Roof matters

Things I am not very good at Number 10423: Bending wood. 

My first go, with the roof piece supplied in the kit, spent 12 hours soaking, and was still as stiff as it had been when dry. Trying to force it into anything like a curve resulted in a splintering sound, and a handful of fodder for the fire. 

Fortunatly, I have plenty of spare, thin plywood, so I cut another piece out, rounding the corners using a 10p piece, and dropped it on to soak again overnight. 

After making my breakfast, I pulled the wood out, and strapped it to a large can of varnish using elastic bands collected from the Post Office. The ones they generously leave on the pavement. 

A few hours later, and the wood was released, and proved to be just as flat as ever. All that soaking being a waste of time. 

Still, the material was bendy, so I decided to fix it in place anyway. Prior to this, I'd lined the top edge of the coach with obechi stripwood just under 10mm wide. This would provide a decent area for glue when the roof was stuck down. 

Another issue is that the coach needs passengers, and I don't have any. I know I can order online, but it's not that far to the Midlands show, so I'll pick some up there with a bit of luck. For now, the roof is held down with four self-tapping screws. Not pretty, but not as objectionable as I expected. 

The good news is the plywood has bent pretty much as I want it to, so when there are people inside, I can glue the roof down, and use the screws to hold it while the adhesive dries. Then I'll fill the holes and give it a fresh coat of paint.