At long last, I have found time to complete the instructions for the British Rail Polybulk covered hopper (TOPS code JIA). This wagon design is quite robust and looks quite impressive in its striking green livery—a livery made possible with availability of 2x4 tiles and 2x4 curved slopes in green. I have road tested this wagon extensively during shows and it works very well.

At 535 pieces, it is quite efficient with parts for a wagon of its size. If you can build multiple copies, this wagon looks impressive in a rake of several vehicles.

Available now at the kit store.

Tags: news, kits, wagon, Freight, 7764

As with all things, some projects finish faster than others. I was intending on completing the instructions for the Polybulk covered hopper; however, this wagon beat it to the store!

This kit allows you to build a British Rail HEA general purpose air-braked hopper wagon used for general mineral and coal traffic. This wagon design is quite sturdy and has swivelled single axle bogies with restraints on travel. I have road tested this wagon extensively during shows and it works very well. It is very closely based on my prototype version of this wagon here:
www.flickr.com/photos/michaelgale/9460988133/in/album-721...
It has been updated and improved for this kit.

At 310 pieces, it is quite efficient with parts and lends itself to building multiple copies to form a handsome rake of wagons.

Available now at the kit store.

Tags: 7765, wagon, kits, Freight

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

Kit #7762 - British Rail VDA van wagon is now complete and available in the store. This kit features sticker graphics for the finished model with diagram numbers for different wagons. The kit takes advantage of current parts available from LEGO® and strives to optimize the type and number of parts for ease of part procurement and ease of building. Hopefully this kit will prove enjoyable to build, and as always, any feedback on the model is much appreciated.

Tags: 7762, kits, Freight, wagon, VDA

Kit #7763 - British Rail OBA/ZDA open wagon is now complete and available in the store. This kit features sticker graphics for the finished model with diagram numbers for different wagons. Furthermore, this kit comes as a 3-in-1 kit with 3 separate instruction books to build different livery versions of this model. The kit takes advantage of current parts available from LEGO® and strives to optimize the type and number of parts for ease of part procurement and ease of building. Hopefully this kit will prove enjoyable to build, and as always, any feedback on the model is much appreciated.

Tags: 7763, kits, Freight, wagon, OBA, ZDA