As editor of the UK's premier newsstand garden railway magazine, I feel I need to do my best to immerse myself in the hobby. While I can't instantly develop 40 years experience in wrangling steam engines, I can at least build lots of the kits that have been around for years.
One of these is the
Binne Engineering (hit that link, the site is well worth a look) GVT wagon. OK, so Colin's V-hoppers are even better known, but I rather fancy this kit. Since getting back into large-scale modelling, the 4-wheel wagon building bug has really bitten.
For my £12 (I bought at a show, add £2-3 mail order from most garden railway trade) I was in possession of a lot of big bits moulded in plastic plus some smaller ones, including wheels, moulded in glass reinforced plastic. This is, to my mind, a bit of a bargain.
A few minutes with some ABS solvent (normal plastic glue will work, but the more volatile stuff was faster and gave good, secure joints) and I had built the basic tub.
17cm long, 4.5cm tall and 7.5cm wide, the size puts your average OO kit to shame!
The detail is pretty good, as you might expect in this scale. Just as importantly, it feels properly "chunky" and should survive happily out in the garden.
They are great kits,and are wonderful for kit bashing. Colin took the top plank off some for variety. The couplings are inconvenient, if you turn the wagon upside down there is a good marker in each buffer beam, drill them out 1mm and you can bend up and insert a 1mm brass wire book to use the usual 3 link coupling chain.
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