This review is on Bowser's HO scale A-5 0-4-0 switcher kit with the Super-Detail kit installed. The one reviewed is the newer version with a can motor instead of the old open-frame motor.The A-5's instructions are very easy to follow, with very simple steps for each thing and drawings to help show what to do. A hex screwdriver and riveting tool are included in the kit, so the only tools you need are a couple small flatblade screwdrivers, a small file, a few small drill bits and a small hammer for riveting. (I used a large metal wrench instead because I don't have a small hammer, but it works just as well ) Without the Super-Detail kit, the engine looks a little plain. The details took some work to install because the boiler isn't pre-drilled, and is also made of metal. Once the details are installed, the engine is very detailed and looks very close to pictures of the real engine. I ended up leaving a couple grab irons off because my drill bit broke. All the detail parts are soft lost-wax brass castings, except for the handrail wire, which is hard brass. The detail kit instructions include drawings and a few diagrams for bending wire. The decals are very thin and look very good when they're put on, except they're also very shiny. I suggest practicing with decals that you won't be using before actually trying to put them onto the engine. I learned the hard way, and ended up ruining the large "Pennsylvania" decal for the right side of the tender, so now only one side says "Pennsylvania". After the decals were dry, I put a little decal setting solution from Walthers on to make sure they didn't come off. The crew comes pre-painted and looks good. The couplers included in the kit are horn-hooks, but can be very easily replaced with Kadees. I used #58 scale sized couplers in mine and they work just fine, and are also at the correct height. When I put the trucks onto the tender, the rear truck support was a little too high, causing the tender to droop backwards, and would also short out on turns when the wrong wheel touched the metal shell. I put two metal washers between the truck and support to raise the tender to the proper height, which also stopped the shorting. The valve-gear isn't hard to assemble, as long as you follow the instructions and work slowly.The A-5 test ran very smoothly, with absolutely no wobbling. The motor is a 5-pole skewed armature can motor with a brass worm installed. The motor is also extremely quiet and very well balanced, and runs at a nice, low speed. It comes in it's natural silver color, so you may want to paint it Brunswick Green so it blends in a little more. When I ran the engine at 12 volts, it went at 59.32 scale MPH and drew 0.025 amps of current.(I don't mean 0.25 amps, I mean 0.025 amps ) The lowest speed I could keep it running steadily at was around 5 scale MPH. When I stalled it at 12 volts, it drew from 0.55 amps to .85 amps. The motor is isolated from the frame, and there's room in the cab or the tender for a small DCC decoder. There's also plenty of room in the tender for sound, and installation may require taping everything in because the tender doesn't even have a frame! The engine's all metal construction makes it very heavy. The engine alone weighs about 10 ounces, and the tender weighs another 6 oz., giving it a total weight of one pound. The gearbox has two black plastic gears in it, and the axle gear is also black plastic, so you don't have to worry about the gears wearing down. The gears are nearly silent, and only make a very, very slight growling, but it's almost completely unnoticable. The valve gear works very smoothly, as long as it's built and adjusted properly. The drive wheels are diecast metal, with nickle plated brass rims. The tender wheels are all brass, except for the platic insulation. The engine picks up electricity with two of it's drive wheels, and then the tender picks up electricity with another four. The electricity from the tender goes to the engine through the brass drawbar, so you don't want to paint over the drawbar mounts. The engine's drawbar pull is enough to pull 13 free-rolling cars without slipping much. The only slippage that happened was during acceleration. Because of the boiler's design, it may be hard to install a headlight bulb without very carefully planned drilling.Bowser's A-5 is an over-all very good steam engine. It runs as smooth and quiet as a high quality diesel, it's powerful, and with the detail kit, it's detailed enough to look good next to Spectrum or BLI steamers.
EDIT: I incorrectly stated that the motor has a 5-pole skewed armature. It's actually a somehow cogless 3-pole motor from Mabuchi (one of my favorite motors for repowering projects ).
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