High Level Kits

[Rowsley17D]

Yes, @High Level Kits are on the ball, another order filled in under 4 days received today.

[hayfield]

Snap, my letterbox rang to the noise of a High Level jiffy bag dropping to the floor

[Bucoops]

19 hours ago, hayfield said:

Snap, my letterbox rang to the noise of a High Level jiffy bag dropping to the floor

 

Presumably that makes it a low level jiffy bag?

[hayfield]

1 hour ago, Bucoops said:

 

Presumably that makes it a low level jiffy bag?

 

It will be the first time I will have used a drive stretcher on a gearbox, I also bought for stock a Road Runner compact, I think I have one each of the Road Runners as yet unallocated to a kit, plus a Long Rider which I found on eBay quite cheaply, as normally High Level gearboxes sell for more than RRP for some unaccountable reason .

 

I have quite a lot of kits to build and have several other makes of gearboxes in stock, but I do think High Level are the best

 

 

[Chuffer Davies]

A big thank you to Chris at High Level for the release of the new J50 chassis kit in January.  This kit is aimed at EM and P4 modellers who wish to convert Hornby's excellent J50 model.  In my specific case I am pairing it with a scratch built model by the late John Edgson which I was fortunate enough to acquire in July last year.

 

The kit covers (I believe) all variations for the J50's chassis.  It is specifically designed to be built with CSB suspension and includes removable leaf spring and brake component assemblies so that the wheels can be dropped without removing them from their axles.  The assembly instructions (which must be downloaded from the High Level website) are extensive and include diagrams to assist with understanding how to assemble the various alternate components depending upon the specific prototype you are modelling.

 

As one would expect this is (in my opinion) an excellent kit that has been well designed and which fits together without problem.

I have built this to EM gauge and  I have fitted back scratcher pickups to the offside wheels as can observed in the above photo.  These pickups are completely obscured by the superstructure once fitted and do not prevent the wheels from being dropped out of the chassis as might be the case with more conventional pickups.  The nearside wheels have been shorted to the chassis.  The  only components I have added (other than wheels, motor and gears) that are not included in the kit are the rear sand boxes.  The motor in this case is the superb High Level 1320 coreless unit.

 

Another excellent kit from High Level and well worth the wait.

 

Frank    

Edited April 2, 2022 by Chuffer Davies
Re-instating Picture

[EHertsGER]

Any news on the 14xx chassis…?

[High Level Kits]

On 13/02/2022 at 08:24, Chuffer Davies said:

A big thank you to Chris at High Level for the release of the new J50 chassis kit in January.  This kit is aimed at EM and P4 modellers who wish to convert Hornby's excellent J50 model.  In my specific case I am pairing it with a scratch built model by the late John Edgson which I was fortunate enough to acquire in July last year.

 

The kit covers (I believe) all variations for the J50's chassis.  It is specifically designed to be built with CSB suspension and includes removable leaf spring and brake component assemblies so that the wheels can be dropped without removing them from their axles.  The assembly instructions (which must be downloaded from the High Level website) are extensive and include diagrams to assist with understanding how to assemble the various alternate components depending upon the specific prototype you are modelling.

 

As one would expect this is (in my opinion) an excellent kit that has been well designed and which fits together without problem.

I have built this to EM gauge and  I have fitted back scratcher pickups to the offside wheels as can observed in the above photo.  These pickups are completely obscured by the superstructure once fitted and do not prevent the wheels from being dropped out of the chassis as might be the case with more conventional pickups.  The nearside wheels have been shorted to the chassis.  The  only components I have added (other than wheels, motor and gears) that are not included in the kit are the rear sand boxes.  The motor in this case is the superb High Level 1320 coreless unit.

 

Another excellent kit from High Level and well worth the wait.

 

Frank    

Thanks very much Frank. I'm glad you like some of the features that are a bit of a departure from normal practice. You didn't take lang to build it either! 

[High Level Kits]

On 14/02/2022 at 00:09, EHertsGER said:

Any news on the 14xx chassis…?

Hello, Etches are on order but the turnaround times are not good. I would have to be honest and say 6-8 weeks. Material shortages and staff absence are the current reasons cited.

 

Sorry I couldn't give you more positive news...

[Chuffer Davies]

10 hours ago, High Level Kits said:

Thanks very much Frank. I'm glad you like some of the features that are a bit of a departure from normal practice. You didn't take lang to build it either! 

The benefit of being retired and you launched the kit at a perfect time for me because I’d just finished a project and hadn’t started the next. I try to finish one project at a time these days. 
I’ll have no hesitation ordering another in due course but I’ve some other projects to progress first all of which will use High Level components in one way or another.

Thanks for all the support you continue to provide to our hobby.

Frank

[Enterprisingwestern]

On 17/02/2022 at 10:45, Chuffer Davies said:

. I try to finish one project at a time these days. 

 

Please, please tell me how the hell you manage that!

 

Mike.

[Chuffer Davies]

1 hour ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Please, please tell me how the hell you manage that!

 

Mike.

Good prep work so I know I’ve got everything I need before I start a project.  Don’t forget I’m retired so I can make a model in a few weeks rather than the couple of years it took when I was working.  I don’t therefore get bored or distracted before I’ve finished making a model. 
Frank

[Enterprisingwestern]

11 minutes ago, Chuffer Davies said:

Good prep work so I know I’ve got everything I need before I start a project.  Don’t forget I’m retired so I can make a model in a few weeks rather than the couple of years it took when I was working.  I don’t therefore get bored or distracted before I’ve finished making a model. 
Frank

 

I'm retired also, but obviously not as disciplined as yourself. I think I've got plenty of time so I take on plenty of projects. The butterfly effect!

 

Mike.

[Jub45565]

I had been waiting for the miniblox to come back into stock, and delivery was as prompt as ever! Thanks Chris!

 

My only query would be whether the gearbox bags could be labelled with the gear ratio. It wasn't an issue this time, as I only ordered 1 gearbox, but have had to tooth count to work out which is which before.  This is as scathing & negative a point as I can find to make...

[High Level Kits]

On 25/02/2022 at 19:01, Jub45565 said:

I had been waiting for the miniblox to come back into stock, and delivery was as prompt as ever! Thanks Chris!

 

My only query would be whether the gearbox bags could be labelled with the gear ratio. It wasn't an issue this time, as I only ordered 1 gearbox, but have had to tooth count to work out which is which before.  This is as scathing & negative a point as I can find to make...

Hello,

 

Quite few issues with supplies at the moment. We're trying to keep stocks up, but it's not easy.

 

We do try to be careful as careful as possible when packing gearboxes, but slip-ups do inevitably happen and, for this reason, we recommend that customers check over all the bits just to be sure and thus minimise the problems caused by any errors. 

 

I know this is a bit of a faff, but its the safest way. Having said that, we will label the bags if requested.

 

Chris

[High Level Kits]

Our new website has been up and running since last August and is working pretty well for us. If you’ve used it, you’ll know it takes orders, processes payments and we’ve also tried to provide clear and easily accessible information and guidance.

 

This has freed up more time to spend on other aspects of the business, but also means we don’t get the opportunity to talk to our customers. So we’re looking forward to catching up with customers at EXPO EM 2022, our first show since late 2019, where we’ll be able to help with any queries you may have. We’re in the process of stocking up and hope to have most things available in time for the show.

[Mad McCann]

Well, if you really want a punter to talk to Chris, it's well after time I spoke to you about a spare frame etch for the big Barclay! 😉

 

Davy.

[Torper]

Brilliant service.  I placed an order through the website yesterday afternoon and it arrived here mid-day today.  You really can't beat that.  Thanks Chris.

[High Level Kits]

High Level Kits Update:

 

The current economic climate has caused us to review the viability of our range of products. Maintaining the range of kits has proved very difficult in these times where nothing seems to be straightforward any more. We had reluctantly considered either dropping, or at least suspending, production of some, or all, of our boxed items. However, because we take great pride in our products, we’ve decided to try a different approach which we hope will benefit everyone...

 

Although we still have some original stock, we’re now starting to offer our kits in a slightly different format. As before, we’ll include a full set of etched and cast components, a custom gearbox specifically designed for that model, but so you don't have to pay twice for common parts you may well keep in stock we leave you to provide parts like brass wire and tube, nuts and bolts, and handrail knobs.

 

Nothing will be any different if you're buying 'consumable' items like gearboxes, hornblocks and suspension items, and we'll still continue to offer a choice of high-quality motors to go with all our products.

 

We hope this approach will go some way to offsetting the massive rise in the cost of the materials and manufacturing services we pay for, allowing us to keep our own prices as competitive as possible. It might be that this simplification also frees up time for more design work...

[Bucoops]

Good plan - I hope others do it too as like you say, most of us have a selection of "consumables" in stock, and if you lose a handrail knob for example if you use a specific type it's easily replaced whereas kit supplied ones might vary slightly.

[Nick C]

Would it then be possible to provide a list somewhere on the website of the various consumables needed for each kit? So that you could order anything you're missing in advance rather than waiting until the kit arrives and then finding you're short of something?

[Chuffer Davies]

Hi Chris,

firstly many thanks for the amazingly fast (48hour) turn around on my order.  Outstanding service as always. I assume the J50 chassis is on back order which is fine because I wont need it for ages yet but the motor and gears will be test installed tomorrow? 

Secondly I just wanted to say that, now that the penny has dropped around its design,  how I enjoy using your CSB jig.  It’s a brilliant piece of kit making the drilling out for the CSB supports near (if not completely) idiot proof.

 

Finally, I’d like to offer my support with regards to your proposal to provide kits without stock wire, tube,  etc.  Having designed a few kits myself I know how time consuming it is not only to source the materials in the first place, but also to prepare and include all the bits of wire in a kit.  The (time) cost to you must be significant and yet most of us kit/scratch builders will already have suitable wire and tube in stock.  
 

Regards,

Frank

[Chuffer Davies]

15 hours ago, Chuffer Davies said:

Hi Chris,

firstly many thanks for the amazingly fast (48hour) turn around on my order.  Outstanding service as always. I assume the J50 chassis is on back order which is fine because I wont need it for ages yet but the motor and gears will be test installed tomorrow? 

Secondly I just wanted to say that, now that the penny has dropped around its design,  how I enjoy using your CSB jig.  It’s a brilliant piece of kit making the drilling out for the CSB supports near (if not completely) idiot proof.

 

Finally, I’d like to offer my support with regards to your proposal to provide kits without stock wire, tube,  etc.  Having designed a few kits myself I know how time consuming it is not only to source the materials in the first place, but also to prepare and include all the bits of wire in a kit.  The (time) cost to you must be significant and yet most of us kit/scratch builders will already have suitable wire and tube in stock.  
 

Regards,

Frank

Oops, how embarrassing…..,,,

checking my order I didn’t actually put the J50 chassis in the basket which is probably why Chris hasn’t sent it…..

Expect a new order Chris….

Frank

[Rowsley17D]

More great service from Chris  @High Level Kits . The 3 Road Runners I ordered came promptly with worms slightly too big in the bore for some Mashima motors, Although, to be fair, all 3 motor shafts were 0.01mm undersize. I don't like using glue/thread locker. Chris soon sent me 3 worms FOC with tighter bores and all is now well. Chris must offer us modellers some of the best customer service around.

[Mad McCann]

This response is well overdue but I did get those frames some months ago. Thanks, Chris.

You're a legend.

[High Level Kits]

 

We do try to be on the case and most of the time we are, but these are difficult times and sometimes we are unable to get stuff from our suppliers. Other snags to do with this strange new world we now seem to live in, also make life difficult.

 

Your patience and understanding (when needed) continued support and encouragement is not taken for granted, so thank you very much for the above comments...

 

Changing the subject, I have revisited the Hattons' Barclay chassis drawing. It's going to involve the use of a number of untried concepts to make it work the way I would like. I don;t know when I'll get the time to get back on it properly, but hope to do so at some point. It'll be for the 14 inch and the way things seem to be going will be for EM/P4 but probably not OO.