Well I may have missed the Wigan Show this weekend, and all the bargains but I have managed to find some modelling time. The Domestic Overlord has been a little poorly, so because I am such a good Boy I have been looking after him, and providing many, many hot toddies.
The problem with this is it made the DO very sleepy and he could barley keep his little eyes open (insert Evil Laugh here > > ) and this is where my plan fell into place. While the DO snored away in the land of nod, and the neighbours hid from what they must have thought was a massive thunder storm I worked away.
The first of my little projects that got some attention was my attempt to produce a Princess, the body has had quite a lot of filler, and a few added details, but she has now got a coat of grey paint. I also did a little work on her chassis, and front bogie. I will have to remove a "wedge" from the back of each cylinder so her bogie will have more sway to get round tighter curves, and then work on the trailing wheels but I think she is looking promising?

What I have noticed thought, just after I have built and primed the tender, is that the old Gem kits are a bit wide, maybe I should dissemble the tender and then try to thin the sides, oh decisions, decisions Oh and yes I know the wheels don't quite line up with the splashers, but this is because I just plonked the body on the chassis, to does fit moved forwards a little.
Away from Passenger locomotives, work on the "water heater" 7F has seen as much of the gubbins I could research attached and a coat of primer applied. When I have given her a nice coat of black I will darken the worm gear to try and hide it. I still have to add her handrails and steps and do a little more work on her chassis, but soon, I hope she will be ready to get a goat coat of grime, and then she can join her two sisters in the fleet.

After a bit of filler, I managed to get a coat of primer on my Prince of Whales tank, and she has been plopped on her intended chassis just so I can get a feel for how she will look when finished, she is still a little high, so that will take priority. Then I need to attach her front bogie (which means I have to work on the pivot a little) and then her trailing wheels and quite a few other bits and bobs but she is getting there.

While I had the primer out, I thought I would give something else a coat of grey, yes my left hand got a coat but so did the black Duchess (the one with the original terrible lining), this has led to a bit of a decision. Should I finish her off in works grey livery OR should I turn her into a member of the class that ended up attached to a streamliner tender? Now the fact that you cant see her tender, maybe a hint but it could also be because I put the tender somewhere safe, so safe in fact I forgot where it is.

So that's the end of the progress for who knows how long, the problem is with progress it tends to show you how much still needs t be done, and I have a hell of a lot still to do. So there you are the Price Paint shop is beginning to fill up, which means some of the locomotives will need lining, and that maybe a problem as after the last locomotives left the paint shop I swore I would never line a locomotive again :(


So until the next time when ever that may be, as ever Happy Modelling