Class21/29

[luckymucklebackit]

The wait for this model has been quite prolonged since its announcement a long time ago, I received an email from Hattons this morning to suggest that we might see something by early next year. There have been some photographs of the engineering samples which were displayed on the Heljan stand at Alexandra Palace

Jim

Hello

We thought you may like to know that an item you have asked us to notify when it arrives into stock, has had some information about its release date added or updated.

Dapol 4D-014-002 Class 29 D6129 in BR blue £129.15

Our latest information from the supplier suggests this item will arrive with us between December 2018 & January 2019

Whilst we are hopeful this information is accurate, manufacturer lead times are frequently prone to be delayed.

This information is to be used as a guide only.

We hope that this email has been useful.

Regards

[Jim S-W]

Dapol not Heljan. Might be a while yet as they’ve not got the basic shape right at all.

[luckymucklebackit]

Silly Me - Mods can you move this one to the right forum please

TA

[Bigmet]

Dapol not Heljan. Might be a while yet as they’ve not got the basic shape right at all.

I don't have a good feeling about this one. Those were EP's shown at Ally Pally unless I am much mistaken, so tooling has been cut. The design of the bufferbeam fairings onto the bodyside as part of the chassis fails to achieve the smooth blend of the prototype (I imagine these fairings were panel beaten or otherwise formed) and the lower body side bevelled turn under's absence is inexplicable, which of course leaves the fairings the wrong shape if the tooling is altered to a correct turnunder. Will Dapol be at home to a major rethink of the construction arrangement and what must be a large scale tooling revision at best?

Hornby's 21/29 tooling from its time at Margate (date unknown) managed to get closer to prototype than this in these key respects, so Dapol have something to look at in terms of a better way, if they are open to looking at good ideas from elsewhere...

[luckymucklebackit]

I have a pair of the old ones still going strong, with a bit of work they can be made into a decent model.

Jim

[Bigmet]

It's no great task to stuff the stripped down and lightly reshaped mechanism of a Bach 24 or 25 into the Hornby body for a modern standard all wheel drive.The Hornby body and the underframe moulding with some enlarged underside apertures clip together around the main casting, and with a little adjustment to the Hornby's cosmetic bogie frames those clip over the Bach gear towers. (Perhaps I'll see whether the spoked wheels on the Heljan 16 are transferable to a Bach mech, and if so buy a set from Howes.)

What I have not done on the body is enlarge the front windows. Looked a bit tricksy...

[Jim S-W]

I worked out a list of things to fix on the Hornby bodyshell.

A - I think the peak of the roof is wrong - it looks flatter on the real locos. Also the rib behind it doesn't seem as prominent as it is on the model.

B - The water fillers seem the wrong shape and are missing from one side completely/ the handrail next to it is too long.

C - The bodyside steps seem a bit too round and are too shallow.

D - Ignoring the moulded fan/etch thing for a moment. the whole panel with the radiatior fan on is in the wrong place. It should line up with the bodyside grills.

E - There's a lot of rivet detail on the model. It's too heavy and I am not convinced it's all really there on the prototype.

F - As with all Hornby diesels from this era there are moulded on paint guidelines.

G - I think the lower faring tucks under the loco more than it does on the model.

H - Wheels are too small and should be spoked not solid.

I - Central part of the lower bodyside faring looks a lot deeper than the prototype. It looks more like a class 31!

J - Battery box detail is kind of suggested at best.

K - Bodyside door windows arent deep enough - they should line up with the bottom of the other bodyside windows. The lower bodyside rib goes across the door on the model - it doesn't on the real loco.

L - Bodyside grills arent deep enough, they too should line up with the bottom of the bodyside windows.

M - Bogies look a bit filled in to me. Brake shoes dont line up with the wheels (again common with Hornby diesels from the era. )

N - Steps under the doors are a bit freelance.

O - Bufferbeam blend into the lower bodyside - there's a distinctive shape to these visible on the prototype.

P - Buffers and bufferbeam are too high.

Q - lower cab front isn't deep enough

R - Horn covers are a bit basic

S - Cab end lights are very basic too!

T - More moulded on paint lines. the lines for the connecting doors stand out. they should be grooves.

U - Headcode box - not on a class 21

V - Its well-known that the cab windows are not wide enough. I don't think they are right vertically either. The prototype seems a pretty even height all the way along. Hornby's are taller in the middle.

Hope this helps

[Bigmet]

I did a few bits and bobs from the above to make it look more 21ish, on top of some good work by a previous owner: but there's just too much to do, life is too short to stuff mushrooms! I am a timetable operator above all else, so getting it to run well by fitting a competent mech was the biggest investment of time. That's why I was hoping for an = classes 22, 52, 68 effort from Dapol...

[D605Eagle]

Supposedly Dapol are aware of the issues with the EP and will be altering them. However the front looks so bad I can't imagine the front tooling can be rectified, I think they will have to make a new one.

[Metadyneman]

U - Headcode box - not on a class 21

Except 6109 which received a head code box and body modifications but remained a Class 21

[Bigmet]

Supposedly Dapol are aware of the issues with the EP and will be altering them. However the front looks so bad I can't imagine the front tooling can be rectified, I think they will have to make a new one.

Now seen photos of the all green sample displayed at Ally Pally 2019: and I have to admit surprise! In short they appear to have made the corrections, in particular that required to neatly represent the bodyside turnunder, and it now indisputably looks like the NBL DE type 2 as a result.

Now all Dapol have to do is manufacture it, and they can have some money from me. Will their near eleven year headstart over Accurascale mean that it arrives before the promised all conquering Napier powered loveliness emerges? The race is on for the next KX area desireable diesel model's arrival...

[Mountain]

I actually rather like the Hornby version. It runs really nicely and looks the part. It may not be that accurate, but fair play, it is a lovely little loco to head a train of coaches.

[Jim S-W]

It can be made accurate though (with a fair bit of work)

Jim

[Bigmet]

And how it looks at home in that 'somewhere down at heel' urban location.

[Pennine MC]

Supposedly Dapol are aware of the issues with the EP and will be altering them. However the front looks so bad I can't imagine the front tooling can be rectified, I think they will have to make a new one.

Now seen photos of the all green sample displayed at Ally Pally 2019: and I have to admit surprise! In short they appear to have made the corrections, in particular that required to neatly represent the bodyside turnunder, and it now indisputably looks like the NBL DE type 2 as a result.

That, all along, has looked to me like an exposed piece of cast chassis which would in due course be covered over with a moulding. I'm not going to say the fairing is absolutely spot on in shape (because like many diesel panels, it's a combination of compound curves), but I'm sure the model overall will be more than good enough for me