Howdy I am currently building my MDC Old Time 2-8-0 kit and have got to the valve gear. Firstly, I must say that the cylinder casting is quite horrible with what looks to be the 2 halves of the casting being misaligned. It is going to take a heap of sanding/filing to get them to look like one piece.... Now, the instructions say to insert the brass guides into the square holes in the cylinder block and tap them in if necessary. But the ones I have rattle around in the square holes, no tapping required. Do I epoxy/ACC these in place or is there a trick to it? Cheers
Bruce, I'd contact MDC and tell them that you received a bad casting. They will probably send you another to replace it, free of charge. I have built several MDC kits and never found what you have described.
If you can, take a photo or two that shows the misalignment; then email along with your inquiry. MDC usually stands behind their products when they are assured one of their parts is really defective.
I can't speak for email and MDC, but MOST companies and individuals treat email as a second class form of communication. If you are serious, call them. I have had excellent results with MDC replacing defective parts.
I have been thinking that Virginian.... but I know Mrs RD will question why the heck I called the US and what for The other thing is getting the time differences right. Cheers
I got an email reply today re my cylinder block casting. MDC are sending me a new one in a day or so. I think this is brilliant given the fact that they were bought by Horizon and they still see fit to service their "customers". I think alot of businesses should take some lessons.....
Bruce, the thing that really sets most US companies apart from Australian ones is SERVICE. We had a brand new computer hard drive that wouldnt work properly, so we called MAXTOR. They sent a new drive, free of charge, and told us to 'send the other one back when you get a chance'. A notebook I had got a little power supply problem. Fujitsu sent me a brand new one with return mail paid fo rme to send the the (partly) broken one when it arrived. Truly great service that you dont see in Australia. Hell, here you could take them a charred smoking mess and they would say 'you must have plugged the "one way only" plug in backwards' and send you on your way.....
Bruce, I have the exact same kit, I think (MDC Roundhouse 2-8-0 Consolidation) If it is the same as yours, you are correct, the Valvegear casting is in need of work and not only filing and sanding but filler as well. I had the same problem, ie. (set the valve gear on a soft surface and gently, but firmly tap the guide rods into position). Yeah, Right. What I ended up doing was to add a drop of the thick, slow drying cyanoacrylitic (super) glue to each rod, push it into the hole in the valvegear, use the crosshead as an inner spacer and the yoke as an outer guide. After I was satisffied that the guide rods were in the correct position, I removed the crossheads and let the glue set up. Make sure you dont let the crossheads sit for too long or they will be come part of the Valvegear. You can paint any of the shiny spots left by the glue later. Once I had assured that I could install the crossheads without any binding I attached them to the Main Rods and installed them to the Valvegear and the guides and the drivers. If this is not detailed enough for you email me and I will be happy to give even greater detail. Good Luck
Bruce one other thing you might want to do with the kit is to change the motor leads (wires from the motor) the stiff 18ga will not allow the tender to track very well. Change it to a more flexible teflon type, if you can. Also change the color brown to a black and it will not be as noticable. Again, Good Luck and Happy Modeling
Thanks all for the replies. And thanks John for the info relating to your kit building - most helpful. Oh, and my new cylinder casting arrived from MDC yesterday - sent airmail no less. diisme, you're not wrong about Aussie business having alot to learn in the field of customer service! Cheers
