Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Mercian Coal Tank Kit


Mercian Coal Tank Kit
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker

Reviews tend to mention fairly early on the size of a the box a new kit arrives in. Usually the idea that the finished model will fit in the box it arrived in is seen as a tremendous plus point as well as allowing the author to pad out the text in the hope of a slightly higer fee ! Well in this case I am certain even before I break out the soldering iron, this loco will not fit in the box once I've built it.

The base of the box is filled with etched parts wrapped in tissue paper and they very nearly fill it. In fact if it were tall enough to take the finished model, that locomotive would rattle around something rotten as it would have far too much latitude.

The kit arrives as two etched in brass and nickel silver, a pre-rolled boiler, lengths of wire, sheets of instructions and a couple of bags full of whitmetal fittings. On top of this are Slaters wheels and a motor/gearbox combination. So far it all looks pretty good. This is my first 7mm scale kit for a while and so I'm looking forward to working in a chunkier scale for a change.

The biggest challenge, assuming there are no "surprises" during the construction, will be painting. This model is to be outshopped in LNW lined passenger livery. The black paint won't be an issue but producing nice neat lining out could be. I've read up on the subject and have a pretty clear idea how I will do this, but there proof of any pudding is in the eating and I may have to have several helpings to get it perfect !

Watch this space.

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