What with Christmas and a few windy days in Pembrokeshire, slow progress is a familiar story. Have been pottering around though, which is actually the sort of modelling I really enjoy - working from just a couple of photos in a way that looks right without the need for 100% accuracy as a) it will be pretty much hidden and I actually want to finish this year! This whole backhead problem only arrises though as I have been too clever again and have moved the motor to the boiler. The original kit has the motor filling much of the cab so there is no backhead or cab detail supplied.

One of those rather indulgent purchases a few months ago came into it's own straight away with some circles of plasticard being punched for the firebox door and some to turn into wheel weights while I was at it.

The back head soon took shape but it would have been much easier to have cut the main blank BEFORE fitting the firebox into the cab. Rivets are some little lead shot which always seem to be rolling around the desk despite my best efforts with the Hoover - bit like pine needles really!

And here it is almost ready for a quick spray. A real mixture of brass, Nickel Silver and plastic - whatever seemed easiest to work with and was to hand. One thing you might just be able to spot (but it is deliberately hard), is the 8ba bolt for fixing the cab structure. A floor was made up from brass and a nut soldered on the underside. The bolt was then cut off level with the floor making it very hard to spot.

A bit of black spray and some copper wire later and here it is, all ready to be hidden under roof and behind driver!