AlfaZagato

I finished building the commando! ...no I didn't. Arms, heads, hats, and Bergan bags all on. I only need to clean and fit the waist equipment. Still, that much more time on a project I should have finished already. I do this to myself. I REALLY should be done by this time next week.

That crane in the black & white photos looks both like a great scratchbuild project, and a reasonable size to fit on a point-to-point layout of the dock.

Do you have an era in mind? Same as Ffarqhuar?

Use what you're comfortable with. I'm using Kadee's as they are much easier for me to get. Also, I like them better for exhibitions. I'm not fond of twisting off 20-odd wagons when the next club member wants to run on the layout.

Carefully.

I finally started on a box that's been floating about my workshop for a couple of years. Bolt Action Commandos, in plastic. They don't fall together nearly so well as the Tau I've been working on. Mostly cleaning some pretty sever flash here, with Plastic Weld to fix the bodies to the bases. Assembling the arms. Arming the people? Rules option allowed for all SMGs, so I built as such. Should be a fun time if and when I ever lay them on the table. All armed, just waiting to get ahead in life. The arm-pairs do NOT like to line up worth a cent. More Chicago snow preclude me getting rolling on the heads. You can just make out here what the flash is like on this kit. I should have these built by next week. We'll see.

I don't think Santa will fit down that chimney. Serious question though, why do all English homes with chimneys have pots? You don't see such much in the US. We just have plain flues.

Well then, get to it! Or don't, up to you.

Without the rakish angles, she would look perfectly believable.

Last of the Tau is done. These are just a little less knock together than the troops, but still no real effort. Mostly options slowing it down. Each one has both arms and the left shoulder fitted with a rare-earth magnet for swappable weapons. Built a one-off model for an upcoming army. Named model, Sister Novena or something like that. No special rules, though. Just sort of a showcase model. When I get to paint, I'm thinking of messing with object lighting. That will be different. More slow days at work meant more snap kits of giant robots. First, an accessory pack; Recognize the dude? I built him last month. I finally picked up the weapon pack; Foul play on Bandai's part, selling the weapons separate. Still, now it's finished. Finally, a Goof. Gouf Custom, actually. Wrist-mounted whip, and that monstrosity of a shield. Shield even stores a sword. There's a wrist-mounted machine gun under that, too. I have some 28mm WWII Commandos that I have started, too. I forgot to take a picture, but there's not much done yet. We'll see where I am next week.

I'd hope so. Those are at least 20-foot wide cabs; I can't imagine them being one-man operations at that point.

Those cabins at Brentford seem...impractical.

Now I want to see what amount of cutting it would take to wedge a GG1 under UK 25k.

I've seen one in person at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union. Huge, just huge. They can't run it, as their OHL is 600v DC if I remember correctly, for the interurbans and streetcars.

The lurid colors and massive numbers don't look so bad against otherwise realistic detailing.

In regards to limits on restricted cylinder sizes in the UK; Why not a Mallett type? I think the UP showed, with Challenger, that you could make a very fast articulated locomotive with great low-pressure cylinders floating around in front of the smokebox. To an extreme, locating the low-pressure cylinders in front of the smokebox could let one greatly enlarge them, drive the 2nd axle on a crank axle, and have most of the width of the gauge for cylinder.

Neat little job. I don't know how long I'd want to spend in one of those, mind.

Looks good. I'm 29 and I can't work that small.

Also shows how most of the machinery on the island seems sentient. You can just see the vestige of a face on that blue tractor next to Toby.

Getting close to finished with the Tau box. Second Ethereal-blade is knocked up. I probably mentioned before, but it is a very simple, useful conversion. The parts break-down on these kits was intended to allow for easy modification. This is all normal Ethereal here. And the finished conversion. Different arms, different head, & a backpack. I've thought about changing the legs, but the torso & legs on the ethereal are a single molding. I don't think it is worth the time. I've done quite a bit with the suits, as well. All of the clamps. Waists & what they call 'burst cannons.' Dirty numbers, these. Probability scales heavily in their favor. Love them on the table. Sadly, not enough in the box. Everything gets a magnet, too. I didn't dawdle this time, either. Drill still held a charge, so why not? I am now out of the larger magnet size I use for the suits themselves, though. I shouldn't need more of that size for a while. I should have the suits done next week. I might even be into the next project. Hell, maybe even the project after that!

I love days like this. "Oh hey, I have 37 projects that all need fiddly work."

Cool, sounds like a reason to build a Grasshopper.

Are the 'Coffee Pots' taken to be DeWinton types?

Looking at compared to I think the squared nose is mostly decorative. I can't explain the switch from inside to outside bearings, but the cabs, boilers, & footplates all look identical. Also consider that Sentinel was a private works more in line with Alco or Baldwin, and kept to standard parts when possible.

Good to know these little things can be had from auction. Wargaming stores charge a firstborn for them.