Last night I started cleaning up the castings of two Iron Mink bodies. According to the newspaper padding in the boxes these are both kits of circa August 1980 vintage, but are still full of their original detail if slightly blemished. Cleaning up and test fitting took about an hour per van body – gluing took about 20 seconds each, ensuring all corners were square.

Originally introduced at the end of the 19thC with lever brakes on one side, some were upgraded during repairs to more modern braking. These vans both have DC1 brake gear, as contained in the kit, although other braking systems are available from ABS as extras. A more in-depth overview of the variation on brakes for these vans can be found on this thread or a more thorough explanation of GWR wagon brakes from this website.