It pains me to say that I was very disappointed with what I've seen so far of the prototype for the Peco/Kato England engines, which I had been so looking forward to.
I don't know whether it's the case that the early sample they showed is very misrepresentative of what the finished product will look like, or whether this is not going to be what I had hoped for.
I can overlook a rough 3D print on the body but I can't deny I'm worried by what's underneath it.
I'm told it's temporarily mounted on a Kato N gauge loco chassis, but the question is whether this is indicative of the quality of the mechanism we're going to get?
Look at the way the piston pokes out of the front of the cylinder.
See how crude the crosshead and the slidebars are.
Is this what we are to expect in the finished product?
The one thing that is really going to make of break this model for me is going to be the chassis.
When you look at a Small England the really distinctive features are those little wagon wheels with very few spokes, and the slender, round-profile motion.
That is what I really want to see from this model.
England engine bodies have been around for more than 60 years in both white metal and now 3D printers.
We don't need a big manufacturer to produce them, it's a decent chassis for them which we've been crying out for.
But after this weekend I have to confess I've got the fear that Kato could let us down.
Look at what else was on their stand.
Are they in the business of selling models or toys?
You'll also spot a very early stage of a Double Fairlie body in there among the dinosaur wagons and the rocket contraptions.
Observe also the ridiculously tight radius of the circle of track the grey England is sitting on and the yawning chasm between the locomotive and the tender.
I notice that the first question that appears in online forums about new RTR OO9 locos is what radius curves they will go around (sigh) and again I fear this engine is being designed with rabbit warrens in mind rather than serious modellers.
I do hope I'm wrong, I really do.
The name of the game in model railway retailing these days is pre-ordering, which is why the manufacturers are so keen to show off samples to generate advanced sales.
Except in this case all the Peco / Kato sample has achieved is made me want to hold off until I can be more certain about what precisely I will be getting for my money.
A missed opportunity indeed.
I didn't get a close look at the sample, but it may be that the tender drawbar has holes in it to allow the tender to be positioned at different distances allowing for different radii.
ReplyDelete1) I want one of those rocket trains. I wanted nothing in the whole NEC more than that. Don't diss the rocket trains!
ReplyDelete2) I also photoed the Kato models and have decided against doing anything with them (Unlike Lyn: https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/news/heljan-lyn-working-prototype-appears) because I'm assuming that they are very, very early prototypes. Handling the Farlie print, it looked like a first shot that really shouldn't have been brought out to the public. My hope is that this is the case with the England loco too as neither print appeared to have been done on a half-decent machine which didn't do them any favours.
Couldn't agree more Rob. Sadly I feared this from the outset and for me the worse part is because the RTR 009 market is still in it's infancy, if anyone else was thinking about having a go at this prototype they are unlikely to take the risk of going against a competitor.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest question I asked was if this is an early sample as seems to be the case, why was it shown so publicly? The reply seems to be "to show progress" but to my mind this doesn't achieve that at all. A lot of people were complaining that other RTR manufactures take too long to bring products to market but this to me is a total nonsense argument - I simply don't understand the point of releasing a model quickly if it isn't to the quality and specification now possible. I would much rather manufacturers take their time and get it 100% spot on - which we know is possible.
Indeed, we the customers should be grateful that their are manufactures who do take their time to get products right, as it is the customer, not the manufacturer who benefits the most from this - with a new market such as 009 it strikes me that some might be just out to "make a quick buck" as the phrase goes, rather the taking the time and commitment to deliver a quality product.
"A lot of people were complaining that other RTR manufactures take too long to bring products to market but this to me is a total nonsense argument" - and there we have it. You are happy to wait, dozens of "modellers" are throwing tantrums because there isn't an hourly update on progress. I had to moderate someone on another forum moaning there were never updates from a maker who does at least 2 a year.
DeleteManufacturers are damned if they do and damned if they don't.
Honestly change the record! You're acting like they're forcing you to buy this early sample...
ReplyDeleteThis is an early sample of a model that is what a year or so away from release?
So yeah it's bound to look rough but it shows promise and it does show that Kato is committed to the project. There isn't a set of rules model manufactures have to follow when it comes to showing off the progress on new models so if Kato want to show every little step with this then let them! I think it's fascinating to see.
It’s awfully kind of you to take the time to leave a comment, whoever you are, but no, I shall not change the record. This is my blog and I shall write what I choose and if I
DeleteI feel there is something that needs to be said I shall say it.
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DeleteHi Rob, do you think the Fairlie is the correct size? Looks a bit small to me (deffo not an expert)
ReplyDeleteI haven’t seen a close enough view to form an opinion, but it looks even more of an approximate mock up than the England. Again for this model the look of the chassis will make or break it as far as I’m concerned - bodywork errors are more easily corrected.
DeleteAs I understand it, both the England models have different chassis built from stock parts to evaluate the mechanism so things should change. The black tender on the red loco was purely to provide additional pick up. I too was disappointed as they both looked more like Langley castings but I'm assured the real thing will have separate pipes etc. What was a bit worrying is that I've been told that it might be a 'generic' England with different liveries and plates rather than specific details to the different locos.
ReplyDeleteThe fluorescent Fairlie print reminded me more of one of the old Chris Ward versions! I think it's a basic print from fairly (sorry!) basic dimensions.
However, the Peco Bug Boxes looked good now they're painted. There were some Colonel Stephens liveried versions on show too!
David Gander
we have to wait and see too be honest it could be good it might not be just wait for review or think of looking at the eve leigh creations England class kit http://eveleighcreations.com/small-england-engines-in-009/
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