Body Profiling - You should be careful comparing your models to prototype photos. In some cases that could drive you a bit insane, 'cause there's a lot to correct. You may even have to correct things you've already corrected! There's a serious roof error in this shot, the extra filler hatch has been installed in the wrong place, it should be about 10 mils down the roof toward the photographer...

The windows have been opened outward to match the etch. This is a huge improvement. The under hang and lower corner fillets under the nose look better, but the top side of the nose looks a bit shallow. GEEZ, what have I gotten myself into!?!

Aside from more nose work, I still need to go down the side of the body and correct the angle of the solebar. It really should sweep inwards to a greater extent than what's been injected molded into the Hornby body.

And to think I've been whining about fixing the brow of a Heljan Western...

The valance changes compared to the prototype and the Hornby model. You can see where the recesses under the door (foot recess and the body retaining lugs) have been filled. Rather than try to open up the body where the foot recess should be, I'm contemplating using a bit of black decal to represent the recess.

I hate those running light shapes that are cast into the nose. They are too far apart and don't leave room for the funky North British lamp irons / grab irons which should go between them and the edge of the body.

The jig used to shape the solebar is a really complicated device. It's a nice piece of very early 20th century oak cut at 45 degrees with some of that really abrasive purple sandpaper stuck to it with double sided sticky tape. The locomotive sits on a couple of pine blocks, the oak block is slid back and forth against the bottom edge of the body, cutting a nice even tumblehome into the body. The blue plastic dust makes a great dry lubricant to keep things sliding along smoothly. The fuel tank is on the inside- it works as a spacer to firm up the part of the bodyside that's being sanded. If the actual tumblehome on the prototype appears steeper, I can always cut a new oak block if I decide there isn't enough slope. Easier to add more than over do it. The beading along the top edge of the tumblehome is going to be removed or sanded down too, its much too proud of the body.

Hey look! Someone moved the filler hatch that had been installed incorrectly...