Paul Moore
New Member
My first ever posting on here and with a slightly misleading title as the featured model is not painted!
Most of my time is actually spent painting and lining but I've been building this DJH Deltic on and off for some months now. At long last it's ready for painting so I thought I'd share some photographs and details of the build of the model before I hit the paint shop.
The motors that the kit is designed for are no longer available so the client had purchased 2 identical ABC gearboxes with Maxon motors and M&M Models timing belt drives. The upper part of each bogie had to be fretted out to clear the gearbox and square holes cut in the lower plates where the aluminium drive cogs sit. Instructions with the kit make no provision for any other drive mechanisms so it was all done by a bit of careful measuring and luck. All the supplied drive gear fits Slaters standard axles locked into place with Hex grub screws. I was also able to obtain one of the purpose designed pickup kits from DJH which I will fit when the bogies have been painted.
The only written step by step instructions in this kit are for the motor bogies. The rest of the build just relies on photographs of a model built by DJH themselves. Thankfully I was loaned a completed class 55 by a friend from which I was able to reference where everything was located.
I was also supplied with PH Designs detailing etches which are really to upgrade the Heljan Deltic and I used the bogie steps and one or two other bits to supplement the parts in the kit.
DJH supply vacuum formed glazing for the windows but I'm going to follow the example of the borrowed model and cut very thin clear glazing material and trap it in place behind each of the window surrounds after painting. The kit and the PH etches provide these in nickel silver so they will replicate the aluminium surrounds of the prototype.
This has been a challenging kit to build, the sheer size and weight of the body shell alone made it difficult to work on. All the tinning of brass and nickel silver grill etches seemed to go on forever and then they all had to be fixed onto the shell with low melt solder. I've also had to plan for the later fitting of DCC, sound, exhaust and a full set of running lights.
I'm sure the Class 55 fans reading this will be able to recognise which of the 22 prototypes this is to be and the livery.
Thankfully I'm on the last lap now and I'll post photographs of the finished model when it's all done.
Most of my time is actually spent painting and lining but I've been building this DJH Deltic on and off for some months now. At long last it's ready for painting so I thought I'd share some photographs and details of the build of the model before I hit the paint shop.
The motors that the kit is designed for are no longer available so the client had purchased 2 identical ABC gearboxes with Maxon motors and M&M Models timing belt drives. The upper part of each bogie had to be fretted out to clear the gearbox and square holes cut in the lower plates where the aluminium drive cogs sit. Instructions with the kit make no provision for any other drive mechanisms so it was all done by a bit of careful measuring and luck. All the supplied drive gear fits Slaters standard axles locked into place with Hex grub screws. I was also able to obtain one of the purpose designed pickup kits from DJH which I will fit when the bogies have been painted.
The only written step by step instructions in this kit are for the motor bogies. The rest of the build just relies on photographs of a model built by DJH themselves. Thankfully I was loaned a completed class 55 by a friend from which I was able to reference where everything was located.
I was also supplied with PH Designs detailing etches which are really to upgrade the Heljan Deltic and I used the bogie steps and one or two other bits to supplement the parts in the kit.
DJH supply vacuum formed glazing for the windows but I'm going to follow the example of the borrowed model and cut very thin clear glazing material and trap it in place behind each of the window surrounds after painting. The kit and the PH etches provide these in nickel silver so they will replicate the aluminium surrounds of the prototype.
This has been a challenging kit to build, the sheer size and weight of the body shell alone made it difficult to work on. All the tinning of brass and nickel silver grill etches seemed to go on forever and then they all had to be fixed onto the shell with low melt solder. I've also had to plan for the later fitting of DCC, sound, exhaust and a full set of running lights.
I'm sure the Class 55 fans reading this will be able to recognise which of the 22 prototypes this is to be and the livery.
Thankfully I'm on the last lap now and I'll post photographs of the finished model when it's all done.
