Planet Industrials...

I've been working on this project for nearly 12 months, and it's been a slow one, fitted in between other work, but an exciting one, because it's the first Narrow Planet kit in standard gauge...

We've looked at what the competition do, and were surprised that no one seemed to be using our 009 approach in the larger gauge... so choosing a Hibberd Planet 18t SCW as a prototype and designing around a well priced and engineered ready to run motor bogie the kit is a scale up of our narrow gauge concept. A 3D printed core, with a sprue of 3D printed parts, an etch and there will be other parts in white metal. This prototype was a proof of concept and etch part fitment, and here, in black and white, unpainted shows the potential of the model.

No idea on price and availability yet, but there are only a few more parts to design before we can begin to produce the kits, so it should be early next year. The holes in the cab are for handrails and windscreen wipers. The bugger beams and side beams need etch overlays, and there are extra details to add around the axle boxes including chain tensioners and foot steps. We need to decide on what couplings to offer, and how to work these into optional buffer beams as well.

The model is large for us, but very small as a standard gauge design, prototypes survive in preservation intact the one at Oswestry at the Cambrian Railway Centre, that I found by accident, provided a lot of detail photos that helped in the design of the model.

Long lived and geographically neutral, hopefully the start of a range of kits in the wider gauge. More soon...