Hi Adam,
Thanks for a very informative post, and some useful photos.
I've not got any further than cleaning up the mould lines on the solebars and removing the plastic handrail from the headstock yet. Interesting that you suggest reinforcing the headstocks - I had already thought of that because I seem to recall, and have read elsewhere, the headstock to solebar joint as being iffy.
I'll have to do something with regards the handwheels as the smaller ones are mis-moulded in my kit. Was not aware of Stenson Models - theirs look excellent. Your offer is very kind, and I'd definitely take you up on it however, having looked at the instructions on Stenson Models website, I'm not confident in my ability to solder these tidily enough. My soldering is akin to painting a 1:72nd scale kit with a paint roller!
As an aside, is that a (scratchbuilt?) Lowmac in the background of your photos?
Matt