An odd feature of the Ratio kit is that the solebars don't fit under the floor, as they do in every other wagon kit I can recall; the floor fits into recesses along the inside top of the solebars. This confused me for a while, and I had to resort to the instructions, ruining the images I was trying to project as someone fully in control of what they are building. Sorry I didn't photograph this for illustration, you'll have to take my word for it.
This does make the build a bit tricky as it's easy to glue the upside-down chassis to the modelling board. While the glue is soft, the wheels are fitted, and the whole lto left upside down on flat surface to harden. As I was at a show, I didn't have a mirror to test flatness, but the modelling board isn't too bad, and there is a little slop in the bearings to take up a fraction of a mm.
I think this pretty much concluded my first day's build. A good sign, as little progress meant maximum chatting to the paying public, which is what I was there for.
And the carrot cake was delicious.
5 comments:
That chassis brings back some memories...Ratio used to sell them separately in a plastic bag with a yellow header card, for about half the price of a complete wagon kit. This put it easily into my 12 year old's pocket money budget. Add some Plastikard, Humbrol Liquid Poly and a copy of Peter Matthews' Private Owner Wagons book (MAP, brown covers) and I could build wagons that Ratio didn't make kits for...
I'm sure I have some tucked away - the dream/plan was that I'd use them under RTR bodies, just like Rice in his book.
When gluing these days I use cheap silicon craft mats designed for children. DO NOT use them for cutting though!
The Rice book is still excellent. I still wish an iteration of his couplings was available. I think Mainly Trains produced them very briefly.
I've got IAR's books on RTR wagons and plastic wagon kits; both are great sources of inspiration and can often be picked up cheaply.
I picked up a nicely repainted Mainline ex-LMS van for £3 at the Cardiff show on Saturday with the intention of giving it a kit chassis; the Gibson wheels and 3-link couplings fitted would probably cost more than I paid for it!
James, I had a look on Wizard Models site (I think they're now doing much of the ex-Mainly Trains range) but couldn't find any reference to the couplings.
Simon.
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