Quote from: red_death on March 30, 2017, 01:47:54 AM
Yes you can - to me it is one of those things that once you've seen the difference you can't un-see it!

Indeed! Farish haven't always got it right, either - they seem to use solely fabricated for the Class 37s and solely cast for the Class 55s - the Class 55s in their early form should have fabricated ones - they were later all replaced with cast ones, and on the preserved locos (apart from the NRM's 55002) they were swapped back for fabricated ones when sold so that the cast ones could be reused on 37s. They still have the fabricated ones apart from 55015, which is having cast ones put on as part of its rebuild.

37s are more of a mixture, and if you look at the DRS fleet now there is a fairly random mixture of the two types and it's necessary to look at photos if wanting to model a specific loco - although even then it can change as the bogies sometimes get swapped at a major overhaul.

How about fictional liveries?

Quote from: funnysunny365 on March 30, 2017, 03:40:21 PM
How about fictional liveries?

If they feel they can't sell enough of a proper livery to make it worthwhile producing, how the heck do you think a fictional livery that will sell only to a very few odd-ball modellers would ever be financially viable ??   

Quote from: GreatBigBlue on March 30, 2017, 05:48:10 PM

Quote from: funnysunny365 on March 30, 2017, 03:40:21 PM
How about fictional liveries?

You get yourself a spray gun and do it yourself !!!!   Rail blue, Large logo and Network southeast (one version only for first run). I am willing to renumber and scrape off the headlight on a refurbished bodyshell. One bodyshell and three liveries is that more economic for manufacturers?

The difference between as-built and refurbished is rather more than just the headlight!

This page epitomises the dilemma facing manufacturers. Bogie differences some will accept (I will), others (Mike) won't. Body shells between common between variants likewise.

I'd have thought they'd have to do both bodyshells at the very least. The public are far too exacting these days. And why shouldn't they be?

I wholly disagree. The main difference I know of is the roof profile. Were it the reverse I'd not have an unrefurbished body masquerading as a later variant. 

You have lower standards than others. It's not really "OMG" territory. they could use the same blue for NSE, large logo and plain blue. It's only n gauge after all.

Quote from: GreatBigBlue on March 30, 2017, 06:51:07 PM
IMHO most people don't care about grills and bogies as long as the character is caught

That is your opinion, which you are entitled to hold and I would defend your right to express it, but it is not a universal opinion (in fact, if this thread is a fair reflection it is NOT shared by MOST people).

If you wish others to respect you having that opinion, you shouldn't claim that you speak for the majority...

Quote from: GreatBigBlue on March 30, 2017, 06:51:07 PM

Quote from: davidinyork on March 30, 2017, 05:51:33 PM

Quote from: GreatBigBlue on March 30, 2017, 05:48:10 PM

Quote from: funnysunny365 on March 30, 2017, 03:40:21 PM
How about fictional liveries?

You get yourself a spray gun and do it yourself !!!!   Rail blue, Large logo and Network southeast (one version only for first run). I am willing to renumber and scrape off the headlight on a refurbished bodyshell. One bodyshell and three liveries is that more economic for manufacturers?

The difference between as-built and refurbished is rather more than just the headlight!

OMG it's N scale!!! IMHO most people don't care about grills and bogies as long as the character is caught

Absolutely right....
I have this vision in my mind of a whole bunch of locos - steam and diesel - from my youf.
I don't remember where the rivets were or what the bogies look like. That doesn't matter to me. I just have this image in my mind of this beautiful piece of machinery thundering down the track and I want to replicate this on my layout.

Then get a Farish 50.

Quote from: GreatBigBlue on March 30, 2017, 06:51:07 PM

Quote from: davidinyork on March 30, 2017, 05:51:33 PM
The difference between as-built and refurbished is rather more than just the headlight!

OMG it's N scale!!! IMHO most people don't care about grills and bogies as long as the character is caught

To be fair though, the headlight, nameplates, and in some cases the multiple unit cables are the most obvious differences between as-built pre-TOPS D400s and refurbished Class 50s. The other differences really do require a careful eye, even when looking at photos, let alone a small model.

As @PLD said, people do have different standards here. For some, the Lima Class 86 captures the spirit of the loco, while others wouldn't let it run anywhere near their layout! While I can appreciate the Peco Jubilee as being a very well made loco, I'm not sure I'd want manufacturers to downgrade their detailing to its level (though I'd love them to upgrade their reliability to its level!).

Would a Union Mills-style diesel sell well? Obviously the UM steam locos do, and they appeal to both casual modellers and those who use them as a base upon which to add their own detailing parts. But clearly UM doesn't satisfy that (probably large) middle ground who more detailing than casual modellers but don't want to make any upgrades themselves.

If you simply want a basic Class 50, then the Farish model isn't that bad, and with a few tweaks can be improved quite a bit. The mechanism is excellent, even if it isn't DCC-ready as supplied.

Cheers, NeMo

They can Farish do one...

Edit: here are the OO gauge Hornby models:

Original:


Refurbished:


For me the roof has to be right, it's too glaring, even in N.

Quote from: njee20 on March 30, 2017, 07:09:39 PM
Then get a Farish 50.

Such a helpful and sensitive response.. Don't bother replying

Quote from: austinbob on March 30, 2017, 07:45:42 PM

Quote from: njee20 on March 30, 2017, 07:09:39 PM
Then get a Farish 50.

Such a helpful and sensitive response.. Don't bother replying

Why? You want something that looks like a 50 zipping around. Why not get a Farish one? It's acceptable.

People want a higher detailed model, but not too high. The manufacturers really are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Certainly not perfect, but surely you can understand the issue with saying "I want something better... but it doesn't have to be that good"?

Apologies if, in my usual way, I'm deemed as being argumentative. I'm genuinely confused by a stance of "it must look more like a 50 than the Farish one, which is so horrific as to be intolerable, but it doesn't need to look that much like one".