the mororisation of trams with the BD concepts driving bogie. A real roller coaster of an issue!