Ozark Miniatures 1:20 AND 1:22.5 SCALE DETAIL PARTS
Manufacturer: Ozark Miniatures, P.O. Box 22, Lynn Creek, MO 65052. Price: OM-108-2 double bar pilot and tender steps including nut-bolt-washer castings $2.50 per pair; OM-118 canvas water bags $2.50 per pair; OM-124 rectangular number plate with mounting screw $1.20 each; OM-125 smokebox cleanout plugs $2.30 per pair; OM-125-BR smokebox deck brace flange, 2 bolted, 2 riveted $2.00 per bag.
OZARK'S CURRENT CACHE of white metal detail castings fills a variety of voids.
The pilot steps have been out for some time, and thank goodness. For those of us too lazy or clumsy to work with brass, we need only drill a few holes, apply a couple of drops of cement, and insert eight nut-bolt-washer castings to finish off a locomotive or tender pilot beam. The width of the metal straps is about 2 1/2 inches in 1:20 scale and about 3 inches in 1:22.5 scale, both appropriate for many prototypes.
The canvas water bags also have been on the market and have provided detail and tremendous savings in detail fabrication time to countless modelers. So have the smokebox cleanout plugs and they are exactly the kind of detail you'll be glad somebody else built for you.
Ozark's rectangular number plate is new. Locomotives on both the Denver & Rio Grande and the Rio Grande Southern had such number plates even though, overall, they were less common than round ones.
Finally, the new smokebox boiler/deck brace flanges are a very welcome detail. They are, for example, an egregious omission from the LGB Mogul. I have tried to fabricate them myself and I'm glad Ozark has saved me the aggravation. They have even left a hole for the boiler brace. How thoughtful.
As usual, our samples were devoid of flash, the detail was crisp and clean, the proportions were credible, and the parts were ready to install. Each is an excellent product.-RR
