Great British Locomotives

[Catkins]

I might pick one or two of these up.

A bit of "what if/never was" modelling could be coming up.

[walrus]

I was curious about the tooling costs for these models - particularly any in the series that cannot 'borrow' from an existing model (if indeed that process is being used). Are the tooling costs likely to be significantly lower than those for an operating model?

[69843]

It occurs to me that with an extra set of hatches, single chimney and a repaint/relivery, this could be turned into a static model of 4464 in her static period as "2509 'Silver Link'"

[Edge]

Just subscribed. Much to my own surprise

[Catkins]

I do like the price of them, £9.00 every two weeks.

But I am not impressed with either the magazine or model - I must remember that it's only £9.00 each.

On the up side, they will have more presence than the Corgi static models, and will possibly cover a wider variety of locomotives.

 

I've got the first one, and I can see a conversion happening with it, and I might get a second one at the weekend - I'll have a spare tender from the first one.

 

Having just checked the website - http://www.greatbritishlocomotive.co.uk/the-models/ - I'm not wildly interested in the next two, but they could be useful, and there is no indication of what is to come afterwards, but I do notice you get some free N gauge models (that look familiar) if you subscribe direct.

Edited February 26, 2014 by Catkins

[sub39h]

Quite a few copies in Oxford Street WH Smith this afternoon...

 

Bought one and got a £5 off next £20 spend, and their special offer Norton Antivirus is on my 'to buy' list anyway so....

 

I went to the Oxford Street WH Smith today too. It's the one in The Plaza rather than the one in the tube stop. There are still 4 left, all in a rack by the queue for the till. Today the offer was £5 off your next £15 spend and 20% off cards or something. 

 

Also - why on earth are you using Norton? I know it's unrelated but please please please don't buy that rubbish. Most nowadays advise AVG or Avast (both free online). 

 

Someone mentioned that it says somewhere that an electric locomotive might be on the cards - where is this written and any hints as to what it might be? 

Edited February 26, 2014 by sub39h

[Butler Henderson]

Picked up one today and failed to notice the chimney was on backwards! Easilly unclipped and glued back the right way round. Tooling issues are presumably the same as the Hatchette Mk1, a huge production run equating out the costs.

Edited February 26, 2014 by Butler Henderson

[Dave47549]

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Edited October 2, 2021 by Dave47549
Removed pointless guff

[Butler Henderson]

List of the first 20 taken from another forum so hopefully correct

1. Mallard

2. Coronation

3. Flying Scotsman

4. 28xx

5. Stowe 'Schools’ Class

 6. ‘Deltics’ 

7. Evening Star

 8. No. 44781 ‘Black Five'

 9. City of Truro

 10. Gresley ‘K3’

 11. Bulleid ‘West Country’ unrebuilt

12. Fowler 3F ‘Jinty’

13. Collett ‘Castle’

14. No. 1000 ‘Compound'

15. BR standard ‘4MT’ tank

16. Locomotion

17. Sulzer ‘Peaks’

 18. Butler Henderson

19. 45xx

20. 'T9’

 

Locomotion stands out as the only one not obviously a copy.

[69843]

There's a few in there that are interesting, and if the bodies are about 80-90% as good as the originals, could be good fun.

 

I can think of a few fictitious locomotives that can be made with these, and a few fictitious liveries as well.

[S.A.C Martin]

The K3 is most welcome if it comes, I suspect for shed dioramas and similar it'll be excellent modelling material. Butler Henderson too.

 

I suspect similar things are being said by modellers of the other regions.

[big jim]

without wanting to turn this thread into another "hachette mk1" what shop has what thread, but wh smith in didcot has a stack of them in the window when i walked by last night, a good 5 boxes worth

[84A]

Also - why on earth are you using Norton? I know it's unrelated but please please please don't buy that rubbish. Most nowadays advise AVG or Avast (both free online). 

Dont wish to go off topic, but i'd also add Avira to that list. I used to use AVG, but it tended to slow down the startup time on an older machine I had. Avira is generally more robust, but the user interface takes some getting used to.

 

Definetly agree though - do not buy Norton (or any other Symantec product), regardless of what any of the reviews say on the net.

[alfsboy]

These would make a great basis for practising weathering and renumbering with killing a "proper" model .My Mallard will be put away until grandson is a bit older . It would be great if they made new moulds for subjects not already modeled but I expect them to piggyback existing models.

[jamie.dunn]

So i've finished my Wartime A4 only a few little finishing touches but nothing major.

I'm very impressed with the out come and dare i say it , it came out better then i expected

 

I had a little accident but when this happened i notice that the tender has a removable coal load.

I've now fixed the tender back on. 

 

I've supplied 5 images showing the loco from various angles.

 

Thanks 

 

Jamie

 

 

(edited to correct mistakes)

Edited February 27, 2014 by jamie.dunn

[PhilJ W]

Didn't Airfix make a plastic kit of Locomotion in a larger scale? If new tooling is created the scale can be changed, a good example is some of the earlier Oxford models. The 1/76 Lotus Cortina for example is based on the Corgi 1/43 scale model complete with errors (back window, roof profile and rear lights.)

[Butler Henderson]

The Triang Rocket is more an impression than an accurate model dimensionally and it should be obvious whether its a copy of that or the Airfix kit. Always thought it would be a good one for a new NRM limited edition particularly given the working Rocket replica gives an excuse for it to appear on a modern layout shuttling back and forth on a public accessed siding.

[farren]

List of the first 20 taken from another forum so hopefully correct

1. Mallard

2. Coronation

3. Flying Scotsman

4. 28xx

5. Stowe 'Schools’ Class

 6. ‘Deltics’ 

7. Evening Star

 8. No. 44781 ‘Black Five'

 9. City of Truro

 10. Gresley ‘K3’

 11. Bulleid ‘West Country’ unrebuilt

12. Fowler 3F ‘Jinty’

13. Collett ‘Castle’

14. No. 1000 ‘Compound'

15. BR standard ‘4MT’ tank

16. Locomotion

17. Sulzer ‘Peaks’

 18. Butler Henderson

19. 45xx

20. 'T9’

 

Locomotion stands out as the only one not obviously a copy.

in the pull out 1st page it also says LNER J39, LMS pricess royal,and the SR's  N classess

[farren]

could this be the Claud we will be getting BUT bigger same compony as the mag Amer hobby com.

 

[EddieB]

could this be the Claud we will be getting BUT bigger same compony as the mag Amer hobby com.

 

 

It would be something of a scoop if it was - the original Holden round-topped boiler (LNER D14) design as opposed to the LNER rebuilt "Super Claud" awaited from Hornby.  Livery in that picture looks more like the purplish colour applied by the Belgians to their preserved McIntosh 4-4-0, rather than GER blue (pristine, but with a black cab roof?).

[PhilJ W]

Does anyone know for how long the series will go on for? At one a fortnight thats 26 per year, most partworks that go the distance are at least 2 years.

[S.A.C Martin]

For me, these A4 body shells have the potential to create a "standard" for me. I hate the fact my collection of A4s are all a bit botch potch, different chassis, different body shells. I intend to have a clear out if I'm satisfied with my conversion prototypes and then if happy with them, continue to use these to create my main fleet. The inherent advantage of these is that I have a good number of them that if something goes wrong, I can just start again with another body shell.

The tender body shells on the other hand have proven most useful. I worked out a long time ago that I needed exactly 17 streamlined non-corridor tenders to fit to classes A2/2, A3 and A4 for my planned stockist of express locomotives. These coupled with a number of spare Hornby frames and wheel sets have provided me with enough to make up all of those. The production line will go into full force once my modelling desk is ready again (we're nearly there, just need to finish sanding down, and then varnishing, the new floorboards in my attic space).

Truly, enjoying these models for their potential. The more I think about the Flying Scotsman model though, the more I am convinced it's not going to yield much bar cab glazing, particularly if the washout plugs aren't A3 type and are positioned for the old A4 boiler 4472 used to be fitted with prior to the current overhaul.

[darrel]

Does anyone know for how long the series will go on for? At one a fortnight thats 26 per year, most partworks that go the distance are at least 2 years.

As long as there are enough subscribers to keep it profitable I would guess. 

Trams of the world has reached issue 10 so far a the atlas N gauge locomotives went to over 100.

 

Hi,

The tooling costs for this model (and its brethren when they come) will be sustantialy lower than those for a motorised model as of course these models will not have to incure the costs involved with the design, manufacture and assembly of the motorised chassis. As has been pointed out in this thread the chassis of this A4 has been made very much 'non-running' - not even 'push-along' so the tooling of the parts for this chassis will have been relatively small compared to those of (say) the Hornby A4 motorised chassis.

As for the body mouldings - these are definatly NOT made from original tooling 'borrowed' from a major RTR manufacturer but are (and will be in the future) made from totally new tooling generated for this series.

However what is happening is that the new tooling is being made by using an RTR locomotive as the 'example' to copy rather than generating the tooling from drawings/laser scanning etc. as is done by the big manufacturers as apropriate. 

This copying does of course lead to very close similaraties between the cheap copy models and the original RTR that is copied - the biggest difference is that detail is reduced and assembly or lack of is simplified to siut the requirements of the publisher.

That said it is nevertheless easy to see whats been copied or is going to be for future models.

The tie-in with the NRM is clear for all to see from the range thats been announced so far and this range clearly indicated that it will not be only one RTR manufacturer that has model copied.

Its worth pointing out (I know from conversations with a number of people who think it is) that this practice is not illegal as its not a case of a given RTR body being used to make a mould from (this can be done for a resin or whitemetal kit provided shrinkage issues can be overcome) which would of course be illegal as this would mean another company's tooling was being used and would among other things be a breach of copyright if the then produced item was sold comercially.

What is happening in the case of this range of cheap models is simply that a toolmaker is taking dimensions from an RTR model and generating new tooling therefrom. This is considered in law to be original tooling and thus the practise is not illegal - even though many of us would I think consider it a little unfair and cheeky !. This is something of a simplification of whats happening but gives you the general idea.

Due to this process happening the costs of producing these cheap locos is far below the costs to Messrs RTR manufacturer as there is virtually no research costs.

 

Having said the above the magazine range has mentioned 'Rocket' and 'Locomotion' - now theres a brain tester ! - most of use will be able to quess that the Rocket 'could' be copied from something that has gone before both kit and RTR but Locomotion? - unless i've missed something over the years i'd only be able to say this one will have to be totally new from the ground up - and if the series gets that far and does that then lets be honest the sky's the limit is it not.

I'm sure readers of this thread would be very interested in your thoughts as to what National Collection (and other museums) items might possibly (hopefully) appear.

How about a Broad Gauge loco just to get the ball rolling eh?.

 

Regards to all

There are a number of locos that could be done all the ones in the Glasgow transport museum. The LNER electric loco, the EM1, prototype HST, APT-E. Could they squeeze a EMU or DMU in? North British Maude, Tornado I would think would be popular.

 

If I was the publisher when I made the deal with the NRM I would have struck a deal to sell them in the museum shop. I'm sure they would sell quickly.  Your average person with a passing interest in trains would probably not pay loads of money for a Hornby Mallard but would shell out maybe ten quid for this. 

[ikks]

I haven't seen them South Australia yet..........has anyone else sighted them here??

 

Rgds.......Mike

[Dave47549]

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Edited October 2, 2021 by Dave47549
Removed pointless guff