Ixion at AMRA Liverpool Exhibition

If you are going to the AMRA model railway exhibition this coming long weekend, call in and see Ixion on the Gopher Models table, Stand 75. Look for the big red ochre Ixion pull-up banner. Phil Badger will be there all three days, and Lindsay O'Reilly will be there Saturday and Sunday. We'll have Ixion O gauge locos for sale, we can organise your purchase (pre-release) of the HO scale 32, and Phil will happily fill all your N scale needs from his Gopher Models and Badgerbits ranges. Lindsay will even answer questions about the proposed crowd funded Pioneer Models brass O Scale 32 Class. 
No matter what your scale interest, we'll have something for you!

Next Running Samples

We received confirmation today from the factory that they are working on our painted, running samples of the C32 from the corrected tooling. They are doing four, in these numbers and liveries:
1. 3265 (lined maroon, curved footplate, bogie tender)
2. 3258 (curved footplate, red edge, bogie tender)
3. 3333 (angled footplate, plain black, bogie tender)
4. 3298 (angled footplate, plain black, 6-wheel tender).

More news about these, and photos, when they arrive.

Loco artwork received

Last Friday we received the artwork for our 32 Class livery variations. These need to be approved by Ixion's Technical Director Phil Badger, but these images give a good indication of the amount of work that goes into designing the spray painting and pad printing. We are especially thrilled with the 'NSWR' emblem on 3265.
Note that the colours are representative only: the artwork shows which colour goes where, not exactly what the colour is. Thus the black locos appear grey, for example.

As always, click on the pictures for a larger version.

The Right Colour

One of the locos we are modelling is 3265 "Hunter" as preserved. This is a beautiful loco, in an accurate re-creation of the 1930s lined maroon livery.

We have been challenged by the issue of matching the colour; we have used photos, and observed the real thing. We made up a range of colours, and compared them to the real thing. In the sunlight, 3265 appears to be a purple shade of maroon; but even parked in the sunlight, it's one colour on the sunny side, and another on the shades side. And it's a completely different colour inside, under artificial lights. 

So, what to do?

By a small miracle, completely by chance, our Technical Director Phil Badger met the man who painted the loco at the end of its restoration. He identified the colour as as shade called 'Claret', from a well-known commercial paint manufacturer. Phil obtained the paint... but, despite being EXACTLY the correct, real colour, it looks wrong on the model! 

So Phil has experimented, adding white and black in tiny increments to try and represent the colour of the loco, seen at a distance. Well, we've settled on the shade of the paint to be applied to the HO scale 3265. I don't doubt that people will debate whether we've got it right; just don't let it be said that we were lazy or sloppy in the process used to select it!

The perils of fitting tiny bits to little locomotives...

The two Australian partners of Ixion Models were together this weekend, as Phil Badger stayed at my place whilst he was running his modelling clinic table at the Newcastle Model Show.
The main discussions out of hours centred around the etched "Hunter" nameplate on lined maroon 3265; how and when to fit it.

Essentially, we have two choices; one is to supply it as an accessory, for fitting by the purchaser. One solution is to have two dimples on the underside of the sandbox, which is cast as part of the metal chassis. Undo two screws, and the body and chassis can be separated; drill the two holes in each sandbox, from underneath, with a 0.5mm drill. Fit the extended legs of the etched plate into the holes, bend them over inside and superglue. Voila!
Sounds easy? Well, yes and no.
The problem is that this solution requires modellers to have the confidence to dismantle and reassemble a brand new loco, and have access to and the skills to use a mini drill, and at least one 0.5mm drill. It can't be done as part of the factory assembly process because the loco can't be disassembled after painting because of the extra time, and cost, this would require.

Alternatively, the loco could include the fitting holes in the design and manufacturing process. Then the nameplate can be installed during factory assembly. The problem with this solution is that the holes would be on every loco, not just 3265. Would tiny holes in the top of the sandbox be visible on the rest of the locos, which are all going to be painted black? We don't know, but we've asked the factory to really step up and see if they can help us find a solution. In HO scale, the legs of the nameplate are just 0.4mm wide, so there's not enough surface area to glue it on. This is all part of the fun of trying to make the most accurate model of the 32 the market has yet seen. We'll keep you posted...

Newcastle Model Show 2015

For folk who are heading to the Our Town Model Show in Newcastle this weekend (August 15 & 16), Ixion director Phil Badger will be up the stairs (and escalator, if it's running) at his modelling clinic desk. He will have the first EP of the 32 Class for viewing, though don't expect it to be in the pristine condition seen in the photos below. 

Having been dismantled multiple times, and in multiple ways, it's now missing the funnel, and lots of the fine etched details on the tender. It is worth seeing though, if only for the absolutely brilliant sprung buffers. At various times on the Saturday, I'll be up there too, so do call in and say hello if you're in the neighbourhood.

Lindsay O'Reilly.

32 Class Box Art

I have finished the artwork for the 32 Class box. This will be printed on high quality card and folded up into the box lid. Click on the picture for a larger image.

If the quality is high enough to allow the viewer to read the text on the end, the eagle-eyed will note the details there are for the new company, Ixion Model Railways Australia Pty Ltd. 

This company has now been established and registered, and the bank account will be operating next week. This will allow for a much wider range of ways for customers in Australia to purchase from us, including cheques and direct deposit.