Having established that I can make something from scratch AND make it move with my Foden steam wagon I have taken the proof of concept approach a bit further - or in fact - much smaller!

Starting point for this was an anonymous 1/43 die cast Austin 7 model from China via Ebay in a hideous bright green of which a bath in Nitromors has thankfully left no trace at all. I rebuilt the chassis in bass tube to give a decent platform to work from and started with fitting roller bearings for the rear axle. Unfortunately these had to be a bit larger than I wanted as SMR didn’t have the very small ones in stock – doubly unfortunately after fitting the larger ones I found I did have some smaller ones in stock from a previous project!

Not to worry, I am treating this as an experiment and do intend, if it all works, to make another with a scratch built body with rather more accurate thicknesses and a more refined chassis. To facilitate this I am trying to seduce a real one to pose for me!

Then followed a great deal of hacking of cast metal and no small amount of epoxy and I had a basic chassis. Progress, however has been nothing short of glacial due to life and work and the garden getting in the way but state of play is thus;

It has moved with the battery connected directly to the motor.

The Deltang receiver has gone AWOL at the moment but will fit nicely over the motor.

Nothing will be above the bodyline of the car so can be hidden by a drivers upper torso.

Don’t forget that in 7mm to the foot this is just 6cm or less than 2 and a half inches long!