Dapol new N-gauge M7

[Tim Dubya]

On 14/09/2022 at 21:00, Mr chapman said:

Which is older LSWR or SWR? Or are they of the same time period? 

 

I think @Graham_Muz or @chris45lsw of this parish may be able to help with an answer?

 

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by Tim Dubya
help

[TomE]

Has anyone picked up one of the updated M7's yet? 

Curious to know if the nose down slope affects all models or it's just unfortunate Rails photographed two models with the same issue. 

 

 

Cheers, 

 

Tom.  

[Silly Moo]

I think the downward slope might just be the camera angle. The roof doesn’t seem to fit that well. Other photos I’ve seen have lettering and lining which isn’t straight. Perhaps the photos we have seen are of pre production samples, I hope so. 

[CF MRC]

Clearly designed for mountain railways. 
 

Tim

[PeterStiles]

Mine turned up yesterday, looking all sunshiny and bright; I haven't noticed sloping bits, but wasn't trying to before reading this. Will get the set-square out tonight.

 

It grounded on a Kato unitrack #6 point :( but I hit the point blades with a hammer and it goes over them now. I felt it needed the long running-in I gave it and it seems happier on the test circle now, pulling three GF MK1 coaches. Might hook the correcter Dapol maunsells up tonight and see how many it likes.

 

Seems not to like the curves that much, there's a distinct slow-down on the R282mm curves, any known "cures" for that? (if you say "bigger curves" I can understand, but the missus may not)

 

 

 

 

[TomE]

8 hours ago, Silly Moo said:

I think the downward slope might just be the camera angle. The roof doesn’t seem to fit that well. Other photos I’ve seen have lettering and lining which isn’t straight. Perhaps the photos we have seen are of pre production samples, I hope so. 

Not the camera angle, and these are photos of model rails have received in to stock. 

 

 

I’d like to pick one up for Ropley, but curious if this is just an oddity or if it’s a wider issue. 
 

Tom. 

[Graham_Muz]

9 hours ago, TomE said:

Not the camera angle, and these are photos of model rails have received in to stock. 

 

 

I’d like to pick one up for Ropley, but curious if this is just an oddity or if it’s a wider issue. 
 

Tom. 

 

As well as an unwanted slope, ill fitting possibly slightly low (I've not put a ruler across one) roof,  the lettering is not correct for Bulleid 'Sunshine' either!

Edited April 21, 2023 by Graham_Muz

[montyburns56]

9 hours ago, TomE said:

Not the camera angle, and these are photos of model rails have received in to stock. 

 

 

I’d like to pick one up for Ropley, but curious if this is just an oddity or if it’s a wider issue. 
 

Tom. 

 

It is not just because the flanges are larger on the pony truck?

[sammmm]

3 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

 

It is not just because the flanges are larger on the pony truck?

 

I'd say your correct there! A very quick draw of lines shows a dead level line across the treads but the line to the flanges show a definitve angle. A relief as they look very nice and am resisting temptation!

 

[dpgibbons]

The nose-down stance is also evident when the loco is on the rails (pic), and by comparing the angle of the footplate to the connecting rod. IIRC the original M7 batch were also prone to the condition.

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by dpgibbons

[OFFTHE RAILS]

On 20/04/2023 at 23:44, TomE said:

Has anyone picked up one of the updated M7's yet? 

Curious to know if the nose down slope affects all models or it's just unfortunate Rails photographed two models with the same issue. 

 

 

Cheers, 

 

Tom.  

 

IMHO this "updated" model and it's predecessor have never looked "right". The body is OK and the chassis is probably reasonable for N but the two don't match - the centre of the front driver should match the centre of the splasher (in the horizontal plane).

 

 

[AndyB]

So, given there's an issue with this model. 

What's the solution?

 

1. Don't buy the model, but miss out on having a very useful engine on your southern layout. 

2. Raise the issue with the manufacturer and expect them to sort it out. How, and how long?

3. Find a solution ourselves; e.g. could the front be raised to level it up? Would that look worse? 

[franciswilliamwebb]

6 minutes ago, AndyB said:

1. Don't buy the model, but miss out on having a very useful engine on your southern layout. 

 

That's me.  I've been in category 1 for a long time, to be honest, but spiralling prices mean I definitely can't afford everything I want.  So I buy the better stuff, simples...

[TomE]

I popped down to the local shop to have a look at one in the flesh and all models they had received had a very noticeable nose down attitude, even when placed on the track, so not it’s not the the flanges on the pony.

 

It’s almost as if the new chassis has been designed around drivers of the correct diameter but then they’ve fitted smaller diameter ones like the previous version. 

They were in the process of returning the entire delivery.

 

Disappointing, as they seem to run reasonably well but no point having one if it looks like it’s about to dive, dive, dive! 
 

Tom. 

[Silly Moo]

I too went to my local model shop (to buy paints) not expecting them to have the M7 in stock yet but they did. Unfortunately it’s no better than the examples shown in this thread. Some really bad alignment of type, a bit of a slope to the front too. 
 

 

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Silly Moo
More added

[fezza]

After the banana shaped GWR 153s, the botched MK3 sleepers and the reversed BR logo on the 156s you have to wonder what is going wrong with Dapol's  quality control. These look terrible 

[woodenhead]

1 hour ago, fezza said:

After the banana shaped GWR 153s, the botched MK3 sleepers and the reversed BR logo on the 156s you have to wonder what is going wrong with Dapol's  quality control. These look terrible 

Perhaps this is what happens when you don't raise prices in line with increasing costs.

[dpgibbons]

4 hours ago, woodenhead said:

Perhaps this is what happens when you don't raise prices in line with increasing costs.

 

The modest price increase does not imply that Dapol have cut corners. Tooling is a major cost and that is borne by the initial production run, so that's a big saving for a re-run to offset higher manufacturing costs.
 

4 hours ago, fezza said:

Or when you outsource to unreliable Chinese factories and don't have reliable oversight of the production process. These things are not exactly cheap and more price rises have just been announced.

 

 

 

 

 

One could blame the factory for the sloping lettering on the re-run, but not the nose-down appearance. That is a fault evident in the original production run. 

[Kaput]

Good old Dapol always managing to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Shame.

[CF MRC]

20 hours ago, Silly Moo said:

 

The lettering is doing a valiant job of compensating for the nose-down attitude. I am just working on a 0-4-4 and they area bit tricky to get right. 
 

Tim

Edited April 23, 2023 by CF MRC

[Izzy]

There's really no excuse for the pizza cutter bogie wheels, which might explain the rear ride height if it has been raised to clear those flanges. That and those awful plastic looking/at any angle coupling rods takes me back to 1970's N gauge which I thought we had seen the last of and had been consigned to history. Such a shame for a loco that would be useful to a lot of modellers of the Southern.

 

Bob

Edited April 23, 2023 by Izzy

[fezza]

Is anyone going to have a go at improving theirs? Could the wheels be changed easily? What alternative wheels are available? The lettering is obviously fairly easy to correct as long as the printing comes off without damaging the appearance, but I can't see how the nose down issue can be corrected without resorting to 3d printing... and then it's almost a new loco...

[TomE]

Comment from Dapol on their digest:
 

Quote

We are investigating the sloping body at the moment. We think it is a slight interference fit on assembly and will be posting an update on our findings with a fix in the next day or two. We think the decorations are good, so I am not sure what you mean?

Tom.  
 

[fezza]

22 minutes ago, TomE said:

Comment from Dapol on their digest:
 

Tom.  
 

In other words it has been poorly assembled.

 

Why don't Dapol take a few samples out of the boxes and check them thoroughly before despatch? My missus could have spotted the bendy 153, the reversed 156 logo and the drunken M7...

[5944]

On 23/04/2023 at 12:40, CF MRC said:

The lettering is doing a valiant job of compensating for the nose-down attitude. I am just working on a 0-4-4 and they area bit tricky to get right. 
 

Tim

From the few side-on photos I've seen, the lettering and numbering is perfectly horizontal even though the body slopes downwards.