I have been following the design and manufacture of this model since it was announced that Dapol would be producing it in 00. I always had a soft spot for the Westerns and they are a beautiful loco. Dapol laser scanned a prototype and measured it in the early stages of r&r. They also kept modellers informed all the way through design to production and asked for the advice and expert opinion of the members on the RMweb group that are knowledgeable know every inch of the prototype. Cad designs and early pre production shots of the model were amended and corrected on the advice of the members and the first shots of the model have been released. I can honestly say that this breaks new ground for any 00 gauge loco model yet produced and the wealth of extra details especially around the bogies is amazing. It just goes to show that if a manufacturer gets involved with prospective customers and people that know the prototype a top model without any silly errors can be produced.
I have left this link to RMweb for the most recent thread on the model and it is well worth reading if you are really interested in model railways and the production side of the process.
http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/61611-dapol-western-breaks-cover-at-steam-swindon/
Rich,