cctransuk

Indeed - but, unless one has the facilities to correct the balance, the flywheel is best left off. CJI.

But is it then Farish? CJI.

So received wisdom - almost never at first-hand - would have us believe! I cannot speak for their loco kits, but the DMUs are eminently buildable and, for their time, quite acceptable 'layout' models. Perhaps your friend was only accustomed to Airfix kits? CJI.

Having tried both flywheel and non-flywheel drive in otherwise identical kitbuilt locos, I am firmly of the opinion that flywheels add nothing to performance, and can cause additional noise and vibration. CJI.

Not keen on the sound or the lights - but the smoke effect is the best that I've seen. CJI.

Not Virgin Media, but we have a contractor for Wildernet ripping up every street in and around Bodmin at present! G*d knows why - Bodmin was the first place in Britain to get BT Highspeed Broadband, some twelve years ago, and we are now fully fibre connected. I cannot believe that a significant proportion of users are suddenly going to switch suppliers to Wildernet, but the works going on must be costing a fortune! CJI.

Err ... the wheels are double-flanged. Centre flanges run on tramway rail with a centre slot. CJI.

Those joints are a b*gger, aren't they? When I get on to my MTK Park Royal (Cl.103) kit, I'm considering reinforcing those joints with small countersunk screws, tapped into the whitemetal ends. It should be possible to 'lose' the screw heads with filing and filler. I have now completed the pair of Southern Pride Eastern Region Car Transporters, and am well into an Anbrico GWR streamlined railcar - the chassis is operational, and I SHOULD now be embarking on the bodywork. There's a kit for the unique GWR 'Lambourn Car', to fit the Lima chassis, to follow. John Isherwood.

Indeed, hence the 'IMHO'; in such matters we can only use our own best judgement. Time will tell! CJI.

Could I, with the greatest of respect for your superb treatment of these ancient kits, suggest a little more attention to the solebar / bufferbeam interface of the leading car? CJI.

Ah - that's where we differ; for me, a loco is for life, not just my attention-span. Unfortunately for my offspring, a mammoth task awaits on my demise - disposing of a lifetime's collection of model railway stock, and a mammoth library of railway books. I will not, from wherever I find myself, blame them for dumping the lot on dealers and realising only a tiny fraction of their true resale value. My model purchases must provide value for money IN MY LIFETIME - I will not see any personal financial return! CJI.

Aprototypical - not prototypical. Should the model have no lamps - YES. Will the novelty factor outweigh the negative polarising effect - I sincerely doubt it. CJI.

Because they are aprototypical, and I shouldn't have too. That's enough for me not to purchase several and to, reluctantly, proceed with my far more labour-intensive alternative Black Five projects. Keep it simple - but well-detailed, I say! CJI.

The question to answer is this - would the new Black Five have sold as well, or even better, WITHOUT working lamps, close-coupled(??) tender and 'bling' all over the place? IMHO, a resounding 'better' - I have two or three Black Five projects that I would willing have sold on, if only I could have had an 'Accurascale' standard model, without gimmicks that I would then have to remove. In this case (and others), Hornby are trying too hard - concentrate on producing quality models of popular prototypes, that are demonstrably superior to what is already on the market. Ditch the gimmicks - they are more trouble than they are worth! CJI.

....... or, develop the concept for the additional couple of years BEFORE announcing it, and really wow the market with a proper system. Releasing a half-*rsed product merely generates adverse publicity, and condemns the whole concept from the outset. The rush to recoup the cost of development always triumphs, though - I can hear the bean-counters in the boardroom now - "When are we going to see a return on investment"? CJI.