Maltazer

Looks like a livery mix up. There was a time where the lower band was white (see http://www.semgonline.com/gallery/gatex_02.html, 5th pic down from 1999), but by that time the wrap-around yellow ends had gone and the locos carried Gatwick Express branding.

I updated yesterday from Windows 7. It took around 2 hours to install, and broke my email accounts (it said it couldn't connect to send, despite working when testing the settings). Adding another copy of my email account and then deleting it somehow cleared the problem I was also suffering a very jerky mouse pointer in Chrome. That's gone away now. The UI is vaguely unpleasant - far too plain and no borders or shading to contain related items, and Explorer now seems to have acquired that ridiculous chaos bar (sorry, ribbon) so beloved by Office products. If you have 7, I'd say stick with it. Mal

It's no different from your local supermarket. Some items are cheaper than the rivals, and some prices take the p*ss, only for it all to be reversed a few weeks later. It only works because people don't bother to check, or just keep shopping at the same place for convenience, regardless. Retailers take advantage of this inertia. The only solution is to shop around, and if you're buying online, that's hardly the most challenging thing to do. Mal

And I'm sure he can respond himself, in his own good time, if he found my comment to be out of order. Freedom of expression works in many directions. Mal

You were disappointed by the J15? I guess there's no pleasing some people... Mal

I had a call from Rails saying the same thing - seems like all the retailers are expecting them soon :-D Mal

Did you ever get to Italy? I have a soft spot for Italian railways after going on holiday there by train as a kid, but unfortunately I have no photos to show for it! Mal

If it's new stock then this makes even less sense :-/ Mal

Except that they did sell, albeit at a discount. What I take from this is that suppliers still have no idea what price to charge for these items. If they don't move at £199, but sell in minutes at £99, that suggests the optimum price lies somewhere in between. Considering that Hatton's sold out of theirs at £165, it's not unreasonable to presume that Kernow could have made quite a bit more and still shifted their stock. But now they've set expectations at £99, who is going to pay more? The same could be said of some other releases - the Bachmann Polybulks vanished in seconds at their original ~£30 price, but forum mutterings suggest they'll all be gathering dust with a second run at £60 a pop. I'm not saying I could do any better, but then I get paid to create Internet phone services, not sell model railways. But I'd expect the people whose job it is to forecast demand and set prices accordingly to be somewhat more able than me - in many ways the future of RTR depends on it. Mal

It does seem strange (and I am another who has bought one to go with the expensive one from a month ago!). It's weird enough that it will be getting a more-thorough-than-usual test when it arrives! BTW, that's not meant to be a slight on Kernow, just me being careful when it comes to bargains! Mal

I'm thinking is it too late to return it! :-p Mal

I wouldn't be so sure about that - I thought I was also waiting for the next batch, but they charged my card today! Mal

According to their website Rails only got part of their allocation, so you can still pre-order from them - they say they are due the rest in March HTH Mal

Looks like you'll have a bit longer to save up now - the D16 dates on the Hornby site have changed to mid-May. Mal

Hattons appear to have sold out already, and Rails have only just started shipping theirs. Everyone else seems to be selling at full price. IMO having to find £200 will be the biggest factor if they don't sell. Mal

I'd be tempted to try it if I could actually get my Thumper apart! No amount of pinching the ends of the coupling bar has allowed me to separate the two vehicles - I had to stop for fear of breaking the mountings :-( Mal

I'm still waiting for mine from Rails - they still show as a pre-order item on their site, and no payment taken yet. Same happened with the Heljan 33's, and I ended up cancelling and ordering elsewhere to avoid risking them selling out. Mal

Hornby's website now says the 22nd too. I guess we'll find out for sure tomorrow... Mal

A 3H? :-p Mal

The comment on Kernow's website regarding their 117 suggests they regret not doing the 3 car Thumper - "but being mindful of our Thumper experience we have decided to produce three car variants from the initial release" However, I'd still be surprised to see a centre car sold separately. I think the best we'll get is a 3H and/or 4-EPB as a complete set.

I could be persuaded to pay that, but I agree that £260 is way too much for a 3 car unit. Kickstarter anyone? Mal

I ended up buying a 2-car Connex to respray, but I'm another who would buy a couple of 3-car blue and greys.

And there's another excuse for loco-hauled trains from 2002 when MML ran out of HSTs and hired in a rake of InterCity liveried Mk2s, plus 47488 in two-tone green and 47712 in Fragonset blue to haul them.

That set shows clearly how the sides of the ferry version have a lower ratio of height to length, which is the main thing that strikes me as odd when I look at the non-ferry models. There are some good close detail shots there - I could make some transfers to rebrand the Electrotren Transfesa ones :-) Mal

That one is Marklin, and my others are Acme, so I've not had any wheel issues, sorry! Mal