Body mods for the 16mm Hunslet

A dry run with the loco parts produces a not-unattractive little model. It's very much a relative of the low-cost Saltford Models that I loved years ago. Simple and slightly cartoony, the only difference is that the modeller doesn't have to cut the parts out.

In truth, you could stick this model together in about half an hour. There's some soldering to do for wiring, but nothing too challenging.

One feature I understand, but don't like, is the bonnet to radiator proportions. I know radiators are larger than bonnets on these things, but not this much.

You can see what I mean from this photo, along with the open-sided engine bay.  Well, we can fix one, but not the other. After all, that bay is home to the motor and batteries. 

Building up the bonnet sides with thick plastic and then wrapping it in a couple of layers of thin stuff at least gives me a set of flat sides to work with. 

 Doing the wrap in two layers means you can use 0.5mm tick material which bends easily and if limonene solvent is used (buy it from Wizard Models at shows) it sticks well. The less vicious solvent takes a bit longer to dry but won't warp the plastic as normal MEK can in this sort of application.