HOW TO
Chris Nevard tackles a plastic kit that has been around for OO 8 hrs years, but remains a favourite with modellers.
EXPERT MODELLERS SHOW YOU HOW
The rather whimsical, quirky ‐looking Ratio Coal/Builders Merchant kit has been around for as long as I can remember. I must admit that I initially thought it was a work of pure fiction and, perhaps, the result of an over-active imagination.
However, I recently discovered that the kit is based on a prototype that once existed at Nairn, in northeast Scotland. I’ve struggled to find any prototype photographs online to back this up, but either way, it has plenty of character, charm and is most suitable for many industrial uses.
It even crossed my mind that, with a little modification, it would make an interesting light railway station building. Oh yes, it’s also available in ‘N’ gauge as well as the ‘OO’ kit portrayed in this Workbench feature.
Overall, it’s a great kit that’s relatively simple to build. But if you’re new to kit building it does offer a few minor challenges, especially with the vacuum-formed roof, which needs to be trimmed to size and bonded in place with care.
If you have already built a few plastic kits, then give this Ratio structure a go. If you’re a kit novice, maybe you’d be better off checking out some of Peco’s other plastic kits for an easier first experience, with some of those under the Wills branding being particularly good for beginners.
STEP BY STEP
1 The kit is supplied in this splendid box. If you’re like me you’ll want to keep it for ‘railway stuff’ after the kit is completed. It’s not deep enough to store the completed kit, but I’m guessing that the building is destined for a layout anyway!
2 The contents of the kit, with just a few necessary tools and a jar of liquid poly cement. The instructions are comprehensive, so there’s not much point in repeating them here. I’ll share a few assembly and painting tips instead.
3 The injection ‐moulded parts benefit from a bit of a clean-up, removing excess material and injector marks with abrasives. Nail files are ideal (I recycle my wife’s old files), but so are traditional needle files.
4 Liquid styrene solvent, such as MEK-PAK, is perfect for assembly. But beware of breathing in fumes – work in a well-ventilated space. I used Plastic Magic from Deluxe Materials, which is less toxic than most similar cements.
5 The internal
