Daddyman

Info here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/86020500@N06/7991379008

I agree that there's something manual going on. Someone is clearly pressing a button saying "collected". I know that when they do come to me, they tend to come at 10am-ish - I actually often see the van in nearby streets, including yesterday when they didn't show up. Yesterday the fake "collected" email came at 2pm-ish, still within the window they'd offered. But when the email came I knew what was going to happen, and made the 15-mile round trip to the PO. While I was out my neighbour texted to say the normal postman, who doesn't do the collections, had arrived to collect it! The time was a bout 20 mins outside the agreed window, and 50 mins after the "collected" email. Last time I got the fake "collected" email I waited in case they came; this time I didn't wait and ... sod's law!

Agree. I got 401 from MRD while the going was good, but didn't go for 194 at £160 in the TMC offer as I suspect there'll be better after Christmas. By the way, if anyone wants a real bargain, Hattons have 37034 second hand for - wait for it - £196!

For anyone else not getting ebay promotions, this page is useful: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/team-blog/2020/09/tricks-to-boost-ebay-s--sell-for-p1-max--promos/#inbox I tried the first tip, going to "selling" and scrolling down to "promotions" and there was an 80% promotion hiding in there - clearly ebay didn't want me to know about it... Meanwhile, with two out of the four RM pick-ups I've now arranged, I've had a message saying my parcel has been collected when it hasn't. You then get into a doom loop where they then claim "we've got it" (the imaginary parcel), but tracking shows it sitting in the D.O.

Agreed! Finally got rid of my Accurascale one this evening on ebay, just in time to take advantage of the MRD offer and get some proper 37s!

TMC are hoping you haven't heard of the MRD sale and are offering them at 35% off instead of 30% - making them £161.49 (vanilla). More choice than MRD though.

The problem is they had logged it as "collected", and sent me an email, when in fact they hadn't collected it. I've requested the refund online, but suspect their system will be very confused as they're still convinced that they have it - tracking shows it en route!

Not out of the woods yet... They're still there.

Very proud of myself for not succumbing to this MRD offer. Bought myself some stilton as a reward...

Well, RM collected today, but I had to book a new collection and will have to spend 30+ mins on the phone to get the original £3.99 back. I take your point re ebay's labels, but I don't have a printer, and my Android doesn't do QRs!

Well, that worked well ... for a while. Emboldened by my first experience with RM's collection service, I booked a second parcel to be picked up today. Sitting at home this afternoon I was puzzled to get an email from RM saying that they'd picked it up ... when it hadn't moved from its spot on my desk!

What about the density of rice-pudding skin?

That's a very nice weathering job on 039.

The brass D&S carriages come in at about 200g. I never put extra weight in them.

These do look good. How strong is the brake lever guard/ratchet? On the Bachmann AB wagons and the Hornby OTAs it was always the first thing to snap.

If I understand correctly, the body fitted before you swapped the noses; if so, could it be that the noses are causing the problem? I seem to remember that on later models (around 37049 generation) the separate nose moulding was longer than the first generation ones. Could that be it?

You misunderstand me - we're saying the same thing. I was responding to a post that said things worked well for him. That's meaningless if we don't all have that - hence my lottery comment.

That means nothing. That means nothing. Everyone knows there are local anomalies where the service works . The problem is when you live in an area where it doesn't work, and don't know if it's going to another area where things are messed up. It's a lottery, and we already have a national one of those - don't need another.

Nope, that doesn't work: both buttons on the page are dead links...

Good tip, thanks - seems like this might have something to do with it:

I'm not going to say anything as my views on kits are violent and extreme: I think they should resemble the real thing.

Thanks. Curiouser and curiouser...

Many thanks. If the parcel was guaranteed by 1pm the next day, which I think it was, it still hasn't arrived - 3 days later. This ebay fees thing is weird! Where do you see it? When you open the ebay page, or do they send you a message? Thanks, Chas - only £50 compensation, though... But food for thought. Thanks to everyone who helped. Have gone for the £3.99 option above booking online, with RM bringing the label with them tomorrow morning (I remain sceptical on that point!). So RMWeb has saved me the best part of £6, thank you!

Thanks. I wonder why she told me my only option was £9.50 then? When you say "the weekend" do you mean ebay offer this every weekend or only every so often? I never seem to get these offers - just one a few weeks ago, and the item didn't sell - but I seem to remember reading on here some time ago that they varied from seller to seller.

Thanks. I'm limited by not having a printer - presumably necessary for the online service? Evri is good here too - it just depends on the individual. I wouldn't be too hard on the postie - speak to them and see what they're dealing with. And remember a sh*te postal service is what Britons want - or at least what 14 million of them voted for.