robmcg

At last, a prototype matt black A3 with double chimney and no eflectors! I could paint that! Cheers from NZ and thanks Tony for the excellent thread all year.

I'm glad you got that sorted, after the initial trepidation, elation, disappointment, and eventually having a beautiful model of an interesting part of railway history. I tend to expect some errors in all RTR purcases these days, I was lucky with recent A2/2s and A2/3s with none being particularly bad, most were great, but then Hornby green doesn't offend me. Equally I have both the new Clans and they are great, but 72004 had no front top lamp holder, a minor thing. Both have poorly-fitted tender lower front sections, and someone noticed that both have the small cinder shields between the cab windows upside down, who would normally notice such thing? It's one of those things which having been seen cannot easily be 'unseen'. Minor issues. I'm still gretly impressed by Hornby getting such complex and delicate models into shops for typically under UKP200 with discount. Of the two W1s I have bought one was UKP164 after VAT came off, and one was UKP200, in each case, post being on top of that. Both of these R3840s are still stuck in the UK at airports waiting for room on flights, or the scanning people are trying to manage the big volumes of traffic, so I shall have to be patient. As to QC I think I have about a 50-50 chance of a good clean one with anything minor easily fixable, but that's entirely a guess, when with A2s it seemed in the relevant thread here that they were commonly poor and yet all mine survived the 18,000kms fully intact. They are to my mind the best RTR done recently in 00. Condolences to all who have received damaged W1s, it's certainly very hard to work out whether Hornby are receiving lots of returns, or what they might do.

I have followed this thread with interest, and bought one of the last I could find on-line just over 2 weeks ago, yet to arrive as live in NZ, tracked but not yet scanned in NZ. Seeing the sad stories of rough handling and damage, and seeing another offer on line for new R3840 I bought that too. I wonder how much of the poor service is down to Covid, absenteeism and under-staffing or poor uninterested people doing the handling? Either way with two R3840s coming , my risks are halved, and I can sell the extra one and retire in luxury on the profits.

The other side of my TMC value-weathered Clan 72004, with pristine 72009 for comparison. Well pleased with both, smooth quiet runners on short test. Cheers

Two R3840s left at UKP240 at Olivias Trains. No connection.

I have similar misgivings about my order from TMC. But when I see the prices on Ebay it looks like even in bits it would be worth a mint. We shall see how the pre-xmas mail to NZ works out. Good luck.

For those who are interested, a TMC 'value weathered' R3995 BR 72004 'Clan MacGregor' . Not a bad starting point, I like the way the bright wheel rims have gone, and there is some soot along the front of the boiler-top. Photo in partly artificial light, it's less brown around the wheels in natural light. Cheers

8 R3840 left at Model Railways Direct now. no connection

That'll be partly caused by the engine being on a curve, making the wheel inboard and increasing the impression of a gap. Perchance?

The one thing which impresses me is the sheer finesse of the valve gear and above-cylinder detail, Hornby are very, very good at this. As to the packaging styles, mention was made of the transit brackets used around 2008-11 on Std 4MTs and Schools among others, and they worked well, but it meant that few were sold second hand with the brackets re-installed and thus many s/h models are damaged. I am sure a lot of effort goes into designing packaging for minimal damage, but delivery systems can be brutal, so there are always frustrating losses for both buyers and manufacturers.

TMC now give 'page not found' for R3840 and R3841. The R3840 I bought yesterday was despatched by Royal Mail to me with all the usual order number information. Tracking number, and so on. The only place left I have found to have stock is https://www.modelrailwaysdirect.co.uk/locomotives-steam/Hornby-r3840-lner-class-w1-hush-hush-4-6-4-10000-era-3/ 16 yesterday, 11 today. No connection I'm sure there are other sellers with stock but not many. And there is always Ebay... ?

Thankyou Market65, stunning!

Thanks Melmerby, I must have mis-read the stock level, I live in permanent optimism... and here is an un-edited advertising photo to remind us about this glorious experiment from the age of steam.

Very sad circumstance in the preceding posts. I'm inclined to think damage was done at the factory with ham-fisted unskilled packers. A dropped package or container wouldn't help. In spite of this I have found a seller with three R3840s in stock and it's TMC., from whom I buy an occasional model and they have always been excellent, so I bought one. One retailer in my web search claimed 16 in stock, Model Railways Direct, so they are around if you spend hours looking. 3 on Ebay right now at or near RRP. I'm hoping the damaged ones in the earlier post are a 'bad batch' and not general.

With my interest in this model re-awakened by its arrival in the UK I was pleased to see a couple of retailers with R3840/1 in stock so registered with each and created and account, only to find that neither have a delivery option for NZ . An Email enquiry might fix it but with time difference and so on I chose not to pursue the sales. I'm sure they will sell regardless, and hope those damaged ones a couple of messages ago are not common, like Hilux5972 I would repair rather than return, unless it was very serious with such as dead motor or major damage. Irritating that one of the shops says in its very extensive terms and conditions that it WILL post to NZ. Edit 2, I should have mentioned that I have an option to have a UK seller send the model to the NZ Post agency address in Southall London so shouldn't complain, but that requires paying VAT and NZ tax and of course a fairly hefty NZ Post fee taking the cost to well over UKP250. Given the difficulty in sending items overseas right now I absolutely do not blame a UK retailer from being wary of complications, delays, and so on.

I am certainly looking forward to the Hornby 9F. Would it be permissable for me to edit-adapt this pic with a model engine and other changes to perspective and so on, like moving the engine closer? With acknowledgement to you as the source?

Indeed both old Clans from the 2009-11 series and the new ones do give me pleasure, Ian. With I hope a light-hearted comparison and not anything too serious, here is my 2011 72005 'Clan MacGregor' pristine late crest, obviously 'altered' by photo effects, and my 2021 72009 'Clan Stewart' equally meddled. If I put these side-by-side the differences are primarily the green paint on cylinders, firebox and running plate top for 72009, also has yellow wheel bearing covers, and no paint on the whistle.. except that which I mischeviously added some colour there. They are equally good in my opinion, similar value-for-money too, I am filled with admiration and thankfulness that Hornby could take fourteen-plus-year old tools and using a different factory and new employees, still produce anything of this astonishing qualty. Let's face it, who among us could assemble a modern model like this? Let alone design and make the parts? Bachmann and others can, but it certainly isn't an easy job. So here are my photos, old model vs new. 72005 2011 model from memory and 72009 2021 model I do hope these edited pictures do not offend, I will be very pleased to visit a similar fate upon Bachmann's V2 when it arrives. Cheers

True Ian, it is not the place to compare with Bachmann's V2, t'was a passing thought given your reservations about Hornby's BR green on the Clan.

Thanks for pointing out those differences, I certainly wouldn't have noticed the relatively coarse numerals and lining on any of my earlier-production Clans. The sharpness on 72009 is astounding. I suspect my eyes aren't as good as they once were, but more and more I tend to look for a pleasing overall effect, which is actually quite tricky to photograph, modern cameras and phones being so very, very good. Anyway a box just arrived on my doorstep, a weathered 72004 from TMC... so we shall see in due course just how good these models can be made to look. I sspect Clans were sometimes seen together, they tended to be allocated to two sheds, Polmadie being one, and later on was it Carlisle Upperby for the surviving five?

I have paid for a V2 but of course yet to arrive, and the photos on Gilbert Barnatt's Peterborough North thread show a production promotional model with coarse motion, lumpy boiler bands and bright contrasy lining, small cab wondows, odd cab-firebox joint, and a generally plastic finish, the detail parts being more robust perhaps than Hornby. Even Tim's outstanding weathering didn't really save it. But I'm only going by photos, as as you know, these can vary. Even in prototype photos in BR green in steam days, variations in photos were vast. I am very happy with the green and lining on the Clans.

Would an ancient black and white faded photo help? not sure about the reliability of old photos... Came from the collection of an old man who dribbles, so probably not much use.... but he does mumble about old BR steam days a bit, maybe he pointed his box brownie at 72009?

The other side of my new R3996 72009 'Clan Stewart', room light Canon M6 MkII 33MP camera, unedited, all colour and exposure settings on medium, or standard or average. Adjacent window light, a little tungsten room light. Beautiful smooth runner straight from box. I ought to add that I think the green running plate top may well be ok for 72009 and that earlier Crewe-built engines were commonly perhaps usually black, but not necessarily, I await definitive photogaphic evidence with interest. For interest's sake here is the same pic with a small touch of judicious editing, mainly to brighten the black bits. We shall see how the Bachmann V2 compares!

Ah yes, I should have known... I may have seen that 72005 before? I was wondering about our photos of 64B shed and whether there was ever any lighting which suited the other side of these engines? Prototype pics seem to be commonly the fireman's side. Good luck with the lighting poles, it will certainly add to the atmosphere.

Just to add to the green debate and selection of readers' photos, here is my 72009 in natural room light, Canon camera. I await a TMC-weathered 72004 but post to NZ is variable.

Ah, I was hoping nobody would notice that, an impossible event, but I'm too lazy to change the number... Never trust a photo...