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Airfix Mk2D conversions


Bloodnok

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Years ago I picked up a load of Airfix Mk2D coaches on the cheap.

Being cheap, most of them were Brake Second Opens, and most of the rest were First Opens.

Many of them were also in poor condition. One turned out to have broken/missing bogies and gangways. There's a distinct lack of stepboards, buffers, and so on.

There are also shortcomings in the original Airfix representation -- such as the FO having 2+2 seating, but at the correct 7-bay pitch. It should be 2+1 for a proper FO...

This makes them ideal conversion material.

This one is my first attempt. It's an early Mk2E TSO, created from the non-brake end of two BSOs. The exterior, the glazing, and the interior have all received the cut'n'shut treatment, creating a proper 8-bay 2+2 seating layout. The roof and the bodysides have been cut at two different locations.


Mk2E_TSO.jpg.b4c35b4baf7c09ab8b986053915913cb.jpg

Glazing is only in temporarily installed -- it'll need to come out again when this finds it's way to a paint shop.

This is my second attempt. It's a Mk2D FK.

 

Mk2D_FK.jpg.ea6f6a5bc93f5947343c6aa5a5029e5c.jpg
 

It's interior has been created by cutting and shutting two Hornby Mk2 BFK interiors. The paint isn't great on this example, so I may elect to repaint it too. It'll certainly need a new number.

Two further coaches are on the workbench. I have an FO shell in a particularly poor state of disrepair, which has been put down next to one of the brake ends of the BSO. This should be the correct pieces to make a BFK, although I've lost the cut diagram I used to have bookmarked many years ago.

I also have two spare FO interiors, and I'm cutting out and repositioning individual seats. If I can separate enough to form an airline section in the centre, it should make a convincing 58 seat Ex-FO declassified TSO.

Edited by Bloodnok
Fixing Pictures

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Talking about missing buffers..... apologies if you are already aware of this..... but the buffer beams are not straight and they should be. A replacement beam with cast buffers sorts that out. As far as detailing goes.... how far do you want to go? Replacing handrails with 0.3 wire. Lowering the AC units. Reducing the gangway length. The gangway doors could do with some attention. Replacement bogies (Replica). Shawplan windows. Plenty to keep you out of mischief.

 

Griff

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12 hours ago, griffgriff said:

Talking about missing buffers..... apologies if you are already aware of this..... but the buffer beams are not straight and they should be. A replacement beam with cast buffers sorts that out. As far as detailing goes.... how far do you want to go?


These coaches are far from perfect, but they are still useful starting points. The tumblehome isn't as good as it could be, either...

Will I be replacing the buffers and bufferbeam? Not yet. I'm also not going to re-work the gangways yet, as this forms the stock way of attaching the body to the chassis. When I do work on these aspects I'll want to re-do how that works to something that's easier to work with.

Also, modifying something that should be uniform across a rake on a few coaches will make just these coaches stand out from the rest of the rake. I really want to do things like that all at once across the lot, including the otherwise unmodified coaches. I'd rather they all look uniform in the ways they should look uniform -- that way one or two won't stand out from the rest.

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Ive been buying these coaches up cheap

,and turning them into "yellow" Network rail test train coaches...:good_mini:

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Bloodnok your work has inspired me to have a go at a couple of projects I’ve always wanted to do. Like quite a lot of people over the years I’ve amassed a load of old Airfix, Mainline, Dapol and Hornby MK2 air con coaches. With some spares I want to apply a massive dose of RULE 1. 
 

I always wanted BR to have built a MK2 Air Con Full Brake (BG) for the England, Scotland and Wales network. Also a generator coach like was built for Irish railways.
 

And finally a MK2 sleeper coach.

I’ve already had a go at converting a Lima Mk2F FO into a sleeper, which I’m quite pleased with so far, but I’d like to have a go using the old MK2D body shells. 
 

With the full brake I’ll probably keep it full length rather than shorten it like the MK1 BG. 

The off cuts should give me 2 ends with 4 windows each side, which when glued together should end up with a toilet window on diagonally opposite sides. 

So here goes with the first two candidates…2 BSOs.

 

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Mmmmm well not too bad so far, but I guess as with all these things it’s all in the details.

The bits highlighted in red will be removed and filled. Then it’s the various foot boards, door handles, grab handles and etc.

 

D300354A-57E7-4018-8ED3-89E7E0680BC1.jpeg.6a74975df837529b226660ec25b81b9b.jpeg

 

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