Hi to all. This is not an in-depth review - just a photo, video and a few comments. If you've not seen this signal yet click here (http://www.ayanami.co.uk/test/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=398 ) and find probably the cheapest working British outline signal kit out there! I shouldn't be the one writing this as I was pointed towards the product by the Fat Controller (cheers Steve) who bought one and built it to demonstrate it to me and I was sold (two in fact). The signal post is wood (basswood I think but I'm not sure). The signal arm, base, counterweight, post finial and lamp are resin and there is a length of wire to connect arm with said weight. Also supplied are coloured lenses. The arm is lower quadrant and is only available with a squared off end to give a home board (I'm hoping Model Town produce alternative arms) but those amongst you with a suitable saw could easily make this into a fish-tailed distant signal should you desire.
The difficult part for me was the painting :'( , but at least it was all pretty basic. Matt white on the post with matt black on the base. A little brown acrylic around the lamp and the rest (as per the photo) was gloss black, white and red.
The base includes a fastening point so that the signal can be secured in the 'off' position but I wanted it to work so the idea is to attach to a point operating lever using fishing wire and pulleys (I'll let you know how I get on) so it was important to me that the counterweight did its job. To this end I drilled out the round part with a 6mm drill and inserted a small amount of wrapped and squeezed roofing lead I had available.
The kit comes with coloured lenses (three of each colour) and, of course you only need one of each, but as Steve pointed out the others make good spacers/washers between the signal post and the arm and counterweight.
I drilled out the resin signal lamp and inserted a white LED.
Now that one sentence makes it sound easy but that was probably the most difficult part of it all and when (if) I do it again I might have to think differently but I was trying to make a neatish job realising that it would be a little overscale. The wires protrude from the bottom of the lamp and I joined two yellow plastic drinking straws together to channel them down the signal post to the base where they will enter my cable trunking to the nearest location cupboard where the positive terminal will have a 300 ohm resistor attached in series.
The only thing left to do is paint the straws to disguise them a little and (maybe) add a ladder for the poor old lampman (been there, done that &o )
Now (for me) the best bit. Click here for a short video of the signal in action using the patented signal operating finger 8D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDGIyIDFyNk
The difficult part for me was the painting :'( , but at least it was all pretty basic. Matt white on the post with matt black on the base. A little brown acrylic around the lamp and the rest (as per the photo) was gloss black, white and red.
The base includes a fastening point so that the signal can be secured in the 'off' position but I wanted it to work so the idea is to attach to a point operating lever using fishing wire and pulleys (I'll let you know how I get on) so it was important to me that the counterweight did its job. To this end I drilled out the round part with a 6mm drill and inserted a small amount of wrapped and squeezed roofing lead I had available.
The kit comes with coloured lenses (three of each colour) and, of course you only need one of each, but as Steve pointed out the others make good spacers/washers between the signal post and the arm and counterweight.
I drilled out the resin signal lamp and inserted a white LED.
Now that one sentence makes it sound easy but that was probably the most difficult part of it all and when (if) I do it again I might have to think differently but I was trying to make a neatish job realising that it would be a little overscale. The wires protrude from the bottom of the lamp and I joined two yellow plastic drinking straws together to channel them down the signal post to the base where they will enter my cable trunking to the nearest location cupboard where the positive terminal will have a 300 ohm resistor attached in series.
The only thing left to do is paint the straws to disguise them a little and (maybe) add a ladder for the poor old lampman (been there, done that &o )
Now (for me) the best bit. Click here for a short video of the signal in action using the patented signal operating finger 8D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDGIyIDFyNk
. I solved this one inadvertently when I tried to put the tiniest amount of Zap A Gap CA into the recess and, sure enough, flooded the space with lens in situ. To my relief the glue dries transparent so I stuck the rest using the same ham-fisted method 
