M51625

class 24: Steve Beattie used to produce one of these initally a resin model, but more recently a brass kit, the kits/artwork/masters were sold to a company called highlander, and it looked promising for a short time but for whatever reason the kits have never reappeared.. does anyone know what went wrong? Class 31; there was a kit by David Parkin marketed under the modern motive power (MMP) brand, a very detailed kit with resin cast cabs, not for beginners very detailed and accurate, again this is out of production so 2nd hand ones are the only way. I managed to get one of these from a well known auction site a couple of years ago.

does anyone have a recommendation for a halfords match to coach roof grey for Maroon liveried stock?

try Roxey Mouldings, they have a selection of twin start worm gears Do you know the manufacturer of the one you have?

Kingsbridge gets my vote, maybe a little licence used, or even add the extension that never got built and you have a roundy-roundy as well. Out of curiosity has anyone drawn Kingsbridge in 7mm on templot or similar to see how much space is actually needed for a good representation?

each to their own, i find these kits, excellent, good quality etches, with a good fit, very nice castings and usually more than you need just in case, and very well laid out instructions. i'm not keen on wasted effort building parts you can't see, i don't see the point, but that is my preference, brake blocks, linkage etc, you can always add to suit beyond that, i suppose a more detailed kit would cost more, be more complex and put people off.. I can thoroughly recommend the queen mary brake van form this supplier, a very pleasant build.

condolences to the Ennis family, thoughts with you. I wish scorpio/seven all the best in these troubled times, good news that you are continuing, i will continue to build your kits..

hi, i'm a little further on than yourself, with a standard 9f, i agree those brackets are complex, but i thought they were well designed, took a couple of evenings to get them done, but very pleased with them, i think the instructions could have been a little clearer. Good luck, especially when it comes to the firebox, watch out for the wrapper sides, they are over length, and think about your motor, while its a big firebox, a lot of internal structure restricts what will fit.

As above, do you want a jinty, out of a box, or do you want to build a jinty from almost a flatpack? my personal interest is building kits, and enjoying the 100s of hours it takes to get a finished item, smaller kits take less, but its very rewarding when finished. I started with a conniossuer BR standard brake van back in 1997, and last year built a J39 from the same supplier, JIm certainly is very helpful, approachable and the majority of his instructions are available to download on his website, he has nothing to hide, i find his castings to be excellent quality, etches are well laid out and the instructions are great, i have not hestitation to recommend his range to you, of course you can upgrade parts but thats personal preference, for example i don't like his screw couplings so i fit others.. No connection with this suppier, just a regular customer, another brake van and a 4F on order..

Yes... Last year, 2 vehicles of a very similar weight, and length, cost over £2500 (+VAT) each to move from a railway based in the south to a Railway based in the Midlands..

slowly but surely, this was parked during the summer while i concentrated on a DMU project, back on with this now, transfers have arrived too.

finally, ready for paint, test run, loaded with lead, transfers ordered...

So i've decided that my next big build will be a 9F, i believe the options are: a, MOK, recently new to the market, expensive (in excess of £600) and a traditional etched kit with no whitemetal castings b, DJH, been around for a while, expensive (in excess of £600) a huge chunk of cast boiler and firebox and the rest to DJH standards, i have built a V2 and A4 from this supplier so know what to expect c, Scorpio/seven (are they still trading??) cost thought to be in line with most other large loco kits circa £350, but can't find a recent price list and the trader doesn't have an online presence, a newish kit of traditional etched brass with whitemetal and brass castings d, acme, no longer available, but seems the rights to the kit are for sale... e, Ragstone (formerly MMP) not available as a kit but lots of replacement castings available for any of the above as required f, anymore...? I've excluded RTR, i'm a kit builder, that is where my interest lies, i would be interested in opinions, thoughts and recommendations (good and bad) Thanks

steady if not rapid progress, everything has arrived for my next big project which awaits completing this. Chassis back together, motor fitted, rods currently being painted all will go back together when dry, just pickups needed. Work has started on the cab, tricky bit coming up involving the cab side windows, seems a lot of pieces, so need to study some detail shots.

on with the build. Forming the bonnet, straight forward enough, a little flimsy in places due to the different thickness but unavoidable, i decided to build a frame internally for strength and to add a little weight so box structure made from 4x2 (thats 4mm x 2mm brass) inside, still plenty of room for the motor and probably a little extra lead weight in due course. Picture shows progress and work has halted due to the soldering iron bit falling apart, unlikely to get a replacement before going away at the end of the week, so a deep clean and workbench tidy and a resumption at the end of the month.

Hmmm 27mm measured....