Ace Loco. kits - V2
Prepared by Tommy Day Originator John Drakely
Hello All
Just bought and started to build an Ace Loco. V2 kit.
Since DavidL is building a Finney V2 I thought it may be of interest to compare the two. The Ace V2 is what may be labeled bargain basement, costing £239, while a Finney 7 when it comes out will be £600 plus. So we have two ends of the spectrum.
I'm expecting the Ace V2 to be an interesting challenge but we will see. I just could not bring myself to pay the Finney7 price. No doubt it will fall together and have loads of hidden details, castings will be brass as opposed to white metal but still.
So to start. 
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The kit does come in a nice box which is wider than tall. Therefore if used to accommodate the finished loco it would be on it's side.
Instructions, there are some. A bit basic and I could see this being a problem for anyone who expects a blow by blow instructions. As yet I have only read the tender instruction which requires you to think about what you are doing.
The following photo is as far as I have got. Before anyone points out the wheels they are just to there till I bet the disc wheels.
Sorry lads but I have to admit I don't know how to insert images in the new Forum, I will add them when I have found out.
Regards John
RobPulham - May 15, 2017 at 6:35 PM
Hi John,
The simplest way is to drag and drop the photo onto your posting (before clicking reply to thread). Then when it uploads select Full Image from the attach files dialogue (you should see it below the reply to thread upload a file and preview buttons). You should also see a small preview of the photo.
Buckley10339 - May 15, 2017 at 6:59 PM
I am wondering if the Ace V2 was originally by the Right Price Loco co.the range dissapeared when the owner retired and he sold the two diesel kits to the little loco co.At the time there was no announcement about the rest of the range but its possible that Ace may have taken it on at a later date.If John can post a photo of the etches i could tell if it was a Right Price one as i have the B1 kit and my friend Len built the A4 with a large input from me.The etches are quite recognisable.I have to say that from what was written in a review in the GOG mag of many years ago it builds reasonably well but with a big problem with the smokebox saddle stopping the boiler sitting properly ( same as the B1 kit ).
Pat.
Jim Snowdon - May 15, 2017 at 7:22 PM
And that wasn't the only significant problem. The review, which can be found in the Gazette archive, makes interesting and not overly favourable reading.
Drakeley16728 - May 15, 2017 at 8:22 PM
To continue.
Up to this point all seems to have gone together reasonably well.
As I say above I'm not expecting this kit to be perfect and expect to modify some parts. But for me that is what I enjoy doing, it's half the fun.
RobP, thanks for the info on how to load a photo. I couldn't find anywhere which gave instructions for adding pictures and have to say I was getting a bit annoyed.
Regards John
RobPulham - May 15, 2017 at 8:29 PM
No problem John,
I am looking forward to seeing how you get on with this one. Ace kit's do make interesting builds to watch.
Buckley10339 - May 15, 2017 at 9:32 PM
Jim,i couldnt remember exactly what was in the review of the V2 as i read it when issued and eventually recycled all my magazines.can you tell me were it is as my friend Mick has a unstarted one to build and i think i am going to get involved with it so would like some advance warning of what to look for.
Pat.
Jim Snowdon - May 15, 2017 at 10:14 PM
Pat,
Certainly - Volume 14, No. 11 - [URL]http://www.gauge0guildarchive.com/gazette_archive/Vol14-11/files/36.html[/URL]
for reference, all the Gazettes are now available online via the Guild website - go to Publications, and then from the drop-down menu that will appear, select Gazette Archive. As a facility, it's far more useful than trying to find things on back copies of paper Gazettes, and like you, I have recycled all but the more recent examples in my collection.
Jim
Buckley10339 - May 15, 2017 at 10:30 PM
Thanks Jim i managed to find it,at my first time of using the archive and i am not very good with computers either.
Pat.
Len Jones 14652 - May 16, 2017 at 10:12 AM
Morning all ,John I am part way through the Ace V3 kit ,all I can say is the kit is an aid to scratch building !!!! e.g. Had to scratch build the whole of the cab interior ,and the steam pipes well! Some 10mm too short on length from the smokebox to the footplate again necessitating more head scratching in how to extend.
To anyone out there considering buying an Ace Kit “caveat emptor” view them as I mentioned earlier as an aid
DLOS - May 16, 2017 at 11:44 AM
In my experience, many kits are a great aid to scratch-building a decent model, particularly if most of the castings and etchings are well formed and reasonably accurate, but even the best kits require some work beyond the instructions to achieve the result I am after. On the other hand, some kits are no aid whatsoever and I would suggest that it is better to buy a superior kit, if one is available (saving up for it if necessary), or to build from scratch, buying decent castings if you wish. Just my advice, of course. David
Len Jones 14652 - May 16, 2017 at 3:13 PM
John afternoon not trying to hijack your discussion ,but I have hit a brick wall in trying to scratch build ny steam pipes on the Ace V3 .it has been an absolute nightmare ,several hours and no success. It is trying to get the curve of the smokebox which the etches supplied do not match ,but you don't know that until they are formed .I am thinking Plastikard formed round a tube.Luckily I made up some plastikard spares of the etch before forming as I expected issues.At least it will be easier to shape
Any suggestions please.Have considered “slotting saddle and footplate to slide the steam pipes in
John if you come across any etch shortcomings suggest make a copy just in case .
Drakeley16728 - May 16, 2017 at 8:58 PM
Hello All
Len - Thanks for suggestion regarding making plasticard copies of the etches, will do. Years ago,(1980's) I scratch built a V3. Just looked at the drawings I made but nothing on the steam pipes, sorry I can't be of help.
As for Ace Loco. kits, I am expecting to have to do quite a bit of kit bashing to get it right but that's OK, well at this point it is. A few months on I may have changed my view. As a good start the tender axle boxes supplied are not for a V2 tender, will Ace change them ?.
Regards John
Len Jones 14652 - May 17, 2017 at 7:50 AM
John morning a friend of mine purchased a kit from them with so many parts that were actually for another loco that when he contacted William he agreed to change it for a totally different loco .He then checked it and found it to be as near as complete as possible bearing in mind it's an Ace .I think you may well be successful.
One thing I would suggest is try and get a better set of manufacturers instructions to see what you have not got. Usually a plea here helps .Then you can set about getting missing items from suppliers like Laurie Griffin and Ragstone et al .
Drakeley16728 - May 22, 2017 at 8:16 PM
Hello All - to continue.
The attached photo shows the instructions for the tender and what is in the kit for the tender chassis. There are no cross beams and the rodding makes me unsure at this stage how they are intended to fit.
With the correct wheels in the chassis the center elongated slots only allow the bushes to move up, the bottom of the slots are in line with the bottom of the front and rear holes.
Looking at the Finney V2, both examples have the brakes attached permanently which I do sometimes but not always, in this case I will. I will use the Finney cross beams as a template and make some.
Regards till next time - John
Sandy Harper - Jun 9, 2017 at 8:46 AM
With the correct wheels in the chassis the center elongated slots only allow the bushes to move up, the bottom of the slots are in line with the bottom of the front and rear holes.
I would suggest that this is the way the kit was designed. High points in the track are catered for. Dips in the track are less of an issue.
Sandy
Drakeley16728 - Jun 9, 2017 at 5:48 PM
Hello all
To continue again, this time I loaded the picture without a problem.
This is as far as I have got with this Ace V2. I have to say so far not to bad. In general things have fit as they should, one or two things I have modified but only minor.
The running plate caused me a bit of a worry, it didn't look long enough and etched into the plate was P1 Mikardo which was distracting. However when bent it slotted into the side valance perfectly.
I have elongated the center holes in the engine chassis a millimeter up and down to allow me to spring the axle but that's all.
I can't say much for the instruction which is a shame. More attention to them would be effort well spent. Regards John
Drakeley16728 - Jun 15, 2017 at 5:47 PM
Hello all
To continue with this supper cheap bargain basement kit.
I can understand why some people fail to build even what may be regarded as a good kit. Engine kits we build do require a fair amount of skill, more so for a kit like this. Also the type of engine is a factor eg, a pacific as opposed to a 0-6-0 tank. However so far this kit has not been to bad so at this stage I won't knock it, that may come later.
More or less completed the running plate and screwed it to the chassis. The problem here was that the wheels touched the plate and it was necessary to lift it by the thickness of PCD, 1.6 mm.
Didn't like the recommended way in the instructions to attach the rear pony so changed it to a system I have used frequently. Soldering is a bit rough, sorry about that I will try harder.
Regards John
Jim Snowdon - Jun 15, 2017 at 6:26 PM
I suppose that will now make the whole of the loco 1.5mm higher.
I presume that means you had to cut away the lower part of the inside frame extensions, ie the holes through which the designer intended the trailing axle to pass.
Jim
Drakeley16728 - Jun 15, 2017 at 8:29 PM
Hello all
Jim, as you say the body will be 1.6mm higher.
And yes I cut away the slots in the rear frame which had I not I would not have been able to remove the wheel.
Regards John
Drakeley16728 - Jun 20, 2017 at 8:36 PM
Hello all
This is not a progress picture it a request for information.
The air tank on the tender rear has a pipe screwed into the rear center, I can see that from one of the photos I have. The problem is the angle is to low to see were the pipe goes.
So the question is has anyone got any information/photos which show the pipe run.
Progress on the tender has been in the wrong direction. I realized that the rear baffle was to far forward so it, and the dome, had to be removed and re-positioned. Good fun, took over an hour but all is well now. Looks a bit rough where it was but that will be covered with coal so not putting any effort into improving it. The tank is only placed in position at the moment.
Regards John
Buckley10339 - Jun 20, 2017 at 9:42 PM
john,willhave a look at my DJH V2 instructions tomorrow to see exactly how the pipe goes.I know that it goes down and then bends to run parrallel with the air tank and then goes down into the tender top but which side it runs down i cannt remember.the position of the tender coalplate was correct after about 1956 or so when they were moved forward to stop the dome being damaged under coaling plants.If your loco is before that then the new position is correct.The dates of tenders being modified is patchy as some were done on overhaul and some wernt it was hit and miss.a lot of other locos with group std 4200 gal tenders were done as well allso on a very drawn out basis.
Pat.
PS forgot to say you may need lifting rings at the rear of the tender right in the corners.will check that.
Jim Snowdon - Jun 21, 2017 at 7:33 AM
Unless you are already familiar with Ace kits, I would suggest that before you take any decision, you take a look at the various reviews of other Ace kits in the Gazette archive, in particular the article by Nick Dunhill on building the W1 in its original form from the kit.
Jim
Richard Lambert - Jun 21, 2017 at 10:20 AM
I would point out that we have now added the V2 instructions to our web site \\[URL='http://finney7.co.uk/Instructions%20Page.htm']http://finney7.co.uk/Instructions Page.htm[/URL] - you may find the information therein of assistance.
Richard
Finney7
Buckley10339 - Jun 21, 2017 at 12:49 PM
John,i have looked at my V2 instructions and a photo will show how the pipe run goes.You do need lifting shackles on the rear of the tender tucked into the corners.I looked at my copy of Yeadons register last night and came accross a photo that shows a lifting ring on the rear of the tender.laurie griffin sells lost wax castings or i have put the photo of the ones i use with the base cut down by Lynx models
Drakeley16728 - Jun 21, 2017 at 5:45 PM
Hello all
Well done lads, the info is much appreciated and will be incorporated allowing me to move the tender on.
Regards John
DavidAtkinson4172 - Jun 21, 2017 at 6:39 PM
He did say that he encountered a few problems with the build and it required some car body filler to get the boiler / firebox To look ok.
There is a ready made boiler and firebox that is suitable for a V2. Use a Hatchette ready moulded A1/3, cut the smoke box off, shorten the boiler by, I think 9mm and rejoin. Boiler bands will also require removal and the filling of existing holes so as to do a left hand drive loco.
Apart from boiler length the main dimensions were identical.
David A
Sandell10466 - Jun 21, 2017 at 9:42 PM
John
Took a while to find this photo of the top of a Finney V2 tender and there have been a lot of other posts giving the same info above, so forgive the duplication. At least it seems to agree with the diagram given by Pat (?) Buckley.
Regards
Mike S
Drakeley16728 - Jun 22, 2017 at 4:52 PM
Hello all & Mike S
Thanks for the very useful photo Mike. There is quite a difference in detail between the two kits which is understandable with the price difference.
Regards John
Drakeley16728 - Jul 4, 2017 at 7:44 PM
Hello all
Back to this kit after a week on the ocean waves. Decided to start the boiler, I think this is where it is going to get interesting and require a bit of thought.
What you see are the three parts which come rolled. This seems to be standard which is OK if no rivet detail is required. So wanting rivets I flattened the front section, pressed in the rivets and then of course it had to be re-rolled. No problem for me but I can see a problem for some who don't have rollers.
The kit comes with just the one brass disc for the smoke box front. I suppose this would be OK just, but I decided to turn some disc out of PCB, the spare one is shown, two are soldered in. The centre tapered section is to long and will have to be shortened. As for the firebox, that will be given some thought. Instructions make no mention of the boiler so you are on your own. Again this is no problem for me but for anyone who has no experience of scratch building I can see its a stopper.
Up to now this kit has assembled reasonably well. Some casting have left a bit to be desired but for £239 I didn't expect much and haven't felt disappointed so far.
Regards John
Drakeley16728 - Jul 11, 2017 at 8:49 PM\
Hello all.
A bit more progress. The cab is built but still requires detail. It was a not to difficult and complies with the drawings I have.
Firebox part of the boiler had been rolled incorrectly and would have been difficult to to form, so to correct the thing I rolled it flat and re-rolled it. A former was needed to give the correct form and low and behold I had one left over from an A3 I made years ago which is the same profile. So the meaning of this is don't throw anything away, you never know when you will need it.
As you can see the items are only placed roughly in position giving it a resemblance of a V2.
So far for me not to bad but for anyone who has not built many locos this kit will be a difficult.
Regards John
Drakeley16728 - Jul 19, 2017 at 4:50 PM
Hello All
Moved things on a bit. All sections of the boiler are soldered together after shortening the tapered section. I thought quite a bit of work would be required on the firebox section but to my surprise it fit into the running plate without much trouble. At the moment the boiler is only placed in position so doe's require soldering in position and some filling. Put with the tender it resembles a V2.
One thing to mention is that I have two sets of etches for the running plate valance which includes some cab detail. On the negative side an etch appears to be missing which should have the cylinder wrappers, slide bare supports and a number of other running plate supports, none of which are in the kit. This suggests that the seller doesn't take care to make sure all items are included.
As yet I have not contacted ACE Products though as someone pointed out earlier his site on the Traders websites is blank. What doe's that tell us.
The kit includes slide bars and cross heads but looking at them I thought they would not look good so I decided to buy sets from Laurie Griffin. After all since the kit only cost £239 I thought the cost of a little extra could be accommodated.
Regards
John
ChrisSimpson - Jul 19, 2017 at 5:25 PM
William Ascough at ACE is very helpful. Contact him, and he should be able to supply missing etches. He helped me with missing parts from an A4.
I noticed his website had disappeared, but that might be an unfortunate twist of fate. He may ask for the duplicated etches to be returned though.
Well worth asking……and the V2 is looking good.
Chris
Peter Cross - Jul 19, 2017 at 6:21 PM
Yes he has always been very helpful. My problem with him as been the return of the faulty part. For me the cost is greater than the item so normally get from somewhere else. He will also never accept that some of his parts just do not fit together.
That besides the V2 is looking good. I nearly did one but made the mistake of doing his V1/3 quite a lot of this didn't have parts missing it just they were never designed into the kit.
Drakeley16728 - Jul 23, 2017 at 5:10 PM
Hello all
Gearbox for the V2. - Getting close to needing the gearbox so decided to make one. Simple to make. PCB body and plastic gears. The motor is a Maxon found on Ebay.
Body and gears will be painted black (not the teeth).
Regards - John
DLOS - Jul 23, 2017 at 11:01 PM
A pinion and contrate wheel is not usually the quietest of combinations; is your set up noisy, John?
David
Drakeley16728 - Jul 24, 2017 at 2:21 PM
Hello all & David
As you say a crown & pinion gear can be noisy, I have made some that have been. However I have found that provided the crown gear is fixed, ie, cannot move sideways it runs quietly. The one shown was slightly noisy when I initially tried it, restricting the side movement solved it.
The thing is I like playing with this type of thing. I appreciate that most builders would buy one of the manufacture gearboxes but I put this up as an alternative idea.
Regards John
Drakeley16728 - Aug 25, 2017 at 8:09 PM
Hello all
Thought it was time I showed some progress on this kit.
The attached shows the condition of the chassis. It's up to the fiddly stage, or at the point were I start to think should I move to gauge 1 as a couple of my friends have.
The pickups are working and I have just soldered the slide bar and cross head (from Laurie Griffin, very nice) to the cylinder front plate.
The center axle is sprung, nothing fancy just phosphor bronze wire on the brass bushes.
As for the body, well I have not set about it with a hammer but have been close once or twice. I think I will have to make another smoke box and boiler center as it's just not right and I have wasted time trying to correct it.
Regards John
Tony Geary - Aug 26, 2017 at 8:55 AM
Ah well - keep patient John! I've had a few where I've ended up scratchbuilding replacement parts. Keep us posted, I'm sure it will come right in the end.
Regards
Tony
Round18052 - Aug 26, 2017 at 10:19 AM
… looks tidy enough so far. V2's were local to me. A very underrated loco. A good V2 could often perform on Pacific timings, with honours. As for kit building Its normally a case of doing what you feel, works with kits. As with my current build, having to scratch build, to get exactly, what I want. Unless you can afford to buy in, top end gear, you have to adapt and produce something that works. If it pleases you and you can muster positive comments, amongst your peers, then that is a result. Its not the building, which in my case, takes long enough, but the masking up for painting, that drives me potty. Doing a Great Western tender at present.. Its all those nooks and crannies they built into them and the curves, that are a pain in the proverbial. The green is scheduled to be applied later today, once the ambient temperature has improved. The two different blacks (one for the coal space is a mix, with matt black and rust, to give a working loco feel to the unit) were applied a week ago. I can see why the professional painters earn their fees !!! Dave
Drakeley16728 - Aug 28, 2017 at 8:18 PM
Hello all
Decided to have something of a change of approach to the cylinder and slides bars. The expansion link support bracket is intended to be soldered to the chassis but fouls the front drivers so I decided to make the cylinders/slide bars a removable assembly as shown below.
Still no cylinder wrappers from Ace, also engine foot steps plus a number of other items. I assume they are all on one etch which is missing. I have spoken to ace who will try to find what is missing.
Buckley10339 - Aug 28, 2017 at 9:26 PM
John,that looks a very good solution to the Ace kits problem of how to fix the brackets.I have recently done the chassis for my friends Ace V1/3 and it was a real nightmare to do. on that kit the brackets with the fixings to the chassis are all etched back to front and end up totally wrong unless you cut them up and re do them the correct way round.My first attempt was a failure as the whole thing sat too low so a U shaped piece was soldered to the slidebars and the bracket we put on the top.I then made a bridge piece and held that to the chassis with two 10 ba bolts going into captive nuts on a plate in the chassis the whole thing inc cylinders being removable.
Having done it on his i have now got to do mine !
Pat.
Drakeley16728 - Sep 15, 2017 at 8:44 PM
Hello all
After a load of trials and tribulation I have finished the valve gear and got them to run smoothly. Half the problem is that I have changed the way I built them. Previously the cylinders and slide bars have been fixed to the chassis, the valve gear being removable. This required a number of screwed points on the gear to enable this to happen. But no longer, the cylinders and valve gear are one assembly which can be lifted out of the chassis.
Now I am sure a number of you will say that's how I always build them and to be honest I can't think why I haven't built like this before.
I general this kit has been more of a challenge than I expected and will taken longer than most I have built. Cylinder wrappers were not included in the kit, after contacting Ace an etch arrived with some on but not the correct ones. So I made my own which I should have done in the first place.
At Telford I had a discussion with Ace kits William Ascough (a nice guy) about the V2 kit and the problems with it. He was aware of some and has added some castings to make it easier but accepted the deficiencies. I don' think he is able to correct them which is a shame. One bad kit puts all the others in doubt. This is a real shame, poor kits should not be on the market as I feel they shine a bad light on the hobby. I built an Acme Duchess a few year ago which at the time I thought was a poor kit but in relation the this V2 it wasn't to bad.
Anyway onward and upwards, brakes next.
Regards John
Peter Cross - Sep 20, 2017 at 7:30 PM
John.
Unfortunately it's not just this kit that has its faults. I have built the V1/3 that has all sorts of niggly errors and bad design. Also with others some bigger faults some smaller. The little Brighton A1 was mainly tabs and slots in the wrong place. LSWR S15 it was the cab including roof, footplate, and boiler too high. Tender sides and rear. This is mainly as the kit is a SR S15 with parts to change it, but not the right parts or enough of them.
What you have done is really good.
Drakeley16728 - Oct 17, 2017 at 8:24 PM
Hello all
Looking at Sandy Harpers latest post on his A3 made me realize I had not been keeping my end up regarding posts on the progress of my V2 so here is the position.
To start I have included this photo to show the arrangement of the plashes over the driving wheels. This arrangement stumped me for quite a while. I couldn't make out from either the drawings I had of photos what was happening in that area. The instructions of course give no indication and etches for that area are not in the kit. When I realized how it was arranged I had to scratch build the parts.
The following two photos show were I am up to at present. Still quite a bit to do, fine detail which take time.
I have given the engine a good run which has thrown up one or two small problems, there is a tight spot and the front pony tuck needs weight of springing.
This kit should not be on the market. A friend warned me about it, a load of rubbish he said, but I bought it anyway to allow me to repent at leisure.
Regards John
Buckley10339 - Oct 17, 2017 at 11:24 PM
John,my springing arrangement as used on the V1/3pictured and my DJH 25 year old V2 kit is quite simple.I use a 6ba bolt as a pivot pin with the slot pointint down the length of the chassis. a length of either .5mm or .8mm spring steel piano wire is soldered into the slot of the screw and goes to the cross spacer on the pony that has an upside down U shaped bit of .7mm wire soldered to it with a 10ba washer soldered to the end of the U shape the wire goes into and through the washer to keep the pony straight the spring is bent up or down to provide the required amount of bounce and the pony is retained with a 6ba nyloc nut that can be screwed up or down to limit the movement.The stronger wire i usually put on leading ponies and the .5mm on all the rear ones.
I will photo some of my ones tomorrow and post to show you.i have used this system for well over 20 years on every loco that i have built with a pony truck and it really works !
Pat.
Buckley10339 - Oct 18, 2017 at 11:44 AM
John here are two photos that should illustrate the method used on my pony trucks for springing.The first photo is of my Ace K3 mogul showing the pony arrangement with the spring keeping the pony central and showing the nyloc nut allowing adjustment of rise and drop.The second one shows the front pony of my V1/3 as it shows the wire loop and washer very clearly.This system allows a degree of change in how its done to suit all types of etched or cast pony construction to be used.Please excuse the state of both models as they are going through quite a lot of modification and bodging to get them done as they are Ace kits !
Pat.
Drakeley16728 - Oct 18, 2017 at 5:47 PM
Hello all
Pat, thanks for the photos. I was thinking something of something along those lines, a good way to solve the slight problem.
Regards John
Drakeley16728 - Jan 1, 2018 at 8:29 PM
Hello all
First a New Years resolution, I won't start another kit until all but one of my kits are complete.
Now to the Ace V2. I've left this alone for a while to prevent it suffering damage. But now I feel fortified enough to continue.
Below is a photo of the cab interior assembly. Initially I was intending to fit the items into the cab individually then was struck by he idea of attaching them to the floor and sliding the assembly in complete. I had started to paint the back head, not very well, but to paint the whole thing will be easier as an assembly. The back head in the kit was not worth making, this one is a Northants white metal one. I appreciate it's not up to the standard of some but that all the effort I'm going to put in also once it's fitted in it can hardly be seen. Soldering's a bit rough but once painted it will be lost.
I'm still a few things, smoke box door, relief valves plus some small items I will have to make.
Drakeley16728 - Jan 14, 2018 at 10:52 PM
Hello all
Finally finished this Ace V2. Still requires paint but that will have to wait till summer.
A couple of photos to show the finished article. The smoke box door casting has a bit missing but apart from that I don't intend to spend any more time even though one or two minor other things may be required.
Thanks to all the members who have provided me with information, a great help.
Took it for a good thrash a the Morecambe Model Railway club on Saturday. No problems experience either running slow or fast.
What to do next. I have come by a Fowler 2-6-4 tank kit which I rather fancy or the two Hachette A4 cast bodies are thinking it's about time I gave them some attentionAnyway as far as this goes it is THE END. Regards John
Drakeley16728 - Jun 23, 2018 at 5:40 PM
Hello all
Thought I should show the finished, well almost finished Ace V2. As you will note it does not have a number yet. I see this model as a generic representation of the class so any will do though I do have three nameplates so it will probably be one of them.
Some thought on painting and paints. Of late there has been quite a bit on painting which has been helpful. In my case it is always a trial as I don't do enough of it to become proficient. However this is what I did and found.
I used Clostermans black etch primer for the chassis. It doe's exactly as it says on the tin, so that's a win.
BR green. I used Prcision enamel paint thinned 40/60 approx. paint /thinners. Not really sure about this. The finish isn't to bad but the paint seemed to be a bit lumpy and there were small bits in it. Maybe my fault but in future I will sieve the paint before use.
Black. Humbrol 85 which used to be called coal black. That seemed batter than the last time I used it.
Varnish. Humbrol gloss quite thin, 30/70.
Lining. HMRS pressfix. I'd forgot how time consuming lining was, seemed to take ages.
So what to say about an Ace V2 kit. Contrary to my previous comments this was not an enjoyable build. Parts missing and and replaced with parts that seemed from other kits, etched parts not sized correctly, I could go on. I feel it would have been quicker and more enjoyable to have scratch built a V2.
I cant recommend this kit on any level and would not consider buying any other Ace kits.
Regards John
