Let's see your Airfix/Kitmaster kit

[DK123GWR]

The tooling has, according to Dapol, already deteriorated considerably, causing a reduction in the quality of the kits. Surely the most likely cause of the range being discontinued in that context is that they reach the point where the tooling is barely useable. What would then be the point in anyone else buying it?

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

9 minutes ago, DK123GWR said:

The tooling has, according to Dapol, already deteriorated considerably, causing a reduction in the quality of the kits. Surely the most likely cause of the range being discontinued in that context is that they reach the point where the tooling is barely useable. What would then be the point in anyone else buying it?

Personally I’d do it for preservation reasons, given those are, what I assume at least, the last remaining toolings for Rosebud kits.

 

Ah well, if the original casts are completely cream-crackered, replicas are always an option…

[Trainshed Terry]

2 hours ago, Moxy said:

 

There certainly used to be a Kitmaster Collectors Association, website here : http://www.kitmaster.org.uk/CollectorsClub.htm#Ind

 

Their last journal was issued in 2006, so whether it is still going or not I cannot say.  Some of the web links no longer work.

Hello People, I have just spoken to the chairman of the http://www.kitmaster.org.uk/CollectorsClub.htm#Ind regarding the “Kitmaster Club” web site. They are no taken new members for the club.  

 

The web site is not owned by the kitmaster club web site is handled by a third-party member of the club. The journal and memberships was stopped due to the death of the editor many years ago.

 

Their last journal was issued in 2006, so whether it is still going or not I cannot say.  Some of the web links no longer work.

 

 Kitmaster Club do still do trade shows on the exhibition circuit, they are at the “Warley Exhibition this weekend, please do go along and have chat about the kitmaster range of products from the time and browse the quality second hand sales items that are currently in stock.

They will also be doing “The London Festival of Railway Modelling - Alexandra Palace 16/17 March 2024”

 

I hope that is of help to you all

 

Terry.

 

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

On 23/11/2023 at 18:57, Hacksworth_Sidings said:

replicas are always an option…

Was browsing the internet for Kitmaster Hudsons, and this old thread popped up, thought I’d bring the topic here as I’d bought up a similar topic not long ago.

 

With recent technologies such as 3D scanning, printing, CAD software, etc, if there’s anyone out there with unbuilt, sought after K’master kits and access to the aforementioned technologies, then I believe a revival may well be in order…

 

I’ve seen some of the more common kits like the Prairie, BoB, School, etc, sell in the region of £20-£30 unbuilt, and they presumably wouldn’t have the same warping the Dapol kits currently have (due to the Dapol kits using a lower quality plastic), so taking measurements from those would likely be far easier, imagine something like the Stirling or J94 kits making a comeback…

Edited November 26, 2023 by Hacksworth_Sidings

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

Finally going to repair the damaged cab on Croydon, Hattons has some of the Dapol kits up for cheap right now so with any luck I'm going to swipe up a BoB on Friday, will use that to repair the damage.

 

One other thing I did to allow 34056 to run on my layout was remove the centre tender wheels, unsure why but they didn't like my track and would derail frequently (they'd been replaced with fine metal wheels, sitting in tophat bearings), so I'll probably use some wheels from the Dapol kit, flanges shaved off, to replace that and complete the look. Will also attempt to use the drive wheels on the kit to try and add proper BFB overlays to the spoked wheels, if that fails though then I'll likely use paper and paint instead.

 

Edit: Alright, scratch that, been interested by Shedmouth Junction’s “Wibbly Wobbly Wagon challenge”, asked if doing a wibbly wobbly loco would be doable (come on, you can’t have a wacky looking consist without a wacky looking loco to haul it!), to which Martin and Evie said to embrace the madness if need be, so instead I’ll be ordering another Prairie, I’ll let you all know how that goes…

Edited November 29, 2023 by Hacksworth_Sidings

[MidlandRegionModeler]

These are some airfix 16t coal wagons i did a while back, got them dead cheap as new old stock and tried some weathering techniques on them, some turned out better than others.

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176056482022

 

Found this whilst scrolling for projects, Rosebud TT Scot? Can't quite tell but the black plastic and unflanged centre driver make it seem like it is.

[Trainshed Terry]

27 minutes ago, Hacksworth_Sidings said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176056482022

 

Found this whilst scrolling for projects, Rosebud TT Scot? Can't quite tell but the black plastic and unflanged center driver make it seem like it is.

 

I think you will find that it is 3mm to the foot and so it is not compatible with the current TT scale.

 

Terry.

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

4 hours ago, Trainshed Terry said:

 

I think you will find that it is 3mm to the foot and so it is not compatible with the current TT scale.

 

Terry.

I know, TT back then wasn’t the same as TT:120, but K’master marketed their Royal Scot kit as being a TT model, hence my question.

 

[Jeff Smith]

Interesting that TT was qualified by 3......  I thought back then it was just TT

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

Remember the bo-bo pug?

 

 

Well the friend I’m building it for sent it’s chassis to me, a bit of fiddling and it rolls nicely, been debating what kit to buy for the past few days as Hattons has most of them on cheap, and since I’ve wanted a pug for a while I’ve finally decided to go with that, the chassis is a Rosebud so I hopefully won’t have any running issues, but the body will be a Dapol.

 

Going back to my local MRC next week too, so if I have it finished by then I’ll probably bring it with me… Double head it with my GMR Royal Scot or something. Will look into building a motor wagon for it next, thinking a meat van on an old black 5 tender drive…

[33C]

32 minutes ago, Hacksworth_Sidings said:

Will look into building a motor wagon for it next, thinking a meat van on an old black 5 tender drive…

How about the Lima HO 4F tender drive motor? It's quite small and just add a wiper pick-up, or contacts on the loco and a permanently coupled van/coach.

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

40 minutes ago, 33C said:

How about the Lima HO 4F tender drive motor? It's quite small and just add a wiper pick-up, or contacts on the loco and a permanently coupled van/coach.

I’ve been considering something along the lines of a tender drive in a wagon, yes, not to mention I’ve been after a HO 4F for a while, but for the pure reason of the novelty of having it, not projects. Was considering the 5MT tender drive as I have two spare (one motor bogie being slightly shorter than the other), and one of them, whilst slightly too long in the wheelbase, would fit rather nicely under a meat van. Main problem with that would be the pickup as the ringfield drives on old Hornby locos pick up from the unpowered bogie on one rail, and the powered bogie on the other, but I’m certain running an unpowered bogie from something like a 125 under, for example, a 16T mineral wagon would work nicely to solve that issue.

[BernardTPM]

5 hours ago, Jeff Smith said:

Interesting that TT was qualified by 3......  I thought back then it was just TT

Tri-ang just used TT but some others, including Peco, used TT3.

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

Think I may have shared this before, but this is something I’d like to try and motorise some day… 

 

Triang B12 chassis with extended crank pins and Princess rods, body mods being the same as described in the original thread.

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

So my Dapol Pug kit arrived today, and I noticed some differences between the Dapol kit and the Kitmaster one, most noticeably: The cranks on the Dapol wheels aren’t self-quartering, and the frames on the Dapol one have brake shoes moulded on, alongside the Airfix type couplers. I know Airfix made some changes to the models, so were these changes (brake shoes + quartering issue) from the Airfix release? Or are these changes Dapol themselves have done?

Edited December 6, 2023 by Hacksworth_Sidings

[BernardTPM]

Both changes done by Airfix, checking against some 1970s kit mouldings.

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

Currently got the major parts for the pug assembled.

 

 

Not entirely secured together, buffers pop out, boiler isn’t secured to the frame, cab roof isn’t fitted properly, etc, going to do the final assembly once I have some black spray paint.

 

 

I also managed to fit a tension lock coupler to the rear, cut away at the frames just enough to get it in place, then used a screw in the mounting hole for the kit couplers.

 

 

Rolls really nicely, going to put 10g between the frames, then another 15 in the boiler, as for painting I’ll mask off the chassis and spray everything with a grey primer, and then only the parts I want to be black with a Tamiya spray, going to pick some up from a local hobby shop this weekend, will hand finish things like handrails, then apply decals.

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

Rather tempted to try and motorise a Pug, unsure if this was true for the Italian tank but I know most of the Perfecta motor kits (BOB and Prairie) utilised the Triang LOTI/Caledonian/turntable motor as a recommended form of propulsion, I do have a Triang LOTI which I can temporarily take the motor from to check clearances, if it’s a decent size then I may attempt to fit one of those to a Pug.

 

Push comes to shove, I do a Sam and spend £3 on a cheap motor from eBay.

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

On 06/12/2023 at 16:55, Hacksworth_Sidings said:

Currently got the major parts for the pug assembled.

 

 

Not entirely secured together, buffers pop out, boiler isn’t secured to the frame, cab roof isn’t fitted properly, etc, going to do the final assembly once I have some black spray paint.

 

 

I also managed to fit a tension lock coupler to the rear, cut away at the frames just enough to get it in place, then used a screw in the mounting hole for the kit couplers.

 

 

Rolls really nicely, going to put 10g between the frames, then another 15 in the boiler, as for painting I’ll mask off the chassis and spray everything with a grey primer, and then only the parts I want to be black with a Tamiya spray, going to pick some up from a local hobby shop this weekend, will hand finish things like handrails, then apply decals.

 

Airfix Scot for scale, added 30g to the Pug (15 in the frames, 15 in the boiler), rolls incredibly well, but will stick every once in a while, taking it to my local MRC tonight to give it a proper test run.

[33C]

Why not revisit the Scalextric micro motor and gear? Cut out the centre of the pug wheels axle. Centre and drill a 1.5mm hole in each end. Cut the Scalextric axle down to gauge and glue into the pug axle ends with the Scalextric gear now in the middle. A bit of universal motor mount (hot glue gun) and get a mesh. The Scalextric braids can wipe on the top of the rails for current collection...

"PPPPPUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!"

 

Just a thought. 

[Porkscratching]

11 minutes ago, 33C said:

Why not revisit the Scalextric micro motor and gear? Cut out the centre of the pug wheels axle. Centre and drill a 1.5mm hole in each end. Cut the Scalextric axle down to gauge and glue into the pug axle ends with the Scalextric gear now in the middle. A bit of universal motor mount (hot glue gun) and get a mesh. The Scalextric braids can wipe on the top of the rails for current collection...

"PPPPPUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!"

 

Just a thought. 

A pug flying round on Scalextric track.. Epic 😁

[33C]

13 minutes ago, Porkscratching said:

A pug flying round on Scalextric track.. Epic 😁

It would look like the current Thomas animated series! 

Hornby, don't even think about it.....

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

30 minutes ago, Porkscratching said:

A pug flying round on Scalextric track.. Epic 😁

Glue a pin between the frames and yes, very much a possibility.

[Hacksworth_Sidings]

51 minutes ago, 33C said:

Why not revisit the Scalextric micro motor and gear? Cut out the centre of the pug wheels axle. Centre and drill a 1.5mm hole in each end. Cut the Scalextric axle down to gauge and glue into the pug axle ends with the Scalextric gear now in the middle. A bit of universal motor mount (hot glue gun) and get a mesh. The Scalextric braids can wipe on the top of the rails for current collection...

"PPPPPUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!"

 

Just a thought. 

How about this instead of collector braids?

 

Some small industrial locos ran with old mineral wagons behind them to use as auxiliary tenders to carry more coal (or so I’ve heard):

 

 

 

(Unsure of who took the photo, certainly not my own though)

 

16T mineral wagon with one end removed, hole drilled in the back of the cab (both to run the wires through, and also so a fireman would be able to reach into the wagon if you want brownie points for realism), either silver seal wheels in the plastic bearings, or Dapol’s wheels with the frames modified to take tophat bearings, copper or phosphor bronze on the tops of the wheels, wires running from the wagon to the motor in the loco.

Edited December 8, 2023 by Hacksworth_Sidings