dj_crisp

If the plastic cog is split then a new drive shaft is best. If it looks ok and is just spinning then remove the cog, burr the driveshaft (where the plastic cog should be) with a file then superglue it on. TBH I think all Dapol driveshafts will have this problem at some point especially if grease gets in. So the fix will hopefully prevent this.

If it helps the top PCB is the same... just Bachmann only solder on certain SMD leds needed for the model they're selling. You need a warm white SMD led and a SMD resistor and it all works OK.

With a small amount of hacking a Dapol shell can be fitted to a Bachmann chassis. With the chassis being so light simple black sticky tack keeps the body on.

They are very similar. The early green one does have some minor differences underframe wise (engine, exhaust and buffers off memory). If you're using the kernow 121 then the headcodes won't be illuminated as the LEDs aren't there. I've added a SMD Led and SMD resistor to the existing circuit to do exactly this. The remaining differences are cosmetic... bufferbeam and interior colours. If your Dapol 121 is having the spinning motor but no drive issue then its an easy fix which I've done a few times. Hope this helps Will

My book on MK2s certainly suggests that's the case so that's my plan :) I'm having a go.... so far just primed. I was afraid laying blue over yellow might end up with an odd colour! Have also flipped the interior around, added some headrests and painted the interior floor. Transfers came off very easily with T Cut... just got to do the windows. Cheers Willp

Yeah. I've no problem with people paying whatever they want for items though. I certainly won't be joining them! It's why I'm attempting doing a declassified first open ;)

That's the DCC version retailing at £95 so current price is ok imo. I expect it'll however go for much more than £95 though!

Brian's laserglaze is magic. When showing him this bubble we were chatting about doing the rest.... although I'm not sure I'd get the angles of the droplights right. In 7mm yours will look ace. I'm now filing an angle on frames on all my glazing projects leaving the thickness of the laserglaze. Tricks the eye that frames are thinner than they really are.

Good stuff. I like your two choices! I really enjoyed having a crack at W55016

I've printed all my DMU destinations off on normal paper on my black and white laser - Seems fine to me light wise as shown in the photo. Admittedly the Dapol body is sitting on a Bachmann chassis but the light arrangement is pretty similar to Dapols arrangement - In these case I just added an SMD LED to Bachmann's circuit board. Also I cut out a bit of glazing to fit the destination blind so discarded the original. If you're after headcodes for an early 70s bubble then I created some in Inkscape, printed them off and then weathered them. It took me an age to get ok looking fonts but I did find them quite fun to do. Hope this helps Will

Out of vague interest how many coaches were produced?

Well the recent fine weather (not) has curtailed any spraying plans I had. So I thought it best to sort out the layout to get it back up and running. I've visited my TOUs and broken point ties that I've been putting off sorting out for ages. The theory goes that if I get these working and reliable then trackwork is pretty much finished so I can start on point rodding and signals! Of the 4 flatbottom points 3 have failed and as I used different methods a rethink is required. I've adopted exactoscale tortoise mounts to drive the points and my initial view is they'll sort out my issues! Of course getting them to fit where my points are was a challenge (if I do another layout this will be part of the plan) but thankfully the mounts have a wide area they can be mounted. Previously only a DCC concepts motor could fit here.... thankfully thats now banished and I only have tortoises on the layout thanks to a neat offset arrangement. This is why you don't place a point over a cross support! Anyway the offset is very handy as I've drilled a hole to allow the slider through. And finally the view from above prior to a false floor being added to hide everything! The brass tube is set wider than the rails so the bent 0.9mm wire attached to the points is always under the rail. It's preventing any rail bending up height issues and now I'll can fit some tie bars.... theses will be cosmetic and im going to try a glue thats not too strong so they can be removed should the pins fail. I'm think the point tie will also be fixed at one side only and allow to slide the other so the point remains flexible. I have two mounts left so I'm now looking at doing 2 bullhead points using the same approach. Feels a bit like some progress despite it all taking ages.... which on a new layout with proper planning probably would take 15mins or so to fit!

I've found my older Bachmann mk1s tend to be too high... And its a bit of a fight to get them to run a bit lower. Anyhow I wonder if these ones match the older tooling.... or are more aligned to their MK2fs.

And I think they're re-releasing the TSO using the old tooling? I do like the sound of some new bogies though.... would be magic if they fit the Mk2f chassis ;)

Revisiting the MK1 is definitely welcome. I can't really see the photos properly on my mobile but looks the FO is an original build and the RB/BFO more suitable for modern stock as has lost end steps and do they have window frames?

Stunning! Well done Cav and Alex!

Exactly as 25kv describes. I've tried many methods but for RTR (I caveat I paint diesels/DMUs) the slightly diluted IPA route has been best. I've bought several litres cheaply off Amazon (I think) and you can reuse it. Just soak your loco body overnight in a container and then brush it off in the morning.... with an old toothbrush. Then a simple wash in water (I try not to get any down the drain if possible). I've settled on Halfords grey for black but I'm now preferring Tamiya fine white which has resulted in an excellent finish. Cheers Will

This is a great idea! Way beyond my skill set but I'd love a set (as I have a 166 in the long term works)

I go with... Strip to bodyshell, Strip paint, clean, prime, light sand, clean, top coats, gloss varnish if using waterside transfers... (sometimes I don't bother with this if using dry rub transfers), apply varnish (your finsh preference ) and then weather and if needed apply some more varnish to seal everything. Personally I prefer enamels and only spray outdoors. Firstly keeps the wife happy, but also means I don't spray when it's too damp, cold or even hot! My best results are when I can wear shorts ;) Also enamels allow more post spraying adjustments... eg removing overspray. Although I'm preferring acrylics for final weathering these days. Enjoy! (It can be quite good fun!)

I've fitted several bug eye illuminated models kits to Hattons 66s and they're excellent. A really straightforward forward fix that i recommend. Also I changed around the wiring on all my 66s to end up with 10 seperate functions for lighting as that's my preferred setup. I haven't yet come across any other circuit board issues with the Hattons versions but I guess that'll be seen with time. So unless they die I have all the 66s I can ever have the use for.

There are some suspicious holes in the chassis of the Bachmann Mk2f that could very easily be for Mk2d/e bits. Only subtle differences in bodies to tool. A Mk2a/z would be very welcome. For me the Bachmann Mk2a only misses due to its roof shape otherwise it looks fine to me. So I'd much prefer these to be done by Accurascale to match their Mk2b.

Sounds cool.... Looking forward to some turbos!

A fair review in BRM this month. Hopefully the next model from Heljan (what ever it may be) gets the basics better.

Many Many Thanks! Loads of great detail and help :)

In my 1992 Platform 5 book theres a nice shot of 6521 in NSE - I couldn't quite work out what vents it had based on an annoying background so thanks for clearing that up! Do you know if the layout of the roevac vents is the same as the Accurascale version? Many Thanks Will