Kenton

But there is a TH 4wDH kit already isn't there? ... and a TH 6wDH to follow soon. Or is this something slightly different?

Not to my knowledge only either standing over the gas stove holding it in a pair of metal tongs wearing oven gloves, or, as I do it now, using a plumbers blow torch (because I can do that outside on the patio where I'm not likely to incur the wrath of SWMBO or burn the house down) Just putting it in the oven isn't hot enough.

I think the description "half hard" refers to how "hardened" the brass is - the harder the more resistant it is to bending and may require annealing. The brass sheet I use is 0.3mm thick for 4mm but you probably could use thicker without problems (as I use 0.45mm in 7mm scale) just about any thickness will roll (within reason) though you may have to anneal. You don't want to use too thick brass as it will look odd on the wagon, if it is too thin (Baco foil thickness) it will show every dint and crease you put into it. [Ed] the quoted thicknesses are not from any plan/design just what I had lying around. I had to go off any check the sheets themselves. Others may have different views. It is another one of those peeves when kit designers fail to supply a brass roof and substitute either one of those dreadful pre-formed plastic pet food trays or suggest plastikard or simply fail to supply anything - other than what is obviously an incomplete "kit".

I wouldn't bother with a plastikard roof use thin brass sheet and measure it then cut it. The method you suggest for bending the plastic works but in my experience is difficult to control and does have a tendency to spring back a little. Brass sheet is more likely to hold form - besides it is more in keeping with the kit and can be soldered.

That was slow! my last order arrived within 24hrs! (though I guess the PO should take some credit for that).

I don't think it will go round my 6" radius curves

That looks rather big but still quite interesting.

That's easy - brass tube (probably better than a casting anyway) getting the roof bent to profile will be the harder task. I thought the wheels might be to do with sanding - were the sand boxes on these on the veranda or in the cabin? Considering its origins I think you are making a purse out of a sow's ear, (ie a good job) What and have to do all that one fingered broken typewriter thing all over again

I think you will find that many of these "gimmicks" are not commercial products but have been developed out of the ingenuity of the modeller. Something like a servo as used for signal/level crossing gates operation, point motors, loco motors, etc being used sometimes with RTP (Wills, Langley, etc) kits others with scratch-built items.

We won't ask what you were actually searching for ...

Still find it slow compared to RMWeb. I probably visit once a week if that, and although there are some good topics on there I can't get over the feeling of "why are they not on RMWeb" ... almost a bit like that other forum that was set up by RMWeb renegades just to be anti RMWeb. I can't quite see the point of it - what's different? Perhaps if I was just narrow minded in Narrow Gauge, but I model in many scales and gauges and my modeling interest extends well beyond the narrow. I still haven't heard of any progress on better sourcing these chassis that was in discussion months ago.

No, I haven't. But thanks for jogging my memory on this one - I need to locate the box of bits again and get on with putting them together.

brothers? husband + wife (partners)? granny, granddad annex? all have the same address. Issues with the feedback system? one for buying, one for selling? absent minded? hiding sales from the missus, tax man? probably any number of other reasons - some perfectly legit - others downright suspect.

No problem, I think it might be that he is perhaps out of stock and doesn't have an immediate schedule for the next run? I'd rather the website not updated ... he is as bad as Judith Edge in getting me to part with cash - and always end up at shows picking what he has whirling around on the turntable. Other than that, a really nice guy I also would expect him to have researched all available photos of the van in Cambrian era, so may be able to help with the handrail question (even though it is a FB kit) ?

Thanks Mike, for confirming that, glad I wasn't hallucinating on the sight of brass (a common occurrence)

I'm pretty sure I looked at one on his display stand, I may have been mistaken as I was more focused on a 7mm kit (LSWR 1501) at the time. Actually a number of his kits are available in 4mm, and they are generally very good. His instructions - particularly those with step-by-step photographs (Lime Wagon and LSWR Cattle at least) are extremely good. Anyway if you are after the Cambrian 15T brake I'd pester him and go in that direction rather than struggling with an old FB kit (only source now? off ebay) But then if it is lying in the treasure box ... ... I'd probably put it up on ebay

Brave of you. Actually the design of this kit seems to be quite good - though whether the faults you have found are due to the accurac of measurements or a glitch in the build process, only you will be able to tell. I have to admit I would not have trusted the chassis as designed and would have built it up separate providing a new "floor". With everything so thin I would want the chassis running true before tackling the box of the body. The thinness of the brass should aid the fitting of the strapping as you should be able to get more heat into it. Just love the type written instructions with quaint spelling errors, though at least there is a diagram of how the parts are supposed to go together - that is a big plus - if you can identify them on the fret. Keeping those openings intact was a very sensible move. Is there a roof supplied with this one, or is it one of those "form from paper and shellac jobs"? BTW Chris of Dragon Models does this, or rather a much better kit, brake van.

Am I the only one who just doesn't see the point in offering something for sale with a reserve and a starting price of £0.99 ? There seems to be quite a few recently - and the reserve is not set at £50 - which would be a good starting point. There have been a couple with reserves not met - even with bids well over £50 and they just seem to restart them (or lower the reserve in the last hours of play). Also, for example, DJH built locos (now the build may be dreadful) but a starting price of £0.99 - we all know where it will end up. I find it almost as bad as a starting price well in excess of a sensible offer - they just go round and round.

It still does. Also a pot of boiling water to get rid of poor attempts at low melt soldering ... and a blow torch - gas soldering iron and lots of desolder braid - or and old tin tray in the oven to deconstruct brass soldered kits. I find it a very distorted marketplace. I am certain that many are buying just to capitalise on the rarity - so called collector - and that may be true at the highly sought after and out of production kit market. But there still is a big difference between what is a badly made up kit, part completed with bits missing (because the seller hasn't checked - didn't know) and probably other bits damaged - and the seller of a pristine kit from the treasure chest. If the kit is really pristine then maybe a price just shy of the original price is fair but on the the others it is just scrap box rescued from the tip, I begrudge the seller making as much as the manufacturer. These "repair" scrap jobs take a lot of effort to put back into their original form to be rebuilt.

A matter of less than 10 years possiblt less. I blame eBay, it has raised the expectations of what used to be classed as junk and would have either gone to landfill or to the box under the table at a s/h stall - often with the original owner embarrassed to admit to the failure. Now it gets put up on ebay and the price climbs up to more than was paid for the original kit and often more than you can buy a new untouched kit direct from the manufacturer. I think the prices paid are scandalous - and the expectations continue to grow. A very nice Mitchell kit (one of several) was recently sold way over the odds at very close to the current new price. Started and claimed to have been "well put together" it should have been sold second hand scrap. In my experience most kits "started" have to be stripped down and "started properly" especially concenning chassis and kits "glued together" instead of just badly soldered (where you just need a reel or two of desolder braid)

Just a look at eBay (I'm surprised you haven't already) will show you that sometimes ridiculous prices can be paid for other peoples failed kit builds. Though to some extent the popularity of the prototype, the reputation of kit manufacturer and completeness of the kit play a big part.

Thought we had, until this thread was suddenly resurrected

In that photo it looks like there is only one frame hole (don't know if there is some special name) on the far side but two on the nearside of the photo. In all other photos there are two - I guess it is just a trick of light and the camera angle with the floor obscuring it.

Is it only me? that finds that photo a bit odd - counting hole in frames?

That could well be a problem for the Impetus kit range - now we are really only down to AG as a wheel supplier obtaining suitable wheels might be an issue. But I suspect the more likely problem is the quality (or otherwise) of the casting mold masters. The etches could just be run off from the original masters as the etches used to be pretty good anyway. But it doesn't sound as if it is for sale anyway.