commsbloke Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 I guess that many of you will have done this many times but this is the first time for me. I have built plastic tanks before but this will be my first 7mm kit. To start me off I have chosen a Slater's Vanwide. First thing that I found is that there is quite a lot in the box. I think that I may have some questions on the way. I plan to take thing slow so don't expect it finished in a week 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickstart Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 Hiya Enjoy it. You will probably find a few bits are superfluous. Eg, often 2 types of axle box for you to choose from All the best Katy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commsbloke Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 2 minutes ago, Kickstart said: ..... You will probably find a few bits are superfluous. Eg, often 2 types of axle box for you to choose from ..... Ha ha, thanks Katy, that was one of my first questions. Nick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commsbloke Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 Not too much done in my first session although most time was spent finding my Tamiya Extra Thin Sides, ends, floor, chassis frame and solebars removed from sprues and cleaned up. Holes drilled following instructions in ends, solebars and van sides. Slots opened up in solebars. Chassis frame glued to floor with Extra Thin, correct location assisted by rectangular raised area on floor. Chassis and floor left to set under weights on a mirror to keep flat. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WM183 Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 Do Slaters wagons offer any sort of compensation? That looks like a fun kit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commsbloke Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 25 minutes ago, WM183 said: Do Slaters wagons offer any sort of compensation? That looks like a fun kit! From the instructions, I don't believe that this one does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Just now, WM183 said: Do Slaters wagons offer any sort of compensation? That looks like a fun kit! Just now, commsbloke said: From the instructions, I don't believe that this one does. You can get sprung W-irons as an add-on kit. Slaters sell them. There are also a few 3rd party suppliers. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastdax Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 7 hours ago, hartleymartin said: You can get sprung W-irons as an add-on kit. Slaters sell them. There are also a few 3rd party suppliers. Here's another option as I used on my (unpainted) vanwide: It's the etched brass compensation unit on the near axle which allows this axle to pivot from side-to-side. The far axle is glued solid to make a 3-point compensation system. 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commsbloke Posted January 19, 2020 Author Share Posted January 19, 2020 This is where I started, just floor, main chassis members and solebars. Then body sides and ends fitted using Tamiya extra thin. An extra pair of hands or two would have proved useful here, ....and on to the buffer guides? These needed a little work with a file to get the ends a little more round. The instructions don't say that they also need to be drilled. I used a 1.5mm drill in a pin vise. Finally for today the buffer guides were fixed using Gorilla two part epoxy. Perhaps the buffer guides should have been fitted before the body was assembled. Getting those little nuts on is going to be fun. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossard Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 10 hours ago, Fastdax said: Here's another option as I used on my (unpainted) vanwide: It's the etched brass compensation unit on the near axle which allows this axle to pivot from side-to-side. The far axle is glued solid to make a 3-point compensation system. Delighted to see that you have done the safety loops and vacuum pipe. These are things I always do but are often ignored by the kit manufacturers. The other sprung W iron add on is from Bill Bedford, available from Eileen's Emporium. They are quite good but sometimes suffer from rusty spring wire. Funnily enough I spent some time today prepping a set of Slaters oleo buffers. These are great but the inside should be cleaned out of the white powder and the buffers confirmed to fit and slide freely. John 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Nickey Line Posted January 19, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 19, 2020 13 minutes ago, commsbloke said: Perhaps the buffer guides should have been fitted before the body was assembled. Getting those little nuts on is going to be fun. I made a 'spanner' from plasticard and a piece of scrap sprue for just such a purpose... Thought I had a pic but can't find it, but basically I melted one of the nuts into a thickish piece of plaslticard, cut round the resulting hole and then attached it to the piece of sprue. Will add a pic if that's not clear enough... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I use a piece piece of sticky paper to hold the buffer nuts. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/125310-ernies-7mm-wagons-wagon-spotting-in-books/page/12/&tab=comments#comment-3766227 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commsbloke Posted January 19, 2020 Author Share Posted January 19, 2020 1 minute ago, Nickey Line said: I made a 'spanner' from plasticard and a piece of scrap sprue for just such a purpose... Many thanks, that sounds a great idea. Will give it a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commsbloke Posted January 19, 2020 Author Share Posted January 19, 2020 2 minutes ago, The Bigbee Line said: I use a piece piece of sticky paper to hold the buffer nuts. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/125310-ernies-7mm-wagons-wagon-spotting-in-books/page/12/&tab=comments#comment-3766227 Again, another good idea, many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossard Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Well, I always put the buffers in pre assembled and blackened. A lot of cunning ideas though. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Nickey Line Posted January 19, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 19, 2020 Only a few moments work... 1 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Hal Nail Posted January 19, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 19, 2020 I just use pinhead pliers to hold the nut and twist the buffer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 2 hours ago, brossard said: Well, I always put the buffers in pre assembled and blackened. A lot of cunning ideas though. John John, What do you use to blacken your buffers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossard Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Various forms of Selenium Dioxide Ernie. Carr's metal black for steel, brass and nickel silver, is the most obvious but I have used gun blue as well. I like to blacken buffers, couplings and vacuum pipes. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 I find a lot of vans get "side suck" where the sides curve inwards after a few years. I started putting 6.4x3.2mm styrene strips on the inside of the van and a couple of cross-struts, usually one either side of the doors. This gives a bit of extra structural rigidity to the body and prevents the sides from bowing inwards over time. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike hughes Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 I've normally started with the floor then add the sides/ends before the underframe but found need to add 10th strip to lengthen the floor. Found it easier to clean out the buffers whilst still on the sprue. I add the heads on last holding the nut with tweezers. For holding the sides out I use a spare part of a sprue. As using oleo buffers, don't forget to use the piece that goes where the coupling hook that's on the underframe trussing mould. Michael 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commsbloke Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 1 hour ago, mike hughes said: ...... As using oleo buffers, don't forget to use the piece that goes where the coupling hook that's on the underframe trussing mould. ..... Thanks Michael, sorry I don't know what Oleo buffers are and I am not sure what " the piece that goes where the coupling hook" refers to. Do you have a picture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Hal Nail Posted January 20, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 20, 2020 (edited) 9 hours ago, commsbloke said: Thanks Michael, sorry I don't know what Oleo buffers are and I am not sure what " the piece that goes where the coupling hook" refers to. Do you have a picture? The buffers you are using are oleos - easy to spot with two diameters of shank. The bit referred to is a small square with 4 bolts and a slot, fitted to the buffer beam where the coupling hook goes through - visible in Fastdax's photo further up. My mistake, sorry! Edited January 20, 2020 by Hal Nail 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commsbloke Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 4 minutes ago, Hal Nail said: The buffers you are using are oleos - easy to spot with two diameters of shank. The bit referred to is a small square with 4 bolts and a slot, fitted to the buffer beam where the coupling hook goes through - visible in Fastdax's photo further up. Got it, Thanks Hal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastdax Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 24 minutes ago, Hal Nail said: The buffers you are using are oleos - easy to spot with two diameters of shank. The bit referred to is a small square with 4 bolts and a slot, fitted to the buffer beam where the coupling hook goes through - visible in Fastdax's photo further up. Be aware here that the bit you are referring to - the coupling mounting plate - is something I added to the Slaters kit in order to locate my Dingham auto-coupler more accurately than allowed by the rather big slot in the plastic buffer beam. It's a nickel-silver etching provided by Dingham for this purpose (although I use the 4mm version rather than the 7mm version as explained here). I don't think there's a coupling mounting plate provided in the kit as a separate item. It's cast into the buffer beam. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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