Reviewed by Pater Jary
Photograph by the author I initially thought that I’d have to do a lot of rivet punching on this kit but was surprised that the tanks, which were moulded in two halves, were finely cast in very detailed resin, showing all the fine detail of the rivets.

I first saw Signature’s advert in the Gazette just before Telford and thought it would be an unusual addition to our club layout, Grindley Brook, by putting it in a train of ‘tinnies’ as though it was being moved for a repair somewhere along the line.

I bought a recent 4mm version by Hattons to compare it with and was extremely and pleasantly surprised that it met up with all my expectations as to the kit’s fine details and then some.

I contacted John Firmanger of Signature and arranged to meet him in order to inspect a kit on approval at Telford. I initially was a little dismayed that it did not come in either a box or flat pack but was put in a spare box with all its bits and pieces in various plastic bags. Apparently, boxes are available but at an additional cost. Well I suppose it keeps the costs down.

The resin tanks which were bubble wrapped, were finely and crisply moulded with not a lot of flash and pips present. Filler would be needed to make a clean job of it though. Remembering our innocent days of Airfix kits. One of the tanks was slightly warped but is easily rectified by immersing it in hot water and manipulating it to its normal shape.

The brass frets were wrapped in tissue paper, clean and sharp. Wheelsets are included as were all finely detailed whitemetal parts. The very fine whitemetal parts would have been better in lost wax to make them a lot stronger, though I guess costs would be an issue. The lost wax fittings were very finely represented by pipes, hooks, chain instanters, etc. Buffers were sprung and finely represented in white metal. To give an idea of the detail included on the brake wheels in whitemetal, it shows ‘on’ and ‘off’ positional instructions. Now that’s fine detail!

The bogies have a plastic former or jig to aid construction of the bogie frame. Frankly I didn’t need it and found it cumbersome, but that may be me. The main body frame lattice is already prefabricated in whitemetal, which saves a lot of soldering. At this juncture, although it’s not mentioned in the instructions, Parts 6 are not shown and after talking to John he suggested I did not fit them as (a) they were fiddly and (b) they did not add to the strength of the chassis. This is probably where the kit costs are absorbed on fine detailed parts such as this lattice work. As I previously stated, finescale wheel sets are included together with top-hat bearings.

Four owners’ metal plates in nickel silver are also included, plus enough waterslide transfers by Fox to cover 18 vehicles, this probably being the whole fleet.

The instructions are clear and exceptionally comprehensive with both words, including helpful tips, and diagrams showing stage by stage construction. Once a part shown boldly is fitted, the next stage shows that part fitted and is faded out with the rest of that construction, and so now the next part is shown boldly. This aids the eye and the builder all at once I think.

Constructional aids are included on the frets to help obtain true angles, lengths and spacing in the construction and include many spare small pieces…useful!

A couple of points to mention. The vacuum or train pipe brackets Parts 43 were, on inspection of photographs, situated also a little further down the pipes as well as the shown position on the instructions, thus making two brackets per pipe. This may well have been a more modern modification, so photos are a must. Again, spares were on the fret.

The second point is the positioning of the four tank Parts 22 gusset support brackets which should be added to the tank and not the tank outer supports, Parts 16. This should be folded in to behind the support wall.

This kit never ceases to amaze me, as a finishing feature is the exact positioning of the protuberant letters ‘ICI’. These letters are aided by two purpose-built setting pieces, which sit exactly where they should on the tank wall between the vertical strakes thus insuring their correct position. The letters are placed within the space provided for them within the etches. Simple.

There was very little filing needed in order to make things fit, and I am very impressed with the overall presentation even though £180 seems a little high, but look what you get. The construction, at first a little daunting, is easy provided the instructions are followed.

I used a resistance soldering iron mostly as my fine soldering skills are not up to much. Loctite Super Glue was used occasionally and Epoxy 5 Minute resin used only on finely detailed, non-load bearing surfaces. To sum up: a fantastic and accurate kit. Honestly, this is one of the best kits I have yet to come across.

Now the final hurdle; a word of caution here. When making up the bogies, be careful how the brake blocks are fitted. They are very tight and will need filling so as not to foul the wheel flange. Once fitted, check to see if the bogie fouls the chassis and the underframe. It probably will. This will necessitate a certain amount of filing in order to create enough clearance, depending on the track radius to be run on. This is entirely up to your build. Alternatively, leave them off as they can hardly be seen! The fixing of the bogies to the chassis through the bogies is a little fiddly but hey ho.

Now, it occurred to me after finishing this model to do another one but as a Summers 46, 5t Hopper version. However, don’t be fooled as although this version is slightly smaller in tub size, it’s not the same as the Signature version having ladders and no vacuum flasks. This is available from Warren Shephard Models. These wagons were painted very pale blue with the SUMMERS letters in white and each letter displayed in each of the seven panels.

Well done Signature. All we need now is a kit of the Anhydrate wagon! Disclaimer: I have no interest commercially or otherwise with this firm/product