JeffP Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 OK, picked up on the Facebook site that the wheels MIGHT not be up to much? There was talk of chrome plated tyres, , malformed spokes, soft plastic and, worryingly, bad fit between axle and wheel, and between wheel-nut and Allen key? Has anyone else had same, or can comment? If it's true, mine will get cancelled BEFORE I get any wheels. I'm presently on issue 19. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushrat Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Hi Jeff, That may well be the case..... I started on Flying Scotsman, with the intention of getting some bits and scratch building the rest, but sort of got sucked in to the whole series, and there were a LOT of niggling little problems with Scotsman. Mine is not yet finished (about 70% I suppose) due to life in general getting in the way as it is wont to do...... But yes, the wheels/axles were a problem for some people with Scotsman, undersize axle ends mean the wheels tend to wobble a bit, the allen screws have a tendancy to strip the heads (bad luck if you need to remove them). With Scotsman, I didn't feel that the wheels themselves were too bad, just the axle ends and allen screws, but either way its an expensive problem with limited options to fix other than to replace with something like Slaters wheel sets - expensive and not common here in Australia! Dunno about the soft plastic on the wheels, but given the Mazak boiler and the fact that Mallard will be a fair bit heavier than Scotsman, it may be an issue. This time I am not getting trapped again, I am up to issue 8 here, and once I have the complete chassis, loco body and chimney I am going to cancel it. I will scratch build the rest using reproduction parts of Scotsman such as the tender etc. Mine is probably only going to be a static model anyway, so it will be nothing more than a conversation piece at best, although hopefully a reasonable looking one! If you have a read through the Flying Scotsman pages on these forums, the problems are covered pretty well....... Also Mallard will need a fairly strong motor due to its weight, unlike the Scotsman, which I powered with an old triang motor (I kid you not) and it runs quite well! Maybe you can post a link to this facebook page? I would really like to take a gander at this..... Bushrat Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 30801 Posted May 14, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 14, 2015 I got my wheels yesterday and haven't opened the bags yet. So far they look like the same faux Slaters wheels as supplied with the Flying Scotsman partwork. I'll get them out and poke at them tonight. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike47j Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 (edited) Got my wheels yesterday. Spokes look fine, very shinny tyres so probably chromed. Axle is a very loose fit in the wheel but does not fit in the bearing. Allen key a bit loose in the screw. I thought these were 3 cylinder ? so should they be at 90 or 120 degrees ? Just tried a Slaters axle and its the same loose fit in the wheel and too tight in the bearing, but the screws are better fit to the allen key. So probably just needs new screws. Just got the reamer out on the bushes, and now the axle fits OK. One good wheel, one a bit wobbly, swap them and it's the axle not square. So probably new axles as well. Edited May 14, 2015 by mike47j Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ROSSPOP Posted May 14, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 14, 2015 Well folks for my pennies worth it is as follows............... Comparison to real Slaters wheels....better quality material and prone to rust..... The wheels being supplied are slightly inferior quality perhaps....but lets be honest here. If the average punter decides on Slaters replacement and he or she has no experience with them, we that are, know that the are not always an easy fit and require fettling to the squared ends. Hatchette are producing this kit for any `Joe Bloggs` to make. Secondly, these `plated` offerings can be left in a damp shed and will not rust....Slaters will.... Changing the axles makes no difference with mine at reducing the sloppyfit. Changing the screws makes a little better fit But at the expence of a deeper seated screw head. I took a blade to mine and tried to try and remove the plating.....see what you think... With care these wheels appear robust to me and mine are tough plastic with no deformities and assembled into wobble free wheels. Great care must be taken when using the Allen Key or you can easily wreck the screw head....but I have experienced this with proper Slaters wheels in the past. What I need to know from LNER buffs.... Are these wheels the proper profile for this loco ??????? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nth Degree Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I hope you don't mind if I ask a question of you, but do those that are building this model like the part-work format? If so, could you say why? It could be reasons like, being part of a group build, spreading the cost over time, building in highly illustrated and clarified stages (with the magazine), or something else – or indeed all of these. Also, would you consider building all of your models this way for the reasons you stated above? Would it be only for another large loco like this or would you consider a smaller loco, or even a wagon? Thanks, Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 30801 Posted May 14, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 14, 2015 I hope you don't mind if I ask a question of you, but do those that are building this model like the part-work format? If so, could you say why? It could be reasons like, being part of a group build, spreading the cost over time, building in highly illustrated and clarified stages (with the magazine), or something else – or indeed all of these. Yes all that stuff. Plus spreading the cost makes buying silly large models more palatable I tend to build things on & off so a total build time of two years is no big deal for me. I can leave things on a shelf for a year at a time... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike47j Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 This is my first partwork, and given the quality of the parts and the total cost I will not do another. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ROSSPOP Posted May 14, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 14, 2015 I have been a railway kit maker for many years. Retirement has given me more time and Hatchette provide the means to by a kit in instalments thereby spreading the cost overtime for a model I would not have usually chosen. Apart from three items the most recent being the wheels this has proven to be a quality production in parts and instructions. Bearing in mind,in my 40 years experience, the vast majority of etched loco kits are incomplete(requiring wheels,motor,transfers,) and have poor instructions. And variable quality of parts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nth Degree Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Thanks so far. For declaration's sake, I did a year's worth of research (via my company) for a client to move into the part-work arena. By far the biggest complaint, or concern, was for the series to be stopped mid-way through the build, as has happened to a few series so far (not necessarily railway-based models). Second to that was quality of fit and finish. Material things like cost were a few steps down the list. By far the most appealing was the ability to produce a good model over time without the burden of a high initial cost. The fairly recent advent of forums helped join people up to mutually solve problems and to give others the benefit of their experience. The feeling of not being alone in their pursuit was quite a high scorer. Our client finally decided not to go ahead with their project as their proposed models were not available off-the-shelf to rebrand. We put so much effort and time into this project that we bought the idea and strategy from our client, so is still on the backburner simmering away. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 30801 Posted May 14, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 14, 2015 By far the biggest complaint, or concern, was for the series to be stopped mid-way through the build, as has happened to a few series so far (not necessarily railway-based models). Beyond four-issue test runs I'm not aware of any that have not run to completion... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nth Degree Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 We didn't count tests, but over the ten-year span we researched there have been at least six, including two runs of the same model cancelled at different stages of the series. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenglade Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Hi Ross They look pretty close to the prototype... at first i wasn't too keen on the idea of separate balance weights but I guess the advantage is that at least you can put them in their correct positions, which btw isn't directly opposite the crank throw...there are plenty of pictures of FS's wheels on the web... this picture if for Don Young's designed A1/3/4 set in 5" gauge which is probably easier to compare.. they are very close mike47j...I'm putting on my pedantic hat here so please forgive me... regarding your question on quartering the correct angles for Gresley pacific's are 120, 112.875, 127.125..... although most of us are happy with 120, 113, 127 for the larger live steam models... cheers Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushrat Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Just finished putting the handrails on one side of the boiler - what a shocker of a job! It would have been much better if the shanks of the handrail stanchions/posts were long enough to protrude through the boiler casting to allow a bit of araldite or solder to be placed on the ends to make it a secure job. In the end I gave up trying to get dobs of solder down the holes in the very hard to work with "mazak" and super glued them, and just hope they don't let go at some time. I wonder if they are going to do the conrods etc in stainless like Scotsman was - hope not, it was very hard to solder........But at least they have done something sensible in having the motion bracket as part of the chassis etching, that was a real nightmare to put together....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 (edited) Bushrat: here's the Facebook group, it's closed, you apply to join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/221538741371836/ ROSSPOP, those wheels exhibit evidence that they MIGHT have been done by 3D printing at some stage, I feel. NthDegree: All of those things, but the ability to spread the cost was uppermost for me. Edited May 15, 2015 by JeffP Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ROSSPOP Posted May 15, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 15, 2015 Thanks Jeff I shall invest in Slaters wheels rather than have to be aggravated in the future. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Phil Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Hi guys, I've getting on with my Body These last weeks. Still waiting on the JPL Chassis. Had to put the pinstripes on one at a time since I didn't have any red/white stripes. Wait til you have to do it. What a Job. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Phil Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Took the bull by the horns and put the white stripe on this morning. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Peter Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Just started the wheels------------My ones don't quarter---45 degrees either side of 90????????????? arghhhhhhh! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike47j Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 3 cylinders, so they are not supposed to quarter, they are at about 120 degrees. The parts are right, the instructions are at least misleading if not actually wrong, they could be a lot clearer. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Peter Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 the Photo's in part 39 must be showing Slaters wheels! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike47j Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Just got part 41, and the bogie pivot and M2 screw are missing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Peter Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Anyone having trouble with the wheels?-----Quartering, doesn't seem to be right,is this another anomaly from Hatchette????????????? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzyo Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Have they done it so that the wheels will be at 120 Degs.? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ROSSPOP Posted July 6, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 6, 2015 (edited) Oh yes oh yes oh yes Now have all six drivers and only two quarter at 90 degrees the other four are a choice of about 80 or 160 degrees ( AS DESCRIBED IN ISSUE 39 PAGE 155 INST 11 & 12 ) Didn't get the bogie pivot this week....... Have emailed them ....but can't see them understanding the quartering issue........... Watch this space....... John Edited July 6, 2015 by ROSSPOP Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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