DOZING OFF

 Cheap 'toy' transformed in an evening.

I picked up a couple of die-cast toys in a supermarket a while back, thinking that they may be worth a little attention one day. With a coal loading diorama on the cards, now seemed a good time to dig out the bull dozer and see what could be done with it. Looking pretty close to 1:76 scale ('OO' gauge), the yellow rubber tracks were removed and the whole thing treated to successive layers of weathering, starting with an overall coat of matt varnish. Without this initial step, not much would cling to the shiny, high gloss paintwork.

Enamel washes, acrylic paints, dry pigments and metallic wax-type paints were subsequently applied by hand brush and cotton swabs. After painting, the tracks were replaced, dusted with dry pigments and dry-brushed to give a metallic edge. A tiny amount of airbrush work gave the roof and upper surfaces a fine, dusty texture. All in all, it took about two - very enjoyable - hours. Oh, and the model cost me £1!