Hi Rob,
The balance weight was on the kit and is nickel-silver - I assumed it was supplied but I suppose he may have made it up. I'd be surprised, given the way the rest of it has been slapped together.
The thing about the Sentinel is the weight - those cast sides weigh a ton and a single motor bogie IMO isn't up to the job in the long term. As and when I build mine I intend to look into a BullAnt chassis for it, which is a central motor driving both bogies. Not cheap, though. Bill Bedford does something similar but his is for the Class 117 parcels DMU specifically and may not adapt.
The Master Chassis is a bit of an indulgence but I had a tax rebate burning a hole in my pocket. Essentially it's a jig which you set up to suit your chassis which you then assemble on the jig - so everything is dead square and your coupling rods and axle centres match. Have a look at http://www.raymondwalley.com/flying_scotsman.htm for it in use. It also has a rolling road which bolts onto the top - so I now have one of those for the first time. No more upside down chassis melting their way through margarine tubs for me!
So what did we build for Christmas?
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