Smiffy2

I'm using it for weathering practice...

I'm thinking that's the case, but I'll end up having to pay return postage, and that means it isn't worth the bother - as it was a loco I didn't want all that much anyway and it owes me £8. I think I'll just break it down for spare parts. It's a pretty awful example, though, and if any of the Southern locos are like that they'll be going back.

It would be preferable to my 28xx...

Have any subscribers had any experience of sending a real dog's breakfast back for a replacement?

Sir Cumference? Hard Knocks? Unseen Academy?

http://www.modelmasterdecals.com/FI_Schools_Nelson.php Also, Lord Snooty - very tempting.

Cheers. So not Bash Street, then?

Taking a step back - I've just got home from France and opened my Schools (looks OK apart from the Smokebox door) and 28xx. Oh my word, what a mess... Smokebox door is on at 45º - which is fixable - but the absence of the cylinder and running gear on the left side of the loco - not so much. The connecting rods are on backwards... I have to wonder who is assembling these things and under what conditions - this is truly abysmal. I may take the V back to 1930ish condition (no smoke deflectors and reinstated snifting valves) - is there anything I need to know before I do it? I might also get another one to rename as St Trinian's, or possibly Bash Street. Both nameplates are available.

He'd have to, to charge £13 for it...

Yes, it seems they were, and removed soon after. http://www.semgonline.com/steam/v_class1.html mm_30914.jpg shows a blanking plate where the item had been, later the smokeboxes are clear.

And including the tempting description: “All Very good condition. just been standing on my model.” Must be a lot lighter than me...

I'm another one. But I got expelled... When I was sent off to Glastonbury Boys it meant that I could watch the Q1s delivering and shunting milk wagons to the Express Dairy depôt that's now the Ahmaadiya mosque. I used to be woken by a West Country/BofB pulling a milk train out of Carshalton station every morning. Still living in Carshalton, so if anyone's got any more info about Wallington station and goods yard in the early 50s I'd love to share it.

LBSCR not LSWR but Wallington (Epsom Downs to Victoria) had a small and odd shaped goods yard and substantial shed. It remained until the 60s when it became a car park to the newly developed (ie charm-neutered) station. There are several interesting pictures on the local history transport site http://www.friendsofhoneywood.co.uk/Transport_History.htm and http://www.semgonline.com/location/wallington_01.html I'm thinking of building it as a sort of big plank.

He's also got 10kg of Lego for £199.99...

Strange. I used the gap between Australia FP3 and Qualifying to do a bit of work on Mallard and Scotsman. Mallard was mostly replacing the utterly naff chassis with the slightly less and the broken bogie with a more-or-less intact one. That was OK. Then I started a bit of detailed painting, on the tender sideframes (shiny black plastic) with Humbrol acrylic dirty black. Fine. Then I tried to repaint the black paintwork at the top of the tender and the paint wouldn't take at all - globulised and shrank. Which I have never seen with Humbrol paint before - but I've not much experience of the acrylics. Intrigued I tried a bit on the smokebox of the Scotsman where the smoke deflectors used to be (nasty glue mess under there) and the same happened. Which was annoying. I suspect the answer is to either slap on some undercoat or enamel flat black, but still, what's in that paint finish? Wax? So now I've got an A4 that looks quite like an A4 (and all other things being equal might become wartime black, if Humbrol can manage a paint that actually sticks) and an almost complete A3 with a dodgy smokebox. I really can't get over having white lining on the loco and black on the tender so perhaps 1943 beckons there, as well. Any advice on sourcing waterslide transfers for those options?

Interesting. From their shop they're marked at €20... http://www.amercom-hobby.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=63

The publisher's website has them at €20 a pop, too.

Unless you're really enthusiastic about watching 75 minutes of locos chuffing past with pretty random collections of rolling stock you're not missing much. Interesting for a few minutes but it palls. Useful as a sort-of reference for goods consists, but even then they aren't authentic. I'd have loved some film of the same classes in the wild, so to speak.

Colour - see above. I think there's a slight difference as the tender seems to be painted and the body self-coloured. The tender is 35.53mm at the widest point at the front, slightly less at the rear.

I got two. And three locos, so a month-and-a-half's worth. I wonder what I'll get next month (when I'm away in France...)

I don't think it is a photo effect. The loco is moulded in green and self-coloured, the tender is moulded in black and painted. On the original photos (in sunlight) it's noticeable, less so in artificial light, but once you know... The smoke deflectors put up a fight, but I beat 'em. Interestingly they were located with four pins in holes each side, only two of which had glue in them. A bit of cutting and filling required, but #1 son has nicked my Milliput...

The clue was in the à la part.

Now - can I just cut those smoke deflectors off without being utterly anachronistic?

Yup. Will get on it.