Tankerman

I would strongly recommend any of the fishing boats by Vanguard Models.Just follow the stages in the excellent instruction manual and you will have a model of which to be proud. Many build logs of these models can be found on the Model Ship World website forums, many by James H. as he builds and photographs the prototype for Chris Watton and which form the content of the instruction manual. Initially you do not need to invest in things like plank benders, that can come later when you move on to more complex hull shapes. I hope this is of help to you. Chris

Model railway 'N' gauge is 1:148 scale which is the nearest you are likely for a wide choice of figures, Try here for a vast range of figures from several eras and trades, https://www.trainshop.co.uk/17-figures-animals-figures-n I hope this helps. Chris

Jon, I use gloss clear acrylic lacquer with no problem. Chris.

I have always been successful with white lettering using "Experts Choice" white decal paper for inkjet printers. Set the background colour to that which you require and the lettering colour to white, the fact that you have ended up with transparent letters would suggest that your decal paper was not white. Here are some of my examples. The ships are the old Merit kit of the BP tanker "British Sovereign" and the T2 tanker is the old Revell kit of "Esso Glasgow". The bow and stern names and port of registry as well as the funnel badges were on white decal paper. The truck is a conversion of the old AMT Freightliner kit to represent an actual "Carolina" tractor unit. The company logo on the door is a commercial product but the fleet number, legal lettering and the company name on the air spoiler and front bumper are printed with red background. I hope this helps, Chris

I have built ten of the MFH 1/12 cars, one 1/20 car and the Brough Superior motor-bike. I have one 1/20 car and five 1/12 cars to build and my only constraint is that a twenty four day is not long enough.

Sadly Eileens Emporium closed down in December, a great shame as their range of tools and material was exceptional and their service was outstanding. Many excellent items for 1/12 scale and larger cars can be found here: https://www.prime-miniatures.co.uk/home

The Maritime museum in Swansea is a big disappointment. I visited it a few years back to take a close look a beautiful model of the tanker "Esso Pembrokeshire" that had been moved from the museum in Cardiff. The model was fixed to brackets half way uo an end wall of the museum and all you could see, embarrassingly, was her "bottom". The whole place seemed to be a touristy, touch-screen amusement arcade for kids. I have been to a few other museums that have also dumbed down.

Anything that isn't grey with guns sticking out of it.

This is what MFH call a "proportional" kit which is more commonly known as a "kerbside" kit. This means there is no chassis, engine, gearbox or transmission detail underneath the body and as such it is much less of a challenge than their full detail kits. However the detail that is visible requires careful and concentrated effort, for example those rivets around the windscreen frame are individual items and the frame and body require holes drilled to accept them. As with all MFH kits of a certain era the wire wheels require the most effort as the hubs have to drilled out to accept all 72 spokes and the wheel assembled in a jig making sure the spokes are in the correct holes at the start. As you say MFH kits are not the shake and bake type but for me they offer what I look for in a model kit, accurate well engineered parts, challenges to all your modelling skills over a decent period of time and a stunning model at the end if you get it right. MFH is my recreational drug of choice.

This is the link I posted on June 1st. to Scaledown.

Try https://www.modeltractorco.net/80400/info.php?p=2 It may be what you’re looking for.

I soldered my frame using low melt solder, lots of flux but a normal temperature iron. As soon as the molten solder flowed freely into the joint I quickly withdrew the iron and let the assembly cool. I had no problems as I have had a lot of experience with white metal locomotive kits but it does take practice to get it right. My reason for doing it this way was that I had read that although the engine fitted in the frame it was very tight and I did not relish the thought of various frame joints coming adrift with epoxy or CA glue as I was trying to insert the engine. This way the frame was quite robust and I test fitted each component of the engine as additional parts were dry fitted to ensure no parts were fouled as the engine was slipped in to place.

Several metal parts in MFH kits get distorted, partly due to the way they are tightly packed in cling film for transport I suspect. However in all the MFH kits I have built I have had no problems straightening out distorted parts with gentle hand pressure. MFH use a very high quality metal and I have never had any breakages. I have built the Gulf version of this car and my doors were as distorted as yours are but gentle persuasion eventually got them in to shape as you can see in the attached photos. I have never had an MFH kit where the parts do not fit accurately, it takes a lot of care, precision and forward planning but a superb result will eventually be achieved and you will be hooked on MFH. I always say MFH is my recreational drug of choice. I hope this gives you some encouragement.

You may find some useful photos here: https://fantasyjunction.com/sold/make/p2 Hope this helps. Chris

So sad at Codger’s passing. His posts were always informative, encouraging and entertaining, especially to those of us who indulge in the black art of “Pochers”. A true master of his craft. RIP Chas. Chris

I have built eight MFH 1/12 car kits. two 1/20 car kits and one 1/9 motorcycle kit. The Brough Superior appealed to me, not because I have any interest in motorcycles, which I don't, but because the contents of the kit looked fabulous and the finished model was exactly like the full size machine. I have never had to replace anything in any of the kits and the reason I enjoy MFH kits is just that, everything is in the box and I don't have to waste time on the web looking for additional parts. I admit they are challenging models to build and high concentration is needed but the end result is so much more satisfying than anything I have achieved from other manufacturers kits.

This is my favourite glue for attaching photo-etch and a myriad of other materials: https://www.migjimenez.com/en/auxiliary-products-glues/1935-ultra-glue.html It is easy to use and doesn't grab instantly giving plenty of time to align components. Chris

Per, You have a rare and valuable Pocher kit and if you were to put it up for auction on "that" on-line auction site I would think you could expect in excess of 9500Kr. at least. You could try this dealer to see if they are interested in selling it for you: https://shop.autographmodel.com/customer-sales or there is this Pocher dealer in the UK: http://pocherparts.com.websitebuilder.prositehosting.co.uk/home I hope this helps you. If I hadn't just purchased two MFH 1/12 car kits I would have made you an offer. Good luck, Chris

What a beautiful model, superb workmanship.

You can also get it from a proper model store: https://modelshop.co.uk/Shop/Finishes/Item/Bare-Metal-Foil-Chrome-bright/ITM4525

Bounty, be careful. Once the MFH bug bites you you're hooked. Chris

My MFH Alfa Romeo has painted wheels too. I generally use the AK Extreme Metal range over Mr Metal Primer and AK Extreme Black Base using a Harder & Steenbeck Infinity airbrush. I hope this helps you. Chris

You will learn everything you need to know about planking and model ship building, as Grant stated above here: https://modelshipworld.com

It is very rare too find an MFH kit where parts are damaged but generally some of the parts are distorted due to the way that they are secured in the box. Being a very good quality of white metal it is an easy process to straighten any distortion without fear of fracturing the metal. On the question of wheel hubs I drill the dimples to a much greater depth. The spokes are 0.4mm. diameter and by using a 0.5mm. drill bit vertical to the axis I find there is enough play to allow for the angles at which the spokes enter the hub. Low viscosity CA glue will fill any space and hold the spoke securely and avoid the frustration of a spoke popping out of its hole just as the wheel is complete and almost impossible to re-insert the spoke. Here a a couple of photos of wheels from my MFH kits.

Hi kpnuts, sorry to be pedantic but those two pipes should not go to the water tank. They are the outlet pipes from the cylinder drain cocks and are open ended pointing to the ground. The cocks are opened before opening the regulator to vent any condensation and water that may have collected in the cylinders to atmosphere before the piston begins its stroke. The cocks are left open for several revolutions of the engine to ensure the piston is not brought to a catastrophic halt by hitting a solid wall of water. I have seen the damage done to the cylinder cover and its retaining studs on a couple of engines when this happens. Chris