Class 66 in OO Gauge - New Announcement

[rob D2]

- edited - misread post

Edited May 8, 2018 by rob D2

[wombatofludham]

Well done Hattons, at those prices and specification they will become the go-to Shed for anyone wanting one, and being such an integral part of the UK rail scene since the end of the last century (I even went down to Plymouth behind one in 1999 to see the Millenial Eclipse, shame it clouded over...)the number of modellers who can find space for one or more is growing. I should be able to find space for a couple of noisy ones.

 

Being Merseyside based can I also put in a plea for you to use some of the guaranteed moolah you will rake in with these competitively priced locos to invest in the definitive 86, after all they have been an integral part of the Merseyside rail scene for over 50 years and if you could match the 66 spec and price, even better.

 

But again, well done to Hattons for stealing the whimpering fart of an announcement from Hornby with this thunderous roar.

[GreenGiraffe22]

Whatever Hattons announces manages to get a hefty portion of railway modellers excited, and always at competitive prices with relatively short waiting time for product arrival. Fast forward a decade, Hornby have gone bust, Hattons buys the tooling and becomes the new big H

[adb968008]

Whatever Hattons announces manages to get a hefty portion of railway modellers excited, and always at competitive prices with relatively short waiting time for product arrival. Fast forward a decade, Hornby have gone bust, Hattons buys the tooling and becomes the new big H

And returns to Binns Rd ?

 

Nope, I've one and it still works!  And a Hornby 66 is merely a Lima with a more modern motor bogie and a DCC socket.

Lima never breaks.

Edited May 8, 2018 by adb968008

[G-BOAF]

Well I'm glad I didn't order Bachmann's Evening Star... tempted to wait for Hattons to announce one in the future...

BUT - is the Bachmann 66 so bad that it warrants a rival model. OK the operational scope of the 66 is huge, so good 'core' model for Hattons, but it is going head-to-head with an already good model from Bachmann.

[FJ1701]

Finally a company who actually respects the price of a digitally fitted chip. £15 for a DCC Fitted variant is very reasonable and others should follow suit, charging £25-£30 for a DCC chip is just ridiculous so take note, you know who you are. Cheers and I can't wait for this!

 

Rory

[wombatofludham]

Well I'm glad I didn't order Bachmann's Evening Star... tempted to wait for Hattons to announce one in the future...

BUT - is the Bachmann 66 so bad that it warrants a rival model. OK the operational scope of the 66 is huge, so good 'core' model for Hattons, but it is going head-to-head with an already good model from Bachmann.

In a word, comparing spec and detail variations with the prices quoted - yes. There's probably room for both but given the pricing and spec I suspect this new model will severely dent Bachmann's sales unless they decide to reduce prices, which let's face it is unlikely.

 

I suppose Bachmann could use their 66 as train set fodder to try and attract newbies into the hobby.

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

This is a brilliant announcement. 

 

Whilst the Bachmann offering is of a decent enough standard their is plenty of updates that can be done e.g. detail, lighting, different variants depending on specific locos etc which is all incorporated into this new model. Personally I begrudge paying £170 for Limited Editions 66s by Bachmann. Far too much money, for now an old and outdated model that needs upgrading. 

 

Any chance of including 66783 in Biffa Livery and 66789 in BR Large Logo Livery in this batch? 

 

Now to continue selling some of my Bachmann 66s to replace them with upgraded models next year. 

 

Well done to Hattons and all involved!

[gary_lner]

Seems the class 66 was a favourite in the realtrack thread. So I think hattons will be onto a winner. And as my liking in modern traction is growing since I started on the railway I'm sure I'll be getting a couple to go along with rhtt that I must pre order when I think about it. But my question is will the 3 lighting configurations does that mean the 66 will have different light settings for day and night and possibley marker lights for those that have depots or virtual quarries? Great choice of loco to the team at hattons. If the 66 is anything like the p class I have it's going to be a great.

[GWR8700]

While this isn't a locomotive that appeals to me I think Hattons are to be congratulated on taking a risk in producing a new tooling for this locomotive.  For me it shows a real change in the way that the model railway landscape is heading.  Is this the first model that previously existed to acceptable modern standards to be replaced?  We've seen the 14xx, A1X terrier  and perhaps the 43xx but they were pretty old toolings and the Bachmann Class 66 is far superior to all of those models. 

Hornby and Bachmann should perhaps think about updating some of their popular older designs (57xx pannier tank I am looking at you) before someone else comes in with a new and improved effort.  Rapido also have spoken about this approach in an interview with Railway Modeller.  I guess that this trend will develop with an ever decreasing number of viable prototypes being available to produce.

Edited May 9, 2018 by GWR8700

[Steve Purves]

Surely Hattons are no longer a retailer with commissions but a manufacturer in their own right now?

[keybuk]

Surely Hattons are no longer a retailer with commissions but a manufacturer in their own right now?

 

 

Looks like this is being done by Dapol, judging by the CAD and Art styles, SKUs, etc.

 

(* just a guess, but I'd eat a hat if I was wrong)

[RJennings]

Fantastic announcement!

 

Just need to save £8k now . . .

[Caddy]

I may be greedy and this is a wonderful announcement for those who like sniffing fumes, but after the P and the Barclay I want more kettles........................

[Orion]

Surely Hattons are no longer a retailer with commissions but a manufacturer in their own right now?

 

This seems to me to be something of a turning point. So far, retailers, Locomotion and Model Rail etc. have concentrated on niche prototypes that were less likely to be introduced by the big manufacturers. The Class 66 is mainstream. Feel sorry for the future of small retailers, who won't be able to sell these models. Is there any future for any but the very biggest retailers?

[NINJA]

What I find refreshing about this and recent Hattons models is that they are announced and available to buy within a 12 month time scale, rather than the announcement and wait five years for the model to hit the shelves as being the case in a major manufacturer accompanied by several price hikes.

 

Well done Hattons, will be pre ordering 66705.

[Hilux5972]

Looks like this is being done by Dapol, judging by the CAD and Art styles, SKUs, etc.

 

(* just a guess, but I'd eat a hat if I was wrong)

Hattons are dealing directly with the factory in China, just like with the Barclay, P, Beilhacks, RHTT, & FEA, so no Dapol has nothing at all to do with it.

[classy52]

Finally a company who actually respects the price of a digitally fitted chip. £15 for a DCC Fitted variant is very reasonable and others should follow suit, charging £25-£30 for a DCC chip is just ridiculous so take note, you know who you are. Cheers and I can't wait for this!

 

Rory

 

I still think their DCC Sound version for this new Class 66 could have been lower i.e. sub £250 instead of a hefty £265.

[Hilux5972]

I still think their DCC Sound version for this new Class 66 could have been lower i.e. sub £250 instead of a hefty £265.

Depends how good the sound is. Still cheaper than Olivia’s sound fitting

[classy52]

Depends how good the sound is. Still cheaper than Olivia’s sound fitting

 

Yes true, being factory fitted would have thought the price may have been a bit lower but hey we all have the Class 66 TTS decoders to fall back on.

[The Black Hat]

Depends how good the sound is. Still cheaper than Olivia’s sound fitting

 

Problem is that Hattons get their sound from Olivias which I think is a massive error. The latter is no where near the average in the market, never mind what is the best. Take a look at Dapol and Biffo/DCkits set up to see what can be done, like the class 68. 

 

Personally, I think Hattons should drop Olivias sound, and either get their own set up, or form links with Biffo/DC Kits too. Their class 66 deserves the best sound to carry the model forwards and Olivias sound and reputation will not allow that to happen. 

[tarifa]

I still think their DCC Sound version for this new Class 66 could have been lower i.e. sub £250 instead of a hefty £265.

The £265 sound fitted model is £115 more than the non DCC loco, that includes fitting and probably with a decent speaker.  Should the sound decoder be the ESU Select type at this point in time I would agree with you but if it is aV4 or Zimo chip the price is competitive.  It would be nice if the sound package was similar to the SLW Class 24.  In any event I will probably place an order.

 

Mike

[classy52]

I certainly hope Hatton's make available the accessory packs with detailing bits, that contain the correct hoses, as a separate purchase so we don't have to use the ribbed hoses that Bachmann provide which are incorrect.

[classy52]

The £265 sound fitted model is £115 more than the non DCC loco, that includes fitting and probably with a decent speaker.  Should the sound decoder be the ESU Select type at this point in time I would agree with you but if it is aV4 or Zimo chip the price is competitive.  It would be nice if the sound package was similar to the SLW Class 24.  In any event I will probably place an order.

 

Mike

 

Yes fair enough but being factory fitted at source maybe could have brought the price down a bit, anyway I think Hatton's need to announce if Olivia's has anything to do with the sound or who is providing the sound project and speaker configuration.

[cal.n]

I certainly hope Hatton's make available the accessory packs with detailing bits, that contain the correct hoses, as a separate purchase so we don't have to use the ribbed hoses that Bachmann provide which are incorrect.

I imagine there is little incentive for Hattons to do this. Why should they provide detailing components for a directly competing product, especially as Hattons’ loco is being marketed as the more detailed model.