As it says Jim McGeown has broken rank with his steam range to offer up an O gauge offering of the Drury shunter. Just advertised in this edition of the O Gauge Guild magazine and available over the next week or so, this skill builder kit is Jim's 1st venture into diesel kits. Picture is available in the guild magazine and will be uploaded onto Platform 1 soon. At £150.00 ( excluding wheels and motor ) it looks like an excellent start into diesels for any modeller. Platform 1 have secured 2 of the first batch which are already selling fast so if you are interested .... give Jim a call. The product has not been advertised on his website as yet but ( once he gets his finger out ..... Jim's words, not mine ) it shall be gracing the pages soon along with the usual PDF of the build instructions which he is just putting the final touches to as we speak. As mentioned above, Platform 1 have secured 2 of the first batch. One for myself and another purchased to offer up as an exclusive in a competition soon to be announced. So ...... if you want a chance to be one of the first to get your mitts on one of these superb kits ........ watch this space over the coming days. I'd like to wish Jim well in this new venture / direction in his business and look forward to other potential new products going forward. Cheers Toto
Just to advise that although the first batch of these kits are currently sold out already, the details along with the first images are now up on Jim's website. I also have two images to post up on the forum courtesy of Connoiseur models. I should have them up later today. Worth a look. The instructions which are downloadable are very well illustrated and explained. Cheers Toto
Looking forward to this, have just reserved one from the second batch, not worried about timeframe personally, those instructions on the website look very comprehensive.
Hi Gareth, I've just had a quick look at the instructions. They are very good indeed and not only showing how the kit goes together but some illustrated techniques as well. Very impressive. Etches are pristine and casts are bang on. You will enjoy this hugely. I'll get some photos up shortly Cheers Toto
As promised ..... the awaited kit photo's ..... two boxed victims ..... two sets of very detailed and illustrated destructions ....... well packed and protected ....... the various casts etc .... apologies for the crappy back ground first of three brass etch sheets and another ..... and the last one ( actually two ) everything present and accounted for. A two man loco team have also been included. i'll say it again as it is worth the mention, the destructions are fantastic. great illustrations and explanations as well as photographed techniques. cheers for now toto
Looks like another good 'un from that range.. Something to look forward to and an incentive to get the present work bench items finished..
Yes , they are very nice indeed. Get your entry into our 2020 o gauge competition and you have a chance of winning one. Its free so cant do any harm. Cheers Toto
Firstly its a big thank you to Toto for his part played in the competition prize, I too have never really won anything significant and this little new diesel shunter kit from Connoisseur Models is certainly significant... so again thank you and the prize is very much appreciated abate this was really a one horse race but non the less a competition which allowed me to test my skills to the limit by utilizing a small working build footprint. Ok then here are a couple of preliminary pictures, I'd prefer not to unwrap the etches until the time comes to build this loco, right now my projects for the rest of this year will be to partake in the Shelf Queen comp and hopefully get my Britannia loco finished... if that is achieved I will be happy. The second project which has now started to burn a really "want to do" desire is to get the Leek Passenger station diorama underway, I am under no illusions as said previously that this will be an ongoing thing and certainly the Parcels Office build has put me on the right road of thinking. Anyway back to the kit, the instructions are superb so thanks Big Jim for putting together some great stage by stage pictures and build how to write ups. The castings are up to the usual high definition standards and the etches (from peeking through the tissues) look the usual high quality as defines a Connoisseur Kit... Jim really does spoil us builders with his designs and products.
So the kit offers various build options including the tramway version with road skirt, there are also two bonnet grill versions in which one can incorporate an etched grill and also main line lamp irons or industrial headlamps, there are also two different types of bonnet cover and two different driver figure stances. The first driver is seated and has everything under control in a time honoured way, the second driver is standing looking behind him with hand on throttle lever and appears to be driving the loco as if it were a dodgem car at the fun fair. Obviously if I were to make a definition I have to say the first driver seated in a calm and collective manner would have to be Toto himself and the second standing care free driver hurtling down the siding would have to be ..... hmmm..... well sorry I really couldn't say for sure.. I'll start a new thread for this loco when the build time arrives but for now the little Drewry goes into the stash.
That looks great I have a scratchbuilt (by an unknown builder) 0-6-0 Drewry with sideplates on which is very similar to this. I wish i'd held off ordering a J69 from Ace and gone for one of these now. the wait for a new batch would not have been a problem as i've been waiting 5 or 6 weeks for the j69 to arrive.