Over 1100 of the
D51 class steam locomotive (1-4-1) were built by various Japanese factories from 1936 until 1945. It was the most mass-produced locomotive in Japan. 170 remain, and three are known to be operational.
The model is a very odd "Scale Shorty Train Model" from Bandai in 2008 meant only for the Japanese home market. Although I bought it over the counter, I saw these for sale in vending machines. The kit is amazingly well engineered. The shorty series of trains are meant to be run on 1:150 N-scale track, but each car is exactly 60 mm long regardless of the length of the original train car. The only minor exceptions are locomotives, it seems. The D51 with tender is 90 mm long.
The plans show options for various versions of the D51, but only 1019 is in the box. There are a very large selection of decals for the kit, including a complete interior of the car showing the firebox and controls. The running gear and drive arms are pre-painted in silver.I weathered away the bright silver with engine grime paint.
The whole thing goes together as a snap kit, but I glued it all for extra strength. It took less than an hour, even though I stopped a lot to photograph the build. Weathering is from Vallejo powders.
UPDATE:
This model placed second in the giant CAPCON biennial model contest on 28 September 2019 at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. (trains)
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| D51 class steam locomotive |
A real one during WWII...
