Bullied Baltic tank loco

[PR19_Kit]

I'm starting a new thread for this build as otherwise it'll get mixed up with the 'Caprosti' on the other Whiffed loco thread, as I've renamed it.

Just to remind you, this one's going to end up looking like this, I hope............:-



And it's running chassis looks like this :-



The basic kit, a Dapol/Airfix/Kitmaster 'Battle of Britain' class Pacific locomotive, comes in a plastic bag, just like a vintage Airfix kit, and its sprues are around 10 mm in dia!



Now the one thing I needed to remember about a kit that first came out in 1960 is that the design goes back almost 60 years!  As such, a modern kits close fitting parts are totally foreign and the BoB's larger parts are pretty warped, but the old hot water trick gets round that, some anyway.

The BoB body, unlike most locomotives, is basically a box with a bit of tumble-home on the sides, so it goes together pretty easily, apart from the warped base plate and sides that is. The locations consist only of small cylinders, maybe 1mm dia x 1mm high, which form 'bulkheads' to locate the adjoining parts, and the amount of variability in positioning is enormous!

So far I've got the backhead, that's the back of the boiler that protrudes into the cab, one side panel and the smokebox front, the bit at the front, in position. As I have a much finer detailed smokebox door en route the plastic one is only tacked into position as I'll have to remove it later, but it needs to be there for now to position the side panels.

Obviously I'll have to hack out large portions of the baseplate to accept the chassis, but I intend to Dremel that out once the main body assembly is done as it'll be a lot stronger, hopefully.

[Gondor]

Looks interesting Kit and something a little different 

Gondor

[Leading Observer]

I like the look of this. BTW the Quizmaster at my local, Glyn Sims, is one of the volunteers on Battle of Britain Class No.34081 "92 Squadron" http://www.92squadron.co.uk/

[PR19_Kit]

A veritable cornucopia of white metal and etched brass bits and pieces for the Baltic tank arrived while I was away over Christmas.

[PR19_Kit]

I've started to add the white metal and etched parts to the Baltic tank.

The basic body assembly is done now, but it'll have a lot of stuff added as I go on. Here's 'standard side'.



The other side has had the etched brass cab windows added.



And I've cut a new styrene smokebox front plate to take the white metal smokebox door. I've filed off the BR era numberplate as the Baltic will have a circular 'Southern' plate there with its number on the buffer beam. Almost the entire front end will be sawn off and replaced by the white metal casting that's sitting to one side.

[Captain Canada]

Very cool. Nice to see somat like this. I've been thinking of Trains myself lately. Lots of detail bits eh !

[PR19_Kit]

Very cool. Nice to see somat like this. I've been thinking of Trains myself lately. Lots of detail bits eh !

Yes, lots, and I didn't buy all the ones they have either.

Needless to say I've found one that I should have got, but I can fit it later in the build.

[PR19_Kit]

I've glued the upper part of the casing in place now, but I sawed off the cab roof first as I'll need to paint the cab interior before I add the bunker etc. There'd be no way to get to the interior once it's in place of course.

I also sawed off the forward part of the cowl as that's the bit I forgot to order, and it's much more accurate than the existing plastic moulding, the real thing having a large hole underneath the roof so the air flows around the chimney and lifts the smoke clear of the top of the boiler.

I've also sawn off the forward apron and the buffer beam and replaced it with the white metal part. The thing's feeling a tad nose heavy now as a result...

[rickshaw]

Might need to rebalance it, them, Kit.   

[PR19_Kit]

Might need to rebalance it, them, Kit.   

The coal in the bunker may do that on final assembly....

[Rick Lowe]

Might need to rebalance it, them, Kit.   

The coal in the bunker may do that on final assembly....

Going 'old school' and using crushed coal dust for the load, then? 

Still, if it works... 

[PR19_Kit]

Might need to rebalance it, them, Kit.   

The coal in the bunker may do that on final assembly....

Going 'old school' and using crushed coal dust for the load, then? 

Still, if it works... 

Absolutely, it looks so much more realistic than various plastic alternatives.

But it does need sealing or else the model becomes 'self weathering'..........   

[Rick Lowe]

 

[PR19_Kit]

I had a mammoth Dremel session today, hacking away the baseplate of the Baltic's shell. I kept on trying the chassis in position time after time, and eventually I found out I'd cut away almost all the baseplate! But I couldn't have built the upper parts without it, so no loss really.



With the chassis in place it's starting to look like the Barnes drawing, but without the leading and trailing trucks it looks rather silly at present, and it's unbalanced as I haven't done the major bodywork mods for the side tanks or the coal bunker yet. I'll maybe start on the side tanks this afternoon.

[PR19_Kit]

I forgot to mention that I cut the buffer beam off the chassis too, it's not needed as it would be about 10 ft. too far back and it'd be inside the body shell!

Hornby threw me a curve ball as the beam is plastic, but it's moulded over an extension of the cast metal frame! I had to use the Dremel on that eventually as my saws were losing the battle.