My Steam World
Kit Building
RETROL Full Metal Beam Engine
This is the third time I have built a model steam engine from a kit. This particular one is the RETROL Full Metal Beam Engine (Chinese in origin) that I bought from Amazon.
What's in the Box
The kit came well packed in a sturdy cardboard box with two moulded foam trays holding most of the components. The base plate and the rest of the components and tools (to aid in construction) are packed into the bottom of the box. A comprehensive construction manual is included in the kit. The manual has very little text but the illustrations appear to be very clear and easy to understand. Individual components are labelled numerically and this is carried on through the assembly illustrations making things reasonably easy to follow.
The Complete Kit
The Assembly Manual
Experienced constructors will understand the necessity for identifying all of the components and splitting them into physical groups to reflect each stage of construction. I find that plastic food containers are useful for storing the components. Don’t let the wife find out! There are two reasons for doing this, one is to familiarise yourself with the components and secondly to make sure that no items are missing.
Building the Engine
Building the engine filled a morning just taking my time. The building instructions were very easy to follow. The photographs show the stages of build.
Well that’s the engine built with no parts missing and no cut fingers! The next step is to steam it.
And for those who enjoy some animation:
