Andy Hendersons review of his first time effort at an etched kit
Only just got the etches (and jolly nice & fine they look too!). It is not a standard build-in-an-hour body shell. I am really looking forward to building this one as it is a big departure from the white metal kits and resin all-in-one shells. It's gonna hurt, but I am keen.
OK... made a start on this last night and went at it hammer 'n' tongs (6 hours+ just to get this far). Let me say that while the production is near perfect, this is the first "scratch aid" kit I have built. The premise is a little different to the usual kits in that you have all the bits, but you have to assemble *everything*.
It is all etched from nickel silver sheet and I must say that the small bits tested my skills to the limit and is probably as close to scratch building that I would like to come.
This
is also the first kit I have assemble that I chose to solder so I had a massive
curve to take on this one. Well, six hours later I am pretty happy with the
results.
It is by no means perfect and rivet-counters would probably have a pink-fit but it definately captures the charm and look of a Class 22 - unmistakable as anything else.
Here is D6345 just after completion. It is still a little rough in places but I need to put a first coat of primer on to show the bad bits now - gone blind trying to make sense of the intricate light patterns reflecting off the solder and bright NS... it now being 04:10 doesn't help
Here she is again after two coats of primer (red to seal the metal, coat of grey to make it easier to see the rough bits). Those rough bits are now more evident and I have already started to cut away the highs. The lows are shown now as dark against the grey (check over the top of the bonnet) where I need to fill 'n' file. Gotta source some nice oval buffers - prolly from BHE
It is 04:35 and I am off to bed.
!!! STOP PRESS !!! I think Allen of Worsley Works, might be considering an etched class 74!!! (squeals of delight) Anyone interested, go the site and request what you like - he is willing to entertain anything if the demand is good. And they do 2mm, 3mm & 4mm as well as N, so just because you might not be an 'N' modeller shouldn't stop you requesting stuff.
Note. The Class 74 is now available
More pics as the beast progresses... my donor 20 gave up it's chassis last night (bless!) - 20s were only visitors to the Southern in the very early 1960s and I really haven't got the guts to push the licence so far as to have a 20 "resident" in 1968.
More Class 22 Images - Even More Class 22 Images