richscylla

Interesting (although obviously not unexpected) announcement which will leave buyers with a choice between two high detail models and Hornby's estimation.  Obviously great that there are so many variants, but can't help but feel this has been done at the detriment to the actual model. It looks like the top of the wagons will be separate fittings that can be changed to suit the wagon, but it does have quite an unsightly gap/join line where the two pieces meet on the pictures on the Accurascale website. Not sure it could really be done a different way but it's a bit of a shame. 

And I'm no expert on the CDAs, but does the hood look a little high, creating a more rounded canopy?  

On 18/05/2021 at 08:43, Zomboid said:

There seems to be a lot of money to be made by being an "influencer", which actually seems to mean a social media advertiser. Which amongst other things means it's quite hard to work out who's impartial and who's doing paid advertising when you're looking at things like YouTube reviews.

 

But quite what that has to do with attempting to crowd fund a train set I'm not sure.

The problem (well, one of the many) with influencers is that there are too many people calling themselves one just because they have a social media page. A true influencer is someone who does something (without being asked or told to) and others then follow. Remember every time David Beckham got a new haircut, millions of young boys wanted to copy it. These days, like you rightly say, these people are social media advertising tools. Where we differ is that I don't think they are advertisers, they are just billboards who people make to slap their brand on. 

On 07/04/2021 at 20:37, Accurascale Fran said:

Hi @Dieselbob,

 

Many thanks for bringing this to my attention. I do know that our project manager over these worked to prototype images. Although he is no longer with the company I will look through the files used and see what we come back with.

 

****EDIT

 

Okay, I have gone through the research data used for the artwork for these wagons and you are indeed correct. Fair cop, it seems we dropped the ball and hold our hands up on this one. We're very sorry about that and we do pride ourselves on getting things right, but it seems we are not infallible. We have learned a lesson with this and will put in place measures to ensure that this will not happen again (and we are confident that it wont)

 

Cheers!

 

Fran

Any chance that people who bought these could be sent decals to correct their wagons either free or for cost price? 

15 minutes ago, MGR Hooper! said:

And I think we love to grumble like old hags regardless.

We should give them some credit for listening, but my god did they deserve the bashing for completely ignoring it in the first place!

New grumble... it looks a little large on Hornby's CAD! 
 

8 hours ago, MGR Hooper! said:

A delay is a delay. You cannot do anything about it. Dapol are doing the right thing by sorting out issues that they found and making sure they are corrected. Is it a bad thing? Besides I do not know of any rule or law that states that a model should be released X number of years after it was announced. If it is delayed, there's a reason behind it. It's just a hobby... 

Yes and no. A good company should be able to manage the project to reduce delays and really should be building in time for sure delays into any estimates. There is no rule, but it annoys customers, increases pressure to have a PERFECT product and I'm sure if you ask anyone at Dapol they won't be happy about the delay caused. 

And add to that there will be people that have paid a deposit or even a "full price" pre-order which leaves people out of pocket and retailers potentially in an awkward position. 

There are unavoidable issues in life, but I don't think it's a problem holding companies to account when they miss several deadlines. 
 

Very welcome mate! Looks really nice - now get it in place!

I'm not having a go at Tim or WW. I'm sure what he's doing is better than what I could do. But this kit isn't for me. Like I said, the bogies suggested weren't correct and neither are the wheels. 

Nothing like Cambrian - they make great kits that many modellers enjoy. 

The Waterside kits didn't look great. No transfers available, the wrong bogies were suggested so I decided to give them a miss. 

17 minutes ago, KMS Railtech said:

This post should be deleted…

This never happened. Nope. They ONLY ran in rakes of over 30 :-)

This shows 4, but the other 26+ are clearly the other end of the layout. 

Always thought this was a very interesting working including an HAA! 
 

I think it shows that not all reviews are equal in many senses. For example, a film or music album review may have elements of fact checking and/or research, but it mostly an individuals opinion on the work. There is very little 'right' or 'wrong' and much more 'good' or 'bad' in the eyes of one person.

However, when it comes to a review of a scale model it's a very different story. At the core, these are scale models of a prototype and as such that is their purpose and a reviewer's job is to evaluate whether the product they have is fit for purpose. I think that the first thing they need to do is cover if the model is a faithful 1:76 (or whichever scale suits) representation of the real thing. 

After that look at the quality of the the finish, how well it runs etc. 

These look monstrous!  The real HAAs had some serious presence that hasn't really come across in 00 in the past, but these look like they have nailed it! Looking forward to mine arriving!

18 hours ago, njee20 said:

Not being funny, but how do you think they got to Swansea? They weren’t helicoptered in. 

Haha - there are a couple of ways down there. But in reality if there just went there once or twice, or was there for repair I'm not all that interested. 

On 25/01/2021 at 12:06, mevaman1 said:

There are photos of IZAs at Swansea Burrows on Paul’s site.

 

Hope that this helps.

23 hours ago, hmrspaul said:

https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/twinvan/e379470c7

 

https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/twinvan/ec86c6488

 

Paul

Thanks both. Still ideally trying to find pictures or videos of them in service. They look amazing, but I try to keep things as prototypical as possible. £100 for a wagon that didn't run is a bit steep

Does anyone know if they ran in South Wales in the mid 90s? Thinking maybe on Enterprise workings getting marshalled at ADJ? 

2 hours ago, Nick G said:

No working marker lights then, just headlight and high level light?

Apparently it was running on DC during that video. 

On 07/01/2021 at 19:11, Global said:

They may match on quality but they’re certainly not as competitively priced.
 

I have 42 of the Cavalex on pre order at £89.95 per triple pack. If the Accurascale models are priced at a similar amount to some some of their other triple packs that’ll be around £69.95 or £74.95 - that’s quite a big saving for something that’ll be equal or better in quality.

 

With that saving I’d be likely to go for two full rakes of 36 hoppers. In fact I could probably get a couple of the gorgeous looking 37s too and still be equal or better off that the buying the equivalent number of Cavalex! 

This logic is pie in the sky though. No one knows if Accurascale are doing HAAs for sure. And certainly no-one knows the price. I'm not saying that they won't announce them or the price won't be the same as some of Accurascale's wagons but at the moment how can anyone say?

6 hours ago, Global said:

I’m aware of the Cavalex and actually preordered some, however since that announcement there was a thread about Accurascale having also completed significant work already on something similar. 
 

The quality and value of Accurascale products would make them my preferred supplier, therefore I’m hoping that they formally announce these soon! 

This isn't Hornby you're talking about. Cavalex have proved with their models so far that they are every bit as good as Accurascale in terms of quality and detail. Their BBA wagon was the best wagon anyone released in 2020 so I think it's a little harsh to assume Accurascale will do a far better job. I have a lot of the Accurascale wagons too so this isn't anti-Accurascale at all. 

The end of the year is nigh and I doubt any other new wagons will be released - the BBA certainly gets my vote for wagon of the year. It's a real stunner. 

21 minutes ago, McC said:

 

Just be sure it's -between- the brass lugs, not under both! 

 

I meant the plastic lugs to the sides, but with some bending up of the lower battery contact I'm all good. Thanks for you help! How I just have to finish the complete loop on the layout so the rake can leave the fiddle yard! 

25 minutes ago, lyneux said:

 

 

I had a similar problem. It's worth noting that I had to bend BOTH tabs in order to get contact with the battery. This meant bending the lower tab up, as well as the upper tab down.

 

All working for me now!

 

Guy

Were you able to get the battery correctly under both lugs? I can only get it under one (either side but not both at once) so the battery doesn't stay in place

@Accurascale Fran and @McC - I am still having issues so dropped an email to support. Thanks for your help. 

Rich

27 minutes ago, Accurascale Fran said:

Hi @richscylla,

 

Very sorry to hear that. Can you ensure that the tabs are bent down firmly on the battery? Failing that can you email with your pics and order number to support@accurascale.co.uk and we can get you sorted?

 

Cheers!

 

Fran

I'll have a play with the tabs and hopefully that'll fix the issue. 

Rich

My three packs have arrived and do look great, and more importantly the rake fits into my fiddle yard, so thanks for the accurate measurements @Accurascale Fran. 

Only one issue, the tail lamp doesn't seem to be working. On closer inspection, it looks like the little black unit is missing a wire (compared to the picture in the instructions).

It's difficult to see clearly on the instructions but it looks like there should be a wire. 

Got some MK3s from Derails recently - as always first class service from Dan and the team!