S.A.C Martin

Put money on correct score lines for Group D this year. England 1 - 2 Italy England 1 - 2 Uruguay England 4 - 0 Costa Rica My accumulator is 2/3rds right and yet I think I'm going to lose my bet…! I should mention I also had England to make it to the knockout stages.

The Lizzies I think have the potential for an after-market replacement body shell sort of thing which we're seeing happen with Bachmann's V2s. Graeme King's V2 body shells are utterly superb - I have three of them waiting for chassis and some modelling time - and perhaps a 3D printed princess body shell to fit the Hornby chassis might find favour, particularly if it captures the look much better than Hornby's does. Who is to say it won't be retooled though at some point…? It must be a perennial seller with the preserved locos of 46203 and 6201.

All of mine are Railroad 4472s just like yours. It was your Sir Visto model which convinced me I could turn these into something more individual and detailed. My build has differed in the mixing and matching of GBL model components and other spare Hornby items I have collected over the years.

The GBL one is by far superior if you care to repaint it and dedicate the modelling time to it. Here's mine behind an A4. It really looks the part when matched with a set of Hornby frames and fitted with handrails.

Hi Adrian - thank you for this information. That clears up a few things. I had consulted RCTS and it had not been very clear to me. So in effect I should change the washout plug arrangement to the standard 220lb boiler albeit keeping the round dome as shown on the boiler to portray no.103 as she was in 1947? The current model (minus the superheater headers and with the 180lb boiler, but with smaller cab cut outs and lower chimney) would then only be correct if I was portraying Flying Scotsman as either 502 in black or 103 in black?

An amusing thought. There are three locos in the picture though...! Accepted, an odd angle to showcase my models...!

I do like that actually. Food for thought in terms of modelling. The P2 exists in such a very short period of time in reality. Only I think six years total for 2001 and much less for the others before the rebuilding by Thompson. There's no doubt, whatever you may think of Thompson's rebuilding, that we were robbed of one of Britain's most beautiful steam locomotives when Gresley ordered the reconstruction of no.2001 to the Bugatti front end profile. 2001 remains one of my favourite locomotives for the imposing front end more than anything else.

Nope, it'll no.103 Flying Scotsman once I have fitted superheater headers. She had an A4 non corridor tender, 180lb boiler, superheater headers, the small cut out cab and short chimney in 1948 shortly before fitting of the 220lb boiler and the conversion to A3 standard. Best picture of this form can be seen in Power of the A3s on page 98, top picture. I did consider Sir Visto for one of my other Pacific conversions but ruled it out ultimately because it wouldn't have been seen alongside my mostly southern ECML end/Leeds end collection of locomotives and rolling stock.

Some more modelling using the GBL 4472 and GBL 4468 odds and ends. Rather pleased with the cut and shut on the cab, giving me a 1948 condition A10 with a 180lb boiler (just missing superheater headers at present).

It's a shame as the model looked very good on Tony's layout. The video itself was extremely informative and gave us modellers a very good view of the model in question.

Thanks for the pic. Straight away I'm thinking that looks like B1 quality. Very nicely detailed, obviously some elements of the B1 cad work may have been reused? The tender is standard I believe with the B1 and it looks like the same pony truck shared with the L1 (and 8F before that). The K1 was a good choice and I'm very much looking forward to it, even if I'm probably going to end up building a K1/1 straight away for it...!

They are Graeme.

No.103 Flying Scotsman Converting a Railroad Scotsman model in a decent representation of no.103 in 1947.

Looks rather like a return to form. I hope and pray the chassis is more in line with the Hornby B1 and less with their DoG though.

I haven't as yet decided Andrew, but I am thinking it over. It may well be that I decide it's a working model and therefore it won't be too noticeable. However one cannot deny that it jars the look of the model when you are acquainted with the real thing in photographs so well. We shall see. I hope to have it completed by the end of next week so that it can go oop north for a stint on a famous model railway layout. Watch this space.

So aggravating that they've picked the flush sided tender to model instead of the stepped one - would have been brilliant for modellers. I will however pick up a number of these - they will surely find some use in a project somewhere. The cabs and tenders alone will make useful spares.

AJmodels J50/3 More work on AJModels latest 3D printed body shell on my blog. I think it's a superb body shell kit and it's going together very easily. Certainly by far and away better than the Lima model or the DJH kit (by virtue of the ease of build and the exquisite detail).

Love the 28xx kit bash. Very different model. The GBL models really have been rather good fun I think. I am looking forward to the K3 next and the D11 most of all. But I may be persuaded to get a City of Truro model. Why? Just because... Ivan, how much work do you think it would take to create a Caprotti Stanier from the GBL Stanier? Looks like something a modeller could potentially do to change the Railroad Black 5 into something interesting.

Pictures of the modifications I have undertaken. I have lowered the body a smidgen, added white metal buffers Group Standard buffers (there's nothing inherently wrong with the 3D printed buffers provided, but these were spare from other projects and waste not, want not) and started drilling out for handrails. I am still lacking a suitable smokebox door handle and this will be my next purchase. Also note the removal of the outside brake hangers on the Bachmann Pannier chassis - as simple as using a scalpel and carefully cutting away each section from the brake blocks.

Has it really been seven months since this post? Since we saw these excellent shots of what really is a very striking model... Just can't believe we can see such a complete pre-production/production batch model and not as yet see the actual model in the shops yet. I've spoken to my regular retailer and to a few others and the general gloom surrounding Hornby is apparent at the moment. Just what is going on in Margate at the moment?

Yep: hopefully when weathered the different shade will make sense.

I should perhaps have added the caveat that I had completely forgot about Mick's excellent apple green versions (which in terms of livery are far more convincing than mine by virtue of me never having entirely finished the job I intended to do some years back!)

No no - all Graeme's work Tony. I will try and find the appropriate page on the LNER forum for you this evening when I return. The only thing I have done since Graeme touched it was add the nameplates, numbering and lining out. It was entirely Graeme's handiwork and I consider one of - if not his best - work. The most convincing A2/3 I have seen in apple green in any event.

Posed in front of a print out of Craig Tiley's excellent painting of Mallard on its record breaking run. Note the colour in particular.

Oh it does have the lining out now Graeme - but it is currently in storage. This was the most recent photograph I could find…! I will dig it out and get some photographs of it soon.