Rapid (for me) progress today.

The bends went really well, after much agonizing and worry over getting these right they just fell into place using a 3.5mm rod held in the vice and the brass bent over it using my fingers.

Soldered to the soleplate using 145 deg solder it's starting to look like a Sentinel now

Now, here's where I have had to "modify" the kit as there seems to be two variants of the Lima 0-4-0 drive unit, one a central ringfield and another with the ringfield over to one side. The kit is clearly designed for the latter, but I have the central type. So a dirty big hole was cut in the soleplate/floor. The fixing centres seemed different too, so new holes were drillled - I'll solder 8BA nuts over these holes next.

The upshot of this central motor is that the tank end panel cannot be fitted. The tank top is a little too wide and the corners are of too great a radius, hopefully by the time material has been removed from the sides any gaps at the corners will be fillable with solder.

Anyone want a Lima diesel shunter body, BR blue, good nick?