I love the Hobby Holidays chassis jig. The wheels were fitted to the chassis, rods fitted to the wheels, and it runs smoothly when pushed around
first time. I can't remember the last time I was able to say that.
The only hiccup along the way was losing the little bits of insulation I use to hold the rods in place until I'm happy. I'll trade 5 minutes making some more of those for a working chassis any day.
I was so happy, I test fitted the chassis to the body. It's supposed to clip in at the back and be retained at the front by a single screw. Rice (who designed this chassis) recommends this in one of his books as it avoids twisting things, something you might get by overtightening a bolt at each end. It also makes removal quicker.
I needed to remove a plastic pin beside the front screw hole on the body, but once done, the chassis sits where it's supposed to.
Phil, well done, it is looking good. It sounds as though you too have struggled to assemble a free-running chassis once or twice? This is something that Iain Rice takes up in his Etched Chassis Construction book. I agree with him: it is not rocket science to design a chassis kit that can be assembled on a kitchen table by someone with average abilities and have it work well first time. Unfortunately, there are (were?) a number of kits that need a pricey jig like yours in order to produce reliable results...
ReplyDeleteI am still working out the best way to assemble an old Comet chassis kit with flimsy brass (underscale!) frames for an LMS 4F, after a failed first attempt. Perhaps I would be better off scrapping it and buying something better?
I think I could have done this with my 6 quid aluminium axles from London Road and been fine. But I have a fancy pants tool, so I'm gonna use it.
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