Mike Harvey

The second part of Maz Woolley’s report is now online:- http://www.maronline.org.uk/oxford-diecast-preview-part-two/ This part covers 1/76 scale.

Maz Woolley at Model Auto Review has published a report on last week’s Oxford trade presentation including photos of pre-production models in N and 0 gauges. Included in these are the new shapes for the Land Rover Discovery and Bristol MW coach in N. http://www.maronline.org.uk/oxford-diecast-preview-part-one/ There is also comment on Oxford’s efforts to catch up on the backlog of releases.

Thanks to a link from David Calderwood on another site, he has advised that there are now right hand drive 1/148 scale Scania 141R cabs available from Benny Soehave:- https://www.shapeways.com/product/76ERBV6JY/2-spare-cabs-for-rhd-scania-140-in-uk-n-scale On 10 July 2018 Grahame showed an almost finished Ford D series cab obtained from the same designer. Page 10 on this topic:-

I do not really want to prolong this, but I would like people to be well informed. I do accept that your impression is genuine but based on incomplete information. The 1/148 scale items based on announced but not yet released shapes are:- NDIS001 Land Rover Discovery 4 - Ipanema Sand NDIS002 Land Rover Discovery 4 - Santorini Black NGG001 Green Goddess - AFS NGG003 Green Goddess - RAF NMW6001 Bristol MW6G - Royal Blue NMW6002 Bristol MW6G - Hants & Dorset NSDF001 Shelvoke & Drewry Freightlifter - British Rail (Western) NSDF002 Shelvoke & Drewry Freightlifter - British Rail (Crimson) These shapes were announced in January and June 2018, and engineering prototypes were displayed at the London Toy Fair in January 2019. In 2018 Oxford released 35 new items in 1/148, and announced 32 additions. So far in 2019 Oxford have released 9 items in 1/148 scale:- January 2019 - 3 items February 2019 - 2 items April 2019 - 2 items May 2019 - 2 items I do not really understand your reference to the recent events with DJModels. Are you implying that any manufacturer with a list of announcements for future release should be considered not to be releasing those items? Does that include Farish, Dapol, as well as Oxford as examples? As mentioned in the post above, and elsewhere on some retailers sites, last week Oxford were at pains to explain that they are trying to speed up deliveries of new items and reduced new announcements accordingly. As far as I am aware Oxford have never cancelled an announced model in 1/148 scale, although I accept that Dapol and Farish have. Just for the sake of completeness Oxford 1/148 scale models are also planned in the Arnold range - 4 different food trailers, and two different Land Rovers included in flat wagon sets. These were announced in January 2019.

Grahame The 4 shapes I described are already in the published list of OD models. Your comment implied OD were not producing anything new, and qualified that with “and especially for the 1970 to 1999” market. You are in a better position to judge whether the models suit your period, I was merely clarifying the false impression created by your saying “ODC seem to have pulled out of developing new vehicles for N gauge 1/148 scale”. List available here:- https://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/collections/by-scale?constraint=1-148 The ones marked FUTURE are not yet released.

Just for clarification - Oxford Diecast have 4 new shapes announced, tooled and due for production. As noted by retailers announcing additions to the forward OD plans revealed last week, OD held back announcement of some new shapes pending catching up on the production and delivery of the 37 1/148 scale items on the to do list. That aside the RailNscale new prints fill gaps in the range of available shapes, and I am up for the 205 and the Saab 900.

I think it was a compliment on mistaking the wagon for a 00 gauge one, rather than a piece of N jewellery. ;-)

But a train of X types for the earlier period and Evoques for the later period would work.

The train takes a route through Crewe which means that what was the front before Crewe is at the back after Crewe. A loco change or run round would be necessary. This is normal practice with car trains so that the vehicles can be loaded forwards at the originating point, and driven off forwards at destination. It depends which way round the terminal connections are in relation to the running direction of the train.

The first 62 items on this link were newly announced last evening:- https://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/collections/by-brand?constraint=oxford-diecast Oxford said they have held back some new announcements because of the need to catch up with announced but not yet delivered items. Normally the June announcement would contain about 90 items.

With regard to the JLR cars built at Halewood, there is a Wikipedia page detailing the models. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halewood_Body_%26_Assembly The Jaguar X-type was made by Yatming Road Signatures in 1/72 scale, and all the others are in the Oxford 1/76 range.

The BMW Minis are in the Arbel WIA covered double deckers.

Not yet released. Listed on many retailers sites if you wish to pre-order.

Seeing as this is a crowdfunding topic I thought I would recount my one negative experience which suddenly became more positive yesterday. Four year ago I backed a travel product through a Kickstarter. Nothing arrived, and Kickstarter would not refund my money as they had given it to the Taiwanese manufacturer. Anyway, yesterday, the postie knocked at the door and handed me a large box which contained exactly what I ordered in that pledge 4 years back, with an apology in eight languages explaining all the bad luck which had befallen the producers. From what I could understand their problems stemmed from:- 1) over-promising what they could achieve; 2) running out of money; 3) criminals stealing their stuff; 4) internet criticism of their poor communication; 5) the factory stopping them using their tooling. Reading it was like hearing the DJModels story all over again. The product does what was intended.

The links can be a challenge to break and remake. To join two links they need to be at about 45 degrees to each other, which means the length of the chain is slightly shortened. I only make or break my chain at one of the 180 degrees return wheels, where I have an access point. These wheels are about 50mm diameter, and the wheel itself is removed allowing the chain to be laid inside the original radius enough for two links to form the required 45 degree angle.

I have been trying to compile a list of the N gauge range. This is as far as I have reached:- NG01 1953-56 Austin A30 NG02 1954-1957 Rover P4 75 NG03 1961-70 Jaguar Mk X NG04 1963-70 Rover P6 NG05 1953-59 Ford Anglia 100E NG06 1954-56 Austin A30 NG07 1953-59 Standard Eight NG08 1948-51 Vauxhall L series Wyvern NG09 1965-78 Ford Transit LWB van NG10 1965-78 Ford Transit Ambulance NG11 1965-78 Ford Transit SWB van NG12 1938-48 Wolseley 18/85 Saloon NG13 1954-61 Ford Thames 300E 5 cwt van NG14 1954-62 Standard 6cwt van NG15 1935-38 Morris Eight Saloon NG16 Mid 1950s Touring Caravan NG17 1935-38 Morris Eight 5cwt van NG18 1939-47 Austin Ten NG19 1932 Morris 8cwt “Flatnose” light van NG20 1931-35 Bedford WLG Dropside Truck NG21 1933-37 Morris Commercial 2 ton van NG22 1939-48 Austin 10HP 4x2 Light Utility NG23 1927-30 Morris Cowley Saloon NG24 1937-49 Ford 7V SWB Flatbed NG25 1931-35 Bedford WLG Refuse Truck NG26 1931-35 Bedford WLG SWB Tipper/Recovery truck NG27 1925-34 Foden 6ton C-type Steam Wagon NG28 1939 Fordson 7V Fire Appliance NG29 1919-26 Bullnose Morris Cowley NG30 1932-34 Austin 10/4 Saloon NG31 1936-38 Horse Drawn 35cwt Parcels van NG32 Horse Drawn Milk Float NG33 1954-86 Austin A30 Countryman NG34 1924-26 Morris 8cwt Snubnose van NG35 1932-34 Austin 10 van NG36 1926-34 Foden 12 ton Six wheeler steam wagon NG37 1919-25 AEC 3.5 ton Omnibus - discontinued in 2021 NG38 1931-35 Fordson BB 2 ton Cattle/Livestock truck NG39 1920 AEC 3.5 ton lorry - discontinued in 2021 NG40 1949-60 Morris J—type van

I pledged to the Kickstarter for Severn Models, which has now grown into a successful etched brass kit provider for mainly scenic items. I have numerous RevolutioN Trains crowdfunded models and commitment to more. But I decided not to be a contributor to a DJModels crowd-funding venture. There is no comparison between the professional execution of the crowdfunding process and the hit-and-miss DJM approach.

Simon has provided a download button on the linked Shapeways page. Opens fine in my .stl viewer.

I do not think it would help to offer reassurance without some factual substance to support that. Not sure how that would be presented. A direct email message to each crowdfunder might need to include a explanation as to why reassurance might be required, which would just widen the net of people reading the 1 May 2019 announcement and push the message total here towards 2000.

Fortuitous that DJM's announcement was just a day after RevolutioN closed their order book, but before they had finalised the numbers in the Purchase Order. Keeping the order book open for a week seemed like a smart idea.

On 30th April 2019 the accounts were filed for the period to July 2018. Link here:- https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08601496/filing-history

If this episode leads to the final demise of DJModels, I am sure it will be all the nasty people on RMweb who will be accused of being the cause of it. But I am struggling to find active support anywhere for the business approach in today's announcement. I am reminded of the fateful speech given by Gerald Ratner which sent his business into terminal decline.

What a load of unmitigated tosh. Even the dyed in the wool DJM supporters must be scratching their heads. I have heard more convincing ideas from my terrapin. At least I know what small model railway business owners do when they are not designing and developing models. My interest in acquiring anything from DJModels has now officially evaporated. Probably a good idea to let him have email confirmation.

Some were worked in a block trains of empties, but where from I do not know. Some loaded trains went (back) to South Wales.

If I recall correctly the cradles were made in Stoke on Trent by a local fabricator. They were fitted to the wagons at Marcroft Engineering's site. In those far off pre-privatisation days the logical way to do this was to cycle trainloads of wagons through the Stoke site over the Christmas/New Year break loading the cradles to the wagons. No special attention was given to the wagons at all. If I can find my old reports for the period I should be able to pinpoint whether it was Christmas 1992 or 1993 this all took place.