rob D2 Posted July 29, 2019 Share Posted July 29, 2019 That’s nice, you are certainly churning them out. every page is like a time machine for me....I remember being a bit of a Del Boy and buying two Lima versions of this....which were then sold for a bit of a profit clearly recall getting them out in the brand new worktop in the first house I brought with the missus. Long time ago. maybe in 2005 all the enthusiasts should have got together and funded an engine swap from a more boring version....can’t see anyhting but razor blades for it now. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxokid Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 More lovely modelling work as always James cheers neil.. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southwich Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 Awesome work as always James! I think 081 really suited that livery - shame it caught fire! Keep up the the good work! Will 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted July 30, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted July 30, 2019 Moving forward a smidgen in time, a couple more red Sheds are given a makeover! 66057 and 66112 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr As another favour for fellow Loftus Road gangmember Mark Butcher, I agreed to tackle a couple of EWS 66s, renumbered from the Bachmann models and one with a cheeky touch of graffiti! 66057 and 66112 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The starting point was the standard Bachmann model, now somewhat ageing but still pretty good! Renumbering on the Bachmann 66s can be hit and miss, the earlier models' branding (e.g. 66135) can be a pig to remove, often taking off the gold band back to the red plastic requiring a repaint, whilst the newer releases have printing that lifts of easily with a touch of enamel thinners. 66057 and 66112 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Fortunately both of Mark's 66s were more recent batches and thinners made light work of the job...look at that satisfying peel! Next, the models were gloss varnished ready for the new decals to be applied - 66057 and 66112 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Similar to the pair of Class 67s shown last week, the Modelmaster decals were applied and Microscale's Microsol & Microset were used to soften the decals and help them really sit into the ribbed surface. Once varnished with Railmatch Matt varnish, the finished effect was quite pleasing! 66057 and 66112 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I also started work on the exhaust silencers, adding a few rusty shades and a bit of talc for added texture, more and more shades of rusty brown were applied after this, the key is to find a '66' in a condition you want and copy that! 66057 and 66112 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Finally, the last task was to hand paint the graffiti onto the side of 66057 using fine 00000 paintbrushes. Very long term readers may recall Tom @Swifty11 posting in this thread some pics of this loco a number of years back and this was saved to my mental 'to do' list until the moment that Mark asked me to do another graffiti '66'! So here it is! 66057 and 66112 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr This one was challenging as it had a paint transition fade effect within the left hand graffiti, now I seem to have deleted the work-in-progress images here but it was a number of layers of blues and yellows applied and blended together in the middle, and then lined out in the darker blue to finish. And finally, into service! 66057 and 66112 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr It's always fun to bring a few more '66's to life! One thing that I've always wondered yet, as modellers have we created all the EWS Class 66s yet? The amount of renumbers that many of us have done, are there any 66s left that no one has ever yet tackled? That would be a great project one day to bring together replicas of all the 250 red beauties in one place!! Cheers, James 15 1 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxokid Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 More impressive work there James 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 More fantastic work James, those locos look so good. I remember the large logo class 47 you did, have you ever tackled any BR blue or green diesels/electrics? I'm guessing the colours and techniques would be generally the same. Steve. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted July 31, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 31, 2019 14 hours ago, sb67 said: More fantastic work James, those locos look so good. I remember the large logo class 47 you did, have you ever tackled any BR blue or green diesels/electrics? I'm guessing the colours and techniques would be generally the same. Steve. Hi Steve! Thanks very much! I don’t think I’ve tackled a BR Blue loco as yet, though I’ve done a couple of green diesels - if you can call them that, Virgin’s 47851 ‘Traction Magazine’ a long while back plus more recently faded celeb 47004 earlier in this thread just a few years back, nothing since though! I’ve always fancied doing some Banger Blue locos as seeing old videos of the 80s and early 90s, they just ooze atmosphere! I have dabbled with the ideas of doing a layout set earlier than my current era but always come back to my late 90s period where all you got were a few imposter repaints like 56006 and none of the real juicy hungover Banger Blues!! Best I can offer would be Railfreight grey leftovers 56019 and 47016 on the eventual ‘to do’ list one day..! Cheers, James 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 Ok, thanks James. I'll look forward to seeing the results of your ''to do list'' being done Whenever I see your work mine increases! I didn't see many trains from then but I like the livery variations of the late 90's. Keep up the good work Steve. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted August 2, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted August 2, 2019 (edited) Stranger Danger! 57006 and 66709 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Now when it comes to freight traffic, by virtue of the location and period of my modelling, I've rarely tackled anything that wasn't owned by EWS or its predecessors, of the dozens of locos in the fleet, only a very select few wear the colours of Freightliner or GBRf, but every now and then you just hanker for something strange and unusual! 57006 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I've got a number of Bachmann Class 57s in the collection that have been picked up reasonably cheaply and gradually been rebodied and converted back to Class 47s (how ironic!) but I needed something to help head up the container trains I'd recently bought over the last few years, and this is where this green beauty comes in! I chose 57006 as my modelling subject, I'd seen all 12 green machines flying through the classic Didcot Avoider curve on heavy container trains so it could have been any of them, but '006 was one that to my knowledge, Bachmann have not yet modelled, so it seemed like a good one to tackle! 57006 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Renumbered and plated as Freightliner Reliance, it's all ready to head straight into service on Worthing MRC's Loftus Road. Unlike the later '57/3's I do quite like the earlier batch of '57/0' 'bodysnatchers' that transformed a shabby bunch of Trainload Grey locos into something smart and seemingly revolutionary at the time, unlike the later passenger loco conversions that decimated some well-loved Virgin favourites! 57006 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Weathering was broadly similar to all my previous projects above, so nothing new to report, the final condition of the loco was grubby and well-used, but appearing still fairly smart from a distance! 57006 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 57006 and 66709 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Alongside the '57' is something quite fun indeed! For a number of years I'd really liked the smart black livery on GBRf's 66709. It was the subject of a Model Rail Ltd Edition loco, one that I wished I bought at the time but just didn't get round to it. For some years after I tried to find one, whilst several of the Loftus Road gang had one at some stage, I just couldn't find one! 66709 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Eventually I had the chance to buy one from my mate Mark and at long last 66709 could be added to the fleet! I soon set about ruining it - I do like a '66' looking on the grubby side! 66709 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr One of the interesting weathering aspects on a filthy '66' is the plume of dirt often seen, dragged up a few feet back from the cab ends due to the shape of the underframe. This was an interesting challenge to try and create with the airbrush! 66709 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Two more quick wins ready to enter service! Cheers, James Edited August 2, 2019 by James Makin 25 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1722 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Everytime I read this thread at the moment... Mind blown! Excellent work James, as ever. Out of all the models you've made, which one would be your favourite? Any more plans to do some Fragonset? Your 47 is one of my faves. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted August 5, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted August 5, 2019 (edited) On 04/08/2019 at 06:29, 1722 said: Everytime I read this thread at the moment... Mind blown! Excellent work James, as ever. Out of all the models you've made, which one would be your favourite? Any more plans to do some Fragonset? Your 47 is one of my faves. Thanks very much! I’d like to do more Fragonset at some point, I have a Hornby 31 in the scheme, bought to accompany memories of the Friday’s-only Wessex Trains Cardiff-Brighton top n’ tail Class 31 pairing that were great fun to travel on during early Uni days in 2004. Favourite model, wow, that’s quite a question! At the top of my favourites lists I think there’s two types of models, ones which are nostalgic recreations of real life ‘spotting conquests that take me right back to a certain time or place, and then secondly those that have just been a labour of love and been part of a memorable occasion or taught me new skills in the hobby. The Ginsters 158 below is special to me as it was the first model I’d ever had published in real model railway magazine that one could go out and buy - Model Rail Sep 2004, it was very exciting to see my name in print for the first time, and the family were a bit pleased with that haha! But I’d have to say my actual favourite model that means the most to me isn’t actually a train - it’s the 2005 Mk2 Ford Focus model I built out of plastic sheet to represent my first car - special to me as it was seeing Clive Mortimore’s inspirational tips and techniques on plasticard scratchbuilding that taught me you can build and make anything out of layers of simple plastic sheet if you try hard enough! I then used the same skills and applied it to trains to build my first Electrostar, the Southern Class 377/2. This felt special as I saw these trains brand new in the early 2000s at delivery and wanted to model them straight away but as a youngster, I could just not comprehend how I’d even do it! So finally doing it in 2009 felt like a satisfying moment of knowing that almost anything is possible if you put your mind to it and be prepared to learn skills that at the time seem so out of reach! Finally I’ve got to give a shoutout to my Hornby FGW ‘Fag Packet’ HST, I first saw this livery mentioned in Model Rail in Aug 1999 issue, and soon enough on my next trip to Didcot that year, there it was on all the HSTs! I tried all sorts of ideas on how to model it on my then-new Hornby Merlin scale length Mk3s, stickers and paints etc, but missed out on getting the Lima ‘Fag Packet’ models at the time as my £5 a week pocket money just didn’t stretch to it!! So finally in 2014-15 I sketched up the livery and worked with Steve & Railtec to create the amazing transfers and recreate something I’d wanted to about 15 years after I first tried! I must say thanks for asking the question as it’s not something I don’t think about and never normally look back on past modelling projects other than seeing them in the storage boxes and on the layouts, it’s easy just to be getting straight to the next project without savouring the fun from the past ones! Cheers, James Edited August 5, 2019 by James Makin 25 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne 37901 Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 (edited) Hi James! Wow! You certainly have been busy, it's been a while since I visited your (and others) threads as I'm not a huge fan of this version of the forum to be honest! When I last checked in you were working on the PCAs. It's nice to finally see you tackle some 37s, even if they're slightly dirtier than I would like, but then I model the late 80s - mid 90s. You put me to shame! I'll have to pull my finger out as I'm also doing some O gauge wagons for a friend as he's not a fan of painting models, he prefers the building. Cheers, Wayne Edited August 6, 2019 by Wayne 37901 Typo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch1 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 Hi James, Would really be interested in finding out more about that Ford Focus model if possible, it looks fantastic. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaxtonTMD Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 Stunning work as always James. your weathering is stunning and very inspirational! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted August 10, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted August 10, 2019 On 06/08/2019 at 22:06, Wayne 37901 said: Hi James! Wow! You certainly have been busy, it's been a while since I visited your (and others) threads as I'm not a huge fan of this version of the forum to be honest! When I last checked in you were working on the PCAs. It's nice to finally see you tackle some 37s, even if they're slightly dirtier than I would like, but then I model the late 80s - mid 90s. You put me to shame! I'll have to pull my finger out as I'm also doing some O gauge wagons for a friend as he's not a fan of painting models, he prefers the building. Cheers, Wayne Thanks very much Wayne, hope all's good your end! I've been following your threads on here and Facebook, always good to see your wagons coming along! Definitely, the 37s have been long overdue! I've always liked the prototypes but was worried the Bachmann model would need just too much upgrading to ever get a reasonable-size fleet built up, but with a few Shawplan goodies and some weathering they scrub up just about alright for now! Hopefully maybe the lovely chaps at Accurascale will finally do a definitive model-to-end-all-models though! In the meantime, there are 8 more BR versions in varying states of progress on my workbench right now and another 6 EWS maroon beauties dolled up awaiting new decals from Steve @ Railtec, so 2019 is definitely my year of the Tractor! Cheers, James 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted August 10, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted August 10, 2019 On 07/08/2019 at 09:09, birch1 said: Hi James, Would really be interested in finding out more about that Ford Focus model if possible, it looks fantastic. Hi! Thanks very much! I believe somewhere that I've written about the Ford Focus model in the depths of a very old RMWeb (pre-dating this version!) and Model Rail June 2008 issue, but for the sake of completeness I thought I'd share a few snaps here instead of just a URL! As always, it started out with my first love, haha, a 2005 Ford Focus Zetec Climate - known in Ford circles as the Mk2 pre-facelift Focus. Given that I was into modelling and had loads of models of friends and family member's cars on layouts that I had built before, I had to have a model of the Mk2 for my layout, however nobody produced one that was in a scale suitable for model railways, so having been inspired by Clive Mortimore's techniques on scratchbuilding early diesel locos from plastic sheet, I decided to dive in and have a go! All my cars on the layout were 1:87 scale, so for consistency, I built the Focus to match with this, rather than 1:76. The first part was to cut out plastic sheet to a 2D car shape, and laminate up many layers until a vague box shape appeared, afterwhich numerous amounts of filing and sanding took place. I measured up the real car to get all of the key dimensions and divided them by 87 to get the correct proportions, and the rest was a bit of guesswork! This part took literally weeks of work on and off, filing, sanding, building up again with Humbrol model filler, and repeat, until eventually, like an Egyptian Sphinx carving, some Focus-shaped nugget appeared from the mound of plastic! The close up photos look quite crude as well, to be fair, one could spend months on getting this bang on, and I am in awe of the real guys at the car companies who'd make up the old 1:1 clay models of the real cars! Having finally settled on the shape, I then painted it in a version of Ford Aquarius Blue (I've always been one to go for a bright Ford!) and added hand-cut glazing fit to each window, I also kitbashed the interior from a donor HO vehicle, and added wheels that I'd modified to look like the 16" Zetec petal wheels that the prototype had. It was great fun to create and my first proper scratchbuild that wasn't some building or landscape element, and I was chuffed to recreate my first car finally...my only regret is that in the keen-ness to get it finished was that I didn't do any kind of resin casting at all. It was only 2007 and to be another couple of years before I mastered that skill, but I still look back and kick myself for that!! I do love my Fords but sold off the Mk2 Zetec a while later in place of the orange Mk2 Focus ST that may have cropped up on here, before going to the dark side and buying my current 'fleet' of Mk2 Focus RS and Mk3 Focus RS'...bit of a guilty pleasure! I had plans to build models of each of these respectively but alas Loftus Road and other activities have borrowed me away for a while, I do still hope to have a model trainload of Focus' running around on the Bachmann IPA wagons one day, now whether I go for the Mk2 or Mk3 remains to be seen! In the meantime, Minichamps have released a 1:87 version of the Mk2 Focus RS, whilst Welly Models did an (overscale) Focus ST, but despite nagging Oxford Diecast at each show I go to, we have yet to see a proper 1:76 Mk2 Ford Focus - perhaps when one day occurs and these become "classics" we may finally see one, who knows!! Cheers, James 10 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch1 Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 (edited) Wow James, can see a lot of work went in there! And what a result too. My hobby is scratchbuilding modern 1:76 scale model buses for my fictional fleet, Crossways, so I know what you mean when you say it took a while to make! Though I have to say, this looks 10x as complex! It is a shame that modern everyday cars are so hard to come by I agree. Though I guess we have to thank Oxford for giving us a better range than we had a few years ago. Thanks for sharing Ryan Edited August 12, 2019 by birch1 Correcting grammatical error 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRDBLUE17 Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 Hi James, More highly inspirational modelling James plus nice to look back with that update on your fave models. Thanks for sharing how you got 60081 looking like that. I got the model when it came out and apart from fitting the names it’s sat in its box too. I only saw pictures of it on MGR’s down south but then came across a few shots of it in that nice dirty condition on the Dalston tanks in Cumbria so it’s certainly one to keep now. Thanks Mark 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted August 16, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16, 2019 On 14/08/2019 at 08:31, Duple said: I love your work! The Focus looks great. If you can master resin moulding the Focus shape, I have 15 x IPA pairs to load with them and would happily contribute! I was thinking of getting the basic shape 3D printed and using that to resin mould from. Never tried it before but I'm sure it's doable.. Hi Richard, Thanks, I agree it would be great to get the Focus going in multiples! 15 pairs of IPAs is a very good number! I've got 13 pairs and I thought that was excessive haha!! I've been down a few dead end roads with this project so far, I started scratch building a 1:76 Focus ST a number of years back but put it to one side when other things came along. I have a collection of the 1:43 Minichamps models of the Mk2 Focus, Focus ST and Focus RS and had a magical thought of scanning these in and shrinking down to 1:76 scale. I approached both ModelU and Phoenix Precision and both told me it's not something it's possible to do, but a friend with access to University scanners/printers offered to give it a go but in the end just didn't get a chance to do it. I'd then thought of going outside of the hobby, online there are a few specialist firms who appear to offer services to scan and 3D print objects & models, so this would be my next point of call. I'd just been looking to get a few 3D prints done to rework myself & resin cast in bulk for personal use only (due to the copyright issue on the scanned models)...but I hadn't got much further than that! It'd be good to pick this up again sometime soon, I'm a bit stuck into loco modelling this year so far but it's definitely on the longer term 'to do' list! Cheers, James 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post James Makin Posted August 17, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted August 17, 2019 In the last of the current batch of new locos entering service, we have a couple of old grey Class 60s! 60079 and 60088 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Whilst not the most exciting of liveries, it was certainly representative of those I saw most at Didcot heading up the MGR coal trains, either these Mainline grey versions, or unbranded & un-named dreary ones!! The starting point, conveniently, was Hornby's original Canisp model, from the second batch of '60's released way back in 2006. I managed to pick these up for £60 a piece (£60 for a '60' was always my golden price point from years gone by!) at exhibitions shortly after release and just held on to them until now. 60079 and 60088 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Shawplan's nameplates and Fox Transfers at the ready, the locos were stripped of their old identities ready for the new ones. 60079 and 60088 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Enamel thinners works very well on this batch of '60's, many years back, I experimented on my model of unbranded 60028 John Flamsteed and the number and Mainline logo lifted very easy using this method, so it was good to bear in mind for this project! Later batches of Hornby 60s can be more stubborn so sometimes one has to resort to digging out the curve-bladed scalpel. As ever, Jade Bird makes essential listening for Mainline 60 projects. 60079 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Soon enough, the locos were ready for service. First up is 60079 Foinaven. This to me seemed special at the time, as it had appeared on the front cover of RAIL Magazine around the same time as I spied it on the Avonmouth Docks - Didcot Power Station MGR imported coal runs and so it jumped out as a good candidate! 60079 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr I'm a sucker for the old mountain names as well so it had to be done! Foinaven itself is a 2,989ft peak in the Scottish Highlands and amusingly according to online sources says that it's just less than 12ft short of being officially classified as a Scottish 'Munro' mountain...so near and yet so far! Shawplan's plates have all been redrawn by Brian under the 'Extreme Etchings' banner in recent years and feature a much better rendering of the BR font compared to the older Shawplan plates too. The inside of the grilles were painted in to add depth to the loco, whilst on the outside, my usual paint-on/wipe-off weathering brought some pleasing casual dirt streaking to the bodysides around the exhaust areas. 60079 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr As with my other 60s, the big greenhouse cabs need a little interior detailing, including window blinds and drivers being added, together with newspapers and drinks in the cab, plus a kitbag and paperwork left laying around. 60079 and 60088 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr Next up is another Mainline grey beast, 60088 Buachaille Etive Mor. Again, what a fabulous name! This mountain is a huge Toblerone-style pyramid in the Glen Etive range in the Scottish Highlands and worthy of dedication on a BR Class 60 naming list! 60088 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr The model itself is in very similar condition to 60079, only perhaps slightly cleaner. The livery was in pretty good condition around the time it's modelled, circa 1998. Aside from the gorgeous long nameplate, this stood out as it derailed and turned itself sideways onto an embankment many years back, leading to some interesting pics appearing in the magazines of the time, that image stayed with me as a 'spotter and it was nice to subsequently see it turn up on a coal train and earn it's place here! 60088 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 60088 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr 60088 looks very at home on Wells Green TMD... 60088 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr In fairness, from what I gather reading the EWS maintenance reports in RAIL of the time, the 60s spent most of their time out of service receiving repairs at depots, so it's by all means pretty representative!! 60079 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr As with the other '60's, with the real things having very mixed fortunes, it's nice to 'preserve' them in model form at least. 60079 is currently in DB livery at Toton but was active more recently, whilst 60088 still carries the peeling remnants of the original grey and is slowly rotting away in the scrapline with most of its other classmates on the other side of the Nottinghamshire depot. 60079 and 60088 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 2, on Flickr And there we go, some nice period heavy Type 5 traction for the coal trains! It's the last of the batch of recent locos completed but I am a good way through my next batch of Class 37s, which will hopefully be ready in the coming months for a debut on these pages! In the meantime, I've got a number of interloping wagon projects as well as getting Worthing MRC's Loftus Road cameo scenes looking fresh for it's next appearance at our Worthing club show on September 28th & 29th, where these trains above will be running too, please do pop down and say hello!! Cheers, James 22 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty11 Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s enjoyed seeing all these recent shots, really liked the 57/0! Makes me regret selling my one, in hindsight I should have kept hold of it. I was talking to Paul at Chester Models only the other week about wanting to get a model of the Ford Fiesta Mk7, but the likes of Oxford don’t seem to be bothered. One of the best selling cars in the UK sand still no model! If one is released in red then I’ll be buying a few for sure. keep up the good work! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JiLo Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 26 minutes ago, Swifty11 said: I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s enjoyed seeing all these recent shots, really liked the 57/0! Makes me regret selling my one, in hindsight I should have kept hold of it. I was talking to Paul at Chester Models only the other week about wanting to get a model of the Ford Fiesta Mk7, but the likes of Oxford don’t seem to be bothered. One of the best selling cars in the UK sand still no model! If one is released in red then I’ll be buying a few for sure. keep up the good work! It may be to do with licensing, and the costs involved in getting the license to reproduce the vehicles in model form. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted August 18, 2019 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted August 18, 2019 11 hours ago, JiLo said: It may be to do with licensing, and the costs involved in getting the license to reproduce the vehicles in model form. Definitely, I think it’s a mix of factors, licensing costs and potential sales figures, and some witchcraft added in! The guys at Oxford told me that they had no interest in producing a Focus at that time because it was ‘too ordinary’, and they tend to produce more standout cars and novelty items e.g. fancy branded vans and Aston’s etc. But then on the other side you see them pumping out regular Qashqais every month and it does feel a little one-sided! There’s also bias in the German HO 1:87 market too, the likes of Herpa, Busch and Wiking patriotically pushing out every new BMW, Mercedes or VAG car but a Ford? Wash your mouth out! Fortunately there’s a few Reitze HO cars still out there secondhand, the Escort Mk5, KA Mk1, Transits of the 80s/90s, Mondeo’s Mk1-Mk3 and Focus Mk1, so there are some good things if you’re prepared to go for the smaller scale as I’ve done on my older layouts, only trouble is they do look too small if you’re loading up a wagon with them!! Cheers, James 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty11 Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 (edited) On 18/08/2019 at 12:13, James Makin said: Definitely, I think it’s a mix of factors, licensing costs and potential sales figures, and some witchcraft added in! The guys at Oxford told me that they had no interest in producing a Focus at that time because it was ‘too ordinary’, and they tend to produce more standout cars and novelty items e.g. fancy branded vans and Aston’s etc. But then on the other side you see them pumping out regular Qashqais every month and it does feel a little one-sided! There’s also bias in the German HO 1:87 market too, the likes of Herpa, Busch and Wiking patriotically pushing out every new BMW, Mercedes or VAG car but a Ford? Wash your mouth out! Fortunately there’s a few Reitze HO cars still out there secondhand, the Escort Mk5, KA Mk1, Transits of the 80s/90s, Mondeo’s Mk1-Mk3 and Focus Mk1, so there are some good things if you’re prepared to go for the smaller scale as I’ve done on my older layouts, only trouble is they do look too small if you’re loading up a wagon with them!! Cheers, James To sat a Focus is 'too ordinary' and then produce the Nisan Quashqai (one of the dullest cars!) is quite funny! I'll have to keep an eye out, you can buy a mk6 fiesta in 1/16 but nothing smaller sadly, or more modern! Personally, I think the likes of Fiestas/Focus would be a great idea because you see so many of them on the road and you see them on car trains too. A friend of mine in the retail world was saying there's a huge demand for 80s cars but Oxford doesn't seem to be meeting it... Edited August 19, 2019 by Swifty11 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 2 hours ago, Swifty11 said: To sat a Focus is 'too ordinary' and then produce the Nisan Quashqai (one of the dullest cars!) is quite funny! I'll have to keep an eye out, you can buy a mk6 fiesta in 1/16 but nothing smaller sadly, or more modern! Personally, I think the likes of Fiestas/Focus would be a great idea because you see so many of them on the road and you see them on car trains too. A friend of mine in the retail world was saying there's a huge demand for 80s cars but Oxford doesn't seem to be meeting it... I had a cashcow for three years and it was really comfy, especially the heated seats that made you think you’d wet yourself, Please enlighten us Mr swifty on what you drive and it’d better be exciting as per 911 upwards.... 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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