RichardG
Western Thunderer
This kit is the GER Sand Wagon by Connoisseur Models. The kit comes with a 16-page instruction book filled with advice and photos of a completed kit.
The instructions mention using drawing pins to hold the model onto a block of wood. Now I have my sheet of armour plate for work with the RSU, I am sometimes using welding magnets to do the same thing.
Everything was plain sailing until I came to the solebars, which were a bit fraught. So I stopped for these next photos after the first 26 parts.
I like this photo - just about all of the excess solder is on the inside.
The first solebar overlay went on straight away and without difficulties using the RSU. Unfortunately, the anxiety of getting this on right lead me to forget to do all twelve rivet impressions on the overlay. I have undone enough brass parts to know, the half-etched locations will be clogged up with solder and I will never get the impressions in the right place. So I have accepted this and moved on. This will definitely be "my model".
The tabs on the solebars go into slots in the model, and the slots are sensibly too wide. But the tabs have to be aligned against the inner sides of the slots, which is the opposite side to where they naturally want to go. So for each side, I tacked the solebar assembly into place, adjusted these joints until the alignment was just right, and then soldered up the rest.
I am using the RSU and the microflame torch for nearly all of the assembly, and the result is needing very little clean up. Well, so far.
I have now paused to emboss every remaining rivet. There are only a few, but they are on both sides of the etch . . .
