Blue Peter Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 (edited) :scratchhead:Issue 5 ---access panels, dome cover ,and topstraps for the boiler, Just thinking,are we getting a plastic tender the same as F.S.? Edited October 2, 2014 by Blue Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralfmouf Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 Hi, One thing Hatchette have done for us is provide a boatload of A4 bodies so there will be a glut for probably the next 10-20 years, I personally took advantage from WHS £5 offers & made sure I have a few in case of bal*s ups etc, now yes today mine came in post not too excited as I already have said parts... The A3 print I did not have is now here & the as on ebay magnifyting "helping hands" worth about £6 thingy will be forthcoming. I don't yet have issue 4 but it sounds to me to have very little in it window frames & bits from what ive seen I'll personally keep the subscription on till I consider as others have mentioned is basically £8 a copy for little bits. With the overcoating of grey primer removed I must admit the detail is pretty good on the main body but on the skirts there is front & back gaps once fitted but once painted properly may not be so evident. I hate whitemetal small detail parts on any loco as they are so weak that once bent will be prone to break off, So has anyone got any suggestion of a supplier alternative Lost Wax Brass alternatives for the lamp irons for a start ? As I see an opportunity for a supplier for better parts for us to buy & use whilst the whitemetal bits go on ebay.... Just my comment. ALF Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Peter Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Watch out for the little screws,when joining the boiler and skirts,over-tightening they can snap-off----Rob 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 30801 Posted October 5, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 5, 2014 Watch out for the little screws,when joining the boiler and skirts,over-tightening they can snap-off----Rob Doesn't matter. Everyone has at least fourteen spare bodies Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 30801 Posted October 5, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 5, 2014 but on the skirts there is front & back gaps once fitted but once painted properly may not be so evident. You can elongate the holes in the skirt on the bad side to help close the gap. Don't overdo it though as you'll throw out the beading around the lubricator. At some point I'll get some filler and see how things turn out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Phil Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 (edited) Good morning all, I thought it was about time I joined in and made a few additions to this Thread. As my name implies, I'm an old codger who's been around O Gauge scratch building for 30+ years. Simply put, I build and sell my locos through a recognized Trader at the Main O guage exhibitions. I've been keeping an eye on this offer from Hachette from the beginning having read a lot of negative reports about the Flying Scotsman. Incidently, i have never seen a 'Scotsman' motorized and put on sale at an Exhibition. It seems that the valve gear is rubbish and wont stand up to too much movement. And that plastic tender and boiler. So, anyway, I was curious to see to see what was being offered here with Mallard. Surprise, surprise. The Body is actually an excellent reproduction and is made from die cast materials, not this other weird stuff, and can be drilled easily. Hachette shot themselves in the foot. First...yes it will appeal to all those fans of Mallard who have always wanted a big model to stand on the shelf and made the pilgrimage to York to 'The Gathering', and will diligently attempt to build it, and second, they never realised what a great favour they were doing to scratch builders by suppyling the main Body parts for the princely sum of 12 Pound 50p, in the first 3 weeks of issue. I know one bloke who went round Manchester collecting as many as possible in the three week period..he now has 16 complete bodies. My idea...simple, buy the Body and scratchbuild the rest. My Trader associate has also joined in and, as a supplier of O gauge accessories, has agreed to modify his A4 chassis to accomodate this Body, not only to me, but for the entire community who dont want to wait over two years and who want a loco that is motorized and will run. I've been busy over the last month and heres what I got to date. Edited October 5, 2014 by Old Man Phil 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ROSSPOP Posted October 5, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 5, 2014 Ooooh! now there`s a challenge Old Man Phil...... Wait two years and you`ll see this Hatchette Mallard completed and running on the test track at Telford............ Regards..... John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Phil Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 (edited) Hi John, If you make it to The Spring Convention in Kettering next March, you'll see mine running. Incidently, I'm building 2511, Silver King in 1938 Garter Blue. Added Roof Detail this morning. Edited October 5, 2014 by Old Man Phil 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ROSSPOP Posted October 5, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 5, 2014 She looks good Phil I might be at Kettering as I hav'nt been their for a couple of years. I am of course Phil a follower of the only true modelling faith and only model The Great Western (zzzzzzZZZZZZZZ) But I fancied building something different in the background at a slow plod........ John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Phil Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 (edited) I was born and raised in Leicester. LMS and Great Central and one GWR Hall a day from Banbury in the afternoon. After School we all went up to the Central Station to wait for it. That was my extent of Western locos in 1955/60. My mum was from Middlesborough so I took her to see her mum every May for her birthday. They spent the week on the beach at Redcar and I went trainspotting at Darlington 57/58/59, Newcastle 59 and Carlisle 60. A 5 bob runabout ticket could show a kid the world. I have a great memory of bunking 52A Gateshead as a 12 year old kid with a camera. Still have the pics and most of the negatives of those great times. 60002 Sir Murrough Wilson coming straight at me. Edited October 5, 2014 by Old Man Phil 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ROSSPOP Posted October 5, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 5, 2014 I was further south down the Midland line at Bedford. Spent hours sitting on the platform in the mid to late 60's watching the end of steam as we know it. Lost all my pics I took with a very old Brownie. Should really be an LMS modeller, but took my son on holiday to Devon and discovered Buckfastleigh and the GWR.... And that was that....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicar47 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I'm a newcomer to building loco kits, but with enough modelling experience not to be too phased to attempt it. I've been pondering the first four parts and was wondering about painting the beast. Does it make sense to paint the body before adding bits like the hand rails or window frames? What colour are/were the handrails anyway? They look brass in some pictures and steel in others. I see, Phil, that you've stripped off the paint on the body. I thought it seemed a bit thick, too, although it seemed to vary, one smoke box being fine, another having paint runs. The stripped parts can certainly be given a better finish, although there's a risk of sanding some of the rivets a bit flat. Any comments much appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenglade Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Hi Vicar47 I think you'll find that most experienced modeler's will strip the paint off, it's amazing how much detail is covered up with that thick factory applied primer. It comes off very easy with paint stripper, no need to sand anything....use stripper, clean off with water( may need to do this a couple of times) and then buff up with some steel wool. The handrails for Mallard should be polished steel, so silver in colour, personally i'd leave these off until the end although dry fit them now so it's a simple task to fit them later after the body has been painted and even after the decals. Windows... I'm still in two minds about....could leave them off for now but since i'm soldering all of the parts may be best to fix now....I will probably paint them with the body colour and then scrap the paint off to give a nice polished brass look, not really looked at this yet, need to check the prototype. Handrails... I may use a metal solution to make them bright silver, I think the likes of Frost Restoration may be able to help here, I've used their chemical black solution on much larger models which is very good. Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Phil Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 (edited) By the way, inspection of the cab etch will reveal that the upper handrail knob mounting hole is missing. Dont know how they missed that, but it's even missing on the instructions and nothing is said about it. Fact is, the cab handrail should be 4'6". In 0 gauge terms thats 31,1/2 mm. The handrail knobs they are using have a 1.25mm base and they recommend drilling through with a 1.3mm drill. I used a 1.2mm drill and a rat tail file to make it a perfect fit. It's up to you. Edited October 5, 2014 by Old Man Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Phil Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 The window runners need to be soldered or glued in place and painted Garter Blue with the rest of the cab. The Windows themselves are in a wooden frame which slides in the runners. Can be done later and fitted. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
61650gtfc Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I am going down the road of buying the first few parts and scratchbuilding the rest too. Mine may, if im feeling brave get extended into a w1. I did do the earlier scotsman too and it runs well, there are still a lot more unbuilt ones for sale though than I have seen built. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Phil Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I got an interesting suggestion last night....but I told her No. Hehehehe just joking. I was asked about the possibility of using the front end portion of the Body and extending it backwards into a Streamlined P2 2-8-2 Mikado. Something to think about. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
61650gtfc Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I looked into the p2 idea myself. The smokebox would need extended backwards the superheater covers and boiler band would need moving backwards. The chimney is larger on a p2 too. The biggest problem would be that the a4 smokebox sides are curved where the p2 is straight. It would be possible but a lot of work Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicar47 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Greenglade, Old man Phil Thanks for your advice. I took a spare front end, stripped the paint with nitromors, polished the metal with micromesh and sprayed with Alclad primer. Then I compared it with an original. The difference is very clear. Everything is much sharper. Well worth the effort, and, probably the£10 for the nitromors! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenglade Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 There are cheaper alternatives to nitromors...I used B&Q own brand 'varnish /paint remover' worked well and only £2.98, it also did a good job removing the lacquer from the etches for those who wish to solder their models together. Old man Phil...nice pictures..regarding the windows, sorry i should have explained myself more clearly...i was referring to the brass etch that needs fixing to the spectacle plate, these are brass on the prototype and thus will look nice if left unpainted. cheers Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter220950 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Just picked up a second unbuilt Scotsman on E-Bay for £211, which together with the first 3 Mallard Issues should give an A4 for under £300, I am getting one for the full Hatchette price to indicate what else is needed, but things like the items in Issue 4 should be easily scratchbuilt. Whilst one is perhaps a little pricey for around the £850 price tag, 3 for around £1300 makes it a bit more of a viable proposition. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Peter Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 HI O.M,Phil, I did the F.S, there were a "few"issues with this model, plastic tender,whitemetal running gear,not good for motorising,I replaced all these and more in brass and it worked a treat,and it was sold 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Phil Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 (edited) Well Done B.P. Was the tender a kit or scratchbuilt? I still have to make and fit the coal space. I'm waiting for a tender Chassis from JPL Models so I can drill the baseplate floor and get the nuts soldered in place before building over them. It's weird how the buying public are so finnicky about somethings like plastic and metal. So bloody hard to get them to part with thier money sometimes. Edited October 6, 2014 by Old Man Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Peter Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 Looking through some of my F.S, build,it's not about parting with the money,"If you hav'nt got it improvise"--Rob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Phil Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 That is so true. Fortunately some of us can do that. It is so satisfying to be able to solve modelling problems by simply building the required parts. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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