jonny777 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I notice that the model in those photos has 3-link couplings. Is that a limited edition, or do they all come with those? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rail-Online Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I notice that the model in those photos has 3-link couplings. Is that a limited edition, or do they all come with those? They come with toy-like bright silver 5 link couplings Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rail-Online Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 (edited) Mine has just arrived. Now the following might sound hyper critical but here are my initial observations: Packing is excellent in a Bachmann type clip together plastic inner box. Quality of assembly can only be described as poor. Mine has the following issues: Valve gear on one side is broken and hanging loose Crosshead/slidebar (on other side to above) is deformed and pushed in The bogie brakes are 100% plastic on plastic stems and are deformed at random angles The 4 corner steps (on metal stems) rotate and are not in alignment There are plastic moulding joints across the flat sides of the bunker, water tank and horizontally along boiler (probably would all file down ok) There was a glue mark (smear) where the reversing rod is attached to the mazak chassis The lifting lugs on the top of the water tanks and bunker are metal pressings and are not fitted correctly or uniformally The plastic cab steps are not fitted straight The body is unpainted black plastic The footplate edge is rough and badly finished The 3 link coupling is not as per photos but 5 links of shiney metal, toy-like and unusable And that dreadful Canvas coal cover sheet is glued on! Mechanically: There is lots of slop in the con rods, and at least 2 of the con rod rivets are very loose Pickups are only on the outer two axles of the six coupled wheels 3 out of my 8 pickups were badly adjusted and miss the wheel treads Pickups (just like the early D9500's) is bright metal (Phospher-bronze?) Now the really good news: Within each chassis there is Compensation! It appears that one axle is rigid and the other two are on a rocking cradle connecting them and therefore giving 3 point compensation (just like Kemilway used in the 1970s) I will take some photos and keep you updated. What I would say be very careful how you unpack and inspect your models -some of the above makes the model un-runable and unless you are capable of fixing valve gear etc you will need to return yours. Tony Edit for typos! Edited February 28, 2014 by Rail-Online 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete55 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Hi Tony, would it be possible to tell us what the driving wheel axle diameter is by any chance? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rail-Online Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Garratt Photos The following were taken mainly to show the issues with mine, but will help others with inspection of theirs! Being a black loco it is not very easy to photograph but as no-one else has done it so far here goes. Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rail-Online Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Hi Tony, would it be possible to tell us what the driving wheel axle diameter is by any chance? The diameter over treads is 21.05mm so spot on the prototype 5ft 3" Flanges are quite small too. Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevelewis Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Not at all. Hattons will no doubt be interested in copyright issues....if nothing else. Hattons are aware! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbeagleowner Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Thanks for the photos - hope you get it worted out soon rail-online. One thing with Hattons in my experience is that they are very good at replacing stuff. Hopefully your problems are more of a one off. I'm waiting for the rotating bunker so I've got a while yet! Someone mentioned it before, but is the canvass cover over the coal bunker removable at all please? I would be surprised it it didn't! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 7013 Posted February 28, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 28, 2014 No powerbase! That is impressive haulage power then 65 wagons up a I:30, and it did not look to be struggling. Would still like to know if the sound was DCC on board ( and what sound decoder and project it was) or if it was external sound. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete55 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 The diameter over treads is 21.05mm so spot on the prototype 5ft 3" Flanges are quite small too. Tony Thanks for that and the pics too. Any idea what the actual axle diameter itself is as opposed to the wheels over the tread? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rail-Online Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Thanks for that and the pics too. Any idea what the actual axle diameter itself is as opposed to the wheels over the tread? Sorry I mis-read you. As mine needs to go back I cannot really strip it down, but the visible axle end is about 1.7mm so I guess they are shouldered. Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete55 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Thanks, appreciate you cannot take it apart! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbeagleowner Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 No powerbase! That is impressive haulage power then 65 wagons up a I:30, and it did not look to be struggling. Would still like to know if the sound was DCC on board ( and what sound decoder and project it was) or if it was external sound. there is another of Richards videos where it also pushes another train with that load on its back still. The other train is hauled by another (Australian? S African?) Garratt which i have a nagging feeling has a sound chip in it...It might be that I'm wrong though and it is from an onbaord or external source! Whatever, it sounds great! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rail-Online Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I have had time for a closer look now. Here's an additional assembly problem: The plactic frame extension above the footplate is not seated properly 'home' resulting in a crack above the mazak footplate. Good news is with a little force that horrible canvas coal cover has come off! More pics below Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rail-Online Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 (edited) And two others showing the rough footplate finishing & joint across tank plus one of the other end. Tony p,s Oh and the Buffer points upwards too! Edited February 28, 2014 by Rail-Online Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbeagleowner Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Thanks for taking the time to do the photos rail-online - that's really kind of you. Hope it gets replaced for you with a good one soon. :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Shame about the damage and poor assembly on your example, but every confidence in Hattons doing the right thing in their usual style. Thanks for the invaluable photo essay. The strange 'jewellery chain' links on the drawhook: a spontaneous improv. in China when they hadn't got the right three links components on the build line? One of those situations where it is definitely better to leave it off, rather than 'try'. ...Pickups are only on the outer two axles of the six coupled wheels 3 out of my 8 pickups were badly adjusted and miss the wheel treads Pickups (just like the early D9500's) is bright metal (Phospher-bronze?) Now the really good news: Within each chassis there is Compensation! It appears that one axle is rigid and the other two are on a rocking cradle connecting them and therefore giving 3 point compensation (just like Kemilway used in the 1970s)... In fairness, with pick up spread over four compensated axles, a pair in each bogie, over that distance (and it must commoned to both motors since there is a single decoder socket): that is going to be more than adequate as a design if all the wipers are in contact. And with the pick up strips externally mounted any modifier can quickly solder on four more wipers to take care of the centre drivers if they wish. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Jackson Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Hopefully Hattons will replace that engine for you rail-online. Unpainted plastic I'm not to happy about, but that pulling power is magnificent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 there is another of Richards videos where it also pushes another train with that load on its back still. The other train is hauled by another (Australian? S African?) Garratt which i have a nagging feeling has a sound chip in it...It might be that I'm wrong though and it is from an onbaord or external source! Whatever, it sounds great! It's Australian. An Eureka Models AD60 Garratt. That did surprise me as I have one of those and have no problem with the pulling power, so perhaps it was not all it appeared to be and just for show. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Jackson Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Impressive pulling power as well….(With thanks to Richard Johnson - DCC Concepts) Is that a pre-production model? The garratt in that vid has the revolving bunker and Hattons have only released the standard fixed bunker? None the less it's mighty fine powerful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rail-Online Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Now a question for someone else who has one. On the Left hand (nearside) of the boiler, just before the smokebox mine has a blob of glue. What should be here? Is it fitted to other peoples and just missing on mine? I cannot tell on the Hattons photos. Looking at prototype photos some had complete injector assemblies, others just had a fitting but I cannot work out what it should be like. Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Is that a pre-production model? The garratt in that vid has the revolving bunker and Hattons have only released the standard fixed bunker? None the less it's mighty fine powerful. Well spotted. Richard had a revolving bunker model for some pre testing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted February 28, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 28, 2014 Impressive performance. Thanks for the pics Tony. Now I can have an idea what P4ing is going to involve. I already have the Ultrascale wheels for mine when it comes. It just depends on what the axle diameter is as to how I progress! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rail-Online Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Impressive performance. Thanks for the pics Tony. Now I can have an idea what P4ing is going to involve. I already have the Ultrascale wheels for mine when it comes. It just depends on what the axle diameter is as to how I progress! It is impossible to measure the axle diameter without taking it apart and the chassis appears to be clipped together - certainly there is not a screwed on keeper plate. The compensated inner cradle carries the center (driven) axle and the inner axle. It is plastic. Presumably it has brass bearings but the axle diameter is definitely not 1/8". Looking down the gap between the frames and the wheels I think it may well be 2mm. Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevelewis Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 (edited) many thanks to Rail-Online for taking the trouble to provide the information & photos, Whilst the motion ( valve gear etc) damage is serious for a new model , what puts me off a bit and lessens my desire to purchase a BR version is the other issues, such as mould lines and poor assembly. I hope though this is perhaps a one off ( perhaps it was getting close to home-time when it was assembled) I do hope though that Heljan examine the finish quality of the forthcoming 02/2 2-8-0 and the L&B 00-9 L&B 2-6-2 before releasing them! I appreciate of course that Steam Locos are not new to Heljan H0 so hopefully all will be OK Edited February 28, 2014 by Stevelewis Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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