TPO Stowage Vans - printing error?

[37501]

That was meant to read: re - sprays.

[GordonC]

thats disappointing, the earlier Red one would have been a dead-cert I'd buy several of, but not if the yellow is wrong at the price these coaches are now. They've already done several runs of coaches in those liveries - POS, BG, GUV so its unbelievable that the colour or painting process has been changed for these

[37501]

Very disappointing. I have a train of TPO sorting vans, BGs and GUVs all in uniform post office red with matching yellow stripes. All that was missing was the stowage vans until yesterday. Inserted into the train they stick out like a sore thumb. I really cannot believe that anyone would feedback that they wanted the stowage vans in a different colour from the other red vehicles or that Bachmann believed them. I firmly believe that this has been done in error. Just wish Bachmann would admit it and sort it out.

 

John

[Andy Y]

Thanks to Richard Proudman for the following explanatory information.

 

Initial response:

 

 

Following consumer feedback relating to previous Royal Mail liveried models, where the yellow used was felt to be too bright, we have revised the colours used in the Royal Mail livery – as applied to the new Branchline POT Stowage Vans. This colour more closely resembles that applied to previous Royal Mail liveried vehicles such as the BG (39-184/184A) and GUV (39-275) models.

 

Images of the POT models feature in the 2018 Branchline catalogue, on our website and have been displayed on the Bachmann Roadshow stand over the past twelve months and we have not received any feedback regarding the colours used up to this point. As with every model, we welcome feedback from the public and your comments regarding the colours applied to these particular models will be considered by our R&D team when planning future releases.

 

 

Additional response:

 

The images shown on our website are the same as those printed in the catalogue and the models featured are in the same livery as the production models that have recently been released. The models referenced in my earlier email are shown below for comparison.

 

[BlackRat]

I have received a reply from Bachmann which had totally fobbed me off. They claim that customer feedback on the red TPO vans has prompted them to use a different shade of red and very dull stripes etc. Also that the graphics of the stowage vans have been on their website for a long time and no one said that the colour was wrong. Looking at the website, the graphics look okay. Certainly not the shambles that I have here. I would have told them if the graphics had looked like this.

Can anyone recommend someone that can do the-sprays please?

John

Why not try yourself.....you can even get the paint matched by Halfords and put into a rattle can or a spray shop will make you up a can.

 

Several makers of transfers and you're sorted.....pardon the pun.

[37501]

Good evening Andy,

 

I received the same information from Bachmann this afternoon. I have examples of sorting van, GUV and BG in front of me now and they all have a uniform livery of post office red with yellow stripes. The stowage vans look totally different.

 

I cannot see how Bachmann can claim that this new livery matches the GUVs and BGs.

 

The stowage van in the flesh looks different to the graphics on their website.

 

Are they going to ignore this issue in the hope that it will go away or are they going to admit the error and do something to sort it out?

 

John

[BR Blue]

I never heard anyone mention the previous colours were wrong. This is a very disappointing response. I will be voting with my wallet and not buying any. I have enough respraying projects as it and do not need another one.

['CHARD]

I never heard anyone mention the previous colours were wrong. This is a very disappointing response. I will be voting with my wallet and not buying any. I have enough respraying projects as it and do not need another one.

 

I think this is a re-lining rather than a re-spraying situation, but your point is well made.

[BR Blue]

Yes thats true its relining.

 

Hopefully there was no <sarcasm>feedback</sarcasm> on the colours of the blue / grey ones.

[darren01]

Sorry to take this OT, But they do make mistakes, When Bachmann made the new Ivarrt  tank they showed 41291 that had the wrong chimney fitted, should have been fitted with a taller one.

I sent an email to them and photo of the real loco showing them this, https://www.Bachmann.co.uk/product/branchline-ivatt-class-2mt-2-6-2-tank-41291-br-lined-black-l-crest-dcc-31-441dc/.

They did not bother and still went ahead and made the loco with the wrong chimney!. 

The TPO is wrong and for them to try and fob you off is not right, I would not be happy with it for the prices they are asking now days it should be the same as the others they have done.

Darren

Edited November 6, 2018 by darren01

[37501]

Many thanks to you all for your supportive comments. All I would like are two stowage vans in the correct livery. I am a loyal customer of Bachmann and spend a lot of money on models. I expect this will all fall on deaf ears and leave me no option but to have the vans re-sprayed and decals applied at my expense.

 

John

[phil-b259]

Sorry to take this OT, But they do make mistakes, When Bachmann made the new Ivarrt  tank they showed 41291 that had the wrong chimney fitted, should have been fitted with a taller one.

I sent an email to them and photo of the real loco showing them this, https://www.Bachmann.co.uk/product/branchline-ivatt-class-2mt-2-6-2-tank-41291-br-lined-black-l-crest-dcc-31-441dc/.

They did not bother and still went ahead and made the loco with the wrong chimney!. 

The TPO is wrong and for them to try and fob you off is not right, I would not be happy with it for the prices they are asking now days it should be the same as the others they have done.

Darren

 

Slight problem, Bachmann did NOT make a 'new' Ivatt tank - all they did was make a new chassis and modify the existing body to fit it!

 

This was part of a push to get rid of the previously 'split chassis' powered models and is a consequence of their initial 'complete retool' job on the LMS Jubilees being met with a disappointing return as fewer of the all new models were being purchased than predicted.

 

However history did sort of repeat itself in that a brand new chassis on an aged (and frequently inaccurate body) provoked significant criticism - and Bachmann have subsequently gone on to announce a  'body retool' for some products that have previously been given (or were planned to be) only a new chassis. Unfortunately I don't believe the Ivatt tank is one of them....

[Andy Mac]

Sorry, The stripe should be yellow, not gold.... perhaps it appears more gold on weather beaten/faded examples, but from all the photo’s I’ve just looked at, the brighter yellow colour appears to be closer th the Royal Mails corporate colour scheme.

 

Why can’t Bachmann in their catalogue simply have a tag notifying us of a revised livery instead of springing this on us...

Edited November 6, 2018 by Andy Mac

[darren01]

Slight problem, Bachmann did NOT make a 'new' Ivatt tank - all they did was make a new chassis and modify the existing body to fit it!

 

This was part of a push to get rid of the previously 'split chassis' powered models and is a consequence of their initial 'complete retool' job on the LMS Jubilees being met with a disappointing return as fewer of the all new models were being purchased than predicted.

 

However history did sort of repeat itself in that a brand new chassis on an aged (and frequently inaccurate body) provoked significant criticism - and Bachmann have subsequently gone on to announce a  'body retool' for some products that have previously been given (or were planned to be) only a new chassis. Unfortunately I don't believe the Ivatt tank is one of them....

Yes i know they only did the chassis on the new one, But they did get it very wrong with the numbering. 

[phil-b259]

Yes i know they only did the chassis on the new one, But they did get it very wrong with the numbering. 

 

Ah I see - so its a livery mistake, not a tooling mistake you were getting at. Your post was a little unclear on this...

 

Although I seem to recall lots of criticism of the chimney shape regardless of its height...

[BR Blue]

In fairness Bachmann are usually better than most if they make an error. They improved the class 37 and 47. That makes this more disappointing. You can never tell what a model's colour will look like until you see it in the flesh. Images in magazines and the web are generally not going to tell you enough.

[phil-b259]

I think the issue here is more of consistency.

 

So far the TPO vehicles have only been released in the brighter red / yellow livery interpretation, yet the associated stowage vans that ran with them are all duller.

 

Had the situation been like the Southern Region Mk1s where a large range were done in one variant, which most to believe to be to bright,  and later releases in the revised darker livery thus allowing a complete train to be made up of only one colour then their wouldn't be such a problem.

 

As things stand we have a bright TPO and dull storage vehicles which don't go together and which cannot be hidden by weathering as TPO rakes were (i) kept clean and (ii) all had the same red and yellow livery.

 

If Bachmann truly believed their original interpretation of Royal Mail red / yellow livery was to bright then it would have been better to introduce the revised (and duller one) in a subsequent batch of vehicles (and keeping the bright - if inaccurate livery on the current release), thus allowing an 'all bright' (and later on an 'all dull') train formation to be created - just as was the case with the BR(S) Mk1s they have produced over the years.

Edited November 6, 2018 by phil-b259

[cravensdmufan]

Why not try yourself.....you can even get the paint matched by Halfords and put into a rattle can or a spray shop will make you up a can.

 

Several makers of transfers and you're sorted.....pardon the pun.

I certainly didn't know of this service - can you bring a model into a Halfords and they will match colour?

[Lyddrail]

I am confused, the yellow is wrong on the models (stowage vans) but if the public don't do the research and advise Bachmann it is our fault! On dear.

I don't see much difference on prototype vans as below, all the yellow looks the same to me, but I must be wrong.

Cheers.

[cctransuk]

Thanks to Richard Proudman for the following explanatory information.

 

Initial response:

 

 

Following consumer feedback relating to previous Royal Mail liveried models, where the yellow used was felt to be too bright, we have revised the colours used in the Royal Mail livery – as applied to the new Branchline POT Stowage Vans. This colour more closely resembles that applied to previous Royal Mail liveried vehicles such as the BG (39-184/184A) and GUV (39-275) models.

 

Images of the POT models feature in the 2018 Branchline catalogue, on our website and have been displayed on the Bachmann Roadshow stand over the past twelve months and we have not received any feedback regarding the colours used up to this point. As with every model, we welcome feedback from the public and your comments regarding the colours applied to these particular models will be considered by our R&D team when planning future releases.

 

 

Additional response:

 

The images shown on our website are the same as those printed in the catalogue and the models featured are in the same livery as the production models that have recently been released. The models referenced in my earlier email are shown below for comparison.

 

image003.jpg

 

I'm sorry, Andy, but I just don't buy this.

 

No sensible company is going to deliberately commission TPO coaches, designed NOT to match their previous output of similar vehicles, that purchasers will want to run in the same rake.

 

There has been a c*ck-up somewhere, and it does Bachmann no credit to try and pretend otherwise.

 

Fortunately, the majority of prospective purchasers will be able to see through the 'spin', and will vote with(out) their wallets.

 

For those prepared to correct the error - hold off purchasing now and await the inevitable sell-off at reduced prices.

 

If my printing system allowed me to produce transfers to exactly match the former Bachmann TPO livery, I would produce the necessary transfers; I'm sure that Railtec or Precision Labels will oblige.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

Edited November 6, 2018 by cctransuk

[daz9284]

Has anyone contacted Bachmann with a picture of the new release storage vans along side the original released BG's and GUV's to show how the colours don't match?

[37501]

I sent Bachmann pictures of the new stowage van and the older sorting van together. This prompted their response about customer feedback demanding the stowage vans be given a revised livery.....

 

John

[Andy Mac]

Something else to remember, if my memory serves me right, it was model zone that commissioned the sorting vans from Bachmann and held the rights to the tooling for a couple of years..... So did model zone get it wrong livery wise, which was then compounded with the Bachmann general release a few years later?

[66738]

Oh dear. This is a problem. Been looking forward to one of these but really annoyed by this change in livery. Might have to go down the B+G route instead. Had a look about to try and see how late a Blue and Grey example survived until, and could only see until late 1987. Does anybody know if one lasted any later?

Cheers

66738

Edited November 6, 2018 by 66738

[WILLIAM]

Something else to remember, if my memory serves me right, it was model zone that commissioned the sorting vans from Bachmann and held the rights to the tooling for a couple of years..... So did model zone get it wrong livery wise, which was then compounded with the Bachmann general release a few years later?

There was nothing significantly wrong with the liveries of either batch of the TPOs, from Modelzone or the general release. Notably both had the correct yellow stripes.

 

In my opinion, and obviously other's, Bachmann have clearly got the equivalent livery wrong on the Stowage Vans regardless of what their response says.

 

Order cancelled.

Edited November 6, 2018 by WILLIAM