Jeepers Creepers

Hi Kallisti, just found this ... looks really good. Glad you are keeping the plastic industry afloat with your purchases of tube ...

Well, Mr Kallisti, looks very good ... the Alcladding is really nice. Look forward to seeing it in the plastic at club night

Now that's better A showman's engine would have towed the ride, if it had a crane on the back, been used to put it up, and then powered it. Next lesson though ... the bit where the driver and the steersman stand is called the footplate (like a railway engine) not the cabin! Seriously though, paint looks good. Looking forward to seeing it. If I want to use Alclad, I shall be coming to you for a lesson

Yes! The firebox is the bit on the end of the boiler that holds the fire (Groan) which heats the water in that part of the boiler (cylindrical bit in front of it) which in turn creates the steam powering the engine! In essence

I can see I'm going to have to lend you a book about the bits of Traction engines. Not a boiler in sight in those pictures! The Horn plates and inside of the bunker wouldn't be a matt colour, and as far as I know would be the same colour as the rest of the engine (waste of time having a different colour!). This is probably due to gloss paint being polishable - don't forget that the Showman's engines are polished to within an inch, then polished again! And a lot of paintwork is cleaned with oily rags to give it a 'gloss'. Shiny, shiny, shiny! It's a full-time job looking after one of these

I'll bring you some fine s/steel wire to the meeting tonight, it may be useful ...

The Air Corps did fold the blades - on Mud Base Alpha there was a hanger they had to fold the blades to get the aircraft through the door. They got quite proficient with the "yellow sticks" ...

Martin, did you ever get the spares from MDC? Not that it would phase you having to replace them yourself! But I got no satisfaction from them last year with parts for an H-34 and wondered. Thanks H

Nice one Kallisti - look forward to seeing it properly next month

Bad luck on the decals - could you not make something up and print it?

So, it would seem, it is a good facsimile of the real thing! If it moves, oil it - if it doesn't, polish it! And just when you think you've finished, the oil has to be cleaned off the shiny bits

I will just have to wait ... Does look good though I remember looking at the one that was for sale when they were selling the Engineerium and thinking you'd need shares in Brasso and paint polish!

Most (if not all) traction engine 'casings' would be made from castings - technology of the day! Good call Gunmetal for bearings and steam fittings (water gauge, clack valves, etc) Spun brass (or sometimes copper) chimney shiny bits. The Victorians did like their machinery to look pretty

Looking good - I think the real things are a bit of a pain to keep polished, so it could always have been going to be 'one of those kits'!

Found out what that flask looking thing could be - a hydraulic accumulator, which evens out the pulses from the water pump.

The chimney looks the part - nice one ! Next lesson ... your 'dials' are normally called gauges. Now, repeat after me "There are pressure gauges on my steam fire engine"

How about clear bathroom sealant?

And I'll try and find out what that weird shaped bit is too!

Chimney please Mr Kallisti - it's a road going vehicle not a ship Nice silk purse though Look forward to seeing it in the plastic ...

Definitely the bleach for removal ... only we use the cheap stuff that's about 30p/3l

How about something like an Egyptian cotton, something like a 400 weave? If you happen to go past a bedding store, or a department store that sells bedding you may be able to see the weave by looking at a sheet - you may even find a material shop may have it ....

Now that's an excellent result - well done! They are good compressors, just keep an eye on the oil level JIC!

You're welcome - if they don't still do spares for whatever reason, they should be able to point you in the right direction.

Have you tried http://www.bambi-air.co.uk/ ?