I too was invited to pre order a V2, in my case the St Peters School of York variant, I will have a chat with the folk from Rails at the Scottish model exhibition in Glasgow next month to see what the score is.
I'm not clear about what the new item is to be. Is it just yet another livery and number on the 1990s body shell with mis-shapen boiler and blobby cab, or is this the long rumoured new "proper" body?
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I understood this model to be the new retooled body V2.
What I'm wondering also is whether this includes a retooled tender to current standards?
Andrew
Atlantic 3279 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 19, 2019 10:59 am
I'm not clear about what the new item is to be. Is it just yet another livery and number on the 1990s body shell with mis-shapen boiler and blobby cab, or is this the long rumoured new "proper" body?
Its apparently to be fiited with firebox flicker and dcc speaker pre installed. Oh yippee- sarcasm intended. I emailed bachann after the announcement to ask why on those items as surely they'd be better off keeping ost down and had a reply that is would add very little to the cost. Can't help feeling that they've 'lost the plot'.
davidwest wrote: ↑Sat Jan 19, 2019 1:21 pmIts apparently to be fiited with firebox flicker and dcc speaker pre installed. Oh yippee- sarcasm intended. I emailed bachann after the announcement to ask why on those items as surely they'd be better off keeping ost down and had a reply that is would add very little to the cost. Can't help feeling that they've 'lost the plot'.
I share your enthusiasm for these 'valuable' additions......
Bachmann are probably right that in terms of production costs the speaker and (LED?) flicker do cost very little.
However I have no doubt that the marketing people are expecting them to "add retail value at the point of sale".
Translation:- We can screw more money out of the customers.
As for losing the plot - my experience of marketing people is they probably come from a different planet so they are either working to a different plot to normal people or they don't know what a plot is - more likely the latter.
Rails have now followed suit with Hattons and advised of the price increase. So we're faced with a 25% price hike . Geez, all of a sudden Hornby are looking like the good guys, how will RMWeb cope?
I usually run trains in good lighting so a glowing firebox is worthless and I can't stand the sythetic noises that sound decoders spew forth, so again a pre-fitted speaker has no value for me, many will be glad to have these features of course.
I do have a GBL V2 and a spare Hornby A3 body... maybe some choppy choppy modelling rather than spending lots of money will be the way to a nice V2.
Hmmmmmm, I'll wait and see what else they come up with before I decide to keep or cancel the order.