diff --git a/src/lib/diff/gen-node.hpp b/src/lib/diff/gen-node.hpp
index 8daca99eb..6fd239cad 100644
--- a/src/lib/diff/gen-node.hpp
+++ b/src/lib/diff/gen-node.hpp
@@ -281,32 +281,16 @@ namespace diff{
   
   template<>
   inline GenNode&&
-  Rec::Mutator::genNode()
+  MakeRec::genNode()
   {
-    UNIMPLEMENTED("wrap newly built Record into a new GenNode instance");
+    return std::move (GenNode(std::move(record_)));
   }
   
   template<>
   inline GenNode&&
-  Rec::Mutator::genNode(string const& symbolicID)
+  MakeRec::genNode(string const& symbolicID)
   {
-    UNIMPLEMENTED("wrap newly built Record into a new named GenNode instance");
-  }
-  
-  template<>
-  template<typename...ARGS>
-  inline Rec::Mutator&
-  Rec::Mutator::attrib (ARGS&& ...args)
-  {
-    UNIMPLEMENTED("split sequence of arguments into key-value pairs and use these to populate the attributes collection");
-  }
-  
-  template<>
-  template<typename...ARGS>
-  inline Rec::Mutator&
-  Rec::Mutator::scope (ARGS&& ...args)
-  {
-    UNIMPLEMENTED("split sequence of arguments and build GenNode instances from them, to populate scope collection");
+    return std::move (GenNode(symbolicID, std::move(record_)));
   }
   
   
diff --git a/src/lib/diff/record.hpp b/src/lib/diff/record.hpp
index b9faa6e47..2e1fe7714 100644
--- a/src/lib/diff/record.hpp
+++ b/src/lib/diff/record.hpp
@@ -413,11 +413,34 @@ namespace diff{
       VAL&& genNode();
       VAL&& genNode(string const& symbolicID);
       
-      template<typename...ARGS>
-      Mutator& attrib (ARGS&& ...);
+      template<typename X, typename...ARGS>
+      Mutator& attrib (string const& key, X const& initialiser, ARGS&& ...args)
+        {
+          set (key, VAL(initialiser));
+          return attrib (std::forward<ARGS>(args)...);
+        }
+
+      template<typename X>
+      Mutator&
+      attrib (string const& key, X const& initialiser)
+        {
+          set (key, VAL(initialiser));
+          return *this;
+        }
       
-      template<typename...ARGS>
-      Mutator& scope (ARGS&& ...);
+      template<typename X, typename...ARGS>
+      Mutator& scope (X const& initialiser, ARGS&& ...args)
+        {
+          appendChild (VAL(initialiser));
+          return scope (std::forward<ARGS>(args)...);
+        }
+      
+      template<typename X>
+      Mutator& scope (X const& initialiser)
+        {
+          appendChild (VAL(initialiser));
+          return *this;
+        }
       
     };