Building an LMS Patriot from a Whitemetal kit.

I have had this kit gathering dust for the last 3 or 4 years and now I have begun to make progress with the layout,it would seem to be a good time to crack on with the build.I have a donor chassis from a Farish Duchess and have recently acquired the "Rhyl" nameplates.The reason I am naming it Rhyl is in memory of all those childhood holidays we spent there where the seeds of my railway mania were germinated riding around Marine Lake on the miniature railway.
   The plates I have are the later type with the town crest attached.In the 30's,she sported the plates without town crest,and while I know they are wrong for the 30's,and it would be so easy to cut the crest off,I am invoking my modellers licence and having things my own way for once!
(I am also re-naming one of my GWR Hall's to Mottram Hall,which was not built until 1948….see,I just don't care,do I???)(Mottram being local to Hyde you see….)
   Anyhow…..photos and updates of progress to follow soon.

Cheers,John.B. :thumbs

Braver man than me John, I'll be following and hoping to learn lots!
Cheers

Marty

Here are the bits that I am hoping will become "Rhyl".Purchased a few years back on Ebay,the previous owner had made a beginning on the tender and body,unfortunately making a right Town Halls of the tender,building it well out of square with skew wiff coal rails.He had even laid down a base coat of green,presumably to build his loco in BR livery.The box contained 2 choices for names,"Sir Frank Ree"or"The Royal Pioneer Corps".I got my own choice and also got a spare chimney and safety valves in brass as an upgrade to the white metal jobbies provided.





Work begins tomorrow,starting with trying to undo the mistakes already made on the tender.If I'm not unable to unpick those errors,I may be looking for an alternative tender.

Cheers,John.B. :thumbs

Good luck with the build - i hope the tender is able to be rescued. Really looking forward to seeing how it progresses. Would love to get into Kit building loco's at some stage.
I am also member of the Unknown Warrior Patriot project and so glad its being painted Crimson Red as its first livery. I am also in the process of detailing and re-naming a Hornby Patriot to 5572 Eire so very interested to see how you finish it!
Enjoy the build and I can imagine un-doing ham-fisted work is not fun. I had to bin a Bachmann Jubilee which I thought I could rescue, but alas, she was too far gone poor thing. So, I stripped her down and she is now helping me with the other Jubilee's in my growing collection.

Hi Ian,
         I was hoping to have already started but other domestic matters got in the way,but I will deffo start her tomorrow.I will be putting her in LMS red,none of that green BR nonsense.I've got an excellent donor chassis from an old Duchess that was in wartime black,so there should be no running problems with her.I've also got some brass buffers if I decide the cast white metal ones aren't up to the job.
         Looking at the standard of your modelling,I don't think you'll find building a loco kit too hard yourself.I took 3 years to pluck up the courage to tackle my first loco build…the GWR mogul pictured at the foot of this post,and was amazed that it wasn't that hard at all.Go for it Ian,you'll be hooked once you finish one!

Cheers,John.B. :thumbs

Thanks for the vote of confidence John. Hoping to pick up a cheap kit off ebay to start with and see how i get on. Whitemetal ones look easier to start with than the brass ones. Good luck and cant wait to see how you get on. 

Tender successfully dis-assembled thanks to the previous owner using the wrong glue,it came apart fairly easily,certainly a lot easier than I'd anticipated.Whilst at it,I cleaned up and straightened the rickety coal rails and filed off the very wonky and dodgey moulded handrails from off the tender.I intend fitting proper handrails,I despise moulded ones!!!
  Now to put all the bits together properly and (hopefully)square.As soon as thats done,a blast of halford's primer to ready the tender for the paintshop and a bit of LMS red!



The loco body itself looks fine,and I am loathe to do the same kind of thing to that,but the chassis will not fit inside,so I am looking to be able to create a little more space inside by grinding out where it is a tight/snug "fit".The body shell is quite thick and durable,so hopefully that should be practical.
  Watch this space to see if it is!!!

Cheers,John.B. :thumbs

Looking good so far. Good luck with the major surgery!!!!

Hi John,

Just catching up with the build, one thing that is useful is to make  sure the frame is also square. From past (and bitter) experience, you might want to check the dimensions of the tender sides to make sure they are the same length (and also square), and that the top/front/back are also square and the same dimensions.

Nigel



  

Hi Nigel,
       The sides are all the same length AND square,they were just glued together skewiff. The only minor problem I can see is a kink in the bottom of one tender side which looks like it might be a fault in the kit moulding process.The moulded handrails on the tender sides front & back were warped also,so I filed them off to be replaced by actual handrails.
   Fingers crossed the tender should work out OK.

Cheers,John.B. :thumbs

Following along still. 
Loco building in N is a combination of art and sorcery and for a long time now I've known you to be a wizard at it.

glad to see the wand has been dusted off for real.

cheers

Marty

Hi Marty,
             Listen you,if I can do it then you definitely can!Start simple…get a PD Marsh kit for a Saint,an old,but good running Farish Hall,and get stuck in! We could even do one together online???
             I guarantee you'll be hooked and that loco will become your absolute favourite!Go for it Bud!

Cheers,John.B. :thumbs

maybe, just maybe….
I don't have a Saint on my roster…. always wanted one… I'll let you know…. but don't hold your breath  :oops: 

reckon I could paint it with a rattle can or is a spray gun kit a must?

Marty

Marty,I've always used paintbrushes.I find airbrush and spray cans too difficult to control.A fine detail brush can get where a spray will just "fill",plus you can take paint off with a brush if you've put too much on.Likewise,after I've applied transfers,I always paint varnish over them with a brush.

Cheers,John.B. :thumbs

I can get a better base coat with a rattle can than a brush if I take my time and don't get impatient. I'd love an air brush kit though. One day.

We shall see, at the rate the Aussie dollar is improving there is hope yet.


Cheers


Marty

I see that you live in Perth, WA, Marty.

Isn't that part of Oz supposed to be the perfect climate with little rain and no ice, frost or snow ?


Oh, and Hank Marvin lives there ( and so would I if I could then I could go and visit Max ! )


Allan

Hi Allan,
As you say, it is a friendly climate, the summer heat generates a powerful thirst.  :cheers

Be aware, if you do descend upon us colonials here in one of the remotest state capital cities on earth, that Max (and Sol) live a further 2,704 km away on the other side of the Nullarbor and the Great Australian Bight. A road trip of 28 hours or a flight of 2 hrs and 50 mins.

I like Perth, but then I've lived here most of my life.

Sorry for the Hijack John

Marty

So, a quick hop on the bike to anywhere would be out of the question then, Marty.

Allan

[user=19]Marty[/user] wrote:

I can get a better base coat with a rattle can than a brush if I take my  time and don't get impatient. I'd love an air brush kit though. One  day.

We shall see, at the rate the Aussie dollar is improving there is hope yet.maybe, just maybe….


Marty

Marty, DO IT! There is no way I could contemplate brush painting my narrow gauge locos, and I got fed up with the lack of control with spray cans, they are either 'On' or 'Off' after all.

Can't wait to to get our removal to Ivybridge in Devon over [Fingers crossed, early September] and start using my airbrush on scenery and buildings too.

This is the model I've got with a 0.3mm nozzle, came all the way from China in a week with two extra airbrushes, one 'large' with a little glass pot, and one 0.2mm nozzle as I managed to spot it on special offer. I have successfully sprayed cheapo artists tube acrylics, suitably diluted onto old wagons for practice.

You can tell SWMBO that it will be good for scrap-booking and cake decorating, too! I guess she won't need fake tan spraying where you are…

Doug

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Voilamart-Action-Airbrush-Compressor-Stencils/dp/B0192X5HFI/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_60_tr_img_3/262-5516507-1890564?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=X1C7C6V2Z05Z6QKZFG83

Sorry, John, apologies for the hi-jack….

D

No need to apologise Doug,I'm glad to have someone else to help me nag Marty into loco building!

I do possess one,but have never really taken to it.I suppose because of my background as an illustrator,I'm more attached to my paintbrushes.But you know what they say,whatever works for you personally.

Cheers,John.B. :thumbs