7mm Finney Battle of Britain
- Thread starter mickoo
- Start date
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Small update this week thus far, finished most of the chassis and it's in for primer, hopefully assemble it tomorrow for a few photos once I've cleaned some of the bright work up.
Mean while, have been catching up on art work for the extras, first off to the printers is the cab interior etch, basically a frame work to fit inside the cab to give it a more 3D effect and cover the half etch holes for the rivets etc.
It fits both the original and later V windscreen cabs, you simply remove the bits you do not require for each version, there is also a bespoke 9'-0" etch as well, both have the new tip up seat for the driver for engines later in their lives.
There's three other etches to complete;
Revised 8'-6" cab with small side windows, plus new window frames to suit.
Deflector variants, standard with Devon Belle clips, extended ones for the exchange locos and the longer ones at the front for Boscastle.
BFB wheel overlays to add to the Slaters wheels to bring the front face out closer to the rim.
MD
Mean while, have been catching up on art work for the extras, first off to the printers is the cab interior etch, basically a frame work to fit inside the cab to give it a more 3D effect and cover the half etch holes for the rivets etc.
It fits both the original and later V windscreen cabs, you simply remove the bits you do not require for each version, there is also a bespoke 9'-0" etch as well, both have the new tip up seat for the driver for engines later in their lives.
There's three other etches to complete;
Revised 8'-6" cab with small side windows, plus new window frames to suit.
Deflector variants, standard with Devon Belle clips, extended ones for the exchange locos and the longer ones at the front for Boscastle.
BFB wheel overlays to add to the Slaters wheels to bring the front face out closer to the rim.
MD
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
Mick, will all these extra etches be included in the standard kit?
mickoo
Western Thunderer
The revised V windscreen 8'-6" cab will be as that is a fundamental structural part that is missing and is part of the evolving upgrading as we go along.
The cab inner overlay and deflector variants will not be, they're extras that not everyone requires, so we feel it is unfair to ask those customers to pay for those parts which they do not require.
MD
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Next etch up for printing is the 8'-6" V windscreen cab with smaller side window. Includes resized internal windows and gutters to suit and replacement 9'-0" internal roof brace missing from the original kit.
In other news, some paint on the Bulleid, it'll sit like this for the rest of the week whilst it all hardens off, though I might start picking off some bright work.
The primer serves two purposes, it stops the metal work from tarnishing and the flux mold creeping, it also serves to highlight panel gaps that are easier to see once all painted a neutral colour, quite how i fill these now I've found them I'm not really sure, as all are close to rivets on the resin casing.
Fitting the brake gear back was an exercise if frustration and the sanding pipes do not make fitting wheels easy at all, but if you do it all in a certain order then it does eventually all fit and not short out.
Fabrication wise it's almost done, hooks, hoses and buffers up front will be nearly last, there's two small clips on the smokebox front that hold the oil pipes to make and fit, two conduits for the upper marker lights once the deflectors are finally fitted, speedo, delta truck axle box castings to fit and then paint, main and connecting rods (waiting for turned bushes), cab internal bracing to come back from etchers whence cab side windows will be fitted and that's about it really. Oh the AWS detector and speedo conduit along the casing and finally right at the very end the casing pipework over the driving wheels as it'll be prone to damage.
Tomorrow it's time to open the 4500 gallon tender box and start that so that photos can be added to the instructions.
MD
In other news, some paint on the Bulleid, it'll sit like this for the rest of the week whilst it all hardens off, though I might start picking off some bright work.
The primer serves two purposes, it stops the metal work from tarnishing and the flux mold creeping, it also serves to highlight panel gaps that are easier to see once all painted a neutral colour, quite how i fill these now I've found them I'm not really sure, as all are close to rivets on the resin casing.
Fitting the brake gear back was an exercise if frustration and the sanding pipes do not make fitting wheels easy at all, but if you do it all in a certain order then it does eventually all fit and not short out.
Fabrication wise it's almost done, hooks, hoses and buffers up front will be nearly last, there's two small clips on the smokebox front that hold the oil pipes to make and fit, two conduits for the upper marker lights once the deflectors are finally fitted, speedo, delta truck axle box castings to fit and then paint, main and connecting rods (waiting for turned bushes), cab internal bracing to come back from etchers whence cab side windows will be fitted and that's about it really. Oh the AWS detector and speedo conduit along the casing and finally right at the very end the casing pipework over the driving wheels as it'll be prone to damage.
Tomorrow it's time to open the 4500 gallon tender box and start that so that photos can be added to the instructions.
MD
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Not much happening this week, but did get the cab interior frame work off to PPD (due in a week or so) and the inner chassis on the 4500 tender.
A neat simple affair with compensation beams so nothing to trap the unwary.
I've left the stretcher off for the photos of the compensation beam but it'll be on shortly and the sub assembly put to one side ready for fixing to the main detailed chassis.
The chassis is designed for compensation so any alterations to other forms of suspension or springing is difficult to achieve, there being little meat left in the axle guide area to support other options.
So a quick whizz in Autocad and a new etch on it's way to PPD suitable for Slaters insulated axle boxes and independent springing. I'll also do one for the square brass slotted ones as well, both are adaptions of the original artwork so will just drop straight in.
MD
A neat simple affair with compensation beams so nothing to trap the unwary.
I've left the stretcher off for the photos of the compensation beam but it'll be on shortly and the sub assembly put to one side ready for fixing to the main detailed chassis.
The chassis is designed for compensation so any alterations to other forms of suspension or springing is difficult to achieve, there being little meat left in the axle guide area to support other options.
So a quick whizz in Autocad and a new etch on it's way to PPD suitable for Slaters insulated axle boxes and independent springing. I'll also do one for the square brass slotted ones as well, both are adaptions of the original artwork so will just drop straight in.
MD
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
Is the idea to have all the options in one tender kit or the purchaser to select the tender kit based on the compensation/axlebox system they wish to adopt?
mickoo
Western Thunderer
No idea at the moment, the kit comes with, and is designed around compensation beams, that wasn't what the owner required, so rather than spend ages faffing around with addon horn guides and lining them up and generally wasting my time, I made an alternative inner chassis that is bespoke to that form of axle box for split axles.
I think the compensation beam works fine for most people and anyone else is probably more than happy to mess around soldering on extra horn guides for the other options, I wasn't so made my own inner chassis. Whether there's enough interest anywhere else will have to be seen, but like the other parts, no point adding them and to the cost if the majority of people don't want them.
To be honest, I wish there wasn't all the options out there, it makes designing kits a rightly bleedin mare, just have one suspension system, design the kit to fit it with minimum fuss and be done.
MD
Eastsidepilot
Western Thunderer
I think most serious model makers will fit what ever suspension system is their preference, they'll junk the bits they can't use and replace them.
Col.
Col.
mickoo
Western Thunderer
They probably do, which begs the question why you'd even bother to design frames for any sort of system. Beats me up spending hours designing, umpteen test etches and weeks of test builds only to have people simply throw it away.
It's not the scale or cost of development, it's the wasted time, but that's the nature of the beast I suppose.
MD
oldravendale
Western Thunderer
All true, Mick, but without frames and chassis I'd never have started building etched kits. I suspect most builders are the same. Now having a basic understanding of how things go together I could subscribe to your view but kit manufacturers need to provide for the numpties like me as well. In fact, the time spent by kit manufacturers in getting this part of their act together means that people like me have a basis with which to experiment.
Brian
Brian
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Brian, no issues with frames or chassis designing, it's the multitude of wheel bearing and axle box designs you have to counter for and by that very virtue is a mish mash of bits and pieces, a co-op of design which fits all but never really works without some fiddling, simply because it is a compromise from the start.
MD
MD
oldravendale
Western Thunderer
You're right, Mick. I think we agree!
Basic elements need to be included. These should act as the basis on which the builder can apply their own personality and preferences.
B
Basic elements need to be included. These should act as the basis on which the builder can apply their own personality and preferences.
B
Pencarrow
Western Thunderer
But when you're starting off along the kit building path you don't have a kit building personality or preferences , you just want the kit to go together and work. The tinkering, experimentation and deciding what your preferences are come later (along with additional tools and hard won experience).
I also suspect that many people's preferences come from bad experiences of poor kits colouring their thoughts of various methods. I doubt that the Finney7 kits fall into this category and I find it very interesting to see the product development work continuing.
I also suspect that many people's preferences come from bad experiences of poor kits colouring their thoughts of various methods. I doubt that the Finney7 kits fall into this category and I find it very interesting to see the product development work continuing.
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mickoo
Western Thunderer
Exactly.
If the kit offered sprung brass insulated axle boxes in guides suited and etched to fit and all lined up, then you wouldn't have the need to go looking for other options, spend a ton of money and time on wasted experimenting, blind alleys, wasted tools and bad experiences.
You could supply an etched fold up jig that fitted into your guides and made sure the frame was perfectly square when constructed.
I do have a future project to try this on, but fret not, there will be normal frames in there as well, for y'all who like to tinker
MD
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Steph Dale
Western Thunderer
mickoo
Western Thunderer
And not even intentionalGroan. Gawd Mick, that was awful...
Steph
Long day at the fun filled fiction factory!MD
Len Cattley
Western Thunderer
Hi Mick, you could offer the other frames etches as an extra cost to the purchaser.
Len
Len
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Len, I believe that's the general idea, but some would still like them included in the kit as a choice, even if they throw the other is not used.
The cab inner overlays arrived today, so far they all look good so a trial fit at the weekend and if ok the etch passes muster.
Inside view with the ribbing, two 8'-6" and 9'-0" overlays per sheet.
each one also has a revised drivers tip up seat and roof lamp covers, the 8'-6" covers both original and modified V cab fronts, you simply cut away the bracing not required. The 9'-0" only comes in V cab front format.
MD