MostlyRailways

I see your point, but I think the main problem, with the Virgin example anyway, is that the edge of the yellow panel is not perfectly straight and it bows inward. This gives the impression that there is something wrong with the cab window.

 

I have digitally straightened the edge of the yellow panel in the photo on the left and it even though it's not by much, it improves things greatly (I think anyway). At the end of the day I think worst case will be break out the masking tape and yellow paint!

 

 

Also the photos probably don't help matters as they magnify the problem many times over the actual size of the model. I can assure you in person they look every inch a Class 43!

 

Tom.

Hmm, you're right! Maybe it is an optical illusion deriving from the erroneous curve of the yellow panel. A much easier thing to fix, but it would be far more preferable if they could be painted accurately in the factory.

There still looks to be something wrong with the front - if you look on the Virgin version (particularly the 1st shot of half of it head on), the yellow front does not appear straight - from the bottom of the nose up it appears to start of straight, but then curve left as the yellow moves up the nose.

 

You can also see on the other shot of the Virgin that the line of the nose does not appear to be parallel with the angle of the cab side window

I've seen this issue raised on several forums, and as a lifelong hst enthusiast I have to agree. There is something seriously wrong with the dimensions of the cabside window; to quote a friend of mine: "it's far too large and extends to far around and high; basically the bottom right hand corner is in the right place and all the other corners including the angled ones are too far away from that point."

Despite previous assurances, the angled top section of the window does not match the cab front profile, and visibly intrudes on the corner pillar at the forward end, as well as throwing off any of the liveries that feature a yellow cab front (the yellow band on the corner pillar appears far too narrow). This can clearly be seen in the Virgin examples pictured, where the yellow starts by running parallel with the cabside window, but then has to kink outwards about halfway down to enable it to run down and around the light clusters. If the angle was correct then this would not be necessary.

There appears to be a marker line "drawn" into the moulding, from the cab window to the lights, but instead of being straight, it bows and curves downwards, which cannot help alignment matters (green = straight, pink = actual).

There already look to have been modifications to the pre-production example, or maybe the moulds aren't as sharp as they could be (see green triangle for difference between marks and "extra" material).

I sincerely hope this fault can be rectified before production, as the rest of the model is truly stunning, and I was very much looking forward to purchasing a Virgin-liveried example (as well as FGW). If this flaw appears in the production examples, then it will be very off-putting, as it affects the most visible, most iconic and instantly recognisable part of the model.

p.s. Buffered 43123 in Intercity Swallow (grey cab front) would be a guaranteed sale, if you're taking requests (the cheek of it after the above!).