Update:
This weekend, we cleared the work area of almost-done stuff to prepare for the next 10-wheeler overhaul. This included fitting Golden Star with the last of our good pilots (Thanks again, @freddy !). The broken one went into a box with other partially repaired pilot trucks for experimentation on pilot truck repair. Luckily, we have a few unused chassis for these experiments. It also included getting Big Bertha out of spacedock.
Honestly, I had hoped that this and Kid-zilla’s other projects would buy me time for my own. Nope. He had also disassembled, cleaned, reassembled, and, where necessary, repaired the circus cars he got from the museum docent a couple weeks ago (maybe I should have hidden my bit box!). This left the picnic table awash with B’mann circus cars and us without a work area. We had to do something about that before proceeding, so we went out to the garage, where wooden slats from a neighbor’s junked toddler bed awaited conversion into something atop shelves salvaged from another neighbor’s bulky trash.
The spirit of the MIK runs strongly and in multiple creative channels!
Of course, neither of us had built shelves, but we figured we were up to it. So he got out his circus consist to do a rough fit test…
…before checking my measurements. He knew I would have to awaken Jig Saw from his slumber, so he took his time!
Next, as I had made fairly straight cuts, he sanded the edges and staged our newly cut bits.
He then helped me clamp everything, laid the glue, and held stuff secure as I screwed all the boards in place.
That all being done, it was off the hardware store for track shelving. He insisted I post the picture below to show his trains.
You’ll note his first scratchbuild in the lower left, a first responders caboose ( Mueller Mini-Mik). He’s come a long way, and I think it is a good visual way to express our thanks to all of you for being part of this journey over the years! The shelf - and the need for the shelf - are due to the free exchange of camaraderie and ideas on this site! Even something this simple was beyond me before I stumbled upon this crowd.
Kid-zilla, however, has not rested on his laurels. He keenly observed that there is room for one more shelf, and today he took a screwdriver to “Broken” Emmett. The rebirth of Golden Star has fired up the clan’s imaginations, and suddenly everyone has an opinion on how to paint the next in the Star series, further opinions on which star will give this loco its name, and even ideas on what the next Star will pull, to include a set of midnight blue coaches named for constellations…or stars in those constellations…or Hawaiian navigation stars…
So much for this project-mandated sidequest. The next update should include a B’mann 10-wheeler in pieces awaiting its turn for the paint shop!
Have a great week!
Eric
