by Matthew Foster

'Kazan' is my Vincent class Regner loco.  It is about 3 years old now and has been modified somewhat. 

If the link works you will see a small tram type loco with basic side panels and a roof.  I can just about manage such a prototype so I set off to the DIY store in search of some cheap metal sheets.  Brass was much too expensive so I settled for aluminium.  This bent well in my simple bench vise and the curvy corners were acheived with the help of the top of a plastic PET bottle, hacksaw and half round file.

 

Before I did the side/end panels I had to make new wodden buffers onto which I could screw the panels.  I reused the regner hex head screws and used more aluminium, this time 10mm strip which I tapped a hole to 2mm (M2) and glued to the wodden buffers.  These buffers are larger giving more support for the side/end panels.  The rear buffer includes a strip that rises nearly to the top of the side panel.

 

After bending each panel I added rigid plastic rivet detail (using the tip of a scalpel blade to spike the rivets and superglue to secure them) and then sprayed with metal primer.  Then two coats of 600℃ stove paint on the inner side, just in case it gets hot, and standard matt black paint on the outer side.

 

Here you can see the bend and end or rear panel bits:

It reminds me of a US  M7 Priest self-propelled gun (if you know what I mean).  Without a driver figure it is a bit difficult to gauge the proportions yet.  Adding a roof will help.

 

Now, it isn't going to remain all black.  I have two scratch-built carriages that are red to match the original red lining of 'Kazan' so it is going to get over sprayed in red.  I'm not that good at painting so I'm going to have a single red panel with another above it where the curved top is.

 

 

 

I'm going to leave the nameplate on the original body and order another set to attach to the new one.  Thinking cap on.  I try to use Japanese words that either reflect local produce or words that bring to mind the specific loco.  'Kazan' is volcano in Japanese.  This has a double meaning -  the heat and steam of a volcano and the fact that there is an active volcano less than an hour from where I live.  Other locos are called 'Nashi' or pear, 'Ume' or plum, and 'Cognac' as in the spirit and konyaku ( a locally produced food).

 

 

Here the body panels have been given 3 coats of red spray paint with the black bits masked off.

 
I'm thinking about getting a lining pen and doing the black/red boarders in gold/yellow.

 

More progress:

 

 

And:

 

And lastly:

 

I'm still waiting for the name plates I ordered to turn up.  They will go in the middle of each side panel.

 

And a little steam!