A bouquet of Valiants

Following on from my previous Chrysler Valiant blog posts 1 2, one of my aims in getting the Valiant VH model made in 3D is to add car loads to the Auscision BKX car carriers in order to correctly period date my load.  Below is the finished load, however, after loading a couple of the cars on the carriers, I discovered that I will need more model cars to fill the load. 

Above: My inspiration for the load was this photo I found on the internet.

Completing the Load

I ordered another four more of the Shapeway Valiants and decided I needed to make a couple of more versions. Besides the basic Valiant Ranger, I decided to add a couple of more modifications and paint schemes to my Valiants. I did this by comparing the various models to give the load some variety by colour and specifications. 

Above: A Bouquet of Valiants

Detailing the variants

Chrysler by Chrysler

The luxury version of the VH Chrysler Valiant is the CH Chrysler by Chrysler 4 door sedan. 

Without extending the wheelbase or length of model, I used filler to modify the front and rear end of my 3D print in order to represent it. This included changing the look of the grill with dual round headlights and a different rear end look. 

The texture of masking tape on the roof was used to represent a vinyl roof option that was popular in the 1970s. I also punch holes in styrene to represent the hubcaps which were overlaid on top of the Busch sports wheels to give it the executive look. 

I used a Molotow Liquid pen to highlight the chrome on bumpers, headlights and window surrounds. 

Above: Two version of the Chrysler by Chrysler - One in Plum Crazy the other in Gold.

Sports version

Apart from the Chrysler Valiant 2 door Charger, there was also a 4 door sports version for those who wanted a family car with speed and power. The VH Valiant Pacer had mag wheels and a black decal. The colour I used was plain acrylic orange and then overlaid with Humbrol fluorescent Fire orange #209 to give it the gloss look. The hardest bit was the side stripping decals on the side, rear and bonnet. This was achieved using masking tape. to hide the places I didn't need to paint. 

Suitable aftermarket wheels were found to represent the factory fitted mag wheels. 

Photos obtained to make this model were contributed from members of the Facebook Valiant VH-CM appreciation Group.

Above: Completed VH Pacer 4 door sedan

My Dad, His Car and I

As I write up this blog, Greater Sydney is in its seventh week of its 2nd lockdown of the Covid-19 Pandemic and, the first lockdown for 2021. Sydney is feeling the loss of many freedoms, for me, I reflect on the fact that 2021 has been a significant year of loss, with the death of my father in February. The death was unexpected. 

Despite the fact that he had many health issues in his life since his mid 40s, he always seemed to be positive and somehow he was able to bounce back. He never showed fear of forthcoming operations and once he turned his life to the Lord, he had more faith and peace with the situation. He gained strength and encouragement with his faith, thanking God for being able to experience and enjoy another day of life on earth. Notwithstanding his death, he died when he was still mobile and fairly independent , enjoying time in his garden and I am grateful for that. He was a man who I could not see withering away in a nursing home. Rest in Peace Dad, you no longer need to deal with anymore health issues.  

Revelation 21:4 

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 

My dad was not a modeller but he influenced me in making the most of what you have despite limited skills or abilities. He migrated to Australia after meeting my mother and knew little English. He built me a wooden service station for my Matchbox cars (whereas most parents would have bought them a wooden one). He also built a raised baseboard in the lounge room for my Lego town and Lego train set.  He was the one in the family advocating adventures for the family whether that will be holidaying, going on outings or moving house. 

Above: Me and my dad and his first car, Toyota Corona. The second photo is pictured with my mum. My dad learnt to drive when he came to Australia in 1966. 

A Tribute through modelling

I wanted to give a tribute to him in my modelling and found this a couple of years ago when I found a 1/87 scale model kit of my dad's, first car, a 1966 Toyota Corona made by a small scale manufacturer 87RPM. The death of my dad gave me motivation to finally build the car.

 

I added further details to the model by getting number plates decals made and adding an aerial and aftermarket photo etched windscreen wipers. The model didn't come with wheels or tyres so I had source appropriate ones that would fit this model that were not too large.

Memories of the Toyota Corona

My dad didn't own a car until he came to Australia. Whilst everyone was buying Holdens, Fords and Chryslers and English brands, he took the opportunity to buy one of  the few Toyotas that were available for sale in the Australian market. He knew the quality was excellent from his previous travels as a seaman to Japan. My dad learnt to drive in this car and as we lived in the suburbs of Sydney we drove everywhere instead of taking public transport. My 1970s layout is based on many of these memories of the suburbs around my childhood home: trips to Roselands, my nan's place in Narwee and travelling up and down Canterbury road. Below is a photo of my memory of a trip to Hartees in Canterbury in the early 1970s. 

Have ya got a Ciggy?

In the 1970s and early 1980s, the majority of people (including my dad)  smoked despite the long term damage to one's health. Smoking was promoted by advertising cigarettes with celebrities endorsing the product. Paul Hogan made TV commercials for Winfield cigarettes. I also remember the large billboards along Moore Park road where the Sydney Showground use to be located where smoking was seen as cool, sexy and for the sophisticated. Nowadays it is unfashionable. 

But since my layout is set in the 1970s I needed at least a few billboards of cigarette brands. I definitely wanted a billboard with the renowned Hoges but also wanted to include some other not so well known. brands. 

 

Above: Completed infamous Winfield billboard with repurpose generic street lamp leds from Ebay

The Build

I purchased and used the Walthers plain billboard as the basis for the Australian billboards for my streets. I used two of these on West Wardell. One on the "Parramatta Road" and kept in green and the other I painted white and placed it on top of the building. I also had some other spare simple billboards lying around and used them too.

Sourcing advertisements

I had to research the internet for photos of buildings and posters of cigarette brands. Many photos sourced were graffitied as a result of the BUGAUP campaign in the early 1980s1. 

As a result I had to photoshop to clean them up to look more like 1970s era. 

Above: More Billboards of Escort Cigarettes and Winfield blues. 

Adding lighting

I wasn't intending to add lighting but had a surplus leftover of generic street lamps that I used on the West Wardell layout and were too modern for my 1950s section of the layout and decided to re-purpose them. 1000K resistors were added to each of the positive side of the leds to ensure that they would not be too bright and also not blow with the 15 volt power supply. 

After adding the Lighting to the billboards it looks like I was also need to add lights for the advertising on the Arnotts bridge as well as car lights to give the section of the layout more balance.

. 1. https://www.bugaup.org/

A Little Ray of Sunshine

O ne of the major drawbacks of the location of West Wardell in the model railway room was the lighting. There was currently no lighting over West Wardell to showcase that section of the layout. Furthermore the room was lite by three bays of old fluorescent lights. I decided to upgrade the lighting to LED battens with a dimmer and also have add a set of LED battens over West Wardell.

The outcome has been remarkable to say the least. 

After Shot

Before shot

Locomotive running on West Wardell

After a long absence of running trains on West Wardell, the Stay at Home restrictions across Australia since late March 2020 have meant that I have been able to repair some of the trackwork where it crossed adjoining baseboards and didn't align. I used track pins instead of glue as it gave some flexibility and also has the ability to remove if the trackwork needs replacing just like the prototype.

Here are two view of  42 Class hauling a military load through West Wardell

Enjoy!!

Christmas 2019

Merry Christmas to all and best wishes for 2020. Hope to get more work done on Wardell 1950s section of the layout. Here is a typical Aussie scene. It Looks like dad got a new Aussie Charger for Christmas.

Juicing the Frog

Powering the Frog

I had heard all this talk about powering the frog and it wasn't until I started to retest the West Wardell section of the layout that at the points the locomotives would sometimes just stopped. 

An Internet search found these Frog Juicers from Tam Valley Depot I bought a pair of Dual Frog Juicers to power my four points on this section of the layout. One of the key reasons for using them as that I still wanted to hand-throw the points and still have power in the frog. . 

Whilst I had thought they were fairly expensive, I found them easy to install and faultless in design in ensuring no short occurs when using DCC electrofrog points. 

Above: Unopened Dual Frog Juicer

Road testing the Frog Juicer 

Here is a video of the test loco going through the points

Bottom view of Frog Juicer 

View of the frog juicer in action with the lights changing.