7mm Mickoo's Commercial Workbench

[mickoo]

A trip last week to Mr Chips (Newark) and a rendezvous with that shady character Mr Crayon (Warren Haywood) in a car park saw the exchange of more goods on their way up and down the A1/A14.

First up for a speedy reassembly is the Gladiator K1, Warren has pre weathered the body and it doesn't need much more to be honest. The chassis (as is now my norm) was painted here and just needs some sympathetic weathering to blend the two in once I've added the cylinder wrapper lining and touched in the bright bits left over.

All in all a nice little build with a few 3D upgrades here and there, coal, glazing, backhead, couplings and blacked buffer heads to finish off.

 

[mickoo]

Finally finished (virtually) the Finney Bulldog, bit of a chore this one sad to say.

I've just got to add the crankpin covers once the paint hardens and tune the DCC, I'm not adding the covers yet as once on they'll probably get damaged if I have to get back inside to sort anything out.

 

[mickoo]

Some more frighteningly glacial progress on the S15, specifically the tender, I've changed a few WM parts for more detailed 3D and added a couple that are not in the kit, sand boxes and chunky brake weigh shaft, I still need to add the trunnion bearing on the outboard LH side and bearing with crank arm for the handbrake stand.

I need to put a bit more energy into the flared corners to get them a bit smoother and blended in better but the bulk is done and secure.

Y'all have to excuse the dark grey solder, it's a more aggressive cleaner I'm trying, cleans the brass a treat but makes all your solder joints go dark grey, not good for show and tell photos

 

[mickoo]

Slightly better end to the week, tender all but done, bogie brake rigging goes in after paint as it traps the wheel sets inside and a good start on the kettle bit.

I need to modify the firebox for one with five washout plugs and the smokebox wrapper needs to be plain and then I need to fabricate some covers to seal up the firebox/footplate joint and a new transverse plate across the front to seal that area in.

I think the kit has white metal solid blocks for the covers but I'll try some formed brass ones first.

 

[mickoo]

More Maunsell S15, a few more nick nacks to finish on the footplate/boiler and then back to the chassis to finish it all off.

 

[mickoo]

Calling it done, couple of bits to go on after paint and just realized cab door hinge brackets not fitted but that's it.

The Urie version will follow later in the year all being well, the chassis etches are here and need a test build and then onto the upper work etches.

 

[mickoo]

The Bulldog keeps on biting back , having failed miserable at Croscombe Magna on the weekend I did some remedials (although there was nothing obvious as to why it was shorting when the body was on) and bimbled along to Love Lane today for another test.

Happily it ran fine, so I now have to reassemble all the bits taken off to split the body/chassis and then take it back next week for a final test run completely assembled.

 

[Dog Star]

Just needs chocolate... or tiffin... or maybe a Magnum - you know the saying "does not bite the hand that feeds it".

Looks just so.

Rgds, Graham

 

[mickoo]

Not my build (A4) but a backlogged project across the bench for rebuild after paint and sort some DCC woes. Built and painted by Chris Wesson and very nicely done it has to be said, it's Scale7 with cast wheels turned beautifully.

I stacked it next to the recent W1 I did that's up shortly in the queue for completion and DCC. Warren Haywood had to match the paint on 10000 and I can barely see any difference, each changes slightly as you move them around under the lights so hard to get an exact comparison, but I'd say job well done.

I've since corrected the slight nose down attitude on the A4, just a tweak on the ride height at the front end needed.

 

[PhilMortimer]

Stunning!!

 

[mickoo]

Back to the spinning plates fairground attraction, sneaking along in the background is a Connoisseur B12/3. Nothing too untoward so far though some of the slots are a little generous (as mentioned in the instructions) so you need to tack and check as you go along.

There are....or I found...a couple of places where a gap seems ever present which ever way you shuffle the parts, the knack then is to shuffle them so that the gap filling is in the easiest place to achieve, in my case the tank rear where it meets the footplate and the inset sides to the coal space.

The tank fillers are just plonked on for photos and they have large breather pipes running to the front of the tank to be fitted as yet.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Very nice, it's the first Connoisseur B12 that I have seen unpainted. I have the SM models original B12 in the stash. I wonder how the tender on that will compare.

 

[warren haywood]

There you go Rob, one of a pair I built a couple of years ago

 

[Rob Pulham]

Equally nice, it's a shame they ended their lives in black.

 

[mickoo]

More JLTRT Modified Hall progress, slow, but steady, the smokebox is now done and the low res crash test dummy firebox will hopefully be done early doors tomorrow for a test fit, all being well the master file will get turned around with minimum tweaks and reprinted in high res for the model.

Once that's in then the scratch built brass boiler will be dropped in place and the remaining topside details finished off. Down below it's injectors, sand pipes and steam heat fitting then back to the tender to finally add the internal riveted straps along the raves.

 

[mickoo]

Another one finished and ready for delivery, Gladiator K1, painted & weathered by Warren Haywood.

 

[John K]

Another one finished and ready for delivery, Gladiator K1, painted & weathered by Warren Haywood.

View attachment 250280

View attachment 250281

View attachment 250282

Very nice Mick
I've had one on my desk for months awaiting a back head, coal and weathering.
John

 

[mickoo]

Test fit of the replacement 3D firebox on the Modified Hall, the kit blue lump limits the amount of weight you can add and the slot for the motor was too narrow, I tried to open both out and gave up after a few minutes.....hopeless.

Plan B was a 3D smokebox and firebox and new brass boiler, Plan C if the 3D didn't pass muster was all new brass firebox and smokebox.

I still need to go over both with 5000 grit and the there will be a little gap filling to do but then there would have been with the blue lump, there's a little less this way.

 

[simond]

You’re not filling me with confidence. I have a JLTRT Star, complete with blue lump, in the stash…

 

[mickoo]

You’re not filling me with confidence. I have a JLTRT Star, complete with blue lump, in the stash…

Take up stamp collecting……terrible instructions and random lottery with the castings and etches.

I think I’ve got a Star coming next year so I’ll see how grim that box is.

Some JLTRT and MM1 are pretty good and fitted out reasonably well, but my experience so far is they are in the slim minority.