"Alright, we'll call it a draw"
The second driver figure for the Decauville had a bit of 'Black Knight' afternoon today.
After a lot of filing and some pinning through the joints, he went back together OK.
I've got him leaning forwards at the waist, with a bit of a slant on to the right. Due to the material removed from the top of his legs and around the arms, he's a bit shorter and a wee bit thinner across the shoulders than his doppleganger but I don't think its that noticeable unless the two of them are side by side.
I reckon he looks just as relaxed going cab forwards as he does when going chimney first
I'll give the glue 24 hours to cure completely, then I can start adding filler to bulk out and blend in a few areas.
In terms of the Decauville itself, I had a letter from Accucraft yesterday saying a new under floor gas tank will be made available, along with a replacement burner. I've put my name down for both as I think they will definitely enhance the engine and actually take it to what it should have been in the first place. I'm sure drilling a hole in the cab floor will be a little nerve racking, but a longer run time means its got to be worth it. The offer is there to send the engine back to Accucraft for them to do the work but I quite like the idea of getting the instructions and being a bit more flexible with pipe routing to keep the cab floor clear for the chaps.
Steve