An ex LMS 42ft CCT in 7mm

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Hope this is the right place for this posting.

As threatened earlier today here's details about a 7mm Plasticard vehicle as sold by AnD Models, bought through MSC. I was amazed at the price and value - it was about £14. In fact, having built one I was sufficiently impressed to buy another.

Here's what you get in the pack.

100_1992.JPG

If that looks like six sheets of Plasticard and two of instructions that's exactly what it is, but.....

The Plasticard is pre-scribed with the body sides and ends, mostly in the form of three laminates. I started making the laminated sides using a contact adhesive but have a few bubbles so moved on to industrial quantities of Butanone. This construction is particularly clever as, when assembled in accordance with the instructions there are slots for the glazing. The sides, ends and panelling for the end doors simply pops out of the Plasticard sheet and the battery box and underframe are included in the Plasticard components although some parts are from 2mm x 2mm Evergreen angle. The roof is included as a flat sheet but there is a recommendation to purchase a ready shaped roof if shaping Plasticard is not your forte - and it's not mine so I followed the recommendation and used a Peter Cowling roof.

The bad news, if bad news there be, is that there are no wheels or bogies. So you have to buy these (wheels are Haywood, bogies Sidelines although Ian Kirk are also recommended and much less expensive). And the roof. And the couplings (CPL), roof ventilators (ABS), buffers (Haywood) and door handles (Slaters). And the brake gear, vacuum cylinders and dynamo (All ABS). Then you have to add the heating and vac pipes which I made from brass wire wound with thin copper wire. And the footboards, from brass and lost wax lamp irons (Laurie Griffin). And the electrical control box (which I made by using a white metal box I had in my spares as a master - because I'll need another for the second identical vehicle - and cast a new one in 5-minute epoxy using a Plasticene mould). Brake handwheels are Markits.

The door hinges are from plastic rod and the solebars from 6.3mm Evergreen channel. The bodywork beading is from Microstrip. The door bumpers are plastic rod. All other rods and handles are from brass wire, rod or strip.

These vehicles have obviously not been painted yet. This will follow when the weather warms up a bit and they'll be in BR maroon c1958 - 60.

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Hope that's of some interest.




I've not totted up the total cost but quite clearly the bodywork carcass is only a minor part of the total. I'd guess so far about £100.




I'll post some more piccies once the painting is completed. Brian
 

Steve Cook

Flying Squad
Lovely model Brian, you've made a grand job of that :)
Looking at it, I think I have one of his G3 horse boxes, the style of build looks very similar to the kit sheets of plasticard stored in my loft, I'll have to dig it out to confirm when I get home although (a photo would look just like yours though!).
Steve
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Yes, that's the detail for contact, although there is a phone number and address. The designer is Denis Tillman and his phone number is 01329 286839. I have the brochure, such as it is, which is attached below.

My view is that these are a short cut to Plasticard vehicles and as far as I can see from this CCT it's pretty accurate too.

Brian

AnD Products Catalogue.  March 2013 (1).jpg
AnD Products Catalogue.  March 2013 (2).jpg
AnD Products Catalogue.  March 2013 (3).jpg
AnD Products Catalogue.  March 2013 (4).jpg
 

iak63

Western Thunderer
Fascinating approach to producing kits.
Tempting if one is used to using plastic etc.
Would you say that it may be worth a toe dipping exercise Brian?
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Fascinating approach to producing kits.
Tempting if one is used to using plastic etc.
Would you say that it may be worth a toe dipping exercise Brian?

Quite honestly, at the prices on offer I don't hesitate in saying go ahead. After all, if you find you are not satisfied you can always turn the wagon or coach in to a grounded body/shed/greenhouse. I was surprised when I built my CCT as I had to research it pretty well from the ground up and doing so and sourcing the castings etc was part of the considerable enjoyment.

The basic body went together in about a day. Everything else took at least a week, and possibly longer, so you'll know quite quickly whether you think it worth proceeding or not.

Brian
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
As threatened earlier today here's details about a 7mm Plasticard vehicle as sold by AnD Models, bought through MSC. I was amazed at the price and value - it was about £14. In fact, having built one I was sufficiently impressed to buy another.

STOPPPPP!! :(



Having enthused about this kit earlier I now have to report disaster. The hot weather being such a rarity I decided it was time to apply some paint, so cleaned everything up and applied some car body plastic primer. In my normal fashion I then put the painted body in a plant propogator to dry off. When I got back to it one side had buckled beyond any hope of being useful and the other is starting to show signs of the top layer bubbling and other deformation where the top layer is not supported at the window apertures. Steph (who was with me) reckons these latter two problems are because of the sandwich/multiple layer construction which does not allow the gasses from the MEK to escape. However, the side which is much worse and unusable was fixed using a contact adhesive. In this case it looks as though the adhesive has just "let go" and allowed each layer to separate and go it's own way.

As a result I've pulled one side off the frames completely. I doubt whether it'll split apart again but I may be able to use it as a pattern to construct a new side a la Jenkinson. Dunno yet, but otherwise it's a vast amount of work wasted.:rant: Then there's the bogies, buffers, etc, etc......

Pictures of the disaster will follow but in the meantime I suggest that anyone who has one of these kits considers their means of construction very carefully. I still believe that they are a good pattern of the prototype but clearly my cavalier bodging was not the way to go and they need much more careful consideration of the build technique to be employed.

Brian
 

JimG

Western Thunderer
Pictures of the disaster will follow but in the meantime I suggest that anyone who has one of these kits considers their means of construction very carefully. I still believe that they are a good pattern of the prototype but clearly my cavalier bodging was not the way to go and they need much more careful consideration of the build technique to be employed.

Brian,

If you build a lot of Plastikard bodies, you learn to go easy on the MEK and to drill holes to every hidden cavity you can think of to make sure that they can ventilate. :) This allows excess MEK to evaporate, otherwise it just stays in a cavity and keeps working away at melting the styrene. Even if there is no MEK around in a cavity, a temperature change could cause an airtight cavity to expand or contract. I learned this the hard way with an early Jenkinson style panelled coach I made where the space between the inner body and the tumblehome of the side had no vent holes and the lower part of the side gently melted over a while from the excess MEK inside the void. :)

Jim.
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Brian,

If you build a lot of Plastikard bodies, you learn to go easy on the MEK and to drill holes to every hidden cavity you can think of to make sure that they can ventilate. :) This allows excess MEK to evaporate, otherwise it just stays in a cavity and keeps working away at melting the styrene. Even if there is no MEK around in a cavity, a temperature change could cause an airtight cavity to expand or contract. I learned this the hard way with an early Jenkinson style panelled coach I made where the space between the inner body and the tumblehome of the side had no vent holes and the lower part of the side gently melted over a while from the excess MEK inside the void. :)

Jim.

Yes, quite so Jim. Exactly what Steph told me before I started.......:)

Brian
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
Jim,

I think the comment I made when dad showed me the GUV was something like 'sometimes I really hate being right'...

We'll get to the bottom of it I'm sure, it'd be a damned shame not too! I think the Jenkinson approach remains the most likely for success, but I'm still playing with solvent-free adhesives for styrene so there may be other options.

Steph
 
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