Dapol announce O Gauge Class 66

[Derails Models]

 

And already available to pre-order too  

Edited November 2, 2019 by Derails Models

[boxbrownie]

I am so glad I decided to change from 7mm  to 4mm a few months ago 

[Sun Chariot]

On 18/10/2019 at 11:25, Sun Chariot said:

If its a BIG announcement it must be a Class 66. As all the liveries eventually seep out it could go on selling for years

 

 

and so it is a Class 66

[seeseerider]

Good luck to Dapol on the 66. it’s way too modern for me - but if I’m going to be getting one it would be in EWS livery - but I’d never want 66001 - hopefully there will be other number options.

[Ryde-on-time]

More details here

 

https://www.Dapol.co.uk/O-Gauge-Class-66

 

THE suggested £325 price certainly seems competitive 

 

Plenty of scope for Rails etc to commission some other liveries

[AY Mod]

Further information - https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/news/dapol-announces-class-66-in-o-gauge?utm_source=Communicator&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=buttonLink142&utm_campaign=Dapol+announces+Class+66%2c+new Hornby+R%26H+48DS+on+test%2c+plus+how+to+win+big+at+Warley+this+year&_ccCt=KTE1DX_DS_fH_fndjT9o1ravNbUY7dcf5I5hOu_iQYo8~bQRE8bgbf~gqpRqXqVn

 

[seeseerider]

Wow looking at the very low prices - I know I won’t be able to resist one now. That’s astounding.

[BR Blue]

The announcement I read by following the link states that the 66 is already in the Dapol N and OO range but there is no Dapol 66 in OO.

[Marshall5]

So, at Dapol's current rate, it'll be in the shops for Christmas...........2025.  BTW what are "O Gauge Society wheel profiles"?

Ray.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Wow, exciting news, even though I don't model this era.

 

I think they mean O Gauge Guild wheel profiles, not society.

 

Cheers, Ade.

[F-UnitMad]

Oh well. Not for me, but if the price is right it should do well and might tempt into O Scale modellers of the more contemporary scene (1990's on) - provided they have the space... 

[MarshLane]

Interesting that at £325 for a DC and £475 full DCC Sound, Heljan really do need to up their game as Dapol are walking all over them.  It makes Heljan's centre-headode announced Class 40 at £540 RRP somewhat expensive for a pure DC model. As the OP was Derails, I'd better mention that they are doing the pure DC '66s' for £276! Well done guys

 

Also not mentioned in the BRM piece is that Rails are doing a Limited Edition model of GBRfs 66779 Evening Star.  Which for £325 may need to be a display item on my mantlepiece!

 

Rich

Edited November 2, 2019 by MarshLane
Mentioned OP

[Oliver Rails]

 

All versions are on our site and available to pre-order, including the exclusive Rails version GBRf BR Green Class 66779 'Evening Star'!

Click here for more details

[Greenmodelmonkey]

Not going to pre order this time as there is always plenty to go round and my tastes may change by time it actually hit the shops in the dim distant future.   This is not a cynical comment just realistic and I hope to be proved wrong this time which would be a nice treat.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

39 minutes ago, MarshLane said:

Interesting that at £325 for a DC and £475 full DCC Sound, Heljan really do need to up their game as Dapol are walking all over them.  It makes Heljan's centre-headode announced Class 40 at £540 RRP somewhat expensive for a pure DC model...

Heljan's game seems to be an extremely muscular one to me. They have twin bogie O gauge traction available on sale.

 

Any potential 'walking over' surely begins only when the competitor has the product on sale at 60% of the Heljan price?

 

(Since the Dapol 08 retails in DC form at about £190, and a Class 66 is clearly more than double the content, I would consider the proposed £325 price as 'doubtful' too. It's the same technique and manufacturing environment, and it costs what it costs to bring to market...)

[bazjones1711]

Just think of all those lovely O gauge modern wagons to pull behind your class 66....

[F-UnitMad]

24 minutes ago, bazjones1711 said:

Just think of all those lovely O gauge modern wagons to pull behind your class 66....

Agree - still waiting for some of Dapol's not-so-modern wagons to appear - HEA & Vanwides.

My opinion on pricing is that Heljan set their prices to rival the JLTRT range, with the added bonus of being R-T-R & not needing wheels/gears/motors etc adding to the cost. Cue Dapol's entry with the 08 & HJ certainly had to think again with regards to the price of it's 05, I'm sure.

How HJ manage to still sell locos that have niggling (or glaring, depending on your point of view) body or detail errors I don't know. Maybe if someone went head-to-head against them with an identical class we'd find out, but I doubt the sort of duplication we saw in 4mm in the '80s will happen in O Scale now.

[PaulRhB]

Good news that it’s confirmed and just need an EWS 08 to go with it for my little clay idea  

[Nova Scotian]

Just a thought for @Oliver Rails; now you have a special edition Evening Star 66 - maybe time for a tie-up with Dapol again (or another manufacturer) for a 9F Evening Star in O gauge

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

7 minutes ago, F-UnitMad said:

...How HJ manage to still sell locos that have niggling (or glaring, depending on your point of view) body or detail errors I don't know. Maybe if someone went head-to-head against them with an identical class we'd find out, but I doubt the sort of duplication we saw in 4mm in the '80s will happen in O Scale now.

I expect it's much the same as all of Bachmann, Dapol, Heljan and Hornby etc. managing to sell OO models with body or detail errors. From my point of view it's so much easier to buy a basically sound running model which can then be worked on to eliminate anything that offends, than build it from a kit.

 

And there are/have been a few I did not buy, too poor or difficult to amend, even when no alternative was available or in prospect. I wouldn't touch Lima, ViTrains, DJM, products: and look they have all exited the RTR OO market, so I guess I wasn't alone in that decision. If Heljan succeed with O, that says something about their offerings - good enough.

[Georgeconna]

Dissapointing for me. Nice price though.

[mdvle]

1 hour ago, F-UnitMad said:

My opinion on pricing is that Heljan set their prices to rival the JLTRT range, with the added bonus of being R-T-R & not needing wheels/gears/motors etc adding to the cost.

 

Heljan's pricing would also have included not just the small market size premium, but an additional premium given that there wasn't a RTR O market and so investing in the tooling was a gamble.  With hindsight we can say it paid off both for Heljan and O modellers, but it just as easily could have gone the other way.

 

1 hour ago, F-UnitMad said:

Cue Dapol's entry with the 08 & HJ certainly had to think again with regards to the price of it's 05, I'm sure.

 

Dapol had the advantage of being second, entering an established RTR O market, with much reduced risk to the tooling investment.

 

Also good for O modellers, because it forced a pricing rethink as the market became more established, that little bit larger, and thus less risky for investment.

 

1 hour ago, F-UnitMad said:

How HJ manage to still sell locos that have niggling (or glaring, depending on your point of view) body or detail errors I don't know. Maybe if someone went head-to-head against them with an identical class we'd find out, but I doubt the sort of duplication we saw in 4mm in the '80s will happen in O Scale now.

 

Perhaps fixing those issues was once of the reasons for the choice of hiring Ben recently to be their new UK person (on the assumption that Heljan give him the authority to make the correct decisions during the development process).

[whizzo]

Please could they just supply all the stock promised already ,-- before starting again   yes the prices are keen ,-but putting  the time  back  o gauge   45 xx-14xx etc  2 years ????  minerva  advertise something - and it is within  a reasonable  time - as stated on the announcement  at the time 

[woodenhead]

1 hour ago, F-UnitMad said:

Agree - still waiting for some of Dapol's not-so-modern wagons to appear - HEA & Vanwides.

My opinion on pricing is that Heljan set their prices to rival the JLTRT range, with the added bonus of being R-T-R & not needing wheels/gears/motors etc adding to the cost. Cue Dapol's entry with the 08 & HJ certainly had to think again with regards to the price of it's 05, I'm sure.

How HJ manage to still sell locos that have niggling (or glaring, depending on your point of view) body or detail errors I don't know. Maybe if someone went head-to-head against them with an identical class we'd find out, but I doubt the sort of duplication we saw in 4mm in the '80s will happen in O Scale now.

But is the market big enough to support two companies making O rtr class 37s for example especially as Heljan got in first and has probably satisified much of the market (if the MIOG was anything to go by).

 

Heljan also now have the luxury of doing second runs on many locomotives with no competition in sight in terms of duplications further cleaning up in the marketplace.

 

I went to MIOG today, nice little (if you can call anything O that) exhibition.  I know now that O gauge is not for me, I am at the downsizing end of my time here on this planet so anything I consider now has to have that in mind.  Even the ever popular diesel stabling point in O is anything but small - I know it can be done but I am more a fan of a Dubmill or an Apethorn than a small O gauge plank.

[Kris]

I suspect that this will be a good seller, not something that currently appeals to me, however if it brings new modellers to the gauge it may cause future models that could be of interest to be developed.