andyman7

Well I'm not supposed to be buying any more steam locos but the opportunity to buy one of these at a discount plus use a heap of loyalty points was too good to pass up. Anyhow it turned up today, as I got it it was still sealed in the outer cardboard carton so I'm the first to open it since it left the factory but I could hear a rattle and sure enough it was obvious there were a few detached parts. Being pretty experienced at this superdetail malarky I followed SOP (= standard operating procedure) which is to unpack carefully on a sterile surface (i.e. not on the carpet...) and recover everything that might be loose. This paid dividends as one of the front buffers was loose in the pack and a younger, less experienced me wouldn't have realised until later that this means a near invisible tiny spring lurking somewhere there - duly captured and contained. One tender footstep was also folded back on itself - again definitely a factory issue - but the plastic is soft and I could fold it back without it snapping off. At this point I tested the model as I wasn't going to put it back together if the running was faulty, but it was smooth and sweet straight out of the box. Anyway the buffer and spring snapped into place but I'm left with two bits I cannot identify the location for. One is (in 4mm scale) a tiny tap handle. I think it may have come from the cab interior but there isn't an obvious one missing. This piece literally looked like a piece of grit when the box was opened, it's only my Spidey Senses that these days know that such 'grit' is often a detached part. The second piece ought to be more obvious to locate but I haven't worked it out - a green footstep-shaped piece except I can't see anything like that missing from the model. If anyone can confirm the location of these bits I'd be grateful, for now they can live in the details bag. It is a very pretty loco and the green really 'pops', I'm so glad it isn't one of those dull insipid finishes.

Photos of the tweaked DJH Class 25. Compare with the pictures further up which are as it came to me.

Re that Bachmann edition, I remember being disappointed that the TOPS numbers were rendered in Rail Alphabet on the model - the real thing having the serif typeface. It's not like there was a shortage of reference material either!

Can I be permitted another shout out for the Mainline Mk1 RBR - what other 43 year old RTR model could sit in an Accurascale rake and actually look pretty decent?

I can help with the destination blind as I managed to acquire one at a transport auction last week 🙂

I'm sure others will have good suggestions - I'm at that stage where I'd go to my box of oval buffers accumulated over many years and dig out four matching ones of indeterminate manufacture, on the basis that it will look a lot better than the Lima ones!

As others have said, EPBs. Lots of EPBs. Lots and lots of EPBs 🙂

Yes, you want to fit oval buffers, those puny little round rivets that Lima called buffers bore no relation to the actual equipment fitted to Mk1s. Most if not all loco hauled compartment Mk1s had wood panelled interior corridors so your guess is correct.

Now there are more allegations concerning Mohammed Ben Sulayem https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/68465516 The irony is that F1 is currently all over the media, for reasons entirely unconnected with any excitement on the racetrack.

If you use Mk1 sideframes just remove the tiebar at the bottom linking the axleboxes and bolster as that feature is missing from the DMU bogie frames

It's relative of course - compared to warmed over LMS painted Triang or Lima Mk1s these coaches were delectable when they came out. The BR Maroon ones had no smoking and 1st class window labels printed - the first time I have ever seen this on a UK RTR model!

I took the body off the DJH Class 25 and traced the problem to a single seized bearing in one of the cardan shafts - now sorted. However I have decided to make a few small refinements too - D5233 has magically become D5238 which was the first 25/2 without a boiler and thus now within the correct number range for this kit; the translucent roof panel has been painted in and an exhaust port added; and I am replacing the headcodes with ones using the correct typeface. The only other odd thing about how this had been made up were the two lamp brackets on each end - as delivered, the Class 25s normally had three, none of which were in the positions used on this model as built; they were, however, in about the right place for the headboard brackets, so a quick snip and some paint matched touching up, and headboard brackets they will become. Photos to follow in due course.

Indeed, I'm in two minds whether to renumber (D5238 would actually be an easy fix) and fit more accurate blind numbers (I well recall that until Fox Transfers there were only these rather 'thick' headcode numerals available)

The DJH Class 25 is a rare example of a Diesel Electric kit from that august manufacturer and probably about as far apart from MTK as it's possible to get. I have an unbuilt one in my pile but took the opportunity to bid on a built one that was in an auction this week. It's a lovely build, clearly of some vintage but produces a model that knocks spots off anything that came before Heljan/SLW/upcoming Bachmann. It's buzzing but not moving at the moment, I suspect a seizure in the driveline due to dried lubricant so will need to clean that up. But a super addition to my D & E kitbuilt collection.

Yes, it should be as - prior to the current releases - the blue-grey ones should all have the compartment windows opened up, although I suspect that some were subsequently swapped by owners with blue or NSE versions, so beware of any examples that may have come to you secondhand

I've been perusing this whole thread this evening to while away the time. The story of the Hornby 4 VEP encapsulates so much of the chaos that seems to have surrounded Hornby for the past 15 years or so. The early pages cover the anticipation and then the disappointment of the first issues with their various deficiencies. Comparison was made with the quality and price of the Bachmann 4 CEP. Around page 65-66, in late 2014 the blue grey version appears, delayed and with virtually no fanfare. It was been made in the Sanda Kan facility which was at that point closing down. There's some disappointment that the model still has traction tyres, still no pinpoint axles, motor still in the non-Guard's end of the MBS and no changes to the cab 'face' but motor gearing is improved, the corridor sections have internal compartment windows modelled and the finish wins praise. The model retails at around £160 Two months later it is being offered by Kernow at £99, Hornby with undue haste apparently seeking to clear the model, and leaving many buyers frustrated at have shelled out full price. Nothing is then heard of the model for the best part of a decade until the SWT/Southern versions are announced. Despite the delay, the model does now really seem transformed. A new chassis with diecast frame, motor now at the 'right' end of the MBS, no traction tyres, pinpoint axles, cab face revised, lovely complex livery application, revised couplings means pretty much all the shortcomings have been addressed - and the price is now comfortably cheaper than Bachmann's CEPs. What a transformation! Oh, and the Blue Grey one is now highly sought after - topping £300 in secondhand prices these days, so anyone who paid full price and still has their model hasn't done too badly in the end either.

The prices for these screws from specialist spares suppliers tend to reflect the cost and hassle of processing the sale, No-one's going to get rich on £1 per screw because not that many get sold. However, the best course of action is wherever possible to ascertain the screw thread size and just get it from a screw supplier.

When I look I can order from Rails too. I'm sure these were out of stock a while back so I don't think the stock is ancient. There also seems to be a spec change dated 2018 with the Xpressnet ports reduced from 2 to 1. So I'm not sure it's quite so long since at least some deliveries. I suspect that supplies are interrupted due to a combination of the components used and the far east manufacture. I'd definitely look for a secondhand unit if I wanted to buy another. For what its worth I've found the Elite to be OK for what I want which is a functional DCC controller that's a step up from the basic but still plug and play. Yes, the Hornby casing lacks the heft and quality of better brands but the twin controller set up and ability to upgrade the firmware mean that 15 years after purchase it still does the job. In comparison my Bachmann Dynamis is restricted to 20 functions which these days doesn't cut it.

If I recall correctly, the wagon is fitted with a clockwork spring knob on the platform which is wound up. The helicopter is located so that the rotor is linked to the knob. When the trigger is released the spring quickly unwinds and spins the rotor which caused the helicopter to fly up and away. If the spring in the wagon is broken it won't work...

At RRP I totally agree. I've got one bought in around 2009 for just over £100. I was able to update the firmware to the current version. At that price it's a useful bit of kit for testing/operating DCC fitted models.

The Hornby Elite has 2 knobs....

The weathering is indeed printed and is not a subsequent pass of the 'dirt' airbrush. It's applied in layers but unless you want an expensive test there's no telling which bits will come off first. One other thing to note with this type of weathering is that the base BR blue is a faded shade - there's no 'pristine' model under there.

No, Triang-Hornby changed to Code 100 rail in 1970 and the 'new' 1978 Turntable was always Code 100. The change to Nickel Silver rail was made to the track range in 1993. No, it was before the move to China. The very last locomotive to be made with an X.03 motor and Magnadhesion was the R866 Battle of Brighton 'Fighter Pilot' deleted at the end of the 1989 season. That cleared the way for the change from steel rails, the track was still made in Austria by Roco under contract although 'special' pieces such as the isolating tracks (and the turntable tracks) were made in Margate,

An option with the blanked off matt black approach would be to have the interior of just one house modelled with a clear/perspex viewing window. That would create a feature/talking point!

Change is never easy but all good things come to an end. All I can say is the Hattons story finishes on a high because of the manner in which it came to its conclusion. I can't recall the closure of a single other major organisation done with such careful organisation, compassion and style.