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apollanaut

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  • Location
    Whangarei, New Zealand
  • Interests
    Railways of the UK and NZ. As a modeller, I have always preferred LMS/London Midland region steam/transition era.

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  1. My last orders from Hattons were the LMS and BR versions of Hornby’s Turbomotive, which both arrived in NZ within 2 weeks of placing the order. I have always had excellent service from Hattons, including a few returns which they handled very well and provided replacement models or refunds without any fuss. They have been my preferred supplier for many years and will be greatly missed!
  2. I started using TMC's services after my brother sent me a custom-weathered Bachmann Deltic for last year's birthday present. I thought they did a great job for a very affordable price, so I now order my new models from TMC whenever I want to add a few extra enhancements or install a quality bespoke sound decoder. My most recent purchase was Hornby's Lord Rodney in early BR livery, with an added crew, real coal and a full-fat sound project from Youchoos. I finally got to test it on my layout this week and am absolutely delighted with their work. It's clear to me that they must thoroughly test the models following a complex sound installation, as I've only needed much shorter running-in sessions to achieve maximum performance. The Lord Nelson is no exception, and I'll post some photos on the appropriate thread in due course. And your TMC-weathered Clan looks absolutely superb, Rob!
  3. I’m now reunited with my layout after months of being trapped in Auckland’s lockdown, so yesterday was finally able to give Clan Stewart its first test run. Just a quick running in session using my ancient DC controller, but I was suitably impressed by its outstanding running qualities straight from the box. I still consider my 2009 Clan MacGregor to be one of Hornby’s best performers of its day, but the motor in this upgraded version is on another level entirely. Smooth, powerful, fast and very, very quiet! Next job is to install a spare Britannia TTS decoder in the tender. Yeah, I know, “TTS”, “ sacrilege”, “cheap and nasty”, blah, blah. blah…. You get what you pay for, I suppose, but the Brit sounds are actually fairly decent for a budget sound decoder (I’ve installed a couple already). I figure the Clans would have sounded very similar to their larger cousins, so it will keep me more than happy for now. I haven’t yet mastered the skills to tackle a high-spec sound decoder/speaker installation but will one day get a round tuit… Incidentally, does anyone know if there’s a quality Clan sound project available from the usual DCC suppliers?
  4. Great photos Rob, as usual! I’m also the proud owner of 72009, which I purchased from Ironhorse Hobbies in Christchurch as they were selling it at more-or-less the same price as the UK retailers. I simply had to have this version because it’s also my namesake loco (my first name is actually Stewart!). I’m on the fence regarding the green footplate, as I’ve studied the photos of the prototypes and agree that it’s hard to tell what the actual colour is from old shots of grimy, hard-working Clans in action. But there’s one area where the new version is a distinct improvement on my older model of Clan MacGregor. The clarity, hue and sharpness of the numerals and fine lining is much better on the 2021 version than my older model: as shown in these closeups I took of the two cabsides for comparison:
  5. I’ll be more than happy to report back here once I’ve had a chance to install the alternative bogie. I’ll even include some “before and after” photos to help you decide if you want to do this for your model. I do recall that installing the bogie on my red and gold King George VI model was a little fiddly, so I will also share any tips I may have for doing this yourself. I’ll next be visiting the house where my layout is based during the first weekend in June, so I hope you don’t mind waiting until then!
  6. Sorry for the late reply, but I am just catching up on recent Rmweb posts. I have fitted the larger front bogie to one of the newest streamlined Hornby Coronations (King George VI) and also to an older “NRM Special Edition” streamlined Duchess of Hamilton. Both locos perform well on my layout, including navigating 2nd radius points in sidings at low speed. My double track main line uses large radius curves (approximately 33” on the outer circuit and 26” on the inner one) with express points and both locos happily romp along at scale speeds in excess of 100 mph. The older Hornby version has always been an excellent runner, but doesn’t quite have the haulage power of the latest tooling. The larger bogie wheels do make a big difference to the appearance of these excellent Hornby models. My next job is to fit the alternative bogie to my blue and silver Queen Elizabeth model, as I’m looking forward to seeing it haul my recently acquired set of matching Coronation Scot coaches.
  7. I visited the NRM back in 2014, finally fulfilling a lifetime’s dream of seeing a fully streamlined Coronation Pacific in person. I spent a small age worshiping at the Art Deco altar of this spectacular restoration, but was equally enthralled by the accompanying Stanier coach in matching Maroon and Gold livery. I know that livery only existed on the set that accompanied Duchess of Hamilton on its tour of the USA. However the coach livery gave me a powerful insight into an alternate reality where WWII never happened and the elegance of the late 1930s continued well into the 1940s (and possibly beyond). I have the full set of blue Coronation coaches on pre-order, but would be willing to shell out my hard-earned cash for a second rake in lined maroon and gold should Hornby provide this at a later date (a likely proposition given the popularity of the first release!) Even better would be an accompanying Hamilton loco, dressed up as Coronation with the bell and lights for its US adventures.....
  8. I bought the Crosti 9F pre-fitted with TTS sound when it first came out. The running qualities of this model are at least as good as my two Bachmann 9Fs, in power, reliability and smooth slow-speed running capabilities. The sound quality is also above average for a basic TTS decoder/speaker. The combination of excellent performance and halfway decent sounds have made this my main heavy freight workhorse ever since. There's something quite hypnotic about watching the motion of a slow-moving large freight loco trundling around my roundy-roundy layout. it's almost like meditation.....
  9. I've been considering buying a membership for some time, but this offer will probably push me into doing so. I had been considering the unlined green version, but would far prefer the fully lined BR green livery.
  10. Thanks for sharing your experience with these couplings. I remember reading a review when they first came out, but was put-off when the reviewer had doubts about the magnets' ability to hold together under the weight of a lengthy express or long goods train. I note you have used them on a HST, so was wondering if you had tested them with other medium to long trains (say, eight coaches plus or equivalent)?
  11. At a loose end under lockdown, I took advantage of the evening sun on my balcony to take some more photos of Princess Marie Louise:
  12. A few attempts to capture the blue livery under different lighting:
  13. I managed to find an hour before bedtime to admire Her Royal Highness in all her shimmering beauty and take a few quick photos. But it was enough to realise how special she is. My first impressions were that this model represents the pinnacle of Hornby’s model making excellence, surpassing even Princess Elizabeth! Just like the prototype there are so many detail variations, both large and small, from the earlier model that it feels almost like an entirely new tooling. And the rendering of the tricky early BR blue livery simply takes the breath away! It’s one of those glorious colours that shifts in hue and tone and depth according to the ambient lighting, It shifts from an almost purple-violet at one extreme to a subdued but pleasant pale blue at the other. And the satin sheen is the best I’ve seen on recent models. How Hornby managed to achieve this stunningly complex livery is beyond me. Because of the lockdown I’m stuck in Auckland, away from my layout so cannot yet directly compare it with Princess Elizabeth. But I’ll have plenty of spare time at the weekend to take some more photos, which I will share here if possible. It will be interesting to see other’s photos of the blue livery, as I expect they will demonstrate how much it changes under different lighting conditions.
  14. And I must have been a very good boy, for the Model Railway Gods smiled upon me and allowed this Blue Beauty to arrive in NZ a few hours before the 4 week lockdown commenced:
  15. For more recent models, Hornby’s excellent Crosti 9F is hard to beat. I picked up mine a few years ago on sale from a local supplier for a ridiculously cheap price, all with TTS sound which sounds quite good on this model (possibly because of the cavernous tender space). It’s been the go-to heavy freight hauler on my layout ever since. I’ve never had to service or even lubricate it, but it’s as smooth-running and powerful as when I bought it. It really should be properly weathered to reflect the filthy state of the real things, but I haven’t yet had the courage to spoil the beautiful black sheen of Hornby’s original paint job:
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