Wasp 2

I've continued with building stock for the layout and Wasp is making progress. After the quick initial build I was faced with installing 8 grab rails round the doors. I'm not sure I have ever done this before. I knew I had a Handrail Bending Jig from Bill Bedford Models so I dug it out and tried it but due to a lack of technique on my part the wire ended up more curved than right angles. I resorted to the old fashioned method of bending the wire in pliers and got the angle I needed. The jig is clearly good for consistency but I need to improve my technique.

I tried soldering the handrails but made more mess than wanted to resorted to superglue. First I made a spacer from plasticard, then inserted the handrail and then spotted some superglue on the front using a cocktail stick. Once set I added more superglue to the rear and scraped the superglue off the front.

Writing this article I realise I glued the handrails such that their outer faces are level when they should be the same distance off the panel, the ones on the doors stick out further because the doors are further out. They are not coming off now! Rivet counters can cringe when they see it go by.

Once that was done it was time for painting. I had a couple of goes with primer and settled on a standard Halfords' grey primer for the body and a WarHammer black primer for the base. First rookie mistake. Painting yellow over those colours is just hard. I should have used a white primer. Colours are subjective, combined with sunlight and ones own eyesight you never really know what you are looking at. Consequently I am a little free with my choice. The yellow was a WarHammer colour which was too thick. Eventually I remembered I had some thinners and the last couple of coats have gone on much better.

I had a Tamiya green which I started to brush paint but the finish wasn't smooth so I sanded that down, masked the loco and used a Humbrol Dark Green spray can which is not as dark green as I would like but it was handy. The side window frames were painted using a WarHammer silver, seriously thinned down and applied with a 00000 brush, yes there are 5 noughts in there. Whether the window frames are painted or aluminium in real life seems to depend on maintenance. For consistency I have painted all the side frames in silver and the front and rear frames are painted green though I am pretty sure that one of the side frames was green.

I'm left with underframe detail, glazing, windscreen wipers, roof fittings, coupling blocks and striping the yellow panel. Wish me luck!