King James II is progressing nicely. I am taking my time - isn't that what retirement is all about? - and enjoying most of it immensely. There is something about white metal soldering that is very rewarding. A bit of brinkmanship, perhaps, with those 25 watts of heat ready to melt a tiny part. The alternative is CA glue which seems like cheating. OK, I did glue on the wheel balance weights!

The motor having been fitted and tested, I decided the next chore would be the brakes. This is not my favorite pastime and I know I can and will do better next time. But the fiddling is a bit of a challenge for my clumsy old fingers. That being said, when the last piece is soldered the entire spider's web suddenly gains a surprising strength. I was so pleased I gave the chassis a coat of primer:

And at the same time put the front bogie together:

While the paint dried I turned my attention to the tender and added a few details:

I have decided to use Alan Gibson sprung pickups this time round, on all six drivers. The nylon bushes are now in place:

Next up, the cylinders, slide bars and motion. The original King had white metal slide bars and therein was a significant weakness. This time the slide bars are lost wax brass. I found that the old frame was a very useful jig for assembling the cylinder/hanger/slide bar unit, using white blu-tack and sellotape. Once everything was squre and true, out came the soldering iron and low temperature solder:

And the assembly was transferred to the new chassis and fitted to the body:

Next, the first of the two connecting rods has been fitted. Again, the original kit had white metal rods but this time I can use nickel silver. I like the updated design using a very small brass BA bolt and nut:

All this progress has been at the expense of some other priorities, so I may not get much done this coming week.