Kitbuilderthe

Kitbuilderthe New commissions now closed. Batch assemblies only offered for sale, unallocated models you will find for sale on my website. G'day everyone. Batch assembly only.

Hand assembled locomotive kits in scales O and larger. All work is done inhouse. Please don't hesitate to contact me with your enquiry. Personal/one off commissions no longer assembled. I do not offer to assemble working/motorised models that are primarily resin/plastic 3D printed.

Ahhh, the memories... something from 2 Years ago.Twas a pleasure to be asked to paint these two for Andian Scale Model M...
30/08/2026

Ahhh, the memories... something from 2 Years ago.

Twas a pleasure to be asked to paint these two for Andian Scale Model Models, a very large scale policeman. This was a special 3D print and as I understand it, not available in the regular range. This one is about 160mm tall...

I'm not going to sit here and wax on how they are painted, I haven't a clue... I wing it and stick my tongue out and hopefully land there or thereabouts, if the owner likes it, the rest doesn't really matter...
The second policeman has the better colours (the lighter blue shirt).

I found hanging out with bust painters is very helpful. I am always learning and spend hours watching various YouTube videos and so on. With figures this large I tend to use commercial acrylic paints with AK 3rd Gen, Pro Acryl and some Citadel being favourites...

I am an authorised Andian Models reseller and these were Invoiced, and this has no bearing on what I believe are the some of the best detailed railway figures available. I won't stock any other 3D printed figures.

I occasionally offer to paint figures on their own. They are available from time to time when I have a spare 5 minutes, or not... or if I feel like it. Edit 30/08/2026 I will have HO Scale drivers for Z19 etc painted in the next few Weeks, follow my store newsletter to see when restocked.

Thanks for taking the time to stop in, see ya when I'm looking at ya.

Inventory.If you are building a kit OOP, count the parts before you pick up a tool, or heaven forbid, quote. I consider ...
24/08/2026

Inventory.

If you are building a kit OOP, count the parts before you pick up a tool, or heaven forbid, quote. I consider myself very fortunate to have a substantial parts inventory by DJH, OMI, Sam, Oriental, Fulgurex, and others and can 9/10 supply a part.

Not this time.

This lot belongs to a 9mm 1:34 scale NZR railcar set. I need to be certain it's all there, this is one kit I can't cover a missing part. I'll count the inventory two or three times before doing anything, it could be a bit expensive if I don't get it right now. Not everything is in the photo.

What to do if a part is missing? Depends. I might build one from scratch, if it's complex I might build it or I might not, I might get the kit owner to chase it. I don't waste a lot of time here, if it can't be rectified fairly quickly, the kit goes back.

It's boring (as ....) I know. Laying out all the parts, counting them, ticking them off the checklist (if the kit has one), the one time you don't it will bite you (me) in the arse. It's happened once or thrice.

Of course it helps to be familiar with what you're building, some railcar sets for example share a centre bogie, so I'm looking for 6 or 12 of some parts, not 8 or 16... I know someone who will find that amusing...

Don't forget to charge your time doing the inventory, your time and skill is valuable, don't give it away to the lowest bidder.

Thanks for hanging out, see ya next time. 🍻

G'day all,Thanks for stopping in.Repaint of an Waratah/Haskell O CPH to the green/cream scheme you see today on the Rail...
02/08/2026

G'day all,

Thanks for stopping in.

Repaint of an Waratah/Haskell O CPH to the green/cream scheme you see today on the Rail Motor Societies CPH you can ride behind.

Very fiddly to do as all the detail parts are fixed in place, I did consider unsoldering the markers, radiator, headlights and all the grab rails, this is of course mental and the entire scheme was masked and painted, some of the lining by pen, some masked.

The lettering boards don't have quite enough relief to run the very thin green line below, I left it off.

I have a set of specially made custom decal to go on, then windows and the lights to go back in, and back home it goes.

I appreciate the interest and you checking in. 🤟🍻

Howdy gang,The batch of Veteran Models O Scale T were completed some time back now. They are all sold and with their new...
19/07/2026

Howdy gang,

The batch of Veteran Models O Scale T were completed some time back now. They are all sold and with their new owners.

No more T for 2026, but am open for 2027. Again, if you are in the market, an email gets the ball rolling. Any Veteran models loco I need 3-4 orders per to assemble a batch. All batches are 100% prepaid in full.

Thanks for watching, see ya when I'm looking at ya.

Black, not always.The PSC O Scale Espee AC-5 is out for a bit of sunshine, and to have a look under bright lights to see...
07/06/2026

Black, not always.

The PSC O Scale Espee AC-5 is out for a bit of sunshine, and to have a look under bright lights to see how the first colour went down.

I get this next question ---alot--- and I also see the same question in online forums, especially plastic kit modelling forums... I find it somewhat odd, I often think people might be looking for confirmation bias over information...

What paint did you use? ugh. How do you answer an innocent question, unassumingly loaded to the sh*****se.

You're not going to like this... Does it really matter what paint I use? This is going to be somewhat unpopular. If you aren't going to take the time to prep, repair, clean, etch/tooth, clean, prime, undercoat, topcoat, probably nothing I suggest will work how you want, or it might be fantastic.

If you are looking to duplicate the colour you see in a digital photograph, you're up for a task. I am looking at both the photos here and the loco across the room, the blacks are all different. The photos all look different on my PC, tablet, notebook... You aren't going to duplicate the room and photo lighting, and the black...

The black... I never paint a loco "black"... For me, most straight blacks (and there are many depths of black) are far too harsh on a layout and don't scale, the loco often disappears in photos, and so does all the detail.

I mix my own black, with a little red and sometimes just a poofteenth of white, sometimes brown. Even with a satin finish, the details are easily seen.

What brand have I used here... Valspar... Automotive paint... I get mine mixed a Litre or so at the time. There's no hope in hell I would be profitable spraying O Scale Cab Forwards with jars 10mL at a time. When done, this lump weighs about 6-7 kilos, all the weight goes through the paint when the model is handled. I like my acrylic well cured, and enamel baked. It will be about a Week before I mask the smokebox and edges of the firebox.

Thanks for hangin' around, 10/10 all of ya. Hope you find these posts useful, or less.

Almost every PSC loco I have worked on loses it in the bath. Let's have another look at this O Scale AC-5.Before I start...
31/05/2026

Almost every PSC loco I have worked on loses it in the bath. Let's have another look at this O Scale AC-5.

Before I start stripping the clear coat, I give all soldered parts a bit of tug and wobble to see if the joins are tight, or about to collapse just a bit of a look to see what I might be up against in a minute. A couple fell apart at this stage, but no more.

After 10-12 mins in my ultrasonic bath, all these were laying in the bottom of the tank.

Never assume, or trust. Another close up look and several hinge pins were missing, and a few more pipe runs had sprung away from their brackets or the detail part attached. I've always found PSC a hair shy on solder.

Better to find this out now, then after I put the clear coat on, or when it's in the customers hands... Imagine receiving a model with detail parts laying in the bottom of the box...

Decent job ahead. A large part of brass repair/repaint/work is sight unseen, but consumes many hours. The finished work you only see the top 1%, and that's the easy bit.

Thanks for hangin' round.

O Scale brass repair. Sometimes, it just is.With certain brass (and not much of it left circulating) I'm not taking a sh...
25/05/2026

O Scale brass repair. Sometimes, it just is.

With certain brass (and not much of it left circulating) I'm not taking a shortcut to save you 30c, I'm not your repairer.

Point in case, O Scale PSC AC-5. This is a larger job than many, granted.

First step in any repair I do is always disassemble to the frame, no exceptions. This came to me "with a funny knocking sound" (we know what that means)...

A complete replacement set of gears is the first job. One set is cracked, the rest were made at the same time, and won't be far behind. To get the gearbox/combined tower off the front engine, you must press the gearbox axle (and one wheel) off the gearbox to release out of the frame, it can't be removed by just unscrewing the cover plate (I think this catches many out, and why the idler is never replaced). There is risk in moving an axle pressed in place for 30 or 40 odd Years, if I break wheel centres or whatever, it's on me to find replacement, it's not happening. The risk isn't free of charge.

Every single solder join is inspected, and redone where necessary, in this case, I will be re-doing almost every one. PSC used minimal solder in a lot of spots, these models have movable hatches and doors and typically the hinges fail first. These repairs must be done now, you (I) don't want to find a loose part after the first paint goes down. Too many times over many Years I have seen brass partly repaired, pretty obvious a part did come loose at some point only to be glued back on, no thanks and not here. I warrant my work for for as long as the piece stays with the owner at the time of repair (that maybe 20+Yrs and also I need to remain vertical, of course), no one else I know of offers this.

Like alot of brass, the model has a clear protective coat, this must come off prior to any brass repair. I can already see previous solder attempts through the clear varnish, it just doesn't work.

The steps are many with an enormous inventory of parts to go with it. The four bags pictured are about half the total hardware. We haven't even gone near the tender yet, along with new motor, electronics, full lighting including the monkey porch light, custom decals, 3D printed crew...

It's been really great. I appreciate you following and looking at the photos and hopefully you pick up an idea or tip to use in your own work, that's tops. I often show these repairs to help customers (both existing and new) to understand why a repair costs as much as it does.

Muchas gracias.

Best,
Jurgen

This update will about do it for the assembly of the Veteran Models O Scale T. The important bits... The body, chassis a...
10/05/2026

This update will about do it for the assembly of the Veteran Models O Scale T.

The important bits... The body, chassis and truck side frames. These are all treated as individual assemblies, painted then the whole thing re assembled. Many components not pictured, motor, gearbox, cab interior, screws....

Handrails... Over more Years than I can be bothered to recall, I have admired some beautifully presented passenger cars and locomotives, then to have the paint work ruined by the handrails being pushed in at the end of the paintwork, and either scratching the edges of the hole, or a mark on the paint from pliers or other tool used. I always solder in handrails (glue for non metal) and either paint or use a bit of thinner to bring back the brass. I try and put a little bias in the wire so the other end "springs" into the hole and stays there, if that make sense. In the case of these T, several handrails bridge the body and chassis, I solder the handrail in at the body side, so at least if there is going to be a scratch, it's better under the step or on the sill...

I would never fit the handrails loose... They can fall off... and with 4 locos getting them mixed up is easy done, these are all hand fitted so there is small differences in each.

This will do 'er... It's been a number of posts now and I think this one has run it's course. These locos of course did not take the 5 or 6 Weeks or however many posts this has run to assemble, they are largely assembled inside of a Week or so, before preparation to paint them. My posts are not in real time.

Thanks for watching, see ya next time.

In disguise...The Veteran Models O Scale T run is about there. Maybe one more post in a Week or so and that will likely ...
04/05/2026

In disguise...

The Veteran Models O Scale T run is about there. Maybe one more post in a Week or so and that will likely do.

The Atlas chassis does need a substantial amount of material removed off the top surface, you can do this by hand with ol' mate bastard, it takes a while to get a nice result, though a vertical machine cleans up the bases in short order. If you're lucky your customer will have this done for you, if not adjust the Invoice accordingly.

The chassis is fairly quick to finish. You can see the stock Atlas SW8 chassis before and after the Veteran kit bits are added. The kit provides tank and battery box, valance and end step assemblies to represent the chassis. There are a couple of holes that need to be plugged, I use a length of square styrene bar, hammer it in the hole, glued in with Araldite. Any gaps between pilot and frame I use a metal epoxy. Finish the top surface smooth. Don't forget to mark and locate the mounting holes for the body. The frame was ready at this point to clean for painting ---before--- the motor and trucks and everything else is put back in. While I have everything apart, I'll disassemble the trucks, check gears, check gauge, clean up any flash on the universals etc, occasionally there is flash and the tiniest bit can make some funny noises, increase current draw and God knows anything else. I don't want to know about it, check it all now, I never assume just because they are produced in a large factory with the resources behind them, they are right. These aren't coming back for the "2 cent part" to be fixed.

Good fun. Thanks for watching cool dudes. See ya next time.

O Scale locomotives.The 4 Veteran Models V.R T class bodies were knocked together last Week, sorta like hump day. Now I ...
28/04/2026

O Scale locomotives.

The 4 Veteran Models V.R T class bodies were knocked together last Week, sorta like hump day. Now I head for the weekend. The radius on the sides/ends/roof profile are by far the biggest job, it's all hand finished and there's no way out of it.

Bodies were in and out of a caustic wash, In the end I gave them about 4 baths, in between a rub down (read into that how you will) I'm there or thereabouts with these, sure you could go forever making the body "professional", I'm not professional. Real trains aren't Maserati in a showroom either...

They all get set aside for a bit and I'll have a look at the chassis and everything that goes with them.

The pilots are a funny little thing to fold up. If the origami doesn't click, sometimes you need to move to the next part, see how it fits and all of a sudden it all clicks into place. That's part of the process, and one of many little obstacles along the way, however. Challenge is always good.

Thanks for watching, see ya later.

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