16T mineral wagons

[Hardwicke]

Oh wow.
https://www.accurascale.com/blogs/news/ ... tain-range

[DaveHarris]

They look good, but cant find a way of assertaining if its possible to do a straght axle swap to P4 without having to have an account with them? Pity firms do this and dont just have a facility to answer questions without restrictions

[jjnewitt]

Wow? Seriously?

Am I the only one on the planet who's deeply unimpressed with Accurawhatsist? These don't really look much of an imporvement on the Bachmann ones and have some silly errors. RCH 2 part boxes where there shouldn't be, riveted underframes where there shouldn't be. Bachmann's efforts are better in both those areas. Why is it that everybody goes weak at the knees when they annouce yet another product that isn't quite as good as their marketting team likes to make out?

Justin

[DaveHarris]

Justin I would have wanted to see them 'in the flesh' before going any further. However given your comments and expertese i think i will get back to your chassis's and use already available kits for the various bodies with some research on mods needed. Old fashoined modelling which might take time , but will be more satisfying.... and cheaper i suspect!

[Hardwicke]

Wow? Seriously?

Am I the only one on the planet who's deeply unimpressed with Accurawhatsist? These don't really look much of an imporvement on the Bachmann ones and have some silly errors. RCH 2 part boxes where there shouldn't be, riveted underframes where there shouldn't be. Bachmann's efforts are better in both those areas. Why is it that everybody goes weak at the knees when they annouce yet another product that isn't quite as good as their marketting team likes to make out?

Justin

Bachmann's were awkward in that they had a strengthening web on the back of the axle iron that interfered with P4 wheels. As it's still at the pre order stage perhaps inform them of the errors?

[Hardwicke]

I've still got lots of second hand Airfix and Parkside ones. For some reason someone had built a load of the Parkside ones with 10' wb underframes and then lettered them as LMS/MOS/BR 9'wb ones. Lots of poorly built underframes to remove....
I stocked up on spare 9' wb frames years ago to replace them.

[Daddyman]

Am I the only one on the planet who's deeply unimpressed with Accurawhatsist?

No!

[Noel]

have some silly errors. RCH 2 part boxes where there shouldn't be, riveted underframes where there shouldn't be

I haven't studied them in detail, Justin; I have too many Airfix and Parkside kits to do something with, together with 20+ already built, and I would not want to mix these with Accurascale ones. I was amused by the "Morton Double 2-shoe Independent" brakes description on the yellow version though.

So far as the split boxes are concerned, they appear to have used the more common of the two split designs which appeared on the 16 ton minerals, which were actually quite common 'as built', possibly more so than the other split version and the two flat-fronted BR boxes which also appeared. Even some 1/099 rebodies had them, while Derby built 1/108 with welded bodies on rivetted underframes, and Cambrian built rivetted body 1/109 on welded chassis, some of which were later included in the 1/099 rebody program . Have I missed something?

[jjnewitt]

So far as the split boxes are concerned, they appear to have used the more common of the two split designs which appeared on the 16 ton minerals, which were actually quite common 'as built', possibly more so than the other split version and the two flat-fronted BR boxes which also appeared. Even some 1/099 rebodies had them, while Derby built 1/108 with welded bodies on rivetted underframes, and Cambrian built rivetted body 1/109 on welded chassis, some of which were later included in the 1/099 rebody program . Have I missed something?

Noel, the images I have seen show a 1930s/early 1940s RCH 2 part box (FG in my lists). This is fine for very early steel minerals but not common at all on 'standard' 16T minerals. Either of the two 'BR' 2 part boxes (my FA or FB) would have been better and both of which were very common, or a BR welded box.

I agree that welded minerals got built with riveted underframes but somehow they don't feel typical of the type. The riveted underframe combined with the very early (in 16T mineral terms) boxes they've done just suggest that they haven't really looked very closely at what they're doing. Despite what they'll endlessly tell you...

Bachmann's were awkward in that they had a strengthening web on the back of the axle iron that interfered with P4 wheels.

Plenty have manged to convert them. A bit of work with a file is all that's required surely? Or are we at the point where we expect everything to be done for us and not have to do any work at all to model in P4.

Justin

[David Knight]

Given all the information sources here it seems a shame not to ask; how do the Parkside kits stack up on the accuracy front? I can get them for a good deal less than Accurascale is asking for their offerings.

Cheers,

David

[jim s-w]

Hi David

The parkside kit pc19 is one of the slightly famous (because they are rare) erroneous kits. The body is ok but it's supplied with a 10ft wheelbase chassis when it should be 9ft. You can get a separate 9ft chassis from them and it never hurts to have a few spare 10ft chassis in stock.

Hth

Jim

[David Knight]

Thanks Jim. I’ll either give that one a miss or get one of Justin’s underpinnings to go with it.

Cheers,

David

[Hardwicke]

Bachmann's were awkward in that they had a strengthening web on the back of the axle iron that interfered with P4 wheels.

Plenty have manged to convert them. A bit of work with a file is all that's required surely? Or are we at the point where we expect everything to be done for us and not have to do any work at all to model in P4.

Justin

I agree it's ok for us to sometimes refine a product and I was one of the first to publish a review of the Bachmann 16T mineral (HMRS or Scalefour; I've forgotten which), but it's also nice to have a few "easys" to pad out the stars.

[Noel]

Noel, the images I have seen show a 1930s/early 1940s RCH 2 part box (FG in my lists). This is fine for very early steel minerals but not common at all on 'standard' 16T minerals. Either of the two 'BR' 2 part boxes (my FA or FB) would have been better and both of which were very common, or a BR welded box.

I have now looked a little more closely, Justin, particularly at the top picture on https://www.accurascale.com/collections/br-16t-mineral, which seems to show a box which is a cross between your FA and FB, which I saw in a smaller picture and thought it was your FA. I've also found on the page linked to there "Different journal boxes on the axles are also offered, with all these details specific to each wagon as studied from photographs and extensive research of the real wagons", also a "Die-cast metal chassis with plastic body. Weight of 37g (excluding coal load)", with plastic brake gear, which I did wonder about, just out of curiosity. Caveat emptor seems to apply.

[Captain Kernow]

I agree it's ok for us to sometimes refine a product and I was one of the first to publish a review of the Bachmann 16T mineral (HMRS or Scalefour; I've forgotten which), but it's also nice to have a few "easys" to pad out the stars.

Hear hear, totally agree.

P4 modellers form a tiny, tiny minority of those that model in 4mm scale and are, therefore, potential customers of Accurascale.

Given Accurascale's willingness to engage with modellers (same applies to Rapido) and the fact that this would appear to be early days in the production of these models, I for one am willing to wait and see how these turn out. At the same time, it would be nice if AS were to actively engage with knowledgeable Society members (eg. Justin), with the objective of getting their 16 tonners as accurate as possible.

I would agree with those who are worried about the decline in 'modelling' (as opposed to opening pretty boxes), but again, the vast majority of Accurascale's customers may well not (yet) have acquired the levels of skill demonstrated by many individuals on this forum.

I also have the usual trove of unmade Parkside kits and untouched Bachmann 16 tonners, waiting their turn on my workbench, but I think I will at least get one of the Accurascale 3 packs.

I agree with Justin that the Bachmann 16 tonner is very easy to convert, if you are doing just the very basics - after all, I showed in S4 News a while back that such a basic conversion could be done in under an hour!

Of course, what neither Accurascale nor anyone else can offer - and this is where 'modelling' can come into it's own - is weathering and making a plastic model look real. I've never liked Bachmann's factory weathering and to their credit, Accurascale have said that they're not going to do that themselves.

[jjnewitt]

I have now looked a little more closely, Justin, particularly at the top picture on https://www.accurascale.com/collections/br-16t-mineral, which seems to show a box which is a cross between your FA and FB, which I saw in a smaller picture and thought it was your FA.

There are better images on RMweb. Still looks like an RCH (FG) box to me.

I've also found on the page linked to there "Different journal boxes on the axles are also offered, with all these details specific to each wagon as studied from photographs and extensive research of the real wagons"

Well that's a bit more promising. Perhaps the others will be better than the whatever 2 part box it is attempt they're showing on the EPs?

Justin