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Dapol West Country & Rebuilt West Country

TomE

By TomE,
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steam-driven boy

steam-driven boy

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Hi,

Announced today https://www.Dapol.co.uk/Dapol-Battle-of-Britain-%20West-Country-Class

 

£199.95 for a standard DC loco is eye watering and a price I just cannot justify paying :(

I would be very surprised that anyone would insist on paying that figure when, to give one example, Hattons are currently offering that specification of model at £169.96:

https://www.hattons.co.uk/424166/Dapol_2S_034_001_Class_7P6F_Streamlined_Battle_of_Britain_4_6_2_21C164_Fighter_Command_in_SR_mala/StockDetail.aspx

That figure is still quite an eye-opener in itself and, as I mentioned in an earlier post, means I'll no longer look at ordering additional examples "almost by default" as has happened in the past.  It is probably for many of us in part due to price levels in the recent past few years having given us a period of exceptional value for money that the shock is hitting home, but we were warned about this eventuality quite some time ago.

Looking at prices of similar new steam locomotives, both UK prototype/supplier and overseas, I expect we are seeing a norm and we will have to decide at what level each of us individually can continue to buy in the numbers we once perhaps took for granted.

It may be a case for some of us cutting back on the indulgences, or looking to the second hand sources before demand pushes those prices higher.

I would certainly like at least another name/livery example, but I think that may only happen for me if bigger discounts become available once the initial period of introduction passes.  If it doesn't, it doesn't...

 

Regards, Gerry.

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MGR Hooper!

MGR Hooper!

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Posted (edited)

Announced today https://www.Dapol.co.uk/Dapol-Battle-of-Britain-%20West-Country-Class

 

£199.95 for a standard DC loco is eye watering and a price I just cannot justify paying :(

 

Quite acceptable considering that it's fully die-cast. Dapol are taking a step closer towards European standards and therefore that kind of pricing. Furthermore it's their first new-generation model and if the Class 68 and 50 are anything to go by, this model is going to be an absolute beauty!!

 

People who see the value and quality will happily buy it.

Edited by MGR Hooper!
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Chris M

Chris M

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I can't understand placing an order now. They will get here eventually and there will be plenty of chance to buy one once they are on sale. Its like the 50s - I plan to buy one but I have every confidence that it will be possible to buy one once they are actually available. Has any N gauge model (except crowdfunded) completely sold out before it has arrived in the country? Judging by the struggle to get cash from people who said they would invest to get kings to a point where the tooling can be kicked off it seems unlikely that any new model will all be accounted for before they arrive or that all the pre-orders will turn into real sales.

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Gareth Collier

Gareth Collier

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Quite acceptable considering that it's fully die-cast. Dapol are taking a step closer towards European standards and therefore that kind of pricing. Furthermore it's their first new-generation model and if the Class 68 and 50 are anything to go by, this model is going to be an absolute beauty!!

 

People who see the value and quality will happily buy it.

Is it? Everything you quote above is guess work and relying on Dapol getting it right and delivering their promises. From my perspective Dapol have a long history of this whilst I have a stud of Dapol locos that look good in a display case but it's a completely different story if you actually want to run them. £200 is an expensive decoration. If it lives up to the hype then fine but I will need to be convinced before parting with my cash.

Interesting you are already positioning the class 50 right up there as a benchmark when they haven't been released yet so how can you know? Display models look good but that's a lot different to a production one on your layout. A standard DC class 50 also only attracts a RRP of £144.95.

This isn't Dapol bashing before I'm accused, I'm just a customer with a history of disappointment and frustration with them.

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MGR Hooper!

MGR Hooper!

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Is it? Everything you quote above is guess work and relying on Dapol getting it right and delivering their promises. From my perspective Dapol have a long history of this whilst I have a stud of Dapol locos that look good in a display case but it's a completely different story if you actually want to run them. £200 is an expensive decoration. If it lives up to the hype then fine but I will need to be convinced before parting with my cash.

Interesting you are already positioning the class 50 right up there as a benchmark when they haven't been released yet so how can you know? Display models look good but that's a lot different to a production one on your layout. .

 

IMHO it is...

 

I'm the customer who has faith in a brand that has delivered superb models to me. Not a single Dapol model I've had has had any issues which is what I wish I could say about the other brands. It's my opinion, I'm a happy customer and I've been more than impressed by what I've seen with the Class 50 so far including have a litle play with one of the running samples.

 

Other companies on here have been all talk and done nothing but yet people back them blindly dumping every ounce of faith they can muster up.

 

We all have had our experiences, I've shared mine and I trust the company because I've bought their models for years and had no issues. You've had a bad experience it's not my fault, I can't question your opinion. All I can suggest is drop DCC Supplies a message and they'll happily sort it out for your or replace it if they can.

 

A standard DC class 50 also only attracts a RRP of £144.95

 

Your point being?

Edited by MGR Hooper!
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MGR Hooper!

MGR Hooper!

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The specs look good. Lets hope they live up to the hype & price.

 

47379769_2675550915795973_4337533600179159040_n.jpg 47434557_2675550902462641_886623348887388160_n.jpg

 

The above via Dapol's facebook page.

 

Tom.

Think a higher quality one is available on their website....Facebook image quality isn't the best.

 

Though being online via my phone could also be the issue.

 

Anyway incase anyone finds the Facebook images blurred, here's a link direct to Dapol's website.

 

https://www.Dapol.co.uk/Dapol-Battle-of-Britain-%20West-Country-Class

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Les1952

Les1952

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Posted

Announced today https://www.Dapol.co.uk/Dapol-Battle-of-Britain-%20West-Country-Class

 

£199.95 for a standard DC loco is eye watering and a price I just cannot justify paying :(

 

Still £100 short of an equivalent loco from one of the Continental manufacturers.   Perhaps they are just wealthier than us on the other side of the Channel....

 

Les

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CF MRC

CF MRC

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At least it will pull a decent amount if it has some die cast weight in it. Farish stuff looks lovely, but wouldn’t pull a chicken off a nest. If they did Barnstable in rebuilt form I’d buy it for nostalgic reasons (I had a HD one).

 

Tim

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Chris Higgs

Chris Higgs

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Still £100 short of an equivalent loco from one of the Continental manufacturers.   Perhaps they are just wealthier than us on the other side of the Channel....

 

Les

 

Well, if you buy them from UK shops that might be true. In my local German model shop there are not many steam locos over EUR 200. And that would look a whole lot better price in pounds if it were not for Brexit sending the pound down against the Euro.

 

Chris

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Chris Higgs

Chris Higgs

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At least it will pull a decent amount if it has some die cast weight in it. Farish stuff looks lovely, but wouldn’t pull a chicken off a nest. If they did Barnstable in rebuilt form I’d buy it for nostalgic reasons (I had a HD one).

 

Tim

 

I would have thought there was plenty of room inside a Spamcan for weight enough with or without the body shell being metal. My Fleischmann 2-10-0s with tender drive and traction tyres still seem to be able to see off all-comers. So perhaps I can work out a way to hack a Farish tender drive into the tender of a MN to give it more oomph.

 

And it looks like you have found what to do as your next loco once you have finished Valour, Tim. I still have my HD Barnstaple, and the 3-rail track to run it on.

 

Chris

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MGR Hooper!

MGR Hooper!

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I would have thought there was plenty of room inside a Spamcan for weight enough with or without the body shell being metal.

 

Chris

Not necessarily....Dapol obviously intend to do the original and rebuilt versions. So the chassis inside is going to be the same spec. I don't think Dapol will want to produce something non-standard. They'll be aiming for similar overall weight also of the two models. Having one heavier than the other isn't really standard.

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Chris Higgs

Chris Higgs

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Not necessarily....Dapol obviously intend to do the original and rebuilt versions. So the chassis inside is going to be the same spec. I don't think Dapol will want to produce something non-standard. They'll be aiming for similar overall weight also of the two models. Having one heavier than the other isn't really standard.

 

I thought they had announced that they no longer intend to do the rebuilt versions? Or is that just 'not yet'?

 

Chris

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Kris

Kris

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I thought they had announced that they no longer intend to do the rebuilt versions? Or is that just 'not yet'?

 

Chris

 

They have said on their website, that rebuilt versions will follow. No timescales given for those however.

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dpgibbons

dpgibbons

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Presumably the chassis is being designed to accommodate a rebuilt body and external valve gear, otherwise producing the rebuilt version would not be straightforward. There's no sign of Farish producing a rebuilt version of their MN.

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dpgibbons

dpgibbons

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Project update from Hattons.  Given past delays and the absence of any project updates from Dapol I assume the Late 2020 delivery date remains highly elastic. 

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/newsdetail.aspx?id=810&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=mar-0633-dapollightpacific-75yrs&fbclid=IwAR0CpfxHu9zl_neiDbAqjciTHf1L6uEuavR2F9p8t5O82qzGgnBeIe7aAUw

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TomE

TomE

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We haven't seen CADs, EPs or Livery Samples. Unless Dapol are going to pull a rabbit out of the hat, even late 2021 would be pushing it! 

 

Tom.  

 

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