The Fatadder

Suspect that cambrians new kit would be handy once it's released?

I think option c is the best looking version All looksike it is coming along very nicely!

And if I remember rightly the loco on the cover of the first book looked a lot closer to something LMS, a patriot maybe. Speaking of "hogwarts castle" looks like the Americans have built a couple of 12 inch to the foot scale models of ought on hall (complete with br smoke box numbers) for a theme park ride

It had better not!

Given they are sorting the moulded on door detail on the 42xx, any word of similar improvements (or better yet sorting of handrails) on the star?

When I pre ordered mine from MRD last month, their system was stating Boxing Day...

A typo on my part Hadn't realised they had used anything else!

Getting close then, Hope Gibson don't take too long to do the appropriate wheel on a 2mm axle!

Will try and keep that in mind, By my estimate once I have the garage insulated and plastered I will have space for a 7 ft 9 width board I am thinking about running the fiddle yard through track almost flush to the wall with sidings fanning out Another thought is to have a single track, (ideally I always planned my garage layout as a mainline to justify all these 460s.). If I was to have an off scene single track splitting into 2 tracks on scene In the mean time the current layout will be located along what will become the fiddle yard wall....

Finally Berkeley castle has been completed, The below footplate lining was scraped off with a flat knife blade, along with microsol as a softener. Moving onto the tender, I had hoped to keep the original gw arms crest, however after removing the great western lettering I realised it was not in the right place for the new logo so that had to go as well. Again the method was gentle scraping with multiple applications of microsol. Once complete HMRS transfers were used to rebrand the tender, along with adding new numbers to the buffer beam I know there are a few minor detail differences in rivet locations on the front frame, but for once I think it's close enough. The tender is intended for Nunney Castle once the new gw liveried castle hits the shelves (current eta Boxing Day). This gives me the Hawksworth tender needed for Berkeley. It's still oo for the time being, I don't really want to start working on another conversion where the cylinders overlap the driving wheel (and the clearance issues associated with it) until I get the 38xx and the mogul working properly. Hopefully in that time brassmasters will release an easichas pack. The photo also shows a bit of rework on the layout, trying to set the overgrown siding a little better. Needs a lot more bushes but I think it's an improvement The next main modelling job... Garage conversion into a modelling room, I now have all the bits for phase 1 (phase 2 is to add a door and window into the side come the summer). Sadly I think it will be too narrow for a continuous run (I think the best I could get would be about 3ft radius, which I think will probably be too tight for large steam locos in p4) That said I might give it a go on a test board once the garage is finished...

Tried again last night Combination of the razor blade and Microsol did the trick Now have a 1940s liveried castle! All those photos are getting me closer and closer to buying a 72.....

A question re the 72xx What did you use to remove the Hornby printing? I've just been trying to remove the logos and footplate lining from a Hornby castle and will soon be needing to remove the shirt button from a grange, but my usual method using microsol doesn't seem to be touching the original finish...

So is it going to end up bought forward to the 40s with a new tender crest?

It's a very different colour, much lighter than gwr Great western trains being the toc which was absorbed into fgw rather than any connection to the old great western I've done a few resprays of class 47s using the Phoenix paint. Hopefully it's still available!

For fgw green Phoenix sell the right colour as great western trains green (they also do the ivory for gwt which is under the stripes

Did Bachmann have any idea as to when the boat will arrive with these

What is the potential for a subscription basis. See if you can get firm commitments from modellers & shops for x percentage of the batch to ensure you are wel on the way to break even before committing the capital for moulds etc?

Sounds perfect to me, and I'd have certainly taken a couple But I guess the problem is that a break van won't have the repeat sales volume so hitting that break even number gets even more difficult.

With everything prepared yesterday, todays job was to start gluing the loco back together. First up the new lower boiler was fitted into place, unfortunately during fettling a small section broke off (requiring a small repair from filler). (please excuse the slightly out of focus photo, the DSLR is flat so stuck using my phone...) Next the boiler was fitted, along with a couple of 1mm square strips of evergreen plastic strip to fill the gap between firebox and footplate Next up the top feed, this has been removed and fitted with a replacement (unknown turned brass) liberated from my Saint project Finally, I have started with the filler. blending the new firebox into position, and filling the holes from the LMS bits on the side. once dry tomorrow I will be sanding it all down and getting a better idea as to how it has gone. I need to get hold of some replacement mud covers, and work out how to model the cab hand rails. And also get the new steam pipes fitted. I am a little unsure as to the right part for these, I bought some long GW ones from 247 back at Scaleforum, but not sure they are the right ones. (I will also need some for the 42xx project soon as well...) Finally, a progression of GW 2clyinder 4-6-0s Saint - Hall - County The Saint is still a bit of a dog to be honest, not entirely sure if it will ever see the light of day. the miss fitting lumps of white metal still need so much work to finish off, not to mention completely replacing the bent footplate... If Bachmann or Hornby were to announce one (even with the latters Design Clever nonsense) I would be inclined to start my model of St Dunstan again...

The shakleton firebox was an interesting read, but I think the 8f version was a much eaiser route! I did think about using the whole boiler but instead just used the lower few mm(time to fit that when I get home) Looking forward to seeing the didcot one when it's finished. My intention with this build is to try and get to a standard that if a new one is released my model will still stnd up to it. My next question, I have the perseverance chassis. I know the bogie is wrong for a county, and the frames are short for a county. Is it better to use this chassis under a hall and get a comet county chassis?

Just thought It needs a new superheater cover as well...

Good point re the top feed, I think I have a very nice turned one in my bits box. I think the chimney may need to go as well. It's been good doing a manor plastic job again, having been a while so fe working on a conversion this involved. Compared to the diesel projects I've worked on before, it's particularly nice to have bits like the falcon tender available to really step it up a notch! Though I really need to get onto doing more work in brass, as that's where I really want to develop my skills. Once I've plucked up the corage to build my Finney dean goods I really want to have a crack at a Mitchell Manor or a Finney Bulldog.....

While I have been thinking about how to do the next steps on the tender (thanks again to Mike G for the advice) I have been cracking on with the body First up the Dapol firebox was removed, it had already been cut at the cab end to clear the new cab front, so. Careful cut along the boiler end, along with using a scalpel to score two lines along the splashes. Then using the trusty xurons the top was broken. And carefully snapped along the cut line. Next up a Hornby 8f was dismantled and then hacked up to provide a new firebox. All the lms details have been carved off and filled ready for replacement with gw parts. The photo below sees it test fitted in place . A little filler will be required to blend the splashed into the bottom of the firebox (given the over width original), The next job is to add the missing bottom of the boiler, for this I am planning to reuse the bottom of the 8f boiler Back to the tender, I have soldered in the front and coal scope (both need a lot of cleaning up of my poor soldering). Still really strugelling to get enough heat, so will be ordering a bigger tip rom eilieens ASAP. Rather than messing around scratch building an accurate coal shoot side, I am thinking of adding a flat top and a scratch built fire iron tunnel, then adding a full load of coal (as per the prototype photo I am working from). This will be the main job for the weekend I want to crack on and get the body and tender finished before I get tempted to work on the 42xx when the brassmasters bits arrive next week

Thanks, I will give that a try once I have the coal shoot done. I've now found some photos of what it should look like, so I am going to scratch build from thin brass sheet. Replacing the fire iron tunnel while I am at it given it feels a bit thick for easy rolling