Since most of the remaining painting required will be by brush, I decided it was time to add the buffers, after first painting the buffer beams and shanks red. There was a minor disaster when I dropped one of the sprung buffers and it fell apart on the floor. I fished around with a torch for extra illumination for a while and eventually reunited the buffer head, shank, spring and tiny retaining screw! I do have to check to see if that rear buffer beam should be red for its entire depth or only for the bit up to a level with the tops of the buffer shanks. One buffer seems to have drooped slightly so I'll have to reseat it before I'm done.

There is still a bit of filling and filing/sanding to do but overall the painting can proceed apace. I even started a little of the weathering finish, with dark grey (Humbrol #67) darkened with a little black painted on to the cab roof, smokebox and footplate.

Oh yes ... and I have filed down the outer sides of those 8F cylinders a bit.

p.s. The roof is glossy because the paint is still wet!