Mercianmodels 7mm

[farren]

I think I am going to sell may 4mm scale collection and move into 7mm for a future garden layout. And well looking through 7mm producer's I came across the Mercian models. However they seem to be about half the price of other makes. I was wondering has anyone made any. And how good they are particularly the MR 3f 0-6-0t &the 2f 0-6-0.

Edited July 9, 2017 by farren

[Marshall5]

I've never built one of theirs but I've read that some of the kits need quite a bit of work to get right. This thread may give you an idea http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/123969-the-last-barclay/

If you're a first time etched kit builder Jim McGowan's Connoisseur kits are often recommended.

Ray.

[Sandy Harper]

I think I am going to sell may 4mm scale collection and move into 7mm for a future garden layout. And well looking through 7mm producer's I came across the Mercian models. However they seem to be about half the price of other makes. I was wondering has anyone made any. And how good they are particularly the MR 3f 0-6-0t &the 2f 0-6-0.

The main issue I had with them is that the brass etches appear thinner than other manufacturers (1327class) This makes it difficult not to introduce errors etc Even the heat of a soldering iron will distort some half etched parts. Make a good wood base for the footplate to be screwed down on to and you should have a fighting chance!

Sandy

[PhilMortimer]

Further to the above comments, I think Mercian kits are somewhat of a mixed bag in terms of ease of assembly. This though is a reflection of the fact that some of the kits originate from other manufacturers in pre CAD days, i.e. are hand drawn, with associated potential issues, and have been bought in. Some are fine, some require more work than a modern kit. That said, in quite a number of cases, these are probably the only possible way (short of scratchbuilding) of obtaining a model of many of the prototypes offerred. I'm not sure if the numbers sold can probabaly justify the time effort and expense that would be nessecary to redraw the kits in CAD to update them. So there is a bit of a legacy issue. Myself, I tend to view all kits as an aid to scratch building, replacing parts as nessecary, so the kits fulfil their purpose very well for me. (See my garratt build from this stable) http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/111301-mercian-vivian-style-garratt/page-9.

 

It should be noted that the garratt is considered to be one of the more complex loco's, having two complete chassis to build (4 sets of valve gear) and to be doubly difficult,I'm building two of them at the same time (in a location thousands of miles away from the surviving prototype)! It also had a difficult design history. That said, it is turning into a lovely model of which I'm quite proud and once finished, i think I'd like to build one of the Austerity / J94's and one of the Victor / Vulcans to go with it. Giles Flavell and Phil Parker have also built this kit and Simon and I are currently working on our versions, though we are taking different approaches to resolving some of the issues. So there is quite a bit of information out there on how to tackle various issues that arose and to head off some of them before they become a problem.

 

Some people have made very good models from these kits, but I think it is fair to say that they do require a bit more work than newer kits, escpescially in aligning parts. But take it steady and one can make a good job of it. Phil Parker has made a number of Mercian models in various scales and has detailed the work on his blog  http://philsworkbench.blogspot.com/  which makes for a good read.

 

One thing to note is that Trevor has always been very friendly to work with and has a great parts replacement policy. Also, in my opinion, in most cases the standard of the castings suppied with the kits is superb. Another thing, Mercian supply complete kits, inc wheels and motor, which is useful for some people who do not want to work out which wheels or motor go with the kit, or purchase them seperately (Kits only (no wheels or motor) are also available for those who want to choose their own). I would echo that the etches are rather thin, and this can make alignment rather tricky when soldering, due to the tendancy of the metal to expand and twist. makes for an interesting challenge!

 

So, yes, they probabaly are a lot of work, but that's half the fun for me. I get challenged, have to devise a method of working through it, and eventually end up with something that I can be proud of.

 

However, as Sandy has said, it does depend upon your brass loco building experience. If you have a lot of experience, it shouldn't be too difficult. However, if you are new to building brass loco's, it may be more advantageous to start with something a little easier, such as one of Big Jim's kits.

[farren]

Hi thank you all for your input plenty of food for thought. My own experience is in 4mm some scratch building and kit builds which all run. And in some cases better than RTR but that's probably down to the kit design rather than may skill. I am fortunate in having a MPD Princess Coronation, and have been slowly buying bits to complete it. But I really don't want to start it until I have some experience in 7mm scale.

Edited July 10, 2017 by farren

[MarcD]

I was given some advice many years ago, which might be relivent. And that was to start with a brass wagon kit. They are cheeper than a loco so if you do stuff up you don't feel that you have wasted money. Jim's wagon kits are as good a place to start. The brass kit is becomming a thing of a past as technology moves forward and modelling skill decresses. out of our 120 wagon kit less the 10% are brass kits and all our locos and coaches are mixed media kits.

 

Marc  

[ROSSPOP]

I`m going to be straight to the point.............................

 

Don`t waste your money on cheaper 7mm kits.  They will take you double the amount of time to complete and be full lof frustration and difficulties.

 

like you I have moved from 4mm to 7mm.

 

All loco kits are expensive one way or another ....but the better quality 7mm MR/LMS are:-

 

 

Just Like The Real Thing.  (need motor and gears and wheels)

 

Slaters  (Complete kits)

 

Connoisseur Kits  ( need motor and gears and wheels)   Good beginners products

 

Shedmaster Range  from Laurie Griffin Models.  (needs motor wheels and gears)

 

John