Class 24 & Class 31 kits

[EasternO]

Hello, just joined looking for info on early Class 24 & 31 kits. Tried searching but hardly any images load for anything beyond about 2018.

 

I've looked around and can see a company called MM Models makes kits, but their prices are for Russian billionaires, not the likes of me. I've seen that a company called Steve Beattie Developments used to do a Class 24 but seems to be out of business. A current company, PRMRP, does a Class 31, but is a later version.

 

Can anyone offer any advice?

TIA

[EasternO]

I guess I should add some background.

 

My name's John, I used to build kits many years ago but sold everything. Just getting back into it now. All I have is a soldering iron and no clue about anything new in the hobby from the past 20 years or so.

[Gary White]

Hi John I have just moved up to O scale after having modelled in EM and OO for years although I have kept one layout Hillbottom OO roundly roundly as it has been built with friends and we have a share in it 

As I understand that you would like to make a start in O  it may be better to start with a shunter kit  or the likes to just get your hand back in to modelling again 

As I believe MM1 models have shut down due to illness I have built some of the MM1 TTA tank kits which are very good to build I have also built a PRP tank kit. 
this takes some soldering skills and with time and patience they can go together quite well

May be it would be worth going to a O gauge show like guild EX  coming up in September there you will have all the O gauge traders and support where you can talk to everyone and get advise I went to the O gauge show in Kettering this year and it was worth it especially as I was changing up to O gauge

As for the class 24-31 route 

Probably the best route to go down and I sure I will be corrected try the ready to run route Heljan produce a ready to run Class 31 and 25 the 25 could possibly be converted back to a class 24 with some conversion work and scratch building you may also find a MM1 kit on the normal web auction site 

I don’t know how much space you  have to build the layout

As for Steve Beattie kits and I am sure I will stand corrected these were produced in the early and late 80s and they are quite crude in today’s standards I did read an article in Letters section of an old BRM stating the problems of putting them together that is if you can find one 

best of luck 

[JeffP]

PRMRP are ex Parkins Post War Prototypes.

BUT:

They've gone through various owners since David sold them, apparently some of the casting masters were lost, and the present castings aren't the best.

Price is also quite high for the quality, but eith skill and dedication, convincing models can be made.

 

MM1 is ex- Just Like The Real Thing, (JLTRT), owned by Pete Waterman.

Pete closed it down, Laurie, who basically ran it, reopened it.

Laurie is ill at present so it's temporarily closed again. If/when it will reopen....?

MM1 models are pretty good, resin and cast parts, with some etchings, the parts being of excellent quality in the most part. Very nice models could be produced.

Prices were/are high, but they were only made in small numbers, so you're paying for the manufacturer's time.

[Phil Parker]

41 minutes ago, Gary White said:

May be it would be worth going to a O gauge show like guild EX  coming up in September there you will have all the O gauge traders and support where you can talk to everyone and get advise

 

I'd vote for this. I know it's a new venue, but you'll not get a better introduction to the stuff available in the scale. And you can poke and prod the bits so you can assess what you need/want.

[Ian G]

Worth saving this site https://www.gaugeoguild.com/traders/traders_links.aspx

 

Ian G

[EasternO]

Thanks very much.

 

To answer your questions I used to build in 7mm. In about 10 years I built 8 wagons, a mix of opens and vans in white metal and brass, and one loco, an 04 by either Vulcan or Right Price, I can't remember which. No layout unfortunately. A couple of the wagons I built to Scale 7. It was the building I liked. I've not been a member of a club because I'd never find the time to attend them.

 

I've been searching here and I see that a company called Highlander Models had bought the Steve Beattie kits and were in the process of modernising them. I'm not sure if anything came of it.

 

Thanks for responding. I asked the same questions on another forum and I was told I wasn't welcome by the administrator. How nice!

 

Thank you for taking the time to help.

[Hal Nail]

1 hour ago, EasternO said:

I asked the same questions on another forum and I was told I wasn't welcome by the administrator

 

Im reminded of Groucho Marx, "I wouldn't want to be a member of any establishment that would have me"!

 

To put MM1 prices in persective, the old DJH white metal class 47 is now £721!

 

 

Edited August 22, 2022 by Hal Nail

[EasternO]

About two years ago I stumbled across a local tool and machinery auction and without any intention of buying anything I bought a box of bits for just a few pounds. In it were a few spares for a Class 15 loco made by The Little Loco Company and some artwork for a Class 04 Drewry, along with what looked like a couple test etches. I was thinking of continuing the development of this kit but I have found out that another company is producing it. I'll probably not make it for sale but it would be interesting to finish it to build myself. I would have liked the tram Drewry all those years ago but nobody made one at the time.

[Hal Nail]

14 minutes ago, EasternO said:

In it were a few spares for a Class 15 loco made by The Little Loco Company and some artwork for a Class 04 Drewry, along with what looked like a couple test etches. I was thinking of continuing the development of this kit but I have found out that another company is producing it.

The original right price 04 was re run by little loco - I bought one but ended up selling it on again.

 

 

[EasternO]

It's definitely not the Right Price kit. I had one of these too many moons ago and can't remember whether I built that or the Vulcan kit. This test etch set is only a nickel chassis etch with CAD for a full set of 04 locos. I'll take a picture tomorrow.

 

I just did a search for 'Drewry 04 kit' and I can see a thread about developing an 04 kit but there are no pictures loading. This may be it?

[Hal Nail]

23 minutes ago, EasternO said:

I just did a search for 'Drewry 04 kit' and I can see a thread about developing an 04 kit but there are no pictures loading. This may be it?

That does ring a bell but the great crash lost a lot of valuable picture resource unfortunately.

[Gary White]

I really enjoyed building the MM1 TTA tank kit you are right the 3D printed chassis was lovely and a very good print they were easy to put together I’ll put a photo up later it’s great you enjoy building kits etc I do to

But supply of older kits can be a challenge to obtain second hand stands and bring and buy stands at local shows can some times turn up the odd gem some times I would love to have a go at the prp class 58 and 59 kits I am sure with a bit of work they can be made to be quite good as there are no ready to run versions of these locos 

[D6775]

I created this page a while back. but it does need updating when I find a bit of time and motivation/ Hopefully it might help.

 

https://www.modernimageogauge.co.uk/rollingstocklist.html

[fail safe]

MM1 are the very best and accurate diesel models in 0 gauge with out doubt. They are not basic, which is what a lot of other kits are. I have several and they are a delight to build, no soldering, and extremely comprehensive, that's why they are priced the way they are. Other kits do not come close. 

 

There are very few kits for main line locos in 0 gauge, and most of them a challenge to build, because RTR dominates the market now. Unfortunately MM1 has been closed due to ill heath for a while and today I've noticed the web site has got off line. Sincerely hope Laurie, the owner, is okay as his service and products are second to none.

 

The only way you will get an MM1 kit at the moment is second hand.

 

You will find a few loco kits here at P R Model Railway Products http://www.prmrp.com but be prepared to have to solder and improvise.

[M51625]

class 24: Steve Beattie used to produce one of these initally a resin model, but more recently a brass kit, the kits/artwork/masters were sold to a company called highlander, and it looked promising for a short time but for whatever reason the kits have never reappeared.. does anyone know what went wrong?

 

Class 31; there was a kit by David Parkin marketed under the modern motive power (MMP) brand, a very detailed kit with resin cast cabs,  not for beginners very detailed and accurate, again this is out of production so 2nd hand ones are the only way. I managed to get one of these from a well known auction site a couple of years ago.

[Hal Nail]

I thought the DJH white metal 31 was regarded as pretty accurate (JLTRT/MM1 have never done a 31).

 

Sadly the lack of pictures spoils this thread but may be some info in there

 

 

Edited September 8, 2022 by Hal Nail

[pwr]

12 hours ago, M51625 said:

class 24: Steve Beattie used to produce one of these initally a resin model, but more recently a brass kit, the kits/artwork/masters were sold to a company called highlander, and it looked promising for a short time but for whatever reason the kits have never reappeared.. does anyone know what went wrong?

 

Class 31; there was a kit by David Parkin marketed under the modern motive power (MMP) brand, a very detailed kit with resin cast cabs,  not for beginners very detailed and accurate, again this is out of production so 2nd hand ones are the only way. I managed to get one of these from a well known auction site a couple of years ago.

 

 

I've got one of these Parkin 31's to build and it predates the resin cab. Mine have white metal castings.

 

Paul R

[JeffP]

Is yours the older "Post War Prototypes" model?

[pwr]

9 hours ago, JeffP said:

Is yours the older "Post War Prototypes" model?

 

I think so but its in an RJH box. 

 

I took it out to have a look yesterday and its pretty well detailed - or will be when its built. Its a 31/4 so a it different from her Heljan 31's I have

 

Paul R

[JeffP]

Bit of a basic beast compared to the later resin cab MMP version.

[djparkins]

On 08/09/2022 at 10:40, pwr said:

 

 

I've got one of these Parkin 31's to build and it predates the resin cab. Mine have white metal castings.

 

Paul R

 

Who is this Parkin geezer then?

 

As JeffP [evening Jeff!] has explained there were two very separate ranges.

 

Post-War Prototypes, which started in 1979 with a Class 47 which sold for £37.50. I think the 31 was £51.50 when it came out in 1985. These were sold to RJH Model Railways in 1988 and they couldn't form the bodies or cast very well AND inreased the prices by more than double - thus sales fell away.

 

Then there was the MMP range started in 1988 and the MMP 31 kits were released in [IIRC] 2004. The range is in suspended animation at present and there are many other sets of masters that have never been released. And now with our purchase of the 7mm ABS stuff will kind of get mixed in with that.

 

David ParkinS

[Hal Nail]

7 hours ago, djparkins said:

Who is this Parkin geezer then?

An authority on mk1 coaches - or at least his brother keith is - which is probably where the confusion comes from!

[JeffP]

8 hours ago, djparkins said:

 

Who is this Parkin geezer then?

 

 

I was just about to explain when i realised who the post was from.🙂

Morning David.

[101]

11 hours ago, djparkins said:

 

Post-War Prototypes, which started in 1979 with a Class 47 which sold for £37.50. I think the 31 was £51.50 when it came out in 1985. These were sold to RJH Model Railways in 1988 

 

My memory tells me I bought this in 1984?

 

To my shame I still haven't built it, though I did put the ends together and made a start on the chassis 

 

In my defence it was the first brass kit I ever bought and the learning curve was pretty steep, looking at it, my soldering hasn't improved much in nearly 40 years! and the body still scares me, though I notice now that prmrp do preformed bodies for these. 

I really do need to man up a bit and get on and build it, the castings still look really good all these years later.

I remember at the time wanting most of your range 🙂

Edited September 10, 2022 by 101