Its been a while since I've posted. I must confess to being both busy and suffering from "builders block"! I just didn't feel the mojo for building for quite some time. Thankfully, that phase is over! I'm back to building!

I've been going through some unfinished projects. The first among these projects is the instructions for my British Rail Polybulk covered hopper wagon. As with most of my instructions, it has resulted in a complete redesign of the model! This revised design is much better in several ways:
1) Much more robust and strong
2) Hopper body profile is much closer in shape to the prototype.
3) The wagon's scale dimensions are nearly a perfect match to the prototype.
4) More efficient use of parts--only 535 pieces.

Shown above is my first "test drive" of the instructions. I kitted out the parts required and took this photo just before building a second copy of the wagon based on the instructions. This is a process I've had to learn to perform more rigorously than my previous kits. Its amazing how many errors, improvements, etc. that you identify when sitting down to build the kit from the perspective of someone else. It has to be more than proofreading the instructions themselves; you actually have to physically build it. You can't identify areas of structural weakness or inconvenient building steps unless you physically handle the model as you build.

In any case, I did identify a couple of improvements and have updated the instructions. I just have to prepare sticker graphics and then this new kit should be in the store at www.brickdimensions.com in a few days! Stay tuned!

Tags: kits, 7764, Freight, wagon