The announcement of the NRM Ivatt Atlantic and Model Rail 'Marne' have meant that funds for my kitbuilding and hackbashing have been severely curtailed for August. This in turn means that materials I need for my D6 have been put on hold and therefore that project has temporarily been put on a backburner.

I therefore find myself starting a project for which all the necessary parts are already at hand: LNER 'Director' Purdon Viccars as she (he?) appeared in June 1928. The relevant volume of the green bible states that 5430 went into black livery in mid-1928 whilst retaining the small lettering and tenderside number; an interesting livery variation shared by only three of the class.

Considering I have a D11 in GCR green, a D10 in LNER green and a D11 on order in LNER green, I thought it would present a nice quartet if this latest one were finished in 1928 black (if I have anything to do with it the quartet will be a quintet before too long passses).

The kit itself is the venerable Jaycraft offering of the 1980s; not perhaps the finest of starting points but (and this is the thing) it is exactly the same kit as used for my 'Sir Clement Royds'. I want to achieve a uniform look between locos of ostensibly the same class and therefore have decided that any future D10s will start from the Jaycraft kit whilst any future D11s will be from the Bachmann stable.

The first step last night was to start work on the tender- a large bulkhead was removed and replaced in plastic sheet. Obviously much attention was paid to getting the new model looking as much as possible like the first.

As for the loco itself, no work has been done yet however cutting lines have been pencilled in for removing the skirts over the driving wheels.