MMP ZFV DOGFISH

[Richard08]

Well, the Catfish turned into a Dogfish. Not quite sure what happened there, I even got the transfers ... Guess I'll have to get a Catfish kit now
All packed safely in a fetching pink box, it all looks very two dimensional. I'm secretly quite relieved there are no working springs, it looks like being enough fun without having them as well. Lovely castings, three sheets of etch and some very useful prototype photos. The usual MMP superb instructions, this time on fetchingly purple paper, are present. It's quite a nice shade. Here goes...

[Mountain]

A new challenge! Are you planning on making a fleet?

[Richard08]

A new challenge! Are you planning on making a fleet?

Of Dogfish? No. Wouldn't that be a school?

[Mountain]

Haha. You may need to open a kennel?

[Richard08]

There's only ten or so parts fitted so far - a lot of clever folding produces quite a lot detail! One of the folds has split (bottom right) - emergency repair team called in. So far, so good.

[Richard08]

Progress is a little slow whist waiting for wheels (that moment when the set you were sure were in that box weren't). Looking at some, I guess, earlier instructions it seems the kit used to come with the 'famous' working leaf springs rather than the white metal ones supplied. No matter, but it does mean the spring dumb irons are considerably over-size. This means the springs are a long way from the chassis and the irons considerably over-size. The real springs are somewhat more curved (if that's the word) too, which all means that I'm going to have to set the buffer height before continuing, hence waiting for Postman Pat. I also forgot to back off the rivet punch for the thinner brass...

[Richard08]

So, having run out of excuses to not get on with it, I did. Man, was this fiddly. The brake rigging going round top and bottom of the axles was hard to access/assemble, but the actual soldering (5 mins as opposed to 2 days on hands and knees looking bits that pinged off into the sunset), for a change, was easy. The buffers supplied were a bit iffy, the bodies not very well cast, white metal buffers and no actual bits to make them springy. While reaming out the buffer bodies to take the buffers one of the buffers just snapped. Looking at photos to see what size/style the should be the buffers supplied appear to be quite oversize. That's not to say wrong, but not like the majority of Dogfish which seem to have weird stumpy ones or BR Oleos. Any how, a rummage in the buffers box produced some appropriate ones. Some chopped up springs and pins through the holes in the buffer shafts (happily!) sorted things out. That's the chassis done, bar a vacuum pipe that apparently should run down one side of the wagon. Somewhere. Somehow. Back to the photos....

[Dad-1]

A crackin' build.
On the slippery slope to an engineer's train.
Been there and done it, now have 2 catfish, 1 dogfish, 4 mermaids, a starfish and a shark.

Geoff T.

[Richard08]

A crackin' build.
On the slippery slope to an engineer's train.
Been there and done it, now have 2 catfish, 1 dogfish, 4 mermaids, a starfish and a shark.

Geoff T.

Thank you, I think I'm getting the hang of things a bit... A Whale/Sea Cow/etc is on the list of interesting wagons to build, along with a Shark if I can find a (metal) kit.

[Richard08]

Either this is the hopper of the Dogfish or a Steampunk cigarette rolling machine. The curved doors presented a problem - how to bend them. The instructions say they should be annealed. Yeah. After a lot of head scratching and rooting through boxes of Useful Things in search of an inspiration, one was at last found. It seemed a bit Heath Robinson but actually worked pretty well. The first attempt is a bit rough, but the second worked very nicely.

Onwards and upwards. Christ it's cold in the loft.

[Richard08]

Happily all three sub assemblies went together just fine..... and breathe again. I even got the hopper the right way round. I think. Hope.

[Dad-1]

Looks good to me.

Cold in the loft ? not even tempted to try, not even with a soldering iron !!
I'm now classified as a vulnerable person and my wife wouldn't let me.

Geoff T.

[End2end]

Stunning, fine work.
I wouldn't even dream of making my own rolling stock, so all power to the elbows of those who do.
Thanks
End2end

[Richard08]

Looks good to me.

Cold in the loft ? not even tempted to try, not even with a soldering iron !!
I'm now classified as a vulnerable person and my wife wouldn't let me.

Geoff T.

Yep, even the brass monkeys have gone south. I look like one of those toddlers in an overstuffed romper suit with arms an legs sticking out all perpendicular. I must be mad.

[Richard08]

So, all the junk to goes on end platform. It's not perfect, but all fitted after some experimentation. Turns out the hopper wasn't quite exactly square but a bit of grunt sorted things out. The missing hand-wheel... having assembled it I was just cleaning it up when I dropped it. I've been over the entire floor with a torch, looked in all the boxes under the bench and even in my boots... it's vanished. Hopefully the aliens will bring it back shortly.