RichRG7

23 hours ago, North Devonian said:

Mine arrived about an hour ago , ran fine on my test track but when I put it on the layout which is third radius it came to standstill on each curve . Removed the body and it ran just fine so the body is fouling the bogies.  The instructions say will run comfortably on third radius, the Rails website makes no mention. My track is Peco code 100 streamline . Tried on Peco setrack 3rd radius, too tight .

Same here - refuses to run around 3rd radius and it's clear the body prevents adequate movement of the bogies.  4th radius and above fine.  Rang Rails and am returning the loco for a full refund - no quibble from Rails, so great service there. Shame, as it's a stunning model.

My Mum used to say, more money than sense.

Waited patiently for my sound version, so think I’ll hang on to it.  Also watching the other GT3s listed on eBay with a sense of bemused intrigue.

Good grief. Wonder how much I could get for my sound version. 
 

48 minutes ago, Legend said:

 

It was United Airlines . I feel sure there will be YouTube footage . It was certainly reported in the news at the time . He was manhandled from the plane . Come fly the friendly skies!

It was and there is - do a search on YouTube for 'a passenger forcibly dragged off a United Airlines plane' - the first hit.

I too have got mixed up in this topic, receiving the same email that my order could not e fulfilled.  I felt annoyed, and now it seems that Hattons received their allocation, I am disappointed that they did not inform me sooner, so I could have looked elsewhere.  I actually contacted Hattons a few days before receiving the 'we are oversold' email when I saw the model appearing on eBay asking for further information on the pre-order and they sent the following:

Good Morning Mr XXXX,

Thank you for getting in touch regarding your pre-order.

We are aware that the models have arrived in stock with Hornby, these are now being stored at their warehouse and shipped out to retailers. We do expect our allocation to be arriving with us this week and as soon as they do your order will be processed and sent straight out to you. We'll keep you updated via email as usual.

In the meantime, if you have any further questions please let me know.

Should I feel more annoyed?  Possibly, as some of the points seem to suggest that Hattons knew how many models they would be getting.  At that point the model seems to have been sold out everywhere, so the ship had sailed and I would not have been able to find another supplier.  This may have been different if Hattons had let me know back in early January when I placed my pre-order.  I think that is the issue many of us have now.

I put a post on the Hornby forum, where there was a generally mixed reaction, with some saying it wasn't Hattons fault and that Horny was to blame.  I don't agree with this.  We all knew that this was a limited edition, so the retailer taking the pre-order should have had a robust system in place to track how many pre-orders they are getting vs their known allocation, in my view.  The thread on the Hornby forum was removed as the moderator said that was not the place, so I'm pleased that RMWeb have kept this one open here.  Hattons are probably digesting how much this has annoyed some of its customers.

Like others, I am voting with my wallet.  Hattons will no longer be a first port of call when I'm seeking anything for my hobby.