Adam1701D

The problem with the choice of 56 liveries is that most have already been promised for a year or so and we are committed to producing these, albeit with the revised bodyshells. I hear the calls for a Colas 56 and will get one produced in the next batch if we cannot do so earlier. Perhaps I need "Unconscious Bias" training for being a Sectorisation-era modeller and not paying enough attention to the current scene! 😎

We do normally stock some bodyshells as spares but perhaps ordering a few extras would be a good idea.

I can confirm that the Doncaster / Crewe 56s are flat below the windscreens, whilst the Romanians / Early Doncasters have the 47-style curves. It doesn't show too clearly on the CAD exports, due to the low-resolution but it is there. Hopefully, this screenshot makes things a little clearer.

It is still early days with the artwork, so things can be changed. 56054 is much better being un-named and it will also make renumbering easier. 56131 is staying as it is because I really want to portray an ex-works Crewe 56 with the light grey grilles.

We are retaining the existing chassis but the body is all-new.

The 3-CEP and 4-TEP are rather odd choices. Would be really surprised if there were not 4-car Refurbished CEPs & BEPS on the way, as they would be the sensible options. They do look lovely, though. Always had a soft spot for the Refurbished CEPs with their alarming interior colour scheme.

Electra Rail did a some nice set of vinyls to convert the old-style GF Mk2s into Pullmans. The new owners are making great headway getting up and running and these should be available again soon. I must admit that I would love to see these RTR but not sure if the tooling costs would be recoverable in N.

We are doing a lot of work upgrading older mechanisms, such as the Ivatt Tank and also have several new N Gauge projects on the go. Some have been announced, such as the GWR Mogul and the Southern BoB and others are still on the drawing board.

We have new Swallow and Blue/Grey HST sets coming soon, with the Midland Mainline and Blue Pullman sets a bit later. We should be getting the deco samples of the Class 221 Super Voyagers really soon. Please remember that it is easy for us to design the liveries but getting a production slot in China can be hard.

Many thanks for all the suggestions. Quite a few of these have been discussed and some may have made the cut and some may not - at least this year. I'd love to do a Class 85 or 117 but would be too concerned about another manufacturer taking the shrink-ray to their OO models. Research and development is the most time consuming part of a new project, so if your competitor has done theirs already it is a big risk.

No BFOs, I'm afraid. Hadn't thought about doing the Mk3B Pullmans, which is actually a rather good idea. Not sure if can fit it into the schedule now but could be a winner for a future batch. I will ask about spare loco-hauled roofs.

No - both are powered.

Happy to confirm that we are bringing out a large range of loco-hauled Mk3s and these will have the correct roofs, as far as possible. Once we have an official announcement, we can reveal more details. I think they will be popular with most modellers of the era.

Perhaps in the next batch, if this one is successful. 87101 in Blue carried the Stephenson nameplate way before its classmates.

Exactly right, Tom - we are using the same mechanicals as the 86 for now. If there is sufficient interest, I would like to look into an upgrade further down the line that could incorporate a speaker. The Flexicoil suspension units will now be moulded integrally, so as to prevent them from pinging off and getting lost! What else can I add? We are doing 87101 properly with a modified roof and extra vent on the cab roof. The cross-arm pantograph and the high speed pantographs are all-new and much closer to scale than the previous versions. Whilst the timing of the announcement seems odd, it is timed to coincide with the next edition of the NGS Journal popping through the letterbox. There is a lot of other development going on in N, so I hope we can muster up something for TINGS!

Both of these have had the green darkened. Really hope it come off OK on the next samples.

These are the first deco samples and a number of corrections have been made, including a darker green for "Asbestos" as well as some livery tweaks for "Invincible", "Wallaby" and friends. The HLs were my first steam locos since joining Dapol and were an absolute pleasure to work on. A refreshing change after going boss-eyed working on the Class 88, with all of it's thousands of warning stickers! Please keep the feedback coming - see it, say it...you know the rest 😃

DRS own the rights to the Class 68/88 front end design, which is why the Class 93 and 99 have a more standard European look. Looking at pictures of the 93, there are a lot of similarities to the 88, especially below the solebar. Cannot wait to see one in the flesh, so to speak.

This is an all-new loco and does not share any parts from the Class 68, despite looking very similar. The 88 is slightly longer than the 68 and, apart from the cab ends and bogies, not much else is the same. The Engineering Prototype is stunning, especially the roof detail.

I do not know the exact release date but the CADs have been approved and I am putting the finishing touches to the artwork.

Could this be for access to the Dads Army licence? Cue a Walmington-on-Sea range of buildings with matching figures...

Just glad I'm not doing the artwork for these beasties! 😀

The orange stripes started to appear in the early 1980s - well within the blue/grey era.

Cheers, Andy.

As the artist responsible for the artwork, I am most grateful to John for pointing out the error with the white stripes and I am pleased to say it has been corrected. I am doing most of the artworks for Dapol and I keep an eye on this forum (and a couple of others) for any feedback. If it something that I can correct, then I will. Now, about the Stewarts & Lloyds green....