Boulder Creek
  • Home
  • Tutorials
    • Professional Tools >
      • Laser Cutting
      • 3D Printing
      • Static Grass Applicator
      • Paint Shaker
      • Scan N Cut
    • Video Tutorials
    • Articles
    • Modular Layout
  • Goodies
    • Competition Entry & Results
    • Blog
    • YouTube Top 10
    • Product and Reviews
    • Downloads
    • Gallery
    • Fan Artwork
    • Spot Me Challenge
    • MRH
  • Patrons
    • Become a Patron
    • Members Only
  • Store
  • Contact

Building a Hopper

23/7/2016

1 Comment

 
A while ago I ordered a handful of
'Steam Era Models - Vline VHGF Hoppers'
and for about 6 months they have been sitting on the shelf just waiting to be built!
I've decided it's about time I got started.
My newest layout will include a grain silo so these should fit in perfectly.
Picture
So far I've built one and I have 7 more to go, the good news is they go together quite easily however the first one took a while due to the vague instructions. Nevertheless it went together very well.  
The plan is to film a 2 part video on building and painting the models as well as methods for installing couplers and adding weight to the car to bring it up to NMRA standards. 
  • PART 1 - This will encompass the preparation of the kit as well as the actual build and finally painting the model with an airbrush to make it look like a brand new hopper.
  • PART 2 - This video will be specifically focused on weathering the car to make it look like it has been well used on the railroad.
Filming of the video will start in the next couple of days and depending on the weather (The shed gets very cold!) part one should be finished in just over a week from now.
I'll post some updates here and I'll also post a written tutorial for this build detailing all the tools and materials so should you wish to build the same Hoppers as me you'll have all the information you need.
So stay tuned for the first video :)
1 Comment

Cop cars & LEDs

12/7/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
I'm always looking for cheap ways to get great effects on my models... and adding lights to a police car is a perfect example! This was probably one of the easiest modifications I've tried and I'd bet anyone can easily do the same.
So after posting my latest video on making hedges I found I had a bit a spare time, so I embarked on an idea I'd had for a long time which was animating a police car. It wasn't until I went to a recent model railway exhibition that I saw a guy selling blue and red alternating LEDs... Perfect! I already had the police car so this was the perfect time to have a go at adding lights.
I wanted it to be simple, I could have used the ultra small LEDs and a circuit board for the electronics and installed the lights into the existing emergency light bar however the average modeler isn't going to attempt such a complex build... Including me :)
So I simply installed 3mm LEDs into the roof of the car to get the overall effect of the police cars lights being illuminated.
Picture
I know it's certainly not perfect or prototypical by any means however it gives of a great effect and is very easy to do. 99% of viewers will appreciate the special effect and their imagination will begin to run wild as they contemplate they scene and why the police are there with the lights on?
Picture
I thoroughly enjoyed installing the lights and making this modification and I decided to make a video tutorial showing the basic process of adding LEDs to a police car.
The products I've used are
  •  Bush Police Car - Busch vehicles are absolutely fantastic, they are put together so well and come apart very easily which makes it very easy to make modifications to all of their vehicles!
  •  3mm Red/Blue LEDs - I wired these up in series, due to the timing of the red/blue alternations the alternating effect cycles. They start of blinking red and blue together but then one LED flashes slightly faster than the other, so after 30 seconds or so they start alternating in color and eventually sync up again. The overall effect still look quite good.
  • Thin Electrical Wire - For wiring to the LEDs, I used red and black. 
​
Basic tools used will be shown in the video tutorial.
Picture
To power the lights I used the Woodland Scenics Just Plug Light System, I had a spare plug due to cutting of an old Nano LED and I now use the spare plug to connect other lights into the system. It had a resistor already attached to the plug.
You can also use a standard 12v power supply or something similar however you'll need to remember to add a suitable sized resistor to avoid blowing the LEDs!
I demonstrate both techniques in the tutorial which should be done in the next 4 day.
Stay tuned for the video which isn't far away :)

Cheers
​Luke
0 Comments

Modelling Hedges - Diorama Progress

1/7/2016

1 Comment

 
It's been quite a while since my last video but the drought is about to end. 
Picture
In the above photo you can see an old diorama, it's actually the diorama from 'Realistic Scenery Vol-3' but whats new is the hedge! 
I've been experimenting with some of the Coconut Fiber Basket Liner material that I used in the 'Tall Forrest Pine Trees' video and the results have come back looking quite good. I think it will take a little more practice to get the exact results I'm after but this was attempt number one and I have to say that I'm quite happy. 
As for the other materials, I basically spray the coconut fibers with a spray adhesive once I have teased the fibers out a little and achieved the basic shape I want, next I sprinkle the hedge with Javis Scenics Medium Green Scatter, then again I give the hedge a light spray with the spray adhesive and finally I coat the hedge with MP Scenery Products Falling Leaves - Medium Green. 
A few different companies do the leaf material, I think Javis Scenics do some, Noch have a good range and Treemendous scenery do a good range as well. 
They are a fantastic product and I'm still quite new to the leaf material but I'm finding it to be fantastic and helps really add a level of realism that's hard to get with simply ground foam.
Picture
Above is the diorama I'm building to display the house I built and the hedges that will be the focus of the next video. That big patch in the road was actually a mistake that I'm trying to cover up!
Before I sprinkled the dirt texture over the diorama I masked the road using standard 'masking tape'. Unfortunately after applying the dirt and spraying it with glue, I peeled away the tape and chunks of the road paint peeled up with it. The big patch you can see was a little to big to fix so it turned into an actual road repair patch :)
Picture
And here is the house. The diorama has a slight hill on it so the house will sit on top of the hill above the road and the hedge will surround the house. I have some fancy gates to use on the driveway so overall I'm hoping it will look quite good. 
The video itself shouldn't take long however I plan to finish the diorama first so it might be a little over a week before I get the video finished.
So stay tuned :)
1 Comment

    Categories

    All
    3D Printing
    Laser Cutting
    Making Trees
    Night Scenes
    Realistic Scenery Updates
    Structures
    Useful Tools
    Working With Water

    Archives

    October 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    RSS Feed

Boulder Creek Railroad is a fan funded website and YouTube channel, all your support is greatly appreciated
  • Home
  • Tutorials
    • Professional Tools >
      • Laser Cutting
      • 3D Printing
      • Static Grass Applicator
      • Paint Shaker
      • Scan N Cut
    • Video Tutorials
    • Articles
    • Modular Layout
  • Goodies
    • Competition Entry & Results
    • Blog
    • YouTube Top 10
    • Product and Reviews
    • Downloads
    • Gallery
    • Fan Artwork
    • Spot Me Challenge
    • MRH
  • Patrons
    • Become a Patron
    • Members Only
  • Store
  • Contact