Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

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Jimmyb
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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Jimmyb » Mon Aug 09, 2021 9:01 am

I use a guy in USA called Stan Cederleaf for my decals. Waterslide on a clear background, but due to his equipment it prints white. Provide your own design or have him design for you. At around $60.00 for a A4 sheet not cheap, but he will fill the sheet and they are very good. This is an example:
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Peter Butler
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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Peter Butler » Mon Aug 09, 2021 10:33 am

While searching for self adhesive, Welsh red Dragon stickers I came across this on eBay:
https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/K ... l1200.webp
He will print any design you ask and is not expensive. I had some made and they are just what I wanted.
Search..... greenteagraphics in eBay for further information.
The best things in life are free.... so why am I doing this?

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Sylvian Tennant
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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Sylvian Tennant » Mon Aug 09, 2021 11:18 am

They are fantastic mate.

I'm also looking into majing my iwn decals. What program do you use is it just the normal word/paint pages/drawing ones

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Phil.P » Mon Aug 09, 2021 8:25 pm

UK custom decal suppliee:

https://custom-model-decals.com/

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Wed Aug 11, 2021 9:14 pm

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The splodgy mess around the transfers is a protective coat of Humbrol Clear I put on after they had dried. The following day I could paint over it as necessary. I suppose I should have printed them to the width of the panel and door


The decals / transfers worked out fine. Colour match wasn’t too bad and, of course, there were scruffy white edges but I hadn’t trimmed them too tightly and there was plenty of space to tidy up with a small paint brush.

With the whole coach then spray varnished, I think they look OK. But after all that, these livery details are quite small and restrained — outside, I don’t suppose they’ll be particularly noticeable (as you can see in the picture below).

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Thanks for all the interest. JimmyB’s guy in the US offering bespoke transfers (including white print) on transparent backgrounds, all for $60 an A4 sheet is the cheapest I’ve heard of. However…

Sylvian Tennant wrote: Mon Aug 09, 2021 11:18 am 'What program do you use – is it just the normal word/paint pages/drawing ones?'

I’ve been using ancient, legacy, print design software — particularly Photoshop (versions that came on install discs) — on elderly Macs for ages, which isn’t really of much help to you.

If you want to match backgrounds or aim for specific colours, you’ll need image editing and / or graphics applications that let you work in CMYK* (because your printer does) and that offer precise control of colour, type, imported images and sizing. You could sign up to Creative Cloud — it’s only 50 quid a month! But no doubt there are cheaper alternatives.

(*CMYK - cyan, magenta, yellow, black - are the inks used in colour printing and colours are defined by their percentages, in that order)

Cheapo inkjet printers / scanners can be amazing value (I’d recommend HP) but the colour is never absolutely accurate, which is why I go through the whole palaver of doing a set of swatches / colour samples — including slightly darker, lighter, warmer, cooler alternatives to the scanned colour I’m trying to match (as shown in the earlier photograph). I don’t think there’s a better way to assess colour accuracy, than printing out the colour (on the decal paper you intend to use) and holding it against the original. But sometimes that doesn’t work either.

Best of luck!

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Jimmyb » Thu Aug 12, 2021 8:21 am

BertieB wrote: Wed Aug 11, 2021 9:14 pm Thanks for all the interest. JimmyB’s guy in the US offering bespoke transfers (including white print) on transparent backgrounds, all for $60 an A4 sheet is the cheapest I’ve heard of.
Link to website https://cedarleafcustomdecals.com/

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Lonsdaler » Sun Aug 15, 2021 1:53 pm

I've produced my own decals too, but using a laserjet printer, with appropriate white decal paper, and go through the same process to 'blend' them in. For software I use an ancient copy of Macromedia Fireworks (from before Macromedia were swallowed by Adobe). It's text manipulation is second to none, and other than having to run it in compatibilty mode on my Win 10 pc, it does exactly what I want, still. The main problem I have now is that the supplier I have used since 2014 now states that his paper is suitable only for a limited number of laser printers, not including the model I have :cry: I can still print with it, but have to make sure the printer is cold (no previous print jobs in the last few hours), and only do a single sheet at a time, otherwise I get a horrible overprinted, smudged mess. Oh, and, if you're tempted to try decal printing yourself, always produce a full sheet in one pass. You cannot put the paper through the printer again, having, say, printed a small batch on the sheet, then cut them off and try to print more on the remaining sheet. Guess how I know this! :lol:
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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Sun Aug 15, 2021 3:39 pm

I’ve used other combinations of software, different decal papers and inkjet printers in the past — and all of them seem to have particular idiosyncrasies, that you just stumble across through trial and error.

What seems to be common to all is the need to find the printer setting that works (with ‘type of paper’ and ‘quality’ on my current printer, for example — there’s never a ‘white decal paper’ option) and exporting your artwork as a (CMYK) PDF and printing from that. Again, you can experiment with PDF preferences. Hi-res settings (300dpi) don’t always produce better results…

I’m so pleased to hear that others have wasted hours on this sort of nonsense too!

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Lonsdaler » Sun Aug 15, 2021 9:05 pm

BertieB wrote: Sun Aug 15, 2021 3:39 pm
I’m so pleased to hear that others have wasted hours on this sort of nonsense too!
Computers and their peripherals are the bain of my life! For my pains, I also help manage the IT for a charity I'm involved in - thank the gods that we have a person who mostly knows what he's doing! :lol:
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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Wed Feb 23, 2022 5:55 pm

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It’s been a while but two more coaches from the 2021 Modernisation Plan are almost ready for the paint shop.

Fun-scale, freelance Coach 3 (above, left) has a cab at one end, to be part of a new, tank engine powered, ‘push-pull’ set.

The cab design however, is not too different from Coach 4 (next to it and below) the even more freelance, proto-Thumper, early DEMU power car, so both can run together as a dodgy multiple unit, at least for now — possibly even with additional coaches between them (we just won’t pay too much attention to the ‘wrong’ end).

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Sadly, the G-bits site no longer appears to be functioning, so the power car has two motor blocks from Ince Loco Works, found online. I hope they’ll be able to cope with the coaches, which are fairly hefty. Control will be either Deltang or Loco Remote, I don’t know which right now.

There’s still 52 quadruple (back-to-back) and double seat units to complete for the four coaches — and the passengers haven’t even made it out of the box yet. There’s also a plan, kind of, to print appropriate seat moquettes as DIY decals… we’ll see.

And for those not familiar with them, ‘Thumper’ became the popular name for first generation, late 1950s, BR Southern Region, diesel-electric multiple units, as a consequence of the immensely satisfying racket made by their low-revving, 4-cylinder English Electric diesels. I thought I might experiment with placing one of those Bluetooth speakers (that deliver lots of ‘enhanced’ or ‘extra’ bass) inside the ‘engine compartment’, to play heavy Thumper audio when it, eventually, trundles about. It’ll freak out the cat, though.

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It’s quite long

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Even longer! (Four won’t fit on the table)

Not too sure about that typeface for the numbers. Might have to look at that again. A bit of tidying up to do too (spot the shirt button).

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philipy
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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by philipy » Wed Feb 23, 2022 6:29 pm

Those are excellent, Bertie. They look entirely plausible to my non-expert eye.
Philip

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Andrew » Wed Feb 23, 2022 8:18 pm

Loving the proto-Thumper, instantly recognisable!

I have happy early memories of thumping across Kent to Appledore, before heading through country lanes on the back of my Dad's tandem to join the family camping holiday. Quite fancy a trip to the Spa Valley Railway some time, it strikes me that visit there on a day when steam and DEMU traction are combined would make a splendid day out...

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by ge_rik » Wed Feb 23, 2022 8:54 pm

Wow! They look delectable ....... :notworthy:

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Thu Feb 24, 2022 10:20 am

Thank you all. I’ll need to make that trip to Tunbridge Wells (the SVR) armed with my most sophisticated sound-recording equipment (a mobile phone).

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by invicta280 » Thu Feb 24, 2022 5:15 pm

This is one of my favourite threads and I always look forward to what Southernesque delights may emerge from your immensely capable workshop.

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Thu Feb 24, 2022 7:16 pm

Invicta280 — That’s really very generous of you. Thank you.

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Sylvian Tennant » Fri Feb 25, 2022 2:38 pm

Every time I come on here you're doing something amazing
Last edited by Sylvian Tennant on Sat Feb 26, 2022 4:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by Lonsdaler » Fri Feb 25, 2022 4:18 pm

Those look entirely plausible Bertie, and I bet all but the gricers would be convinced as to there authenticity. Lovely modelling work.
Phil

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Sat Feb 26, 2022 1:16 pm

Thanks for the kind comments. Now to fit the electrics; finish and paint it; sort out the garden — and run it. Hope it doesn’t take too long this time.

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Re: Semi-scale BR: The Modernisation Plan

Post by BertieB » Thu Mar 17, 2022 2:30 pm

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Desperately trying to avoid more mistakes. Note the first, tentative steps into weathering

It is all taking rather longer than I’d imagined.

And guess what — another spray can and the matching small bottle of enamel I bought for touching up don’t appear to be quite the same colour! I’ve used paint, DIY decal materials, printer, software and spec as before (this thread, page 2) but this time the printed DIY decal background colour proved to be a poor match and I had to fiddle with colour tests all over again… and then accept some dodgy touching up, which I’ve tried to disguise (not entirely successfully) with five hundred coats of varnish.

It’s driven me insane.

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A few days later — now that the veins on my forehead have stopped throbbing, I've convinced myself that it’s giving off quite a pleasing, old Hornby-esque kind of vibe. Especially outside, from a few yards away. It’s the crisp GRS compartment module windows and flat paintwork, I suppose. It’s not too detailed and quite plasticky (which I actually quite like). I couldn’t dare go with anything remotely glossy, of course, as it would emphasise all the little lumpy horrors and sloppy bits.

It’s a lot easier just painting stuff black.

Still loads to do.

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