18100

An oddity from the cupboard - a model of Metropolitan-Vickers gas turbine locomotive.

The body appears to be a single-piece fibreglass moulding. The detail isn't great, but it could be a lot worse. The photo is a bit cruel and a repaint would certainly improve matters as the varnish has yellowed badly.

Underneath we have a Lima chassis which works OK, at least as well as a Lima chassis of the period ever does. A quick wheel clean and some oil has it turning over freely.

I'm sure I bought this on a second-hand stall over 15 years ago with the intention of refurbishing it. I don't know the maker, although I'm guessing at Q-Kits. With a bit of reglazing and a tidy, although we aren't at modern RTR standards, this imposing loco would look great at the head of a train.

Anyway, the refurbishment is never going to happen and it seems a shame to leave the model in a drawer, so it's time to pass it on. There is an eBay auction here.

You can read about the prototype on Wikipedia.