7mm F*** Parkinson's - Occasional 7mm Workbench

AJC

Western Thunderer
Does a quick search for Dapol Austerity prices, raises eyebrow, closes window, checks the Slater's website for wheel prices, inhales, sharply... James, there comes a time when you really have to wonder whether it's worth the bother and this, I suggest, really is it.

Adam
 

76043

Western Thunderer
I'm waiting for the lovely BR high bunker Dapol Austerity to hit the £150 mark in the sales as per all my previous Dapol O gauge purchases, then bingo! Job done.

Building a layout is difficult enough as it is timewise, any shortcuts to time are always gratefully received by myself.
Tony
 

James

Western Thunderer
Does a quick search for Dapol Austerity prices, raises eyebrow, closes window, checks the Slater's website for wheel prices, inhales, sharply... James, there comes a time when you really have to wonder whether it's worth the bother and this, I suggest, really is it.

Adam

I can see what you mean, but I m going to give this one a go :) it's going to be Stewart & Lloyds' JUNO
- I know the Dapol model is really nice but they're not quite as rugged as kit/scratch built models. And I've wanted to build JUNO for quite a long time now. Though when it comes to things like BR mineral wagons and other stands wagon types buying Dapol is the plan.

Sometimes kit bashed models have an appeal all their own - like the Kitmaster/Airfix based Austerity you built some years back - I really liked that one :)

Kit cost is now £45 after partial refund after id spotted one set of coupling rods are missing - I already have a set of milled rods in stock :)

In this issue of MORRILL there's an excellent 7mm scale drawing by Don Townsley, who's quite the authority on these locos -

IMG_20250926_221959.jpg

Comparing the etches with the drawing things aren't as bad as the might imagine. The oddest thing is the footplate is about 2mm or so too short despite the cab and saddle tank/boiler being the correct lengths. A new footplate will solve this.

The cab is slightly too wide; the curve around the top of the front and rear sheets too tight but the saving grace is that the eaves are in the right place so correcting this should be very straightforward.

The castings upon first glance looks actually quite decent.

I'm going to build my 50550 first however, it's one my favourite classes and perfect for an ironstone project.
 
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Iron Ore Tippler

James

Western Thunderer
IMG-20251003-WA0001.jpg

First Iron Ore Tippler just about ready for painting. It's from the Peco kit but with few extras. The brake lever guards are Ambis but the levers are as supplied as they're really rather nice and fine. Brass strip was used for the tie bar (which need tidying at the ends) and brake safety loops.

The mouldings are really nice but the body sides being in multiple pieces seems a bit of a faff! It all goes together very well.

And it started raining as I was taking the photo!
 

simond

Western Thunderer
That’s curious, James, but it seems to have given a textured finish to the axleguard tie rod too.

Did it go on a little too thick?
Or was the model still damp?

I think it’ll probably help from a texture POV but it would be good to understand why it happened.
 

spikey faz

Western Thunderer
Not sure what's caused the paint reaction on the underframe, but I use Halfords car spray primer with no problems.

As an aside I use red oxide primer as opposed to grey. The red oxide works well as a basis for a rusty finish, if you happen to like a weathered look to your wagon. :)

Mike
 

James

Western Thunderer
Not sure what's caused the paint reaction on the underframe, but I use Halfords car spray primer with no problems.

As an aside I use red oxide primer as opposed to grey. The red oxide works well as a basis for a rusty finish, if you happen to like a weathered look to your wagon. :)

Mike

I use red oxide for fitted wagons :) for recently painted wagons it's spot on. This ABS wagon was a bit tatty when I bought it but stripped and sprayed with red oxide primer it looks pretty smart :)

JSW_6759.JPG

Halfords primer hasn't seemed as good as it used to be since they relaunched the paint range.
 

James

Western Thunderer
JSW_7985_1.JPG

The tippler's underframe has its base cost of filth and transfers applied.

These are the Peco supplied Presfix transfers; bearing in mind this kit was purchased a few months back I do wonder how long Peco have had them in stock!

1000028072.jpg

It must be thirty years since the PC Models transfers passed to the HMRC?
 
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