Nearholmer Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 (edited) As a 'coarse' chap, who has quite a few Darstaed coaches, can I offer some thoughts to 'fine' chaps? When Darstaed get something right, it can be exceedingly good. Witness, for instance, an LMS BG that I have, in the fancy lined livery (Period1?), the tin-printing on which is absolutely beautiful, full depth of colour, fine and accurate lining etc. However, they've historically had two achilles' heels: wildly optimistic guesses at delivery dates, which, to be fair, seems a common problem among many suppliers; and, serious quality control shortcomings, which isn't really a common problem. I've had the lighting on a rake of coaches go up like a Roman candle because it was incorrectly wired, had a replacement loco when the first one ran like a bag of nails, only for the new one to be worse, and nuts and screws commonly fall off of the coach running gear, causing bits to detach. And I'm not alone in this: another 'coarse' person posted these words on another forum as I was typing this ".......I would not reserve one until I see it unless I can stop payment before purchase." Hopefully, they have now sorted the QC issues, but personally I would advise close inspection of goods before acceptance. When they are good they are very, very good, ........... Kevin Edited September 4, 2017 by Nearholmer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lofty55 Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 Hi, I took a few photos of the new Mk1's on the Ellis Clark stand on Sunday. They had two in a glass display cabinet so any specks and smudges are more likely to be from the cabinet or my iPhone, rather than the finish.. Enjoy Dave 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 Thanks for posting those photos Dave, particularly the bottom two where some of the detail around the doors and window frames can be seen more clearly. I think with a bit of weathering (not to much though) they can be brought to life a little more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 Look miles ahead of the Heljan Mk1s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddys-blues Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 Thanks for those pictures, it's difficult to make out properly on my crappy iPhone 4, but are the handles and hinges printed onto the livery or are they actually seperate detail parts ? Best regards Craig 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGR Hooper! Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 Thanks for those pictures, it's difficult to make out properly on my crappy iPhone 4, but are the handles and hinges printed onto the livery or are they actually seperate detail parts ? Best regards Craig On my laptop screen the handles look like separate wire. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossard Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 These do look very impressive. I worry about the earlier comment about them being shorter by 10mm than Heljan Mk 1 coaches. I would very much like to know whether the body and bogie lengths are correct. If they are accurate in the basic dimensions, I'm in for a couple. I agree with Sarah, the handles do look to be separate. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Dava Posted September 4, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 4, 2017 The display samples at Guildex looked to be scale length with separately applied details The effect overall is much better than moulded plastic sides, not at all like Hornby old style printed tinplate A train of these will be impressive and you can't argue with the price Dava Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 I was told also on the Scale Link stand that the corridor connection is magnetic so the remain together on bends etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGR Hooper! Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 If I'm not mistaken, magnets can be seen also Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 You could well be right. If I'm not mistaken, magnets can be seen also Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddys-blues Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 Just another quick question for those in the know are these coaches coming un-numbered ? Best regards Craig Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 I believe so with a sheet of numbers in the box. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddys-blues Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 For what I have read and seen they are looking like a good price for the sets of 4, I only need a 3 coach rake so I would just sell on one of the brake ends. Craig 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 I now see that the 2nd/3rd corridor I need is actually an open excursion diagram, so now it's down to the Brake corridor third coach. Still one is better than nowt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltic17 Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 Thanks for posting photos....... Firstly these do look nice and the curvature/tumblehome looks pretty good or certainly as far as I can see from the photographs. I'm more of a Blue & Grey expert although this minor observation applies probably not just to Blue & Grey - are the window frames a little bit too rounded/raised?. I think they should be a bit more flat but overall they have certainly seem to have captured the Mk1 well which is what us modellers want. Finally I see on the ScaleLink web pages (lots of detail now and a good read) it states the Blue & Grey ones will come with Commonwealth bogies - whilst some of the later Mk1's had commonwealth bogies in the Blue/Grey era many/most? still ran with the BR Mk1 bogie so that is a oversight I think. It would be great if both options were available. I might have a chat with them if it is not too late! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark54 Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 Unless my eyes are deceiving me, there is something horribly wrong with the BSK. It's been produced in mirror image, with the corridor and compartments/toilet on the wrong sides!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltic17 Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 Unless my eyes are deceiving me, there is something horribly wrong with the BSK. It's been produced in mirror image, with the corridor and compartments/toilet on the wrong sides!!! Yes - very well spotted. I'm no expert but just looking at some BSK photos on Flickr I see what you mean...... STOP PRODUCTION!!!! That has to be sorted - what a shame - unless the production ones are correct and these were just early samples but worrying non the less. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossard Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 According to Shamrock trains website: https://www.shamrocktrains.com/posts/darstaed-44cm-scale-length-british-railways-mk1-coaching-stock-photos/ these are 44cm in length which translates to 63' 6" near enough. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Cuttle Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 Yes - very well spotted. I'm no expert but just looking at some BSK photos on Flickr I see what you mean...... STOP PRODUCTION!!!! That has to be sorted - what a shame - unless the production ones are correct and these were just early samples but worrying non the less. According to drawings in Parkins book it is a corridor composite which is fine. Regards Alan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Hal Nail Posted September 5, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 5, 2017 (edited) According to drawings in Parkins book it is a corridor composite which is fine. Regards Alan The top photo with the brake end? Suggestion is the corridor would be on the near side and the toilet window on the far side, when seen with the brake end to the right, which a quick Google images search seems to support. Edited September 5, 2017 by Hal Nail Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Cuttle Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 The top photo with the brake end? Suggestion is the corridor would be on the near side and the toilet window on the far side, when seen with the brake end to the right, which a quick Google images search seems to support.Yes you are right, i was looking further down. How come nobody has noticed it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
djparkins Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 (edited) According to drawings in Parkins book it is a corridor composite which is fine. Regards Alan The photo in post No.28 is of what purports to be a Brake Second [bSK] - not a Brake Third!, or a Brake Composite. And even if it were, the sides on a BCK are also NOT mirror images of each other. The BSK in the photo is of a coach that doesn't and hasn't existed. You are looking at what should be the corridor side and hence no lav. window present. That should be on the other side, but if the sides are indeed a mirror-image, then quite how that would work internally on a BSK I cannot imagine, unless the passengers are sharing a toilet! It is the most obvious of many glaring faults, but I won't list the twenty seven I've so far identified, as I know what happens to those who criticise RTR stuff. Whilst I fully appreciate that many of the smaller inaccuracies won't matter too much if you just want a rake of coaches to run round the garden, I think it would be safe to assume that everyone reading this thread would 'draw the line' at buying a coach that is just wrong, to the point of being fictitous. David Parkins Modern Motive Power Edited September 5, 2017 by djparkins 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim.snowdon Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 The photo in post No.28 is of what purports to be a Brake Second [bSK] - not a Brake Third!, or a Brake Composite. And even if it were, the sides on a BCK are also NOT mirror images of each other. The BSK in the photo is of a coach that doesn't and hasn't existed. You are looking at what should be the corridor side and hence no lav. window present. That should be on the other side, but if the sides are indeed a mirror-image, then quite how that would work internally on a BSK I cannot imagine, unless the passengers are sharing a toilet! It is the most obvious of many glaring faults, but I won't list the twenty seven I've so far identified, as I know what happens to those who criticise RTR stuff. Whilst I fully appreciate that many of the smaller inaccuracies won't matter too much if you just want a rake of coaches to run round the garden, I think it would be safe to assume that everyone reading this thread would 'draw the line' at buying a coach that is just wrong, to the point of being fictitous. David Parkins Modern Motive Power I wouldn't be so sure of that. It may be a mirror image of what it should be, but looks to be quite a good representation of a BR Mark 1 brake nonetheless. It isn't a model intended to stand scrutiny at 2", and in that price bracket never would be. Nor is everyone, garden railway or not, either clued up or into nth degree detail, so long as it looks the part, and seen in the normal context, it does. As it is, I have several items of 7mm scale rolling stock that are entirely plausible but never existed, and it is really quite rare that anyone spots them as fictional when they get run on the layout at shows. Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeseerider Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 I find these issues with the BSK shocking. I don't understand how any of us could accept it in that state. I don't agree with Jim's last comment. I respect that we all have different priorities and tolerances of inaccuracies, but this is madness I would think for most o gauge modellers. Why would I spend £750 for a set of 4 coaches, 2 of which are plain wrong and, as was said earlier, fictitious? That's enough money for me to care about this. Most of us care about accuracy here. I hope Darstaed gets informed of this ridiculous issue. Regards, Thomas Wallner 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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