Some more parts added to the Actros MP4 engine lock and gearbox which is almost at the point of being ready for paint. Ironically, given that Italeri moulded the parts in silver, I will need to undercoat it in black so that I can then paint it the aluminium colour that it needs to be! It will look a lot better then the moulded silver colour though!
Buying second hand/pre-owned/pre-loved or what ever your preferred description is, is always a little bit of a gamble but usually and with experience you can see if something has major issues like the wheels fall out or there is a crack in the body. However, even if the item looks new it is always best, for reliable running, to take a closer look once back in the comfort of your home to carry out a little bit of miniatous. That is what I have done with the USA rolling stock that I bought at the Newark Toy and Train Fair.
The usual suspects to look at are the couplers and wheels. Having already tested the couplers it was time to look at the wheels. The problem is that the naked eye, good as it is, cannot precisely tell you distances. For reliable running the gap between the two wheels on an axle needs to be 14.5mm. Now I could try using a rule but am I really going to see 14.5mm accurately? There is another option which is a back to back gauge. This one cost about £10 is well made and easy to use. You can use it whilst the wheel is on the wagon or as I have done take the wheel out and use it.
Next is to make sure the pinpoint axle can freely rotate in the bogie housing. This tool is slid into place and by rotating it, it cuts out any rough areas in the housing.
With working couplers, free running wheels and stability restored this hopper wagon was ready to roll!
Whilst the main engine block and gearbox for the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4 kit did not take too long to put together there are, as a highlighted in my last post on this build, about 40 or so additional parts to add. Most of those parts require two to be joined together with the resultant joint line to be smoothed off. For reasons that only Italeri probably know of, they moulded most of the engine parts in a silver type plastic. Whilst it may look a bit realistic if you were not going to paint the model, it makes determining if the joint line is smooth or not almost impossible to do visually. The only real conclusive test is a fingernail. Just run your fingernail over the joint and it will pick up the smallest imperfections.
Anyway, back to the engine and gearbox, and parts have been added making it all look more interesting. There are still parts to add but if you need to glue two parts together you need to let the glue set before you can smooth the joint. It all takes time!
Now, where are the nail clippers?
Giving some idea of what £100 could buy you for a model railway, the WMD Film Crew have been out looking at how, with some alternative thinking, you can actually get quite a lot! Watch and see!
Engine block time with the build of the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4. Initially, most truck kit engines take shape fairly quickly and with this kit about 6 main parts go together to produce a substantial looking part of the model.
However, there are far more detail parts to go on yet as you can tell from some of the location holes and pins on this closer view of one side of the engine. In fact there are about another 40 parts or so to finish just the engine and all have mould and joint lines to smooth out before they can be fitted. Oh joy!
However, the chassis does look more truck like with that engine block temporarily fitted.
Having explained yesterday how my New Years Resolution was somewhat short lived with my trip to the Newark Toy and Train Fair, I better admit to some further bargain purchases. #
These three nicely weathered and loaded hopper wagons join my slowly expanding fleet of such wagons.
£15 for the three of them make them a bargain in my mind!
Still in the hopper mood these 9 hoppers were on for £9 each which was a fair price but a bit of haggling with the seller saw them come to WMD for the princely sum of £70!
£14 bought me five wagons in the form of these old Hornby flat wagons with wheelset cradles. Not prototypical in any way but with a does of weathering they can be made to look authentic and even if it all goes wrong, £14 is not a major loss!
And finally! I really don't need anymore kits but this just stood out to me.
It is a conversion based upon the chassis of the old Centurion tank as you can see in the artwork on the side of the box.
The kit does contain my dreaded etched brass parts but nothing appears overly small or fiddly from the pictures on the box. I just hope that is actually the case!
Well, that is me spent up for the year as I have been advised by my Financial Monitoring Department in the form of Mrs. Woody! A good haul especially as I only bought a die cast truck last year!
Thinking about the whole episode and the breaking of a resolution so quickly my plan next year is to make my resolution' I must buy more model railways and kits!' .That way when I break it I will achieve the real objective!
2026 comes in, Woody's New Years resolution - No more kits or railway stuff! Well that was doomed to failure as I took Mrs. Woody to buy some cookies on our annual visit to the Newark Toy and Train Fair. Well the cookie stall was there as usual with some very nice cookies that came home with us. However there was a lot of other non-cookie related things that were also very nice and some of those came home with us as well! As usual there were lots of stalls and lots of people.
So, to the items that came home. Well, these three USA freight cars with Kadee couplers cost me all of £15 for the three!
Then there was this ten high stack of boxes which cost me £40.
And once the contents were out I ended up with these.
And these!
There was also this that just needs the bogies added and a few parts.
I also saw these three n gauge USA coaches which were £5 each.
Now why buy these Woody? Well about 15 years ago I bought these with the loco for £20!
So the three additional coaches add to that train to make up this!
There were a few other bits but that is for tomorrow but in the meantime I am appreciating the USA related bargains and thinking it was a good way to break that New Year resolution as these were bargains just too good to miss! Oh! The cookies were good too!
s 2025 draws to a close (and where did that year go?) the chassis of the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4 takes on some interest with the drive axle now in place along with its air bag suspension and the leaf front suspension is also attached.
There were lot of mould lines to clean up and smooth off like these on the front leaf spring.
This always takes time but is worth the effort to build a better model which is probably a proverb that I should take forward to 2026! Talking of which, tomorrow is 2026 so have a Happy New Year, build some models and stay safe!
After yesterdays strange sights, today was much more on stream with the chassis of the Italeri Mercedes-Benz Actros MP4 kit coming together.
At this stage there is not a lot to show for the work put in but hopefully over the next few days things will become more visually exciting!
