Hornby 2021 - 9F new tooling

[MikeParkin65]

2 hours ago, Ian Hargrave said:

I mentioned Bachmann’s loco to tender coupling above as being not to current standard. Yet in the images posted here of the new Hornby there appears to be a distinctly noticeable gap. Am I correct in this ?

Much prefer Bachmanns old style simple sturdy bar coupling to the great chunky thing they have saddled the V2 with.  Power pick from the tender would be useful tho (although not really necessary for a long wheel base loco like a 9f). 

[Johan DC]

2 hours ago, G-BOAF said:

It seems Hornby have gone down the Heljan/Accurascale/Dapol mode for packaging this. Either it is a weight issue (diecast as a heavy model), or they feel the need for a premium packaging for a premium model.

I'm impressed and can't wait for my Evening Star.

It looks like the same packaging for the Dublo 'specials'? 

[Ian Hargrave]

2 hours ago, micklner said:

The top of the Boiler and the awful Smokebox are dire.

Dire is perhaps OTT but certainly Hornby have added “details” to the smokebox not in Mr.Riddles original design. Its Bachmann counterpart lacks them. Though there is no “depth” to its chimney. It all depends upon how it affects its presence in your eyes whilst on your tracks I imagine.  If I bought one,I’d want to see it in a retail environment before parting with ( a lot ) of cash. 

[Market65]

I’ve just weighed the locomotive and it is some 500 grams - the tender would not fit on the scales.
 

Rob.

[toby_tl10]

18 hours ago, Porcy Mane said:

I hope midlandred doesn't mind me using part of his posted image to illustrate:

 

It might just be the lighting but those tooling tooling lines along the boiler/smoke-box look rather prominent. I can't remember seeing anything like that on the prototypes.

 

That has put me in a slightly difficult situation...

 

On one side, I'm a big fan of the 9F and I've been wanting an Eastern Region 9F with double chimney for quite some time. 92194 ticks both boxes. In addition, I don't have to pay VAT as I live outside of UK and my currency is appreciating against the pound.

 

On the other side, the smokebox lines and smoke deflector circles look rather appalling. The dated Bachmann model doesn't have these, even the old Hornby Railroad model doesn't have these. I really don't know how confident one can call the new model an "improvement".

 

But then again, the new model has some decent features in other areas, and the Hornby model is probably the only ER double chimney 9F available in the coming years. So...

[JST]

Just ordered mine. Has anyone had a look in the tender and if so, is there room for a decent size speaker?

[davidw]

1 hour ago, toby_tl10 said:

That has put me in a slightly difficult situation...

 

On one side, I'm a big fan of the 9F and I've been wanting an Eastern Region 9F with double chimney for quite some time. 92194 ticks both boxes. In addition, I don't have to pay VAT as I live outside of UK and my currency is appreciating against the pound.

 

On the other side, the smokebox lines and smoke deflector circles look rather appalling. The dated Bachmann model doesn't have these, even the old Hornby Railroad model doesn't have these. I really don't know how confident one can call the new model an "improvement".

 

But then again, the new model has some decent features in other areas, and the Hornby model is probably the only ER double chimney 9F available in the coming years. So...

There are quite a few Bachmann  double chimney 9fs on eBay at the moment. Various prices from 80 to 160 £s

Edited September 16, 2022 by davidw

[aureol40012]

I’ve got one coming tomorrow hopefully but I have to say some of it looks rather……plasticky!  Yeah, I know most of it is plastic, but you know what I mean!  The grey boiler pipes in particular look like they come as part of a Kinder Egg toy!  Can someone who has one tell me how it looks in the flesh?

[No Decorum]

7 hours ago, MidlandRed said:

I think we need to take a reality check on the ‘tooling joins’. I thought, having seen the comment on my photo last night, I’d never be able to un see them. Not the case though (thankfully). They, in my opinion, are not unduly noticeable to the naked eye - only the iphone camera, in certain lights, picks them up and accentuates them (in the same way it alters the appearance of sky - I took some shots of the Red Arrows at Bournemouth the other day and the sky effect on the pictures was astonishing with broken cloud - I suspect the camera has some sort of built in polarising effect). A few more photos - I still think it’s a stunning model, although I’m a sucker for a 9F - especially one I saw around Birmingham in Saltley and Birkenhead days. I think Hornby has produced a cracker, and the purchasing/ packaging/ transport (via DPD) all match the quality of the model. The box was in a polythene sleeve. It is top loaded - use the cut outs at the side to release it slightly then the top can be slid off - quite a tight fit - not quite the finger/hand wrestling match as per a Heljan though!!
 

 

The first pic makes it look as if it has gone through a cobweb in an attic layout. 😀

[Porcy Mane]

1 hour ago, toby_tl10 said:

On the other side, the smokebox lines

 

Don't let what I said put you off. Wait till you've seen one in the flesh. The smokebox lines were there on some loco's during the 1960's. Just not so prominent. Preservation is another matter altogether.

 

RD20958.  9F & King at Grosmont. by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

 

RD19709.  92212 at M&4M. by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

 

P

[Pre Grouping fan]

Looks like a panel to access the superheated header. 

 

Have to agree with some comments about plasticky looking parts, the wheels in one picture look like unpainted dark grey plastic. Seem to remember my GBL has similar grey bogies. 

[MidlandRed]

3 hours ago, JST said:

Just ordered mine. Has anyone had a look in the tender and if so, is there room for a decent size speaker?

Not sure about decent sized but Hornby shows the recommended space in the tender for a speaker and also that’s where the decoder would be located. 

[MidlandRed]

Front view/ smoke deflectors. I must say I’m no steam rivet counter, but to my eye this model is great - sure there are compromises but they do not detract for me - I also like the Bachmann model but want only one 9F for my ‘1961 version’ of my layout - and this is fine to be amongst my green speed whiskered class 122 and similar ex GWR railcar 🥰
 

 

 

[davidw]

2 hours ago, Porcy Mane said:

 

Don't let what I said put you off. Wait till you've seen one in the flesh. The smokebox lines were there on some loco's during the 1960's. Just not so prominent. Preservation is another matter altogether.

 

RD20958.  9F & King at Grosmont. by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

 

RD19709.  92212 at M&4M. by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

 

P

Those photos are fascinating. Looks like Hornby have tried to replicate something that was apparent on the prototype....

[Ian Hargrave]

14 minutes ago, Ricochet said:

Anyone else keep finding tool scratch marks on Hornby locomotives? There's a not insignificant scratch on my 9F, third locomotive i've bought from Hornby in a row with the issue. In two minds as to whether it's a fuss over nothing or not. Seriously do Hornby not have quality control? Never get such issues with Bachmann.

This issue is almost as old as time itself,I’m afraid 

[Ian Hargrave]

17 hours ago, davidw said:

Those photos are fascinating. Looks like Hornby have tried to replicate something that was apparent on the prototype....

Curiously enough,one of Bachmann’s future releases is 92212. Viewing the current images on Rails website,it does not have the smokebox plating joins. Who’s to say which is correct and for which period in the loco’s history ? The revelation of scanning details  by Hornby R&D might give us a clue. It appears then that they have decided to award all three new releases with this “modification “ regardless. Looking at an image of 92214 taken at the Bachmann Collectors Club day at Quorn on 26 June,the “mod” is not present on the “prototype “.
   Tried just to have a look at the new Hornby at my nearest dealer. No luck.Sold out. Getting more in next week.The guy ( and no names mentioned) can’t fathom why this when Bachmann produces ….and continues to do so…a very good model.

I can’t disagree with that. But certainly in my neck of the woods,the new H 9F is going like hot cakes it seems.

 

 

Edited September 17, 2022 by Ian Hargrave
Adding text

[jonnyuk]

i went to my local hop today to pick up a purple loco (stunning loco by the way), whilst there i saw evening star. now i know nothing about the prototype, have no need nor desire to own one but as a model it was bloody good, stunning, the fine detail and level of details was really good, well put together. For the first time i looked at the Hornby box and thought that's quality, what a difference the box makes (and internals of the box). 

[bigherb]

4 hours ago, Ian Hargrave said:

Curiously enough,one of Bachmann’s future releases is 92212. Viewing the current images on Rails website,it does not have the smokebox plating joins. Who’s to say which is correct and for which period in the loco’s history ?

 

 

 

Early dated pictures do show evidence of the plating.

[MidlandRed]

On 16/09/2022 at 23:01, davidw said:

Those photos are fascinating. Looks like Hornby have tried to replicate something that was apparent on the prototype....

Definitely - the smoke box hatch is shown in the drawing on the box.

 

[Porcy Mane]

6 minutes ago, MidlandRed said:

the smoke box hatch is shown in the drawing on the box.

 

I've just had a message from a Mate who's on holiday.  (There's dedication for you!) He knows a thing or two about BR standards. He confirms that the removable plate was there on Brits & 9F's from new.

Just makes me wonder why Hornby, who has a bit of a reputation for replicating fine detail, has made it so prominent. Maybe it was the same far eastern engineer that was responsible for the imaginary strip along the top of the Q6 boiler?

[G-BOAF]

On 15/09/2022 at 23:07, Hilux5972 said:

Photo belonging to KJB Models posted on their Facebook shows the boxes. I like the new standard box, with the red border. 

Interesting to see the uneven wheel spacing on the box art!!! Obviously they used the early EP to produce the livery images. But great its been corrected in the flesh.

 

Surprised there are no video reviews yet. People are normally quick off the mark

 

Anyone had the body off the show the mechanicals (and the space between the frames, as already noted earlier)?

Also a side-by-side with the Bachmann version would be great

Edited September 18, 2022 by G-BOAF

[APOLLO]

Crewe Works 11 June 1967

 

 

 

Brit15

[Trev52A]

Here are a couple of my 1967 9F pictures showing single chimney 92071 and double chimney 92208 from above. You can just make out the joins running down the smokebox from alongside the chimney, but not so pronounced as the Hornby representation.  These must correspond to the same thing as shown on the preservation-era pictures recently posted by Porcy Mane.

The pictures also show the join along the top of the boiler which G-BOAF mentions, below this post

Trevor

Edited September 18, 2022 by Trev52A
Added extra info

[G-BOAF]

Of course Hornby have NOT put the join down the middle of the boiler nor the associated bolt heads with the two sides of the cladding.

 

After years of people complaining about mould seams (despite the fact that cladding is normally joined on the top), Hornby's response is to not have any detail there. I believe the made the same mistake on the original Rebuilt Merchant Navy models but modified the tooling to incorporate it it around 2005.

The cladding join DOES exist on the Bachmann model, but possibly only a result of the tooling join in that location.

 

Clearly there are some areas where the Bachmann model wins out... just need to make a judgement on whether the Hornby model beats in enough other areas...

[davidw]

It seems from pictures Hornby have tried to model something that exist which Bachmann haven't. The downside is that Hornby's is a little over-emphasized.