4mm etch loco kits ... do they still appeal?

Discussion in 'Kits, Kit bashes & Scratch builds' started by York Paul, Feb 23, 2018.

  1. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    I was having a tidy up in my under the bench store and found some unbuilt 4mm scale kits I'd bought many months ago, now I'm an O Gauger and so these kits don't fit with anything I do now so I'm going to move them on. The question is with the dearth of RTR 4mm do etch steam loco kits still appeal if I built them up as runners, my thoughts were to build them and spray them in lightly weathered condition and then put them on the flea bay to see what happens. currently I have started building a Craftsman GN/LNER/BR C12 4-4-2 Tank. I also have an Anchoridge J39 and K3 which will be fitted with Portescap 38:1 gearbox units, the C12 kit is quite old and is designed to take an X04 motor which I will service. Any thoughts and ideas please?

    cheers for now York Paul
     
  2. Keith M

    Keith M Staff Member Moderator

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    Well, the "Southern" ones appeal to me at any rate Paul! I've a 'stash' of about 7 to build as and when I get around to it, (so many projects, so little time!). There are quite a few both built and unbuilt 4mm kit loco's on Ebay, and the 'unbuilt' ones seem to make quite good money, so you could see how they sold as kits rather than spend time doing something you're not now 'into', just put a reserve on them and see if they sell, if not, then build and finish them and put them on again, nothing to lose and everything to gain.
    Keith.
     
  3. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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  4. Rob Pulham

    Rob Pulham Happily making models Staff Member Administrator Feature Contributor

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    Hi Paul,

    I went through a similar exercise when I moved up a scale. I do hope that you have as good luck as I seemed to - I got a south African gent bidding against a Norwegian. The South African one all the three items that they were fighting over and paid me £450 which was way more than I expected.

    The Portescap motors seems to fetch good money, won't they do for smaller 7mm locos or don't you plan on having any small tanks?
     
  5. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Hi Rob,
    I didn't realise these motors could be fitted to small 7mm locos. On the gear box side they are marked up in white as Escap RG4. Yes I am interested in small tank locos, I did wonder about doing a little L&Y Pug.
    cheers for now York Paul
     
  6. Rob Pulham

    Rob Pulham Happily making models Staff Member Administrator Feature Contributor

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    Hi Paul,

    I have a 7mm Judith Edge kit for an NER/LNER ES1 and it came new with a couple of small mashima motors like I would have previously put in a 00 gauge loco (it has two one for each bogie) so no reason why not. If they aren't man enough ultimately you can always sell them on.
     
  7. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Thanks for the advice Rob I appreciate you sharing your knowledge base. In the ideal world I want these 4mm kits gone to raise funds towards buying a 7mm kit. I'm still seriously tempted with a Gladiator 8F but York is coming up and Big Jim is tempting me with a 4F.:scratchchin:. I do think the 4F has it since it will be a simpler kit ... but then I'm tempted with inside motion as an add on. Oops I can hear the missus using that good old Yorkshire expression now... WHAT HOW MUCH !!! :avatar:

    cheers York Paul
     
  8. Rob Pulham

    Rob Pulham Happily making models Staff Member Administrator Feature Contributor

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    Well Paul, they are both good kits. I believe but you would have to ask, that Jim's 4F like a few of his loco kits do have a representation of inside motion - non working of course. I believe that the Gladiator 8F originated with David Andrews and I seem to recall seeing a neat way of forming the firebox. A look on Jazz's work bench on RM Web should reveal all I suspect.
     
  9. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Yes I am foraging my way through Jazz's workbench, it is quite addictive. :thumbs:

    York Paul
     
  10. Keith M

    Keith M Staff Member Moderator

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    Prices seem to vary mostly depending on whose 'brand' the kits are. DJH stuff seems to make good money, despite their reputation for overly thick and heavy frames which makes using hornblocks and compensation more difficult. I have a DJH 'rebuilt Merchant Navy' kit yet to build which has these thick frames, and I may go the way of using the originals as 'masters' to cut new frames in a more sensible thickness brass to enable me to use full compensation. On the gearbox topic, RG4's seem almost like gold dust as they are apparently now discontinued (one went for silly money recently on Ebay), so if you're not going to use them, you should get a good price for them.
    Keith.
     
  11. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Thanks Keith, I have two one has had some slight use and one is brand new in its clear plastic box, if I don't use them I will offer them here to members for a sensible price in the relevant sales section of the forum.
    York Paul
     
  12. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    Hi Paul,

    I have an unbuilt 4F of jims. If you want any pictures posted up showing any aspect of the kit, just let me know.

    cheers

    toto
     
  13. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Thanks Toto... go on then tempt me with your goodies:avatar: a sneak preview of what's in the box would be lovely:thumbs: It may well prompt me to buying the wheels in readiness.

    cheers York Paul
     
  14. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Toto, in your 4F kit from Jim does it say if you can build it as either left hand drive or right hand drive?

    York Paul
     
  15. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    I've seem to have spent most of this afternoon and evening messing about trying to make headway with some of these 4mm loco kits and getting nowhere fast:facepalm:, if it isn't one thing its something else no sooner have I overcome one issue then another crops up. My conclusion avoid second hand unbuilt loco kits from ebay especially ones made a long time ago :hammer: they will do your head in.:avatar: Think I'm making headway now... ordered some stuff from Markits so everything stops until that little lot lands sometime next week.
    York Paul
     
  16. Keith M

    Keith M Staff Member Moderator

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    Markits stuff is very good, much of it not available elsewhere, but you need to be prepared for a wait as they are not speedy. My last order was posted December 29th, received 30th of January. I know that Xmas and the New Year intervened, but I've had stuff delivered from China in 8 days. I was talking to a trader selling some Markits stuff at the Doncaster show a couple of weeks ago and he told me that I was lucky as he'd waited over 6 weeks recently for a £2000+ order, whereas mine was only about £150.
    Keith.
     
  17. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    I checked out the Markits site and was pretty much amazed with the stuff on offer. I'm going to build these kits a) because I'll enjoy doing that and b) if I can sell them on then they will help towards funding a nice 7mm kit.
     
  18. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Well having said old second hand kits from unknown origins will drive me crackers to make because of the lack of bits or the fact that some bits have been swapped and then saying I'll enjoy making them, what I really mean is I enjoy the challenge.:scratchchin::eek::giggle::)
     
  19. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    So I started off with this little 4mm build of an LNER C12 kit by Craftsman Models, a kit I'd picked up about three years or so back from a chap who was selling a collection or thinning one out so he said. Having made the F5 in 7mm I thought a 4-4-2 would be fairly much the same... so that was my thinking. I started putting together the frames and and and the running plate base for the body work, all went well and so I fitted the tiny etch steps to the bunker back. Everything ok so far.
     
  20. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    And here is a close up of the underside of the running plate showing the frame outline where the front bogie will sit.The tiny pieces went into their correct places quite well, I used a squared metal bar as a heat soak and support which was held in place using dollops of Sculpey clay as the anchor. Once the frames had been squared up true and soldered I noticed that the kit had been designed to take an X04 motor:facepalm: which I didn't have one. Now I know a chap who loves old X04 motors and he said that if it works ok then fit one if the kit was designed that way, my gut feeling was not to mess too much with alterations to make a different motor / gear assembly fit, so off to ebay for another super bargain. First additional expense.

     

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