railroadbill

True. However, it does protect the loco very well. Think I've read somewhere that Chinese packaging designers test their products by what they called something like the "Chinese drop kick" whereby a suitable burly worker boots the test package across the factory floor... Some years ago (about 30) in my IT days I had a contract with a well known seller of food and clothes. The EU (remember them?) had introduced a tax called the Green Dot tax which was intended to reduce packaging on products for sale. This was to reduce weight to be transported, energy and materials in producing the packaging in the first place, and most importantly, waste after the packaging was thrown away. The company decided to pay the tax on excess packaging and go on as they were. They calculated that their sales would drop otherwise because buyers had a perception that food was fresher and clothes crisper and cleaner if sold in the expected heavy duty packaging - which could also carry more of the brand's identifying logos. They were selling the packaging as a big part of the product! So my colleagues and I produced them a computer system to track, calculate and pay the taxation. An overhead they were happy to pay as it didn't cut into their sales - or so they thought, as they hadn't tried reducing packaging... Strange world. But my Clan turned up in one piece....

Well, my 72004 Clan MacDonald arrived this afternoon. In my humble opinion, worra stunner! On the positive side: The green looks very good, slight sheen to it and looks the right shade. Much better than the A2s for instance. The lining is orange and black, not red and black like the A2s etc. The orange looks like the colour on various waterside and pressfix lining transfers, colour photos of BR locos and the lid of my really really old tin of Humbrol BR lining orange. :-) The lining on the side of the foot boards is also orange, matches the boiler/cab/tender lining ok, looks much better than the colour shown in earlier pics on this thread. The cab detail is very good (this was a feature of the original models I believe). Very nice screw link coupling already fitted, plus a spare. And (as was mentioned earlier as well) it comes with a flanged wheelset for the trailing wheels! Yes, that's a. flanged. wheelset. Ace stuff. On the down side: No top lamp iron (as was to be expected). Green foot boards, although I didn't actually notice those for a while. I seriously doubt that original livery locos would have had that, probably bodies were made to fit 72009 and also used for 72004. Also, and I don't think this has been noticed before, the top of the tender behind the coal space is also green! Fortunately, secret weapon Tamiya XF-1 (or equivalent) is available to placate members of Clan Itshouldnthavegreenfootboards. Another plus point was the very good packaging. Rather like a multi-layered Russian doll. Starting with the loco in the usual clear plastic hinged pack, that goes in a clear plastic sleeve, which fits into a reinforced card box, which has a card sleeve, which goes into a plastic bag which slides into a sturdy cardboard box. 6 layers. So arrived in perfect condition. I'm super happy with this. Haven't run it yet, so that's next. I'll be back. later.

Well it's good to have a programme on a creative hobby on actual TV with professional production values so happy with this. With his knowledge of the history of "the trade" I find Simon very interesting. His comments about how expensive train sets were for most people back in the past was a good balance about how much they cost today. Apart from the MN development (and the shots of 35011 being rebuilt, or is that unrebuilt, or re-un rebuilt or...) I liked the snippets of the steam effect LN (and was it an A4 as well?) at the beginning, have to look out for that if it actually goes into production in the future. What I really appreciated was seeing Callum [SDJR7F88] showing how he does his excellent filming using short lengths of track. And- before seeing this, I hadn't realised that parts of the SDJR trackbed are now a cycle and walking path. That's going to need a visit before too long. So, yeah, seem to have found some interesting content in this, it's a good start to the series.

Looks really good. What type of varnish was used on the loco, looks gloss rather than say satin, but acrylic, or lacquer, etc. that won't affect the existing finish? Thanks.

That's an interesting site on Britannias, Ray. One point made is that from 1963, all Britannias had the top lamp iron moved down to the right hand side of the smokebox door, like Clan Stewart here, and middle iron on buffer beam moved to right to match. Never noticed that before. This is a very helpful thread, and I've changed my pre order to 72004 instead of Clan Stewart, as 72009 is in the condition it was in at the end of things steam but the earlier condition one would fit in better on the layout. I'm told it's on its way....

A big hall in a building with a very high roof, so ought to be reasonably ok for ventilation.

I would have gone to a small local show held in a school hall, but it's been cancelled this year. So has a larger one I normally go to held in a sports centre. Next one for me would be Ally Pally next March, which is apparently going ahead. A large show, but my decision can depend on the situation in the country after the coming winter. I'm more wary than gung-ho about all this.

Fantastic model, Fred. Always enjoy seeing your videos.

Missing cooking prog + X factor should give lots of time for doing sums... I also noticed 2 lots, each had one 6 wheeled parcel van and one EMU coach so you had to bid for both to get an EMU...

You're right about sneaking the stuff in, David! Having now looked at the auction site, it's interesting what prices were actually made. I thought the boxed sets were quite cheap. £200 for station seemed high. Lots of boxed stuff which probably helped to sell it (including a lot comprising just empty boxes). Accessories like switches and signals did well, as did 30 catalogues for £190! Don't remember the Co-Bo 2 rail freight set, though.

H'mm, now that's quite a different matter, allowing a justifiable increase in one's collection.

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/people/widow-amazed-to-discover-husbands-secret-vintage-model-railway-collection-which-could-be-worth-up-to-ps30000-3391094?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB But does anyone really need 8 Mallards? I've only got one of them... shame he never had a layout, that would have been very spectacular.

Hope you get over this soon, take it easy. Best wishes

Interesting models, Steve. Liked the weld marks on the frame, for instance, and the "metal" finish was very realistic. Wonder if full sized bikes were actually rideable (more than once, anyway). Your link led me to this which details how they built the models, 3-d printing, soldered brass frames, moulded resin and so on. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/153072-bike-build-off-radial-engine-style/

In terms of real bikes the BMW would be the best of the bunch. (Arguably!) A C15 chopper would be rather mind blowing! No doubt there were some back in the day...rather than "get your motor running and head out on the highway" it would have been "try desperately hard to get your motor running then give up"....

Doesn't take up very much room at 1:16th scale. I thought this was the only 1:16th motorcycle kit Airfix produced, it certainly was the only Kitmaster one. However, looking on vintage-airfix.com, there were also kits for a BMW R.69, a BSA C15 (!) and a Honda CB450, a very fast bike in its day. Never seen any of those, but they were produced a long time ago. Airfix made bigger scale bikes, I once made a Honda CB750 that was 1:8th scale (I've just looked up) which was a nice kit in its day, lots of chromed plastic. The only 1:16th scale bike kit I can find listed now is an MPC Honda CB77, which is the bike that Robert Pirsig rode in "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance" (showing my age here). Pirsig kept the bike in his garage and after he died several years ago the bike was given to the Smithsonian museum. The MPC kit doesn't seem to be actually available, shown as out of stock everywhere I've looked. Plenty of larger scale bike kits by Tamiya etc. How about a Pocher 1:4 scale Ducati 1299 panigale kit, 600 parts, chain and brake levers work... already painted, a mere £1499....

A relative who lives in an EU country (Denmark) sent a parcel to us containing different presents for family members, customs declaration filled in on package showed them correctly as books, clothes and children's toys, category as gift. (The declaration had a different section if they had been commercial or high value items.). Tracking showed the package had been through customs both ends, delivered without anything to pay and had taken about a week, but that included a bank holiday weekend here. The only railway items here were the 2 books, which were for me. We had also sent a parcel the other way to Denmark with a birthday gift in it, that arrived with no problem. So apart from having to fill in the customs declarations, everything went as before. Which is reassuring (so far!)

Maybe it would be better for electric cars to show economy in kwh per 100 kilometers to show how efficient each type was rather than which had the biggest battery and longest range. With the issue of metric vs imperial, in the real world (which is obviously modelling, nothing else matters so much) I do have my digital micrometer set to mm. However I've got some balsa wood sheets from long ago that are 1/4 and 1/8th inch and I just know how deep they are, but I'm fine with 1.5mm and 3mm lightply I've bought recently... base board sizes are best in feet and inches for me to visualise how big they are, going back to the classic 6ft by 4 ft board for Hornby Dublo (or indeed Triang of course). It depends on what you're used to I guess.

Rods polls perches chains... it's all the conversions like stones, pounds, ounces that add to the confusion. Metric is best for modelling, a number of mm is easier to be accurate about, since a mm as a unit is actually quite small.

Local grocery shop has had signs up about delivery problems causing stock shortages for a while now. Supermarket has been ok for home deliveries but increasing number or products are showing as unavailable at the moment, which changes from week to week.

On the other hand (as I once had to point out to some "metric country" relatives who were taking the mickey) take a length of string. Fold it in half. That's 1/2. Fold it again, that's 1/4. And again, 1/8th. Again, 1/16th. Then 1/32, 1/64, 1/128, 1/256, still easily manageable. But with metric, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125, 0.0625, 0.03125, 0.015625 and so on. Getting a little more tricky to do in your head.... When I was at school and we got to GCE O levels (as then was) we had just turned to metric for maths problems, but we used centimetres and centilitres . A year or two after us it changed to millimetres and litres etc. so we were experimental forerunners of British metrication.... Despite buying petrol/diesel in litres for many years, I still have a need to work out the car's fuel consumption in MPG though....

Ace layout (74' long apparently?). Well done Pete Waterman and co.

I found these parts in a plastic bag in a bits box. It's an Airfix Ariel Arrow bike, 1:16th scale. Must have got this in mid 1960s, so could be 55 years old or so. So I thought I'd try putting it together. Found some instructions on the internet, so I could see where the kick starter, gear lever etc. went. And here it is. It turned out that this was originally a Kitmaster kit, their first and only motorcycle (and had been issued in 1962). When Rosebud sold up to Airfix, they got the bike as well and issued it as Airfix. Apparently this was the first Kitmaster kit Airfix reissued. First Airfix release was 1963, last re-issue was 1980. So a bit of history there. Ariel Arrow was a 250cc two stroke bike first made in 1960. 20bhp and a bit over 70mph if you were lucky. But no worries, a little later in the 60s you could buy a Honda 250, cheaper, more economical, faster and leave your mates standing....

Following on from 47137's excellent shot at Hatfield Peverel yesterday, here's one of the Bury St Edmund trips going back to Colchester, running through Manningtree this afternoon. Mayflower on the back. Just have to pretend it's running wrong line or something. I had hoped for steam to be on the front, but a 47 on full bracket was ok . Both appropriate locos for GE main line.

Brilliant! Hornby Dublo 3 rail track does look very similar....