METROPOLITAN RLY CARRIAGE PROGRESS

3D Printed model starts to take shape.

As mentioned previously, this 3D printed carriage kit represents a 4mm scale Metropolitan Railway 3rd Class brake vehicle. After some laborious preparation, the finishing process has got going in earnest, with the wood effect scheme slowly taking shape. I decided to have a go with an airbrush and a few different shades of Tamiya paint to create a base colour, plus highlights and shading to the various panelled sections.

I was quite chuffed with my first attempt and, although it still needs some extra work, the character of the prototype is beginning to emerge. Once the Tamiya paints were dry, I gave the carriage an all-over wash of MIG enamel wood wash, which has settled into all the recesses nicely. Now, I'm waiting for this to dry out completely before I start adding some extra depth to the wood tones and, hopefully, give some impression of the grain.

I've now managed to track down a supplier of suitable transfers and, after a lot of hard work, the project feels like it's finally coming together...