Building an MMP RMB - a box of delights

[Compton castle]

Stunning work

 

[lancer1027]

Excellent work Heather.

Rob

 

[Simon]

Very convincing undergubbins!

 

[DelticBluePullman]

Inspirational, the detailing you have produced is one of the main reasons I have moved to 7mm.
Have thoroughly enjoyed watching this build.

Derek.

 

[oldravendale]

* This is a story I heard a long time ago. Essentially, it's a moral tale to make you actually do the stuff you don't want to do. Eat the frog, or do the easier stuff. If you do the easy stuff, the frog is still there. Eat the frog first, and everything else will be easier. I think it's a Mark Twain quote, but has been used by various "life coach" type people as a metaphor for dealing with the hard stuff in life first.

Rather like "How do you eat an elephant?" Obviously "A bit at a time".

An inspiring build, Heather.

Brian

 

[Heather Kay]

Back on the RMB for a spell. I wasn't going to fit the dynamo pulley, especially as I couldn't retrofit the supplied casting. The more I thought about, the more I thought a rough styrene concoction would do the job.



The belt is provided on one of the detail etches in the kit. The dynamo pulley is a separate part, which fits on a spigot on the dynamo body. This means you can glue the belt in place, fit the pulley and then work out where the bogie pulley fits.

The big pulley is a couple of laminations of styrene, spun in the Dremel to get it more or less circular. I then had to split it to get it on the axle. To make up for the razor saw cut, a couple of strips of thin styrene were glue to one of the halves and shaped to match the profile. It's very nearly concentric! Need some grunge on it, then I can set about the bodywork.

 

[flexible_coupling]

Part of me was fleetingly thinking of how smart-looking a "prototypical" rubber-band might be.... until I considered how it'd be nigh-on impossible to assemble!!!

 

[Heather Kay]

Part of me was fleetingly thinking of how smart-looking a "prototypical" rubber-band might be.... until I considered how it'd be nigh-on impossible to assemble!!!

Funnily enough, I had considered the possibility. One idea was to turn a nylon pulley, which slipped on the axle. The problem is it become all but impossible to take the bogie off cleanly. I think the solution David has come up with is the best compromise, especially since the ends of the belt are generally lost in the gloom of the bogie.

 

[Heather Kay]

I have begun the process of constructing the body. This has involved a lot of careful reading of the instructions and the accompanying diagrams. It's making sense now.

Nothing has been fixed to anything else - yet. Meanwhile, this tickled me.



I haven't found it yet, but it hope there's a corresponding key to fit the lock!

 

[alcazar]

You mock.........a diesel loco kit I have has the ashtrays and coathooks etched for the cabs. MMP, of course.

 

[oldravendale]

You mock.........a diesel loco kit I have has the ashtrays and coathooks etched for the cabs. MMP, of course.

And the Finney Adams Radial has the hasp, catch and padlock for the tool boxes......

Brian

 

[Heather Kay]

I love this kind of attention to detail. My comment was more to highlight the designer's sense of fun when they put this kind of thing in their kits.

 

[oldravendale]

I love this kind of attention to detail. My comment was more to highlight the designer's sense of fun when they put this kind of thing in their kits.

Agreed, Heather. I achieved a disproportionate amount of pleasure out of cutting theses really small parts from the fret, losing them in the carpet, cleaning them up, losing them again (good job Finney provides spares!) and then soldering to the model. The funny thing is that people who see the loco actually notice these even if they have to get within six inches to do so. Then there's that lovely "that's not really a padlock on there is it?" moment. I have to say that Finney is good with this sort of detail.

Mind you, whether you could accuse Martin Finney of having a sense of fun is questionnable!!! Sense of humour perhaps. He has, however, a great eye for the detail which can make a model come alive.

Brian

 

[Heather Kay]

The sum total of about three hours at the bench…



This, to be fair, is the complicated end with the alarm gear on it. The gangway itself still has nearly 20 parts to fit. For the alarm gear, I've had to fit in the air brake butterfly valve next to the vacuum valve. As the next step on the mechanism is three very tiny etched parts and three very tiny bits of wire, I thought it a good time to stop before my eyes gave out.

The lone footstep below the data plate gave me some grief. The etch is superb, of course, but there are four horizontal ribs to fold and fit across the step. I tried, really I did. I managed to fold the ribs, but I simply could not hold them to glue them in place. I still have them on the bench, so when my nerves are up for it, I will try again! For folk building Mk1s of an earlier era, you would have the joy of doing this construction sequence seven more times. *wibble*

 

[tomstaf]

Heather,

Buy one of these http://www.radubstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=77_122&products_id=434 it's possibly the best tool I have. There is just enough tack to hold the part at the required angle and when you make contact it'll be in place perfectly. Plus it leaves no residue on the parts.

Cheers

Tom

 

[Heather Kay]

Tom, I have a pack on order now. I seem to recall you mentioned it before in another thread, so why I never thought to get some in defeats me!



Both ends are now in much the same state. I can't help thinking it would be useful to have three sets of end parts, so you c*ck up he first one and get the rest right!

I wanted to get both to the same relative level, because the gangways involve some more complex fretwork. I thought it might help me to do them in tandem, rather than get one done and have that frog to swallow again with the other.

It is slow going, but once you get into the rhythm things move along at a steady pace. Once the gangways are done, it'll be into the other body fittings, and before I know it the Paint Shop will have to be brought into action!

 

[djparkins]

I can't help thinking it would be useful to have three sets of end parts, so you c*ck up he first one and get the rest right!

Heather -

I'd put in a whole second coach at that rate!!!

I hope you have not secured the inner coach ends to the outer ends!!! I can see then behind the outers! These are fitted to the roof & guttering!

Regards,

David

 

[Heather Kay]

They're only posed, David. Rest easy, for I have read the instructions!

 

[oldravendale]

Heather,

Buy one of these http://www.radubstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=77_122&products_id=434 it's possibly the best tool I have. There is just enough tack to hold the part at the required angle and when you make contact it'll be in place perfectly. Plus it leaves no residue on the parts.

Cheers

Tom

Hi Tom.

Just looked at this site - not one I've seen before. There's some really interesting stuff on there.

This is probably a very sill question, but will the tip of the pick up pen melt in the presence of heat, ie a soldering iron. I guess it will, but it'll still be useful for those bits which have to be glued in place. Especially useful, I suspect, for builds like the Slaters Milk Tanks. Need I say more?

Brian

 

[Dog Star]

I'd put in a whole second coach at that rate!!!

I hope you have not secured the inner coach ends to the outer ends!!! I can see then behind the outers! These are fitted to the roof & guttering!

All those exclamations marks... please calm down David, there are WTers who are waiting for future MMP releases and none of us want you to suffer from medical conditions which might result from Mk.1 hysteria .