[YPLC] Toma Shay – part 1

Let’s assemble the working driveshaft for the RTR chassis. Many parts are attached on a sprue and it’s recommended to leave them in place, until they are needed. Many holes have to be drilled to final dimension, which will provide nice press fits on the silver shafts.

My hand in the back gives an idea how tiny the parts are. The UV-resin is strong, but brittle if to much force is applied. So handle all parts and tools carefully. It’S also recommended to read the full instruction first (provided as PDF in Japanese and English). The assembly steps are well organized and reasoned. Most wire shafts are used in overlength and hold in a pin vise during assembly. This way it’s easy to fiddle them into the tight press fits of the tine parts. If you cut the shafts first, you’ve no chance. Ask why I know this ;-). Some photos are hosted below when I assemble the universal joints.

The wire used in the universal joints is 0.5mm. They are pressed into 0.5mm bores in the ring, while the square shafts are drilled to 0.6mm. It’s imported to drill all holes with a pin vise and hand power. No power tools. Follow the instructions ;-) Once the pin is in place, cut off with rail nipper and file smooth.

In the last step, I assembled the new steam engine with rotating crankshaft. Unfortunately, I enjoyed assembly that much, that I missed to take photos. I’m sorry for that. The crank shaft is going straight through with cranks in place, but without drive rods. It’s hard to notice on the finished model but makes assembly much easier.

Finally, I added the tiny pits for the truss-rods, steps and pilots. The working driveshaft is powered by the front wheelset in the rear truck, while all other bevel gears are dummy. This results in very smooth running. The front truck is powered by the center driveshaft, mostly hidden by the ash pan.

The next part will show the amazing details on the boiler and the other super structure parts.