Fairlight Works

Evidence of actual modelling

Cherish it, this doesn’t happen very often any more! I recently got hold of a job lot of old Nine Lines and Dundas Models (yes, that old) kits on eBay and this week have been working through them. Well, the first one. Okay, most of the first one.

I decided to add the linkage rod to the brake gear, one of those little details that never really gets mentioned but makes a subtle visual difference without too much effort. Firstly, and carefully, drilling holes in the brake lever and the pip on the solebar representing the supporting bracket to suit the 0.5mm wire I had to hand. With the wire a firm fit into the brake lever I then worked out where the single brake hanger should be positioned, a packing piece of 0.75mm styrene was needed to get it down to the right height.

Once everything was drilled and lined up, I glued the brake lever to the side of the van, and then spotted a little glue on the underside of the floor in line with the appropriate wheel and nudged the brake hanger into position. A spot of glue in the back of the hanger secured the wire and finally, once dry, I trimmed off the excess.

Although its not particularly obvious once the van is the right way up I think it does add something, and the wire is also a useful support for the otherwise dangling end of the brake lever – a fragile piece on many kits.

Just weight, paint, couplings and roof to finish this one off now. I might even get on to the second in the batch this month…

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