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The 1016 and 1116s can pick up from the pantographs - you have to take the body off and rotate a switch on the PCB - I’d be amazed if anyone actually does it though.. Jon

Aha! I thought it was just me then…. Yes bogie detail on Jagerndorfers is much better - there’s a lot simplified/missing from the Roco Taurus, it’s good but getting on a bit now…the internals have been updated at least. Regards Jon

Having taken lots of Roco stuff to bits - I'd be surprised if the windscreen is glued in . Roco stuff generally clips together - often glazng is a friction fit with the cab interor locking it all in place - so it should come out and then you can polish it without any worries about harming the bodyshell . I'd get a little bottle of this stuff (it's useful) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154643555742?var=454728223738&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338723872&toolid=20006&customid=QTeyewkWAAAAAZpsMR5NEH5VpYIWAAAAAA and try it with a cotton bud, I originally bought it to restore some old car parts - but its ended up being used on model glazing as well I totally agree - the 1014s and the similar 1822s are seriously lovely lookings things! Regards Jon

Stunning bit of kit , and that livery really makes the model ‘pop’ - well worth the wait. Have you noticed the absolutely tiny ‘Stadler’ markings on all the glazing!😎 Jon

Fabulous work on the 155 - it’s like proper old skool Rmweb is back 😎 People think the old Dapol model is junk (probably judging it by the 150/2 - which was pretty much a plastic MTK model, and was indeed junk) but the body profile is pretty much there once you sort out the lower edge of it and it’s got some nice panel and rivet detail. Hornbys 153 is all kinds of wrong and it’s main features all are distorted out of recognition - It looks nothing like the real thing at all to my eye . It’s got the right number of wheels and the under frame is nice except the bogies which again don’t really look anything like the real thing. It looks like you chopped the original glazing into bits to keep the ‘hoppers’ and refitted it all nice and flush - how long did that take!!?😲😲😲 Jon

Another big thumbs up for A&H here - wherever possible I try and get all my 'euro stuff from Chris - top service and a top bloke to deal with. Jon

Not only does the gold look different but the green-white fade-out looks completely different on the two models. It’s less convincing on the Power cars. If they’d finished these correctly I’d have bought a full set but not looking like that . As Vic Reeves used to say , “Very poor indeed” Jon

It did indeed , visible in this nice shot: http://www.traintesting.com/images/89001-rtc1.jpg A few other shots on traintesting show them, but as you say, they’re not always easy to spot -a nice quirky little feature though. Jon

Interesting - it Looks like Bachmann have removed the overscale heavy seam lines from the cabsides on the 158 - nice . The WYPTE one does look lovely. Jon

Wonderful illustration - so did this thing have a massive tranmission 'tunnel' running through the middle of each cab then?? - rather like a rear wheel drive car - as its showing a driveshaft above the level of the floor. Jon

So the nearest I could find to a mk4 in my collection is an ÖBB Bcmz sleeper car - (they have kindof similar looking bogies) - these have separate dampers, really nice crisp tooling all round and (my favourite bit) a representation of the triple brake discs and calipers between the wheels, which the real mk4s also have. Worth noting these models are N gauge! But It , Just shows what’s possible and how Hornby could have really made these new models really special - fully detailed bogies would have been really cool. Jon

I found myself asking the same question - and came to the conclusion that the fact that I was questioning it , meant that if they had retooled them, then they needn’t have bothered. Agreed , the area below the headlights does look a bit pants for a brand new model. Bombing round a layout with a full set of coaches I’m sure most people will be happy with it though, and it’s hard not to like anything in intercity livery with a pointy cab! Jon

Nice comparison photos - just shows the nice rivet detail on the underframe on the old model - plus , dare I say it , I think the executive light grey and dark grey look look more accurate on the old model too. There’s potential then to upgrade the new model with earlier parts . We’re the wipers changed by GNER , or did any of the Intercity DVTs get the twin arm versions . Some might say everything after the class 60 has been a regression 😕 jon

While we're focusing on this area its worth pointing out that Hornby have got the shape of the bufferbeam wrong - depicting is just as a rectangular block , with the ETH sockets stuck on the underside - whereas as the real thing is angled on the underside , with the sockets on special mounting brackets . When its painted grey Its very obvious on the TWF photo above. The section immediately underneath the coupling hook is also the wrong shape. I do love counting rivets , yes , and there's 6 missing from the top of the front skirt while we're at it 😀 Its a handsome looking thing the Mk4 DVT, but the model seems to have run out of steam/finesse/fidelity with the bogies and underframe . I'm a bit puzzled why there's a gap between the body and bogie on this mode - does it ride too high? - can it be lowered to close up that gap? It would look much better The Mk3 DVT 'sits' perfectly on its bogies , with no gap between the body and the suspension bag , its its a shame , and a bit odd , why this model couldn't be done the same. Anyone dare to get the files out? Jon

Hi Will, I very very very carefully masked and sprayed onto the inside of the glazing - that includes a black strip across the top - I'm sure it could be very carefully done in 4mm - but the inside of the glazing material needs to be flat and not 'stepped' around the edges - basically we need Brian Hanson to make some Laserglaze ! Jon

Demister strips, (and sun visor ) as I modelled in 7mm a few years back - I’m sure it could be printed on 4mm scale glazing - sure I’ve seen this done already on other Bachmann locos? The coated/tinted glazing on the 37 seems to be a feature Bachmann have added for the sake of ticking the features box, rather than an excercise in accuracy - but then again I’ll happily be proved wrong if there’s a real example . Otherwise though model looks well tasty - moreso when they do a intercity Mainline one ! Jon

The ‘tint’ effect that Bachmann have carried over from the 47s is representative of the coated glass used to demist the screens - I’ve never noticed this on a 37 - I thought they just had copper strips on the glass? jon

I was especially looking forward to the FGW HST so that's really disappointing. Looking very closely at the photos on the Hornby Engine shed blog you can also see a transfer has been used on the FGW model there as well - and doesn't conform properly to the shape of the door - you can see the edge of the transfer catching the light above above the door handle where it isn't actually touching the body and just looks a bit messy above the foot boards/bottom edge of the door. l dread to think what the power cars will look like if they use the same method to decorate those . As you say Limas attempt at 'Fag Packet' was very good considering the technology at the time, now we've got digital printing which can take on seriously complex graphic liveries - such as on Hornbys own class 91 (For the Fallen livery) - or if you really want to see how its done properly, have a look at Rocos Vectron models - so its a massive shame to have these nice new retooled mk3s being made and then spoiled by the decoration, especially considering the price. They aren't actually on the shelves yet though - Maybe , just maybe, the final versions will be finished differently, I don't have much hope . Jon

A chance meeting while out on photoshoot duties with our 230SL: Boy that Duetto looked good in blue! Jon

An incredibly rare and unusual arrival at work recently- An Alfa Romeo Alfa6 - bit of a marmite car in the looks department , but I love it , and having been lucky enough to drive it a while back , it’s a shame these have flown under the radar - it’s rather special! Jon

Oh lovely - nice to see another generation of multiple unit emerging out from under the radar. Will the FGW 180s come with the original coupling covers? (and a signed photo of Paul Tyreman) Jon

A quick mash-up of Hornbys before and after shot of the VEP Cab that may be usefull. Unfortunately looking at it head on doesn’t show up the issue of the depth of the gangway door though. Jon

39254835122/in/album-72157629191176988/ And skip forward and backward and all the 4VEPs in Robert Carroll's excellent album have the headlight. Ah but they’re all mounted flush into the door- the headlight on both Hornby samples, protrudes from it which was only seen at one end on the preserved unit. As the great Kimon Sohler once said “Details Details Details” jon

agreed they still don't look quite right. Sadly they haven't corrected the gangway door which still sits too far back in the corridor connector, so the cab still looks pretty weird to me. A friend of mine pointed out the recesses for the jumper cables are also the wrong shape and the headlight is unique to the preserved blue unit "Gordon Pettit". I guess there's still a bit of time before the model is due out for them to fiddle with it, but at the moment it looks like the razor saw will have to come out , as per the the previous vep releases. Jon

That's disappointing about the paint finish - but also a rather unflattering shot of the bogies - I cant help thinking that the sideframes off the old Hornby 86 would do wonders for the model - (I think they'd need to be stretched as they're a tad short from memory) the half moulded brake cylinders and various other details on the bogies in general all look a bit 'flat and 2 - dimensional - one of several areas of this model that look a bit more '1992' than '2022' perhaps. I'm guessing the sideframes on these just unplug as per usual with Heljan locos? Jon