Tiny151

I'm having a different problem - it won't let me order a red one!

That was certainly not the intention. It was posted in good faith focusing the humour on the equipment rather than any individual in what I understand to be a minor incident where everyone is safe. I understand your point though and hadn't considered that it might be viewed that way, apologies.

Nothing in the booklet for this problem Guess it's time to contact support?

For anyone who needs their fix of vicarious unboxing, the full package! Absolutely delighted with this one. As always with Accurascale, the care and dedication to the overall product is so evident with every inclusion here, in what has to be the best box design to date. I may post some more detailed thoughts and pictures later - depends if I can turn my eyes away from those gorgeous red grilles!

Had the pleasure of seeing the livery samples in the flesh over the weekend and I think these are the best decoration of steam locomotive wheels I've ever seen in OO. Maybe not a headline area, but the precision and consistency of so many rim and spoke linings over some presumably quite complex wheel shapes is phenomenal. Would love to see some close-up shots, as it was a bit tricky to get a good one through the cabinet!

Thanks Fran, Where does this leave those of us operating on DC? Will the decoder still provide a fix if fitted?

Very exciting - 18 months will fly by...! Are you at liberty to say what the run size is? If the number still available in the shop is accurate, then it sounds like quite the limited edition indeed.

Great to see the Single samples out over the weekend. One for @RapidoCorbs here. As it sounds like they're a little way off yet, I wondered if there's a chance for a tweak to the cab front lining on this second run? Comparing to the real loco, there's a thick band where the boiler transitions to the cab and lining to the spectacle plate which intersects this. The lining at the base of the cab also seems to cut off early, though that's presumably due to some manufacturing constraint? It's not massively noticeable but does finish everything off nicely, so thought it worth a mention in case useful. I also note that the mini splasher for the trailing wheel set is green on top rather than black!

Would also like to hear some news on this. In my eyes, the only fault in some otherwise excellent and exceptionally good value carriages, but a very noticeable one. I've put off opening mine up to investigate as it felt more sensible to wait for the promised guide, but we're going on more than a year now. I'm sure it's being remedied for batch 2 and perhaps the issue has needed redesign to the point that AS don't feel comfortable suggesting a complicated customer fix, but it would be handy to know where the problem sits for those of us happy to try some DIY at our own risk. I tried contacting support directly and was only told to check clean wheels/track etc.

Thanks Tom, really interesting. Following a bit of a dive into the Fireless Locomotive Group on Facebook I've been able to turn up a quite detailed account from a Nick Kelly. Nick tells how the loco was in service at Four Ashes until June 1992 when it was withdrawn following a collision with a bogie tank. The incident is explained as being caused by the driver mistaking the light of a trespassing dog walker for that of the shunter! Supposedly repair was considered, but with the system due to shut down by the end of that year as a result of BR imposed costs, rail traffic was ceased there and then. Nick claims this made the former Gamma the penultimate working industrial steam locomotive in the UK, outlasted only by Andrew Barclay 2268 Glaxo at Ulverston. On the topic of Glaxo, Nick claims definitively that this loco lasted until 19th September 1992, when at the end of the shift he watched it drive itself onto a low loader and off into preservation! A 2019 dated snap of Glaxo at Carnforth is the latest I've found, along with a claim of it being eyed up for a cosmetic restoration and display back near it's old stomping ground, though all quiet on that front it seems. With these historic credentials, perhaps Glaxo could be an interesting identity for a future batch!

Lovely announcement and a prototype I've been waiting for someone to pick off ever since the industrial-mania kicked off with the Pecketts. I went in looking for a beautifully lined showroom livery and yet surprisingly find myself most swayed by the Croda example. Despite a fair few silvers and greys, this is the first white steam loco I can recall seeing in model form! There are a few resources online covering the Croda loco in the 70s and 80s, but nothing I can find of the 90s, except multiple statements that it lasted into them. I'm reading that the track which it called home was lifted in 94, I wonder how close to that date it managed to last in service. Would be keen to see any detail on those final few years and the move into preservation.

Delighted with this news - pre-order straight in. It's been harder and harder to hold off on an Accurascale 37, but told myself 403 had to be coming sooner or later, and here we are - or we will be in 2025! For me it's worth the wait if it means an exclusive box (full works like 402 please!), supporting the real loco and a seam free nose... what more could you want?

Now there's a tease! The Hattons social media posts do seem to deliberately mention that it's Batch 2 of the Genesis coaches with Rails, I can't see a comment on anything beyond that. I'd ruled this acquisition out given the seeming incompatibility of 'generic' and 'accurate', but reading between the lines, I'm intrigued at what crafty plans could be brewing to Accura-fy!

Excellent to see these picked up and moving to a safe home! A slight shame about the price increase on the locos, but not that hard to stomach given the £99 tag is the exact same as these launched with back in 2018. For those of us on Hattons books but already with an active Accurascale account, will the transfer process be any different? A minor point, but do you know yet if these will arrive in Hattons or Accurascale branded packaging? I'm already imagining the 'Exclusives' job that could be done with a box in that Bluebell livery!

There was a tease a while back now of something dumb buffered to match the Chaldrons. That would more than likely fit the bill for 'interesting' and 'little', plus timeline wise could certainly be at the EP stage, which I understand is the Accurascale threshold for announcement going forward.

Great to hear these are approaching. Particularly excited to glipmse the boxes for the Exclusives. I wonder if there's a chance we'll see some bonus treats in the detail bag as with the Manors? To me D9000 never quite looks complete without that headboard!

This might be the angriest loco I've ever seen!

Great to see the Locomotion running sample and it does look superb, almost hypnotic watching the various components of the gear rise and fall. Surprised and delighted to hear them mention compatibility with Accurascale couplings so directly. I've previously picked up a sense that Hornby's marketing and communications guide must read that anything of non-Hornby origin was to be ignored or at best alluded to as vaguely as possible. I suspect the Hornby of a few years ago would have been rushing out their own accompanying Chaldrons with the L&M couplings out of principle. This is a refreshing change. With the splitting out of the L&M range into standalone items, I wonder if there's a chance of seeing a set of convertor couplings to enable the same magnetic chains to be added by those wanting compatibility across the era 1 output? If Hornby don't, maybe an opportunity for Accurascale! Edit: Also confirmed in the Q+A that Locomotion will carry an NEM pocket.

I would say that's a very sound approach, thanks for sharing. For what it's worth, that's exactly why my reference picture above was taken. However, with the possibility of the revised models in the pipeline, that job moved a few spots down the queue, as I'm half tempted to replace my 31 with 30 anyway. Speaking of the previous model and matching with AS stock, I think this is in a generally good place. Whether that's by design or chance I'm not entirely sure, as I can't recall any AS comments on their approach. The shade which varies the most between the two models is probably the dark blue, though that's mostly because it has about 3 different shades on the 68 itself. The gradient fade of the graphics seems to be a very tricky thing to nail and I'm guessing that maybe the layering of the printing and different base colours could be behind the variation. In the new decoration sample shots above, you can see the colour variation within the diagonal stripes, and between the stripes and the faded fill section - all quite different from the lower nose! These also vary at each end of the same model. Please don't take this as any kind of bashing of Dapol. These are very cruel close-ups and are presented just for the reference of this discussion and any ideas for tweaks that might improve subsequent runs. I'm a very happy owner of a TPE 68 and think it's a cracking model, with some small areas for improvement. Tackling the dark blue was the first job I undertook with the model. Using a few thinned washes, I tried to build up one consistent colour whilst maintaining the fade of the graphics. Though not perfectly blended, I got it to a point that I was happy with and I think it also sits well against the AS tone. Generally, I would say the AS colours are a bit deeper and richer, but I would also note that having seen a 68 and MK5 side by side in real life, the shades do vary slightly between the vehicles, particularly the purple. Now here's my turn to be on the receiving end of the cruel close-ups! Thanks again to Dapol and Adam for sharing the sample images with us and for welcoming this level of dialogue with modellers.

Appreciate the response, Adam. Great to hear that'll be picked up. Can you comment on whether that will also include the panel the nameplate is mounted on and the smaller hexagonal one? They both looked to be picked out, rightly, on the artwork.

One area which had slightly let down the TPE model for me previously was the lack of black lining around the raised bodywork panels. So I was cautiously optimistic to see this included in the artworks for the latest batch of announcements. This seems not to have made it to the decorated sample though, which appears to me to be the same as the previous editions. Though as the printed nameplates are missing too, perhaps this is still due work. I hope the different shades of dark blue between the diagonal stripes, gradient fill and lower nose can also be revised, they should all be consistent. Interestingly, the lined panel does seem to have made it from artwork to model with the new Bio Fuel livery, seen surrounding the CR logo. It would be excellent if these could be carried over to the TPE version, as I feel it really completes the look. Until I managed to get up close with the real thing I did wonder if the black surround was just a build-up of dirt or the edge of the panel, but is a very clear black stripe (maybe even tape?) as shown in my snap below (a strong contender for the dullest photo I've ever taken).

Thanks for these, Phil. I note that the wheel end of the rod is unpainted here. An improvement I'd say as I did think the full brass end was a little overkill on the last run, given it's just the bearing(?) on the real thing, but imagine it's a hard area to paint and compromises have to be made. I'm also not picking out the works plates at the top of the splashers or some of the wheel lining from the previous edition. Fully aware this is a sample and far from final, so these matters are probably all in hand, or maybe even being tweaked? Given the minor improvements that the 2nd run of Dynamometer cars brought, it would be interesting to know from Rapido if there are any changes being made to the Single this time around - beyond the obvious 6-wheeled one!

As a few others have said above, a LT version feels the obvious choice for an Exclusive, given the multiple mentions in the launch video. I do hope it's L94 to commemorate its role as last steam on the underground - complete with the appropriate headboards would be the cherry on top!

I think I remember a tease around the time of the Chaldrons that a dumb buffered steam loco was being worked on, though I struggle to think of something from that camp which would have been 'much requested'. An L&Y pug maybe? My money is sitting with a return to a big loco after the Buckjumper, and something to match recently announced stock. For those reasons, I'd guess an 8F to head up the mineral wagons. If so, I'd love to see the overseas variations explored as Accurascale Exclusives. The other thought, depending how long it's been in the works, is that we could see a Black 5 showdown. Much like the duplication of the 37s, there are enough to go around!

Comparing the two 1247s, on the Locomotion edition I've spotted the brass plate on the front splasher, a black base to the buffer shanks and a slightly different white lining on the lighter green top of the tanks. The period 1210 looks to have the same lining as the Locomotion 1247, though interestingly yet another variation on the buffer painting. Clearly a lot of attention has been paid to these subtle differences! Would be interested to know if there's anything else!