Not that much modelling due to domestic duties, but some progress on the tender chassis.
Whilst waiting for the replacement wheels and axle material, I have done some work on the water scoop arrangements. The instructions have this done after the inner frames are fixed to the outer and the wheel-sets in place. However, I felt it would give much easier access to the linkage if it were done before joining the inner and outer frames. I've had to leave the vertical link to the actual scoop as a temporary joint to allow the rear cross member to be slide/wiggled into place on final assembly. Apart from this, I can't see that my sequence has created any problems.
I must say, it's been a war of attrition so far and I've had to make several modifications to the kit parts to get it all to fit and be in the right positions. The biggest issue was with the cast scoop pipe which sticks down too far, has a locating pip which is about half the diameter on the hole in the spacer and it's too far forward. As a result, it's been on and off at least three times to allow modification and re-positioning. In the end, I cut 1.5 mm off the height and moved it back the same amount, in order to get the "pivot" ears in the right position relative to the back edge of the rear cross member.
This latter would not seat down properly because the front edge was catching on part of the operating linkage. Close examination of the GA drawing revealed that the prototype had a pocket cut out of the front edge to clear the mechanism, so a similar arrangement was added to the kit item.
Here is the modified scoop pipe. In the end, I didn't fit the sleeve to the mounting peg as it prevented the pipe moving back far enough.
Here is the rear cross member with the clearance notch in the front edge.
The elongated locating hole for the scoop pipe. In the end, the pipe mounting pip is hard up to the back of the modified hole in order to get the bottom of the pipe in the right place.
The scoop pipe fixed in its new position, showing the relationship to the cross member.
A shot with the lower end of the scoop attached to the pipe and the linkage temporarily connected up. The final attachment has to be done after the cross member is fixed in place.
Next job is to make and fit the bracing struts to the scoop pipe. Although there are two locating slots etched in the frame spacer, oddly, there is no mention of there rather visible items in the kit instructions or assembly diagrams.
Dave.