Engine casing (flat)
Once again I am going to deviate slightly from the instructions. Why ask for instructions? I hear you cry out. Well sometimes the experience gained indicates there are more than one approach to constructing some parts and this is another example. You have seen with the cab that I prefer adding flat detail to etches while they are still on the fret, or at least flat on the table. I have found that it is easier to hold parts in place flat rather than vertical when they tend to slip out of alignment or you have to hold a part across a weak surface that is prone to distortion.
I think the engine casing is just such an example. In the instructions, it is formed and built on the baseplate, the fuel tank wrapper and exhauster casing added before adding the casing door overlays. I shall proceed slightly differently.
When removing the engine casing from the fret be very careful several of the tags (I think there too many) are positioned along edges that are themselves half-etched. The part is deceptively complex with holes for handrails hidden in bend lines, holes for casing door handles and slots for casing door hinges. This is in addition the half-etched edges and the edges with the baseplate not being completely square. So be very careful when filing off any tag remnant.
The first thing to do is to punch out the rivet detail in the engine casing.
The casing doors were carefully removed from the fret, one at a time, tidied and soldered in their respective positions on the engine casing. It is important to note that they are orientated in a particular direction and this is mimicked by their positions on the fret.
They are quite difficult to align straight and to solder to the casing as there are no register lines and for some reason, that I cannot understand, there are holes etched out behind the doors. This means that only a very narrow land is left on which the half etched door has to be soldered. A very steady hand is required or they slide into the hole.
First the larger doors [38] are fitted as they are easier to remember which way round, followed by the smaller doors at the bottom of the fuel tank [39]. A handy trick is to mark the top edge of these with a marker pen before removing them- though I have to admit I couldn't see any difference one way or the other.
Next the small casing doors over the exhauster box are added [40, 40a]. They are not the same as the other small doors. The left leading door has a different raised square ventilator on it and is made from laminating parts [40a, 42 and 41] together over the same hole in the casing. Once again the arrow on the fret indicates which way is up. In case you are wondering where are parts 41 and 42? They are on one of the centre section cut-out of the baseplate.
Yes, I know, it isn't perfect - but that is the problem with these doors - even against a steel rule soldering them straight is not easy and all the parallel lines show the slightest deviation.
I then fitted the rainstrips [43] over the casing doors with the flange downwards. Another very challenging part to remove from the fret. These are worse than the cab window beading, (yes that is a Peco pin for comparison) as they are supposed to be straight.
The next step taken was the fitting of the casing door hinges [60] which are fitted in the slots between the doors.
Another problem here is that there are 10 casing doors yet only 18 hinges and 18 holes for handles. So one door has no hinges and one door has no handles. Examining the prototype photos I came to the conclusion that the two leading casing doors on the right side share their door handles, and the other large casing door shares its hinges.
The hinges, understandably, are about the smallest item on the fret and the fret tag is in fact the tab to be used to pass into the slot etched for the hinge, so be generous when removing these tiny parts. They are also half-etched and can easily be twisted. I have to repeat there are only 18 - NO SPARES - so watch out your workshop floor will become a magnet for them and you will spend many frustrating hours on your hands and knees trying to look for them.
They were soldered into the slots, soldering from behind and then bent over the respective door so that the half-etched side of the hinge faces outwards. The hinges on the doors next to the cab are particularly difficult as the slots only exist along the edge of the casing - a point noted earlier when filing the fret tags off this edge.
The final step taken before bending the engine casing into shape was the fitting of the door handles made from bent 0.4mm wire (which I ran out of). Again it is neater to solder these from behind.
Needless to say these took quite a bit of time and effort to complete.
The back of the casing can then be filed clean of any protruding wire and tabs.
At this point I began to doubt the wisdom of these hinges. They do look over size compared to photographs. I did try to insert them right into the slot but decided that was not the intention as they did not fit. If it was the intention the slots are undersized and anyway, I believe they would have been better represented by short lengths of wire. Looking at the built kit on the Judith Edge web site did not help as both the hinges and the handles appear to have been left off. The thought of removing them and replacing with lengths of wire does not appeal to me at this time.
So what was the score?
kitbuild = 16 carpet = 2
so the hinges next to the cab were left off anyway and I will try to replace them with brass wire imitations when the engine casing is complete and installed on the baseplate.
.
9 Comments
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now