Commission: Newcastle the Manning Wardle…

Not another Manning Wardle I hear you say, but perhaps I’ll be let off, as this one feels quite special with this ‘as built’ Manning Wardle livery, representing ‘Newcastle’ that currently resides at Beamish… Work started with the plain maroon Rapido model that was fitted with RT Models buffers and one of my etched roof conversions. The easy (!) work stopped there! With the motion masked she was primed ‘intact’ before a coat of Humbrol 131 gave a basic Manning Wardle green to work up from.To recreate the complex lining (red, edged black with yellow pin stripe and dark green outer) was a challenge - I decided to hand paint the dark green first using Humbrol 3. This then gave me a set of panels I could measure up and create some custom artwork for my own decals. Gloss varnish gave a good foundation for these, that were fitted before further detail painting of the red, black and metalwork.Finishing touches then included real coal and a set of custom nameplates from the usual source. Stood…