Class 66 in OO Gauge - New Announcement

[7013]

Hattons cannot win really, with the changes that appear to be happening so regularly they cannot keep changing Modifications that happen to the real thing or the model will never reach the the shelves.

[James Makin]

Can’t beat a bit of modelling surely!

 

It’d make an interesting project to tackle the new style windows on a Hattons 66, I tried doing a version of it on what I believe was the first ever low emission 66, bashed out of a Bachmann 66/5 for Wells Green TMD, in my adventurous student days in early 2006! 

 

The windows can be removed, tuck in a bit of clear plastic cut-to-shape and rebuild the frame from styrene strip - the key I found was using Microscale Krystal Klear glue, any annoying fingerprints just wipe off after, ideal if you’re as clumsy as me!

 

Excuse the awful low res pic, I had some better ones somewhere but they predate my current computer!

 

PS there’s a lot to be said for modelling the past, it rarely changes on you! 

 

Cheers,

James

[Hattons Dave]

Afternoon all,

 

We've recently put together a livery guide looking at GBRf locomotives.

 

Hopefully this helps to clear up some of the questions you may have regarding various 66s.

 

Click HERE to read the article.

 

I hope this helps.

 

 

Cheers,

Dave

[big jim]

Interesting article, still not convinced by the lemon yellow end on 66740 though compared to prototype pics, even pics of it having been freshly named/cleaned don’t show an obvious yellow patch

 

from what I’m reading of the ‘conclusion’ of the piece is we are going to put lemon yellow ends on them and if you want a ‘workworn’ or ‘dated’ loco (not saying weathered) with a less obvious yellow panel do it yourself

Edited May 9, 2019 by big jim

[adb968008]

Interesting read..

 

so so what I learned there is..

1. Paint fades

2. Fading paint doesn’t respect Pantones.

3. The model will respect Pantones.

4. Close up 66’s are dirty and scratched, even if from a distance they look clean-ish.

 

Theres a market for varnish that lightens the colour on models, maybe with a light brownish or yellow hue.

 

i do appreciate these articles Hattons puts together, whilst you might not agree with the outcome it’s very interesting to see the research in action.

Edited May 9, 2019 by adb968008

[big jim]

The other thing to consider regards the locos on Roberts road in the article is they have different “former liveries” too despite them all being ‘standard’ GBRf now

 

66705 Union Jack livery

66720 metronet

66725, 66726, 66728, first group barbie blue 

66744 colas

66748 grey eurospec 

66787 EWS 

[GBRf66701]

Its good of hattons to go to all that trouble to check the GBRf liveries. I've seen their GB 66 in person and the colour does look better than in some of their photos but the warning panel yellow still looks off.

[YesTor]

5 hours ago, big jim said:

Interesting article, still not convinced by the lemon yellow end on 66740 though compared to prototype pics, even pics of it having been freshly named/cleaned don’t show an obvious yellow patch

 

Agreed, the yellow does somehow look rather 'lemony'...

 

 

[Steadfast]

5 hours ago, big jim said:

66720 metronet

66720 is still in its original Metronet paint, just with the kiddy graphics applied over the sides.

 

Jo

[big jim]

2 hours ago, Steadfast said:

66720 is still in its original Metronet paint, just with the kiddy graphics applied over the sides.

 

Jo

 

same with the underground livery pair, hence the light blue roof on 66718

[The Black Hat]

23 hours ago, big jim said:

Interesting article, still not convinced by the lemon yellow end on 66740 though compared to prototype pics, even pics of it having been freshly named/cleaned don’t show an obvious yellow patch

 

from what I’m reading of the ‘conclusion’ of the piece is we are going to put lemon yellow ends on them and if you want a ‘workworn’ or ‘dated’ loco (not saying weathered) with a less obvious yellow panel do it yourself

 

Yes it was interesting, but also very basic. While I'm pleased that both GBRf and Hattons took the effort to investigate and report back on the issue it would depend upon your opinion whether you thought that Hattons investigated and wanted to change, or investigated and found excuses to carry on as before.

There are differences in the livery, but GBRf has always been blue and orange - not gold, so immediately even the first opening part of the article found me disagreeing. The very first GB 'Bluebirds' were Blue and Orange, with the thicker GBRf almost bubble style lettering. This then went into Metronet/First Group livery, before then coming under Europorte. Here the orginal layout started to make a return, with roundels added but where the engines were painted and using which pantones meant a massive difference between the ways in which the livery has been applied, everything from yellow (that's near hazard warning yellow like 66740) to gold, to GBRf orange, as per 50s recently.

 

Okay, so the paint fades and from a distance some of it might not be as notable, especially if weathered too - but GBRf do tend to keep their locomotives clean and as said above theres plenty of photographs where engines like 66740 and the batch that was painted then are clean with pretty much no yellow panel, in fact the entire engine looks to be painted in that shade for the yellow/gold/orange layout needed.

If Hattons do press on and do 66740 as it is on the photo then that's up to them, but if some magazines have bashed Bachmann over printed detail and Heljan over shape of engines, then Hattons might expect a broadside over this - but I expect not as normally the modelling press are a sycophantic lot.

The real pity is that Hattons almost admitted the livery differences were there and then promise to match them, meaning 66740 in gold and 667xx in orange. If that was the case then it would have boosted confidence that Hattons aim to get it right and would strive for excellence. I can't help but think that they missed a chance to show some of the most established companies that they are capable of matching them on detail and push them to match such levels. However, we will just have to wait and see what happens...

[newbryford]

14 hours ago, big jim said:

 

same with the underground livery pair, hence the light blue roof on 66718

 

Although 66721 has a dark red roof...………. no remnant of the Metronet colours

[newbryford]

Colour doesn't always "scale".

 

When Rail Express did 60074 in TCT blue, they had a sample painted with the same shade of light blue.

It didn't look right.

The actual colour then used on the model was shifted by a half shade.

 

Similarly - IMO - gloss doesn't scale too well either.

 

Cheers,

Mick

 

 

 

 

[adb968008]

If you have 66’s from other makes, theres no need to squirm if the liveries don't match now, as they dont in reality.

 

Any word on when these are due ?

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

1 hour ago, adb968008 said:

If you have 66’s from other makes, theres no need to squirm if the liveries don't match now, as they dont in reality.

 

Any word on when these are due ?

 

They are due in August 2019. Hope this helps. 

[YesTor]

Fortunate enough to view the livery sample for 66418 in Freightliner Powerhaul livery earlier and have to say mighty impressed!  Looked and sounded beautiful with all of the sound features etc. 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2019 by YesTor

[newbryford]

On 03/05/2019 at 11:12, 159220 said:

Oh dear Hatton's... 66783 has had it's toughened side windows fitted as part of the long time GB Railfreight standardisation programme. So what 'Biffa' are you doing. One that lasted several months or post mod. for several years? 

 

(66789 also expected to receive the mods shortly)

 

Copyright. WNXX/A McMillan. http://www.wnxx.com/19/1905/020519/66783.htm

 

 

 

Rumour on a well-known news site is that 66783 may lose it's Biffa livery soon..................

 

Said site is more often correct than not when it publishes such notes.

 

Time will tell.

 

[YesTor]

15 hours ago, newbryford said:

Rumour on a well-known news site is that 66783 may lose it's Biffa livery soon...

 

Wow, crazy!  You only have to sneeze these days and a livery is gone... 

[spice1977]

Must admit I do like the Biffa livery - ones on the workbench at the moment. Got my last stubborn DRS Bachie 66 to sell then my next ones will be Hattons me thinks. 

[The Ghost of IKB]

On 16/05/2019 at 17:02, YesTor said:

 

Wow, crazy!  You only have to sneeze these days and a livery is gone... 

 

I'll admit i dont know much about how they are fitted, but I'd assumed these new fangled vinyl liveries were stuck on more securely than that.  Perhaps modern day train spotters need to carry hankies as standard issue.

[phil-b259]

On 16/05/2019 at 17:02, YesTor said:

 

Wow, crazy!  You only have to sneeze these days and a livery is gone... 

 

Not really

 

Please remember that these days all liveries contain intellectual property of private sector businesses who call the shots on when and where they may be used.

 

 As such Biffa can withdraw their permission at ANY TIME for their interlectal property to be used on the side of a loco  - and what with the way freight flows move between the various rail freight companies its no surprise that 'promotional' liveries can be ditched as quickly as they get applied if contracts are lost.

[adb968008]

Out of interest how cleanly are vinyls removed....

 

does it damage the underlying paint / is repaint required ?

i assume removing vinyls is a messy job of peel, rip and scrape.

[Roy Langridge]

50 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

Out of interest how cleanly are vinyls removed....

 

does it damage the underlying paint / is repaint required ?

i assume removing vinyls is a messy job of peel, rip and scrape.

 

From one of the main manufacturers: "The adhesive construction means that the film can be removed, leaving little or no residue, without the need for harmful chemical strippers"

 

If I recall correctly, heat is used to apply and remove the vinyls.

Roy

Edited May 20, 2019 by Roy Langridge

[Steadfast]

Seems to depend how well the underlying paint is applied. The ex London midland 153s that went from GWR to Wales looked awful with chunks of paint coming off with the sticky back plastic.

It's my understanding that the heat gun used in application is only to soften the vinyl over tricky curves and lumps and bumps. Think of it as Microsol for vinyl

 

Jo

[7013]

It is interesting how much talk there is about the changing appearance of the 66. Throughout railway history locomotives had tweaks to their appearance (although rarely such apparently frequent and random paint/vinyl changes). This really should not be too much of a problem as the Hattons model will depict a loco at a period in its career. Class 37s and 47s have undergone a myriad of changes both to appearance and tweaks. I suppose it only becomes a problem if the modeller wants the latest incarnation of a particular loco, the great thing for people like me who are not overly concerned if an appearance changes is that when I travel by rail I am likely to see all manner of 66 appearances, however that said I mainly see old EWS and Freightliner vinyled locos.