Peter,
There are no internal stays, authentic ones, provided in the kit and yes I do like accurate detail inside (when I'm the author and in control of the product) but this is a build out of the box as stated in paragraph one. The only stay left to go in the middle is the big motor mount, but being as I've not decided how to mount the motor yet for clearances then it's not gone in.
However the build out of the box would of been so poor that it would not be fair to the client to make it as such, in which case it's a case of adding what is reasonably practicable without recourse to a complete rebuild.....of which some parts have already been done.
Regarding frame rivets, you're right there are none, no details are given or guides as to where to put them, the GA is okay but you've no idea if they're on parts internal or visible on the outside, photos tend to be a bit dim and poorly defined, so like you I opted to leave them off rather than guess incorrectly.
Dave, thank you.
This is one of his 'aid to scratch building kits' and one of the lesser developed ones at that, it is sold as such and only on the purchasers agreement will Warren sell one, so yes there is a lot that needs adjusting, self making. More than I imagined, I don't mind making the odd part here and there, what can become weary is remaking parts already supplied.
Steps I'll come back to, don't worry Peter, getting them off is the easy part, I'll just threaten them very loudly in Viking and they'll leap right off the model!
Anyway, another elephant in the room are the cab sides.
You start with the one on the left and after much swearing, wielding of tools, implements, axes, large cutting devices, sweat and toil...oh and did I say swearing....you end up with what's on the right.
Why oh why the blank number plate is half etched onto the cab side is beyond me, possibly to allow you to add a decal number; also not sure why the lower rivets look like that, they're fine 1:1, possibly the lamp angle or polishing.
If I ever make a Warren Shepard kit again I won't mess around next time, I'll just etch a whole new cab and be done, far faster and taking man hours into account, significantly cheaper.
Next up the backhead.
No backhead or cab fittings are supplied, well I think seats and reverser stand with reverser fitting are, but there's nowt else.
Fortunately I've managed to acquire a ready built replacement, not sure about the big countersunk screw hole in the middle, I'll probably fill that and find another way of fixing it in. I'll have to add some internal splashers here as well to fill the big holes.
Externally.
I'd set myself the target of the cab front, one side and the splasher to complete this evening, all was going well until I came to the splasher, what you see is what you get, no tabs, no alignment aids and no top. I'll add an angle strip along the base of the footplate to hold it nice and straight along there, then solder it in and fabricate a new top. Once the splashers are in then the footplate will be a little stronger in the middle.
Side view.
Given the issue with the steps I would not have slept easily until I knew the cab side was the right size and shape, it is and the hand rail locations line up as does the roof/side joint, occasionally things do go right
Despite my negative comments, they're not intended to be a slight on the kit, more a heads up for anyone else who want's to follow the same path. I think once it's finished and painted, with all the little tweaks here and there, that it's actually going to look quite smart in it's own little simplistic way. It won't have all the bells and whistles of a kit twice/thrice the price or RTR ten times the price, but I think it'll hold it's own in a crowded shed or galloping around the garden.
In a perverse sort of way it's about as far from the W1 as you can get technology wise, and, as such is quite refreshing if you build it in the way it was intended; if you try to build it like a Finney7 or MoK then you're not really going to have a lot of fun.
MD