I am neither skilled nor equipped for etching, besides, there's probably not enough of a meerkat for fantasy nameplates.....
Matters have moved on a little with the 4-8-2 this weekend. Although this only shows a very rough first undercoat of blue over the thus far modified areas, it helps to test the quality of my surface finish and starts to give a more complete impression of the final appearance.
Here's a closer view of some of the jobs done: Additional handrail knobs fitted, ejector pipe extended with plastic rod and wire stubs to dowel the joints, then refitted with a couple of twists of fusewire representing the extra clips, impression of sandfiller hatch taken in silicone and replica cast in resin fitted to boiler cladding, multitude of PVA dots (less one that has fallen off) representing rivets etc in modified areas of bodywork. These latter have turned out just a little "heavier" than Hornby's moulded rivets, but not too bad I feel.
Whilst I've done no more than stick some five-sided pieces of black plastikard to the inside lower edges of my frame extensions to achieve the effect, I thought there probably ought to be a basic suggestion of springs below the new axle too.
Also cooking on the back-burner at present is, I hope, a good silicone impression of a very nice brass A4 double chimney that I "acquired" off a cheap and now dismantled kit loco body. All being well I can then resin-cast a small quantity of nice chimneys and fit a "double" on both this 4-8-2 and on yet another A4 destined for metamorphosis to W1. Ideally I'll manage to turn out some for "stock" too, should other projects or fellow needy modellers require them.