Buffers on Hornby HST MK3s

[philiprporter]

I hope this hasn't been discussed before (I've searched & can't see anything) but I've bought some Hornby MK3s in blue grey livery with the Inter City 125 branding on the sides, but they have buffers fitted & of course the HST MK3s didn't have buffers. 

 

My question is, is it simply a case of cutting the buffers off and 'making good' or is there more complex surgery needed to the bufferbeam area make them look like HST MK3s?

 

Also, given that these HST MK3s are currently not produced in blue-grey by Hornby, if I were to buy, for example, an Oxford rail blue-grey buffered MK3, could I simply chop the buffers off and re-decal with the IC125 branding and re-number to make an HST MK3, or am I being naively optimistic?!  

Edited May 14, 2020 by philiprporter
added detail

[fiftyfour fiftyfour]

Don't buy the Oxford if you want to model an HST, the roof vents at the coach ends are only correct for loco hauled.

 

Simply removing the buffers from the Hornby ones and filling in the hole is a good start. You can add the air pipes and fancy pants couplings if so inclined.

 

[HillsideDepot]

The lower edge of the grey stripe was different between hauled and HST Mk3s.

 

On the HST version the white stripe between the blue and the grey is on the door handle line, whereas on the hauled version it is lower. Although only a small difference it makes the HST version look sleeker, whereas the hauled version had to match livery spacing on the Mk1s & 2s. 

[Flood]

The underframe consoles were also different between Mk3 (HST) and Mk3a (loco hauled), along with the vents as already stated by fifty four fifty four.

[BR Blue]

The Hornby model should not have buffers but otherwise it is the only accurate MK 3 for a HST.

[Flood]

9 minutes ago, BR Blue said:

The Hornby model should not have buffers but otherwise it is the only accurate MK 3 for a HST.

Unless you want to add flush glaze to a Lima Mk3 (you still have to chop off the buffers!).

[fiftyfour fiftyfour]

53 minutes ago, HillsideDepot said:

The lower edge of the grey stripe was different between hauled and HST Mk3s.

 

On the HST version the white stripe between the blue and the grey is on the door handle line, whereas on the hauled version it is lower. Although only a small difference it makes the HST version look sleeker, whereas the hauled version had to match livery spacing on the Mk1s & 2s. 

Oh yeah, forgot that- also the ends of the grey band are different, on a HST they wrap around the whole door width and then just end when they reach the hinge edge of the door, whereas on the loco hauled variants they are 'finished' with curved corners and the narrow white band just after the droplight window so the last part of the door is all blue.

[BR Blue]

34 minutes ago, Flood said:

Unless you want to add flush glaze to a Lima Mk3 (you still have to chop off the buffers!).

Thats true. I was omitting the Lima model and the Hornby TGS is of course ex Lima.

 

As mention earlier. I hope Hornby do an improved set of HST coaches in their original conditions after they have done with the later variants they are doing now. 

[surfsup]

Which version of the Mk3's do you have? The original Hornby efforts simply push out (use the back of a knife or a flatbladed screw driver to push them through). If they are the ex Lima TGS / TRFB / TRSB then you will have to cut them off I'm afraid. 

[philiprporter]

Thanks so much guys - all very helpful information. I've had a closer look at what I have - its a triple pack (R4676) and it looks like the TSO is Hornby which helpfully has the buffers that can be pushed out, but the TGS and TRSB look to be Lima in origin - buffers moulded in place and the glazing and a few other areas look less refined. Am I right in thinking that there has never been a OO gauge blue-grey MK3 released that comes without buffers?  

[andyman7]

17 minutes ago, philiprporter said:

Thanks so much guys - all very helpful information. I've had a closer look at what I have - its a triple pack (R4676) and it looks like the TSO is Hornby which helpfully has the buffers that can be pushed out, but the TGS and TRSB look to be Lima in origin - buffers moulded in place and the glazing and a few other areas look less refined. Am I right in thinking that there has never been a OO gauge blue-grey MK3 released that comes without buffers?  

All Hornby-tooled Mk3s have removable buffers and in many cases these were supplied loose so the coach actually comes without the buffers which you have the option to fit. It seems a lottery as to whether the factory does this or pre-installs them but popping them out takes seconds.

As above, if you want complete accuracy then there are all sorts of other detail changes that can be attended to but for most of us heretics, the Hornby/Lima Mk3s do the job for HSTs. 

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Some of us remember the Jouef Mk3s.............

[philiprporter]

28 minutes ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

Some of us remember the Jouef Mk3s.............

I was thinking that last night! As a small lad they were the bees knees as far as I was concerned - along with the Jouef class 40 - the 40 even had lights which for a 1970s school boy was serious technology!