GordonC

I was pretty sure I'd seen at Model Rail Scotland 2023 a stall with laser cut kits of Scottish stations and I thought one of them was Kyle of Lochalsh and it looked very impressive. But the only thing similar I can find looks like it might have been Fort William. https://www.popupdesigns.co.uk/product-category/railway-scale-models/

must be easier to swap over bogie frames than a repaint if required

The only think I can think of is that while they've had the tooling out and production line setup they've produced more liveries but yes, I'd certainly think there must be some saturation on 158s and 37s at the moment (but having said that, those 37 models do look good to me and not detail combinations offered elsewhere or before)

On looking again, is the panel between the cab windows a bit wide? should that be narrower?

There's definitely more bodywork above the cab windows on the photo and down the sides of the pillars than on the model. Is there a different angle on the slope of the cab front? The yellow edge looks straighter on the model and less of a defined angle. If that angle doesn't look right, does a bit need filed off the cab front corner pillars to rake the windscreens back a little further? On the photo there's almost a gentle curve across the top of the cab windows, destination blind and across to the other window where the model looks straight across the top (but some of that might be from the cab front at the sides being raked back rather than flat). This is a more straight on view but the cab windscreens still look tilted downwardsat the edges https://alongthesetracks.blogspot.com/2019/04/british-rail-class-304032-emu-at-bescot.html I'm not sure you want to fill the windscreens in by the same amount all the way across, maybe more of a triangular sliver across the top with narrow side in the middle and filling more in towards the outside and probably the same. The windscreens look pretty square dimensions wise (with the rounded corners), but they dont look mounted straight.

I think the front windscreens dont quite look the right shape - too tall and I'd suggest should be squarer. The width looks good so perhaps add a thin strip across the bottom of the aperture to fill it up and square them a bit.

I always think we've never had as many BR Blue and Large Logo options as you'd expect for something that was nationwide and the prototype quantities involved - thinking variations of split/centre headcode, with/without headlight, with/without bufferbeam skirting, boiler variations, headcodes/domino/plated headcodes.

You certainly shouldn't. Complain to Hornby, they shouldn't be rushing out such junk

I'd think new MK 3 / 3a / 3b could be a very good shout with the numbers produced and visibility through the county. Only issue might be differentiating new MK3 s when there could be a lot of existing HST trailers models on the market already possibly making demand more price conscious. There would also be production hst coaches which could be included and royal train conversions which could be popular 319s would be great but risky with Bachmann doing them in n gauge and could easily upscale to OO. 317 or 321 families would probably be better

Looks like it was closed in 1984, but re-opened 1986-1992 http://www.penmorfa.com/Wrexham/ten.html

I like Heljan locos, I must have about 50 of different classes, but really can't see Heljan being capable of anything to match SLW. They seem to produce a lot more workman like locos that are good, but won't blow you away like SLW. If SLW ever did 26s and 27s I'd need to start selling body parts! 😉

I'm surprised anything could save it, a truly awful model from all angles!!

I think they meant old as in 2020 release or new as in just released and updated. For a £200 price difference I can't see anything being a 'must have' improvement. Personally I suspect they might struggle to sell the new ones too so I expect them to drop in prices too, but that might take a while.

You've done a lovely job of that, really impressive!

Not exactly great for original buyers either. Lightweight NDMs and visible capacitors shouldn't have happened in the first release, admittedly strengthening panto mounts or changing magnetic couplings may have been learned once the original batch was released.

How 'limited' do you consider it to be a 'limited edition'? There must be an awful lot of catalogue releases now which will be pretty 'limited' in production numbers too, so whats the difference - a bit of paper in the box for a certificate and does it really matter if that has 500 written on it or 1000? Is it wrong to increase production if they greatly underestimated demand and have loads of disappointed buyers - I dont see why when its probably over a year from delivery so the only people which could complain would be investors that want the limited numbers to pump up values.

money talks ... why make 500 if you can sell 1000 🤷‍♀️ Can £320 for DCC Ready ever be considered underpriced???

no, not at all, but I know it was highlighted as something before like it added a lot to the cost of a model, when I would have expected it to have been a minimal cost

Les Ross - if you own the loco you can put whatever name you like on it - even your own name!

Is there any obvious reason that makes sprung buffers significantly more expensive than unsprung? I know it has been mentioned before as an example of the kind of thing driving prices up now, but I would have thought it to be a relatively minor cost compared to all the individual handrails and details being added separately now.

Not sure, it seems a strange to be related to the transfer. Are staff T's and C's not just transferred and maintained regardless of who the operating company is? I wouldn't have expected any changes to be implemented overnight when it transferred back to the DfT

37037 looked a match other than no car headlight

Hornby produced 50027 in the light blue, revised livery

I must admit I'd love a definitive Class 86 and 87 from Accurascale. On seeing what they do with the Deltics, 37s and 92s they could really cater for the variations and get them looking and sounding spot on!

Its probably pretty niche whichever set of stock you picked. If you bear in mind how few models of London Underground stock have been produced I'd expect the market for those to be much greater - at least some of those lines do go above-ground as well and not just buried underground for the full circles