Sentinel

 

"+ wheels and motor" - music to the model railway kitbuilders ears. Everything being in the box means no extra cost, or rooting around trying to complete the kit. Maybe said mechanical bits are rubbish, but it's a start. 

I really don't need a brass kit for a Y1/Y3 shunter. If I need an O gauge version, there is the excellent Dapol RTR model available for two and a bit times the price I paid for this collection of brass and whitemetal bit. 

But, a bit of me has been thinking some soldering would be nice. I don't often get to do this for work for a start, and I've always (!) enjoyed building locomotive kits. And yes, I have lots in the stash awaiting my attention, but the instructions make this look like a pretty simple build. 

Opening the box, it looks like all the bits are in there. Along with a reciept for £163!

I like the pre-formed body parts. Putting the bends in the corners isn't easy, as I seem to recall from building a Crownline kit many years ago. I seem to remember something about using a bit of tube around a bolt in each corner. No need for that here. 

The biggest issue I can see is the that model is single-axle drive. Should I try to do something about this? If so, buy an extra gearbox, or Delrin chain? I've not got a layout to run the model on, so as long as it moves for the moment, I'll be happy. 

Anyway, I hope I'll crack on with this and blog it for you next week. Don't hold your breath though, as there are always surprises...