Fair Oak Junction

Well if your theory is correct (which I must say I don't believe for a minute), then the underhanded duplicity is on the part of StudioCanal. The video Rapido have posted about the situation makes it very clear the they were given exclusive rights to the Titfield range, and it definitely sounds like SC are on their side in this. So for them to tell Hornby it's fine to make competing models, or even just turn a blind eye, would most likely leave them in breach of contract with Rapido. This situation seems like a very clear example of Mr Kohler's attitude that Hornby are untouchable, and I hope they get a public humbling from StudioCanal's legal department.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll give it some careful thought before attempting the work.

It's wonderful to see progress being made with the real loco. I really do hope this project still goes ahead one day. While I'm not big on "modern" locos I will always happily open my wallet for the badger.

Do the little "brass" details on the cab roof come out to make painting easier or is it just a case of being REALLY careful not to get black on them? Also really kicking myself about not getting Lucknow as well, missed that chance now. Hopefully more LNWR versions will be done in the future.

Excellent thank you, now I just need to actually pluck up the courage to attempt it!

What paint did you use for the cab roof? The finish fits very nicely with the rest of the model.

Hornby found out someone had already acquired the rights for the Titfield Thunderbolt, got worried about it and made a very knee-jerk announcement that they were planning to make a Lion hoping to steal a march on whichever company were also planning too (8th March). You can tell how rushed it was by the fact there was no info, no artwork, nothing. That then forced Rapido's hand in making their initial announcement of the Titfield range early (9th March) complete with beautifully done custom artwork showing they had been planning the project for a good while. But they still held back the details until the 1st of April (which was when they were going to fully announce) because in true Rapido sense of humour they knew loads of people would think it's a joke, and even timed it to go live at 12 when April Fools day technically ends. Rapido went into quite a lot of detail about the situation in one of their newsletters around the time. It's very obvious both companies had been working on their respective ideas for a long time and this does not seem to be one of those examples of one company hearing an announcement and then trying to beat the other out of spite, this is just a case of bad luck. However it seems obvious that Hornby were nowhere near as ready as Rapido were to announce, and I see nothing in Rapido's actions that indicate they are playing into the tit-for-tat game that is so sadly being played out across the hobby these days. Edit: Link to said newsletter: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Rapido-UK-News---No--3.html?soid=1101318906379&aid=sGWrBCZGI0M

I'm shocked this announcement seems to have cause no excitement! These are looking stunning so far, up to Rapido's usual standards. The 1930s one would definitely by my choice, those red frames just set the loco off beautifully. Also there is a photo from 1930 showing the newly restored Lion sat next to the LNER Hush-Hush and it would be wonderful to recreate that photo alongside the Hornby W1.

The Victory is shaping up to be a fantastic model, and I cannot wait for it! But if a delay means we get a even better model at the end of it then great, can't see a problem. Whether it comes now, in 6 months or 1 year it won't make me any less excited for it.

What a stunning little model!

My W1 arrived early this morning and thankfully it is fully intact. I still wish the shop had been able to check it for me as it would have saved 4 days of worry, but all's well that ends well. My sympathies go out to everyone who has received a damaged one, and all the retailers who have lost sales due to this utter debacle. I would like to think Hornby will publicly acknowledge these problems and rectify them, but Simon Kohler doesn't strike me as a cap in hand apology type person. I'd be happy to be proven wrong. Anyway all that aside, the model is utterly superb and I couldn't be happier with it!

Yes well hindsight is always 20/20. Certainly in my case I didn't buy the W1 from the retailer I chose because of some sense of loyalty, or because they were charging less. It was purely because at the time I ordered they were one of the few places that actually had stock. Yes maybe I could have shopped around, but I couldn't have known when I placed the order that they wouldn't check the loco; and by the time I found that out the order was being processed. While I probably could have cancelled there was no guarantee I'd find one elsewhere. Probably I'm a complete idiot for taking it for granted that the shop would be able to help me or maybe I was massively naive in ordering a loco that I knew had potential problems, but whatever it's done now.

I must admit I'm rather jealous of those on here who were able to have their loco checked before dispatch by whatever retailer they purchased it from. When I ordered mine I immediately fired off a message to the shop asking if they could check mine considering the damage that was being documented, and was told that unfortunately they could not check models before posting them. I completely understand that for bigger shops having to check through huge amounts of models is too time consuming and I do not hold it against them, it just means that until it arrives I have no idea if it's going to horribly broken or absolutely fine. And then if it is I'll need to send it back and wait for a refund, by which time the only ones available will likely be the ebay scalpers.

I know it's been a while since this thread was posted on, but I was wondering what kits did you use for Terrance and Trevor? Thanks.

Fair, I know very little about the details of the Japanese market and what their models are like.

Of course, and mine will be staying analogue. I just find it a very strange design decision on a brand new model being made as we enter the second decade of the 21st century. The info from Peco/Kato says it is due to lack of space, but that is entirely down to their design not scale as proved by Bachmann fitting a 6-pin socket into the Quarry Hunslets. I feel that for a model that has an RRP of £150 they could have done better. But it is what it is and I'm sure they will still sell well. Hopefully with those and the Bachmann Fairlies we are going to see a whole bunch of new 009 Ffestiniog and maybe even more freelance layouts springing up, which is never a bad thing.

I admire your faith in Peco/Kato, but given what we've seen of the George Englands I'm not so sure. Outwardly they are lovely looking little things, but the use of generic tooling for both locos, traction tyres and no DCC socket make me Fairlie (sorry) sceptical that their Double Fairlies will be anywhere near the quality of these ones. It is possible they will be competitive price wise but quality/detail wise I highly doubt it. I will still be buying the Englands but I'm definitely not blind to the flaws the models have. And on the price front I can't see them being that much less than the Bachmann ones. Double Fairlies are complex locos and that is going to translate very quickly into tooling and manufacture costs. Considering the complexity of the prototype and the fact each model seems to have unique tooling, the fact Bachmann are charging £235 RRP (£199 at most retailers) I think is actually pretty good.