As this was to be a clean loco, I needed to find a reasonable colour match for the original paint. After a bit of experimentation, Precision Black (not weathered or coal, just black) fitted the bill as it gives a nicely clean finish with just the right amount of sheen when applied with an airbrush.
The problem with this sort of model is you can't take it to pieces in the normal way. American locomotives don't have a sensible chassis/body break line like European ones. I dropped the wheels out and masked the cross heads as best I could. A few areas needed a little touch with a paintbrush but nothing highly visible. The paint brushes well but I still prefer to spray.
Once dry, the bufferbeams were treated to a couple of coats of Humbrol matt red to brighten up the livery. That's not an original idea - the pictures that come with the Backwoods kit show this colour !
Further colour comes from the bell, whistle, toolbox, oil cans, bucket and badges on the side of the smokebox.. This is the exciting bit - when the model starts to come alive.
The result is a very nice looking model locomotive. It's certainly different from the standard item. As you can see, the reworked item is stretched and much more open. If you didn't know where to look you might not realise that they are based on the same model. The 0-4-2 version is, in my opinion, much better looking than an 0-4-0 version would be. The bogie fills in the otherwise empty back end.This hasn't been a difficult it. Care attention and some modelling skills (especially soldering) are required. You have to make a lot of decisions along the way as the pack is so flexible but that's no bad thing as you get a model unique to the builder at the end.
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