The tender is a Gladiator kit.There's no point in scratch building when someone makes a decent kit. There is not much to be said about it, I followed the instructions (which are quite adequate, though as always prototype photos do help) and it went together without much problem.
The tender tank has round corners. I rolled the corners around pieces of round bar, but choosing the right diameter bar and getting the corners in the right place was a bit hit-and-miss.
The worst part was the reverse curves inside the coal space. The kit contained a single piece of material for the walls of the coal space, and the instructions suggested that you might have to cut it in two to get it fitting correctly. They weren't wrong, and you can see the join at the back. A full load of coal will be needed to cover that and the bolt securing the body and chassis.
The worst part was the reverse curves inside the coal space. The kit contained a single piece of material for the walls of the coal space, and the instructions suggested that you might have to cut it in two to get it fitting correctly. They weren't wrong, and you can see the join at the back. A full load of coal will be needed to cover that and the bolt securing the body and chassis.
The thing I liked least in the kit was the corner flare. The flat etching was a set of fingers at the corner, which had to be splayed outwards and somehow filled to form a smooth corner. I bonded them together as best I could with solder, and filled in the gaps with Milliput. With care the come out well when painted.
Tender
Nick Baines • Model Engineering