Hudswell Clarke - done

Time to get up to date with the Hudswell Clarke diesel. As I've mentioned before, this blog doesn't always operate in real time. I'm often juggling several projects, some of which have deadlines. Also there are many occasions where one job stops and I have to go and do something else to prevent me fiddling and ruining things. Waiting for paint to harden properly or filler to set are classic examples of this.



Anyway, the Hudswell Clarke loco is finished. The body required the front bonnet to be made up - the same as the back although slightly trickier to get the sides parallel. On top four holes are drilled, wire fitted through these and then through the top vent to give the proper stand off. This is the first time I've needed to do this in a 4mm scale kit and it's not difficult and the result looks excellent.

The radiator is folded up and tacked in place. I re-did this several times to try and get it square. Sometimes you thing that the part has moved overnight or in the time you've been away from it. Perhaps the modelling fairies have been attacking my work and moving things around !

The boxes on the sides are simple fold-ups put in place with the minimum amount of solder. With no access from the back all the fixing has to be carried out on visible areas. Lots of flux, hardly any solder and then a good strong run with the fibreglass pencil. On the one side there is a second small cabinet in front of the large one. As far as I can tell there are no photos (apart from the one of the 7mm model on the Mercian web site which I didn't spot !)of this side which is why I stared at the etched part wondering what it was for a long time...

The final large part is the cab roof which unusually for me is solder in place. The cab itself has no floor making this possible. If you want to build some detail up then make something out of plasiticard and insert it from underneath.

Detail start with handrails including the odd ones on the side of the cab steps. At the same time I stuck the pipework along the bottom of the valance using fat brass wire. Then the lamp irons fold up and the RSU spots them into place. Whitemetal parts attach with C&L 100 degree solder although superglue would have done OK for this - it worked very nicely for the bonnet doors.

And that is that. The model was to be supplied in the brass so I didn't need to get the airbrush out. The end result is a very nice looking locomotive. It's very similar to the BR 07 diesel and make me wonder if I ought to have this version for the Dock instead of the older rear cab one I have always coveted.