Hi Richard,
To be honest, prior to fixing the cabs in place, the panels didn't look more then 1mn short overall, and the roof looked only around 1mm too long. (See photo of loco straight from the box below)
I spoke with Laurie, prior to fitting the panels. He was happy to replace them, but was hesitant as to wether the replacements would be any better, given the dimensions I gave him.
Once the cabs were firmly in place, and a bit of flexing had disappeared the gaps became more apparent. I didn't notice the slight twist at the bottom of one side until I came to glue it in place.
The roof panel wasn't a problem, as it just needed a careful sanding at each end and now fits perfectly.
On reflection, yes I should have replaced the side panels, but now the work has been done to fill the gaps, it does look very nice, and won't be noticeable (I hope!)
It certainly wouldn't prevent me from buying another, and in the future I may do.
I ran it up and down what is left of my layout last night, and with the ABC motor bogie, Legomanbiffo's sound project and
@Cliff Williams 35 mm speaker, it's a dream of a loco
I'm spending the weekend making sure every joint is perfect and smooth and only then will I prime and paint.
I'm sure Laurie would still replace the whole lot if necessary, he did so without question when I had problems with my GUV.
When I move on to my class 22, I will be far more critical with the fit on the dry runs. However, you get a second chance on the later locos as the panels screw to the chassis prior to glueing. On the Hymek everything is glued.
The body side panels were around 2mm short, and the roof panel around 2mm too long. The roof panel wasn't a problem, I just took 1mm off each end.
