Rarely do you hear the word “amazing” when talking about etched brass kits. But it was used this evening and with every justification.
Andrew’s presentation itself was well-considered, thorough and entertaining and a perfect introduction to his range of etched brass building kits in N, OO and O scales. It was no surprise, therefore, that this same thoroughness had been applied to every aspect of kit development and production – optimising the content of each etch, incorporating as much detail as possible, fully exploiting the 3-dimensional possibilities of each model, ensuring construction was straightforward and that all of this was backed up by an excellent set of instructions.
The attention to detail is exceptional with the lamination of etches not only recreating prototypical thicknesses and providing additional strength but also facilitating assembly e.g. the risers on the signal box stairs also include individual slots for locating the treads. All achieved from an etch having a basic thickness of 0.3mm!
And Andrew’s demonstration of the use and application of “superglue” was a personal eye-opener. So much so that I wouldn’t even consider soldering as a construction method as it would create more problems than benefits – imagine trying to solder in the treads of the signal box staircase! Final robustness isn’t an issue either as this has been considered in the kit’s construction.
Overall, this was a super evening and considering that Andrew only started up this business 12 months ago there is already a lot that some etched brass kit manufacturers could learn from him. And finally, if you’re an O gauge modeller contemplating the construction of a greenhouse, look no further than one of Andrew’s kits – where else would you find a hand fork and trowel in 7mm scale!
Gardening anyone??
David Knight
More on the Etched Brass Buildings talk.
Further to David Knight's description, Michael Ling has supplied some details from Andrew's talk.
Andrew makes etched brass kits of buildings in 2mm, 4mm and 7mm. The buildings are complete in themselves but do not include guttering and downpipes.
Equipment needed:
Superglue (from B&Q), medium viscosity, applied with a scriber. Or use epoxy resin or solder the kits.
Small pliers, side cutters (eg Xuron), needle files, scriber, primer paint and water based acrylic paint eg from Games Workshop (called Citadel) not Humbrol.
How to assemble models:
Sand surfaces with 240 grit emery paper before cutting from sprue.
Ensure tabs and the half etched fold lines are inside the model
Clamp tab to inside of model and check for squareness.
Apply glue round the edge of the joint with a scriber.
How to paint models:
Use water-based acrylic paints, applied with a small brush; paint thinly, adding paint in layers. For realistic effect, do not be too neat.
Start with a primer basecoat (Andrew used Skull White Spray paint). Paint in a lighter colour than your intended finished model to look.
Add an Ink wash (brown ink: 1 part to 4 parts water) to flow into the brick courses.
Blot with kitchen paper and repeat three times.
For corrugated roofs, try a metallic paint (Andrew uses Mithril silver which has been discontinued. Try Tamiya Flat Aluminium or Runefang steel!)
Paint discrete parts of model (eg stairs of signal box) before final assembly.
Glazing come last: acetate sheet is included in the kit fixed with PVA (not superglue).
A selection of suitable tools and adhesives is available from Andrew via his website. ASRM members were impressed by the high quality of the kits and by the (deceptive?) ease with which Andrew assembled them.