OK, I can't just stick a pile of kit bits together. I've got to fiddle with, and hopefully improve, them. Looking at the signal cabin, the first thing I spotted was that the real windows open by sliding. One set of panes is set back from the others but on the kit, they are all in one plane.
Not a problem. Running a sharp knife around the end frame is easy thanks to the depression for it to follow. The end 4 panes are removed and then fixed back a millimetre with lashings of plastic solvent. The middle bar is deepened with microstrip at the same time.
Needless to say, this doesn't show up in the photo, but trust me, it makes a difference.
The other tweak takes place on the door where instead of a handle, we have a little lump. Hardly surprising, moulding a proper handle would be impossible and an separate part would be tiny. On my workbench there is a pot of track pins so after drilling through the lump, a pin was forced through the hole (more lashings of plastic solvent 'cos I didn't drill a bit enough hole) and trimmed inside the door.
Another tiny modification but on a little building, worth it to my eyes. Simple too.
7 comments:
Apart from the windows I've always thought that there is something else less definable that subtlety stops this kit from being convincing, The roof is perhaps part of it, or the lack of guttering.
The York Modelmaking version somehow also doesn't capture the prototype
http://yorkmodelmaking.co.uk/00-scale-signal-box-kit
I'm pondering the guttering - there are Ratio bits on the bench as I write. Not sure about the rest, I think the Wills kit looks better (to my eye) than the York one. Whatever, it's a nice little building and a pleasent break from more serious stuff.
Do you have the door end fitted to the wrong side? Test fit I hope.
Not according to the picture on the box.
I know, I read the instructions! A first!
Whilst that is how it appears on the box, and it is how I've built it in the past, I do wonder if actually their is mistake in the kit.
http://www.welshhighlandheritage.co.uk/gallery/cambriancrossing.html
If so it isn't that easy to rectify without a fair bit of chopping around.
I suspect a bit of scratchbuilding would be easier then modifying the kit. It's certainly different on the real box though. I don't care - I'm building the kit rather than modelling the prototype this time.
Phil,
You could be right, and I already have far too many unbuilt signal box kits in a draw, the latest addition being an Lcut GWR Type 25 - although that one might actually get built.
I'm really looking forward to seeing how you finish the exterior of this one. I'm sure it will really lift it
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