oOld Harry 666

Why not answer the question instead of just trying to be condescending? If you are so concerned about total fidelity why are you interested in OO gauge models with the incorrect gauge/scale combination. Oh sorry that was Hornby's fault too.

Any chance of you ever saying something positive about any Hornby product?

I think you will find that 9017 is in BR black. Please also note that the description went with a photo. of the loco in its preserved condition so even if it were innocent there is an element of mis representation here. However any brochure is only, legally, an invitation to treat and not an offer that is fine, however my choice is not to buy, I don't want to mess about with a model as you suggest thank you.

In the case 0f 9017 it would have the incorrect tender and the dome would be black instead of brass. The nameplates are the least of the problem.

Original Bachmann Trade newsletter, 9017, as preserved on the Bluebell Railway. Not a definite promise perhaps sufficiently ambiguous as to be misleading, especially as in both the trade Newsletter and the brochure it was used with a photograph of 9017 as preserved.

I am not a Great Western or Western Region modeller, however when they were announced I decided I would have a model of 9017, as preserved, their original description. Now it appears as it is in 1955 condition with the incorrect tender for preservation, no nameplates and painted dome (I know the nameplates are easily rectified)I think I can live without this model - mine can go to someone who really wants a 1955 condition loco.

At least it would not have to move more than a yard or so before it stops for workshop attention.

Ah, but have you thought they may have heard a 'Chinese whisper' that Hornby may have been looking at developing this model and that they have jumped in and announced theirs as a spoiling tactic?

I take your point, having said that the boiler fittings will be separate fittings I would have thought, the footplate and cab certainly will be. I would think that there would be less tooling alternatives required than Hornby have needed for their A1/A3 Gresley Pacifics.

I suspect that by the time we actually see these models released (probably 2016 adding a year on to Bachmann's suggestions to be more in line with their recent timescales) the H2 will have been joined by the C1 GNR Atlantic. After all the differences were actually marked in red ink on a set of GNR drawings!

In the engineering world there is a saying "if it looks right it probably is right" and this applied to Gresley locos whereas Thompson's efforts proved to be the exact opposite, i.e. the looked wrong and, at least in the mechanical changes that made them look wrong, were wrong!

I am glad that such final decisions can be made from photos on a Facebook site. With this expert analysis we can make thousands of development and production engineers redundant, when any manufacturer designs any new product just put a photo on facebook and all these self proclaimed experts can tell the manufacturer what is wrong with the design and what it's life expectancy is.

Is someone having a laugh?