Commission: Talyllyn pair in 009…

I've done a few Rheneas conversions over the years for customers in 009 using the excellent Narrow Planet kit designed by Mark and Stu, but I've never had the occasion to re-work the Bachmann Skarloey until now...

The Skarloey conversion kit isn't available at present so I used a door from Shapeways and a bit of ingenuity. The result seems credible, and stands muster versus Rheneas, which was as important as the specific details. 

Having both models infront of me one thing that is obvious is how much 'bigger' Talyllyn feels compared to Dolgoch, the bulk of that saddle tank really changing the apparent mass of the locomotive.

My customer asked for the pair to be finished in green, so I used some custom transfers which made the job a little easier. They are fiddly to apply but much more consistent with such a complicated livery. 

Rheneas to Dolgoch is as you'd expect, a great kit, and the green livery suits the model. I've picked out rods in red and wheels in green on both models which lifts the appearance. I've chosen to finish them in a slightly dulled gloss, rather than true satin which gives a nice appearance in the flesh and feels like a quality finish.

The final step will be to refit the somewhat overscale couplings and package them up for heading back to their new home - hopefully my customer will send me a few photos I can share in a future Friday update. If you've got one of these kits you'd like me to work over then do get in touch, I can do either model in any of the liveries they've carried, and have 'prices' here ready having done a few of them over the years. Get in touch using the contact form in the menu. Until next time, more soon...