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| Scorpio Models | Jeff Ennis |
| 3 Meads Close | 01633 279897 |
| Newport | |
| Gwent | Email: scorpio7uk@gmail.com |
| NP19 4NR |
This GWR 40ton Loco Coal wagon from the Gemini Wagon Range was bought second hand from a stall at Telford 2009. The etched components were taped to very large sheet of card together with a couple of bags of white metal castings stapled on, the whole lot in a very large, self-sealing plastic bag. Two packs of Slaters 3ft 1in wagon wheels unusually with 10 spokes had to be purchased separately. The instructions run to four sheets. The first two are text giving a half page summary of the history and differences between the four diagrams followed by step by step assembly instructions. There is then a page sketching out the position of the various overlays on the wagon sides and the general layout of the underframe trusses and brake gear. The final sheet identifies the location of components on the etch. Assembly starts with the solebars and wagon floor. The solebars have half etched rivets punched before folding along their length to create an L shape. The floor is in two halves with half lap joins. I put the two floor halves together with the tab and slot location of the solebars lining everything up prior to soldering. I left soldering the final centimetre at each end until buffer beams were fitted at the next stage. Breaking with the suggested assembly sequence I added the door springs and corner plates to the solebars as I thought access would be easier before fitting the wagon sides. The buffer beams were then added at each end and bogie mounting bolsters added using tabs in the correct slots to get the appropriate spacing. The sides of the wagon were two long strips, each incorporating a 1/3 end and 2/3 end. While flat, there was a number of small overlays of strapping for each door to be sweated on. The top lip was then flared out at 45 degrees before hundreds of half etched rivets were push out. Finally before forming the corners round some 4mm rod all the ribs were fitted, again using tabs through slots in the sides. Tabs at the bottom of the ribs hooked under the floor and located in slots in the solebar while the end ribs slotted into the buffer beams. This stage was a little fiddly getting everything to line up with the sides vertical and the correct overlap at each end. A little judicious easing of the corners using fingers was required but it all eventually fitted. I soldered the ribs by applying heat and solder on the inside of the wagon beside the tabs, allowing capillary action to draw solder to the outside. This helped preserve the rivet detail on the strapping. With the side reinforcing ribs tight against the solebars there was a small gap, less than 1mm, between floor and sides. I filled this by soldering in lengths of brass wire. Below the solebar, I assembled the reasonably detailed etched brake rodding components before fitting the white metal queen post castings and etched underframe strips. The latter have slots to locate around the queen posts and have to be sprung into slots in the bogie support frames. The bogies were soldered up from the white-metal bolster and side frames trapping the wheels in between. The bogies are mounted by long screws with a small spring to allow some movement. The buffers have cast white-metal bodies while the shanks and heads are cast nickel silver. Unusually the heads and shanks are separate with a square pin on the back of the head which locates in a slot in the shank. After soldering, the joint had to be filed flat. I sprung the buffers with spring steel wire soldered to the underside of the floor by the coupling hook. The coupling hook has a coil spring of its own. The one area of the kit where I experienced problems was forming the flared tops to the wagon corners. Where the side etches are bent round to form the radiused corners the top lip is etched to form a series of narrow fingers. These should be bent outwards at 45 degrees to match the lip along the sides and ends with the gaps being filled with solder and then filed to shape. I could not get the solder to form webs between the fingers. I overcame the problem by removing the fingers and cutting a curved section from scrap etch which was then formed into a conical section and soldered into place. It took a couple of goes to get the right section. This approach was fiddly rather than difficult, and I think the finished result looks fine. The floor of the wagon has lots of holes where underframe components are folded down and the interior of the sides has lots of location tags. To hide all this I constructed a coal load based on an oddment of 3ply cut to fit in the internal dimensions of the wagon with the corners radiused. A short block of wood was glued underneath to bring the platform almost to the top of vertical sides the wagon. A liberal coating of PVA was spread on the platform and 4-7mm lumps of coal from the bottom of my mother’s coal scuttle were artistically arranged to form a mound and more diluted PVA poured on top to fix. After cleaning the body with a fibreglass pencil and then washing with a kitchen cleaner and copious quantities of water, I used a car aerosol grey primer followed by car aerosol satin black. Transfers were HMRS Pressfix using photographs as a guide to positioning. To finish, the painting the wagon was airbrushed with a weathering mix working up from the bogies. Overall I think this is a decent kit to assemble with parts fitting well. To my eyes the completed wagon looks impressive and it has some nice brake rigging. If you opt for the version with top cupboard doors there are also some 40 microscopic white metal hinges to fit, as well as additional etched strapping. Further information on the wagon can be found in Chapter 17 of GWR Goods Wagons by A G Atkins, W Beard & R Tourret, published 1998 by Tourret publishing. ISBN 0-905878-07-8.