Black 5 Bear

Stunning model in Wartime black. Thanks gents !

Has anyone received 21C7 Aberdeen Commonwealth as yet? Some photos would be great !

Just arrived and looks equally as good as the previous releases. Well done Hornby !

The newish 24/1 being a prime example of how good these new releases actually are.

Early Bachmann 24/0 were good models in their day, but like everything, time has marched on with advances in detailing/technology and manufacturing processes.

An expensive couple of months and especially so with the scheduled June release of the Hornby Dublo versions.

Ellerman Lines, R3649 is on its way to me scheduled for lunchtime delivery.

A bigger cabinet perhaps lol ?

My Pre-order with Hornby for R3649 Ellerman Lines is still shown as processing on the website. It's been paid for, so I would think despatch will happen sometime this week.

The only current Hornby locos I will even contemplate buying at the moment are the AS M/N's. These seem to be very good in relation to fit/finish QC. I currently have on order, 2 Hornby Dublo versions and 3 from the main range. As for the A2/2/3s, sorry but no thanks. Too many problems, which have already been discussed on here at length. Hornby do make models people want, that is of course true but for how long.

It will come back to haunt them. More profit in the short term but zero profit in the long term. Too right it will, especially with the likes of Accurascale, Rapido and Dapol producing some very nice models that people actually want.

An update on the forthcoming "all new" V2 would be most welcome...

Additionally, It's not as though they've had no negative feedback, especially in relation to their rendition of BR brunswick Green over the past few years.

TMC have just announced a May sale. Some quite good deals on Bachmann/Hornby/Dapol to be had.

Belgian Marine, Ellerman Lines and Holland America Line also shown as "In stock" .....

Fully appreciate that, but that is not what he implied on his YouTube review. Many were under the impression that he thought the M/N was just another variation of the Airsmooth West Country/Battle of Britain class, which simply isn't the case. With reference to the smaller, latter loco classes being "an old model" he would be correct, as these date from 2001/2002. FYI, the AS M/N is a relatively new (2017) model with tooling to produce MK1,2 and 3 variants. The original run back in 2017 was 4 locos in total.Two were in SR malachite livery and two in Hornby E/C Brunswick Green.

I've got a feeling that in Accurascale's steam category of models, we'll sooner rather than later see either a Stanier Black Five or 8F.

This loco (92000) was a TMC commissioned/ manufactured item by Bachmann some years back. It is a full fat version, which has been languishing on their shelves at various discounted prices for a few years now.

If you look at his review on the A2/2, the video presentation he posted spoke volumes on the build/QC of this particular loco. Along with other postings on YouTube, it was not difficult to dismiss this current product as one not to buy until certain issues had been addressed.

Whether Sam is knowledgeable is open to debate as he quite frequently gets things wrong in his presentations. For example, he described the recently released M/N East Asiatic Line as a old model with a new livery. Having said that, it is a good chance to see/ evaluate new locomotives to the market and make your own decision as to whether to purchase or not. The Hornby A2/2 being a prime example. To his credit though, he is using his own time to produce these reviews and fully acknowledges that he's no expert.

At least you know which retailer not to pre-order with in future Robin. Local shops/small concerns, who very often offer the same discounts nowadays always get my vote and cash

Or have one Accurascale and one Dapol. Both look to be excellent models for the money when you compare with the competition.

The "Unsung Hero" for me is the Hornby J15, a lovely running loco with excellent detailing and paintwork.

Can anyone please advise if the newer Hornby releases of the H class have solved the motor/capacitor problems as seen on early releases ?

You obviously need some more M/N's to fill those empty spaces on your shelves Robin. You can't have too many Merchant Navies, well at least that's what I keep telling the wife lol !