Dapol MK3s

[47 years N]

Can anybody confirm that Dapol has raised the height of their newer (yellow painted gangway doors) coaches? The boss/pivot for the bogies appears taller.

[njee20]

Which livery? I've got a myriad of different gangway colours and never noticed any difference.

[47 years N]

Blue / grey M12063 tso with fawn end seems lower than M11028 1st with yellow end?

Yellow is 20.8 -20.9mm from boss to roof while fawn is 20.5 - 20.7mm. It seems to be down to how well or not the chassis fit the body???

The little contact strips that appear above the bogies (I must paint them) appear more prominent on all but my older fawn M12063. I think that it is the chassis fit. Not very positive and lowers the coach if too snug.

[njee20]

All of mine are newer (prototypically) liveries, so can't comment. They have been consistent for a while though, about time Dapol screwed them up. Surprised they've not changed the shade of blue too.

[RailGooner]

Any variance is maybe down to the different staff assembling different production batches.

[robert shrives]

Hi,
well having now closely looked the corridor connection is a glued on part and yes it has been improved it is slightly longer and has the rubbing plate lower brackets moulded -the first version is flush bottomed.  The basic tooling for the shell as a TS/TF and TRSB are the same and the TGS  has slightly finessed end details but space the moulding fits in seems the same and roofs can be swapped and still fit.
The Bellows differ everso slightly with a flatter top on the TGS thus making it appear taller- its less that 0.5 of a mm so well spotted - it is also slightly shallower but that might be paint thickness only.

Well having painted , chopped and otherwise messed I had neverspotted the change - I think this is as a result of the TGS moulded parts being used across the range of latest models.

In the real world we can run with a 50mm step in connections in passenger service- more and it is a case of faffing with leveling valves and lowering suspensions on adjoining vehicles and 100 mph max..  I do think the model was designed for this feature but if it was gosh Dapol really taking it just too far !!!!!!! 
Robert   

[robert shrives]

 Given stocks of MK3s about to made for the latest HST variations who wants to see the stripe corrected and printing moved on bodysides to be slightly nearer spot on. Given  Dapol are showing complete rakes as available at the same time- something we have asked for in the past perhaps there is an appetite for change.
This would mean production would be a step change from 2017 and would not quite match earlier stocks ... my fault that TGS numbers were scale size but is this the way my learned friends we want to go? Its a bit like Windows I v W10 back compatibility.
Let me know
Robert   

[njee20]

Sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about...

Stripe corrected? Which livery? What's wrong with it? Your fault that TGS numbers are scale size? Complete rakes available a step change from 2017 i.e. now...?!

[RailGooner]

Given stocks of MK3s about to made for the latest HST variations who wants to see the stripe corrected and printing moved on bodysides to be slightly nearer spot on. Given  Dapol are showing complete rakes as available at the same time- something we have asked for in the past perhaps there is an appetite for change.
This would mean production would be a step change from 2017 and would not quite match earlier stocks ... my fault that TGS numbers were scale size but is this the way my learned friends we want to go? Its a bit like Windows I v W10 back compatibility.
Let me know
Robert

I have a Poole era Farish Class 20 in bits. If it was a runner still, would I have protested against the retooled Bachmann Farish model? No, I would - as indeed I did - welcome the more accurate model.

So no, I don't want Dapol to knowingly produce an inaccurate model, just for the sake of uniformity of my stock. I want the most accurate model the manufacturer can reasonably reproduce. And if any inaccuracies can be corrected between batches, they should be.

[njee20]

Not sure how I feel about that. The debacle of the roofs of Swallow mk3s being 3 different colours is just stupid. On the Pretendolino mk3s the roof on the buffet and TSO twin pack are satin, whilst they're gloss on all others.

On the FGW ones they got the correct door labels on the TRFB only, but the Dynamic Lines are wrong, all other coaches have wrong door labels and correct lines! They've all got black roofs, which is wrong (but ironically looks better than the blue as they're always so dirty).

As long as it's close I'd rather they matched. On the Virgin ones I don't know if the roofs are satin or gloss in reality. The problem is what is close?

[RailGooner]

There's the difficulty - we don't all favour the same solution to a problem with a model. Wouldn't surprise me if some of the problems with Dapol Mk3s have been exacerbated by their attempts to answer this camp's critique, then answer that camp's critique, yo-yoing one way then the other. So we've had one inaccuracy answered by making it inaccurate in another way, then another, etc. etc.

[47 years N]

Any comment about chassis not fitting body shells very well? Bending to make them fit. No positive click when fitted? I am tempted to reach for the glue if it wasn't for occasional access required to the coupler mechanism.

[njee20]

Nope, I've got about 30, and they're all fine in that respect. Send it back if it's new?

[47 years N]

Nope, I've got about 30, and they're all fine in that respect. Send it back if it's new?

And I thought that I was a coach nut! 
Maybe I'm just too fussy and/or spent too much time modelling Japanese and German N 

[47 years N]

Where models are more precisely made and assembled