LSWR Luggage 4 wheel Van.(Mallard Models)

[Trainshed Terry]

Hello all.

 

I have had passed to me the following frets to make, but they do not make sense to me as the door pattern is not right for the vehicle that is to be made, the doors the etch have fold line which I do understand the concept of.

 

But the actual doors on the fret do not have louvers on, as in the diagram in the instructions.

 

I have had a discussion with my friend that wants the kit built, and there is a major flaw when this kit was etched many moons ago, as I am trying to figure how to reinstate the louvers on the doors.

 

But I fear that is not going to be easy thing to do. As the louvers on the coach sides are fine and very noticeable.

 

It is unfortunate as it stands the kit will not look right without the aforementioned louvers on the doors.

 

On closer examination of the doors on the fret there are signs on two of the doors that the etching process had started to work but was not successful, I am not going to blame the manufacture of these set of etches it could happen to any manufacture .(see image Luggage van 6).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many thanks for your help.

 

 

[Kenton]

It is going to be very difficult to cut the louvres out neatly and to match the coach sides. A fine scalpel may be possible but as these are already half-etched unlikely to be easy without damaging and parallel lines will always be difficult.

 

Probably the best and possibly easiest solution is to draw up your own "copies" and etch them as a one off.

 

You may have been unlucky with this particular set of etches, and a second kit (if available) may have been better processed. But I suspect that the original drawings were at fault (another result of pen and ink rather than modern CAD)

Edited December 16, 2013 by Kenton

[N15class]

As the prototype had louvers not slots. You will need to back them so you cannot see through. If you then flill the slot with black paint you and draw the ones on the doors and they will match much better than trying to cut them. 

 

It is not the drawing that was at fault as kenton says but the process not being done properly.

[Guy Rixon]

I'd be interested to see how this kit was salvaged. I have two of them to build, and I'm considering cutting out all the etched louvres from the sides, plus the louvre panels in the doors, and replacing with printed parts.

 

Of my two kits, one is in the original, Mallard packaging and one in the later, Blacksmith packaging. The early one has solid, turned buffers, while the later one has spring buffers with turned guides. I want the sprung buffers on both: does anybody know who made them and if they are still available?

 

Finally, the kits, old and new, lack the lift-link brake-lever, having only the plain lever for the other side. Is this pattern of lever available anywhere as an etch?