German Dampflokomotive BR86 1/72 - construction done

This is my first Hobby Boss kit and my first railway subject. Somehow, I always wanted to build a locomotive, maybe a childhood fantasy… But, that’s it for me, no more locomotives in the future. Too many parts, and is only 1/72, I cannot imagine what this would be like in 1/35.

This was a German locomotive very popular in its era, with 775 examples being completed by 1943. It was widely used during the second world war but I’m planning to do the pre-war version, with the red chassis and wheels.

This kit includes over 220 parts molded in tan styrene including the cab and 8 parts molded in clear styrene. The plastic is kind of soft, and extra attention must be paid when detaching parts from sprues.

It is basically an out of the box construction, with just a couple of things added. Wheels must be glued into place only after a proper adjustment with the railroad tracks; I had to cut off the front and the back wheels to make the locomotive sit well on its tracks.

It has impressive details; the engineer’s cab has everything in place, but unfortunately it is almost invisible after assembly. A railroad track stand is included and is equally impressive. With a little imagination it can be transformed into a spectacular little base.