BosKonay

Welcome to the April 2021 Accurascale newsletter. It's been another busy month for us here at Accurascale, with new models arriving, new launches and project updates! So, grab a cuppa, sit back, and check out a bumper month for latest news! REMEMBER: IF YOU DONT SEE NEWS ON A PROJECT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BELOW IT MEANS THE PREVIOUS NEWS UPDATE IS THE LATEST UPDATE. YOU CAN SEE ALL OUR PROJECT UPDATES HERE. WE WILLSEND OUT NEWS ON THESE PROJECTS AS WE GET THEM, SO KEEP SUBSCRIBING FOR UPDATES! Right, let's get started! JSA Wagons Arrive In Stock March saw the arrival of our highly anticipated JSA covered and open steel wagons in stock. In a lengthy voyage from the far east they suffered from major delays due to the new customs arrangements put in place between their departure from the factory and arrival in Europe. In the end we had to land them at our Dublin warehouse. Most orders have now been dispatched to customers although a small percentage have been caught up in customs between Ireland and the UK despite having the correct paperwork. We are working with HMRC to get these orders moving again and we will ensure that no other orders going forward will be affected like this! However, all orders will reach their destination, they are just in a customs queue. We appreciate the patience from you if you have been affected by this unnecessary delay due to customs. In the meantime we have already sold out of some JSA packs, with a very limited amount of covered VTG and British Steel liveried wagons remaining. Don't miss out, order yours here. Accuraloads Range Has Arrived! Also arriving this month is our new range of wagon loads for our fledgling fleet roster of rolling stock! We have created a selection of loads for our PTA/JTA/JUA tippler wagons, our PFA coal containers, steel coils for our JSAs and coal for our HUO hopper wagons. Once again most orders have now been dispatched to customers although a small percentage have been caught up in customs between Ireland and the UK despite having the correct paperwork. We are working with HMRC to get these orders moving again and we will ensure that no other orders going forward will be affected like this! However, all orders will reach their destination, they are just in a customs queue. We appreciate the patience from you if you have been affected by this unnecessary delay due to customs. In the meantime, if you're looking for loads for your Accurascale wagons, browse our range here! KUA Delivery Update Our long awaited and highly anticipated KUA wagons are complete and on the way to us. However, they have been held up in the recent Suez blockage fiasco, which means a further unforeseen delay. Our shipping partner has now informed us that they will arrive with us here in late May. We apologise for this delay but it's completely out of our control. Once they arrive at our warehouse we will endeavour to turn them around for dispatch ASAP. They're looking especially tasty though. You can still order your pack here if you haven't already! Meltdown: New PFA Nuclear Packs Announced Our humble PFA went down a treat when they arrived in stock 12 months ago, with modellers loving the variety of loads we produced, with coal containers, gypsum containers and low level nuclear waste containers (LLNW) offered in our first run. It was the latter load which sparked an absolute sales frenzy on these wagons, with our low level nuclear waste container wagon runs selling out in rapid time. Even the second production run sold out in a matter of days. As a result we looked closer into the nuclear traffic carried by our PFAs, and have now developed FIVE new interesting containers to represent the wide ranging nuclear traffic these wagons have operated on for DRS for over 20 years, right up to current operation. As you can see the loads are fully tooled and ride on our excellent diecast PFA wagon, steeped in a wealth of detail. Artwork is complete and we await painted samples in the coming months. Delivery is slated for Q4 this year and will have a price of £74.95 per set of three wagons. Six packs are available, with five available direct or through our retailer network, and the Dragon pack available only via Accurascale. If you add three or more packs to your cart you will get 10% off your PFA order at the checkout! We also plan to introduce further coal container and low level nuclear waste container packs later this year too, so keep an eye out for them in the coming months. Pre-ordering is now open, so click here and place your pre-order today! MDO, MDV and Coil A Decorated Samples Arrive For Assessment March also saw the arrival of the first decorated samples of our MDO and MDV 21 ton mineral wagons and our Coil A steel carriers for assessment. Overall we are very happy with these samples, with just minor tweaking required. Production is now under way with delivery slated for Q3 2021. Read more here, or pre-order yours now by clicking here. Class 92 Tooling Upgrades Complete We last provided a Class 92 update in November, detailing the technology that had gone into the locomotive and why this will represent a true next level locomotive in OO/4mm. It included a demonstration of the DCC sound and working pantograph mechanisms as well as the excellent running characteristics. We also outlined a number of tooling refinements and changes we would be implementing in the model, such as brass horns, better glazing fitting, springs on the top of the bogie side frames and adjustments to the pan heads, which are now completed and in place on the latest pre-production model seen above. This body configuration also represents the lowered Channel Tunnel 'Polo Mints' for the two EWS liveried locomotives; 92001 which is part of our first release, and it's stablemate 92031, which we may do in the future. In our previous update we explained that a price increase from £159.99 to £179.99 for DC/DCC ready and from £249.99 to £269.99 for DCC sound fitted would be necessary for any new Class 92 order made after Friday, March 19th, 2021. We of course guaranteed to honour any active order made for the lower price point before this deadline. Orders have flooded in as a result, with modellers seeing what a special bargain this locomotive represents, with some of the more popular liveries now running low on capacity of available orders. However, since we have yet to receive decorated samples, we have decided to extend this deadline to allow any modellers sitting on the fence to make up their minds when seeing finished models. Our factory has advised us that we will receive decorated samples in late May. Therefore, we will extend the deadline to four weeks after we reveal decorated samples. Delivery for finished models is slated for late Q3/Early Q4 2021. So, if you want to avail of the bargain of the year, you now have some more time to play with. Order below, with a £30 deposit guaranteeing your early bird price. These running numbers and liveries are only available direct via Accurascale! View the full article

UK outline models have been categorised in eras or time ranges / operators for some time and, after a question on Rmweb, I wanted to post the IRM tagging system here for perhaps a little discussion / elaboration? ERA / Livery - Pioneering - Pre-Grouping — Great Southern Railway — Northern Railways — GNR — UTA NIR CIE — Silver — Grey & Yellow — Green — Black (& Tan) — Supertrain - Irish Rail - Iarnrod Eireann - Preservation - Permanent Way

There is a discount, just it's applied automatically in the checkout, rather than picking a specific bundle - just add the packs you want to the cart, and you'll see a 'BUNDLE' discount applied in the checkout - hope that helps

Only because if you don’t, you will

Just a quick update, A23R is now completely sold out on preorder.

Some people perhaps don’t want to wait a few years

Handy reference here

Having been recorded and engineered by the boffins at ESU direct, you can rest assured

I'm sure once travel restrictions are lifted, Gareth would love to return to the factory (with his IRM T-Shirt on this time )

Facebook is hard to manage and not at all searchable. Something like a forum is more permanent

A factor also is the size of parcel, and value on the customs invoice

We last provided a Class 92 update in November, detailing the technology that had gone into the locomotive and why this will represent a true next level locomotive in OO/4mm. It included a demonstration of the DCC sound and working pantograph mechanisms as well as the excellent running characteristics. We also outlined a number of tooling refinements and changes we would be implementing in the model, such as brass horns, better glazing fitting, springs on the top of the bogie side frames and adjustments to the pan heads, which are now completed and in place on the latest pre-production model seen here. This body configuration also represents the lowered Channel Tunnel 'Polo Mints' for the two EWS liveried locomotives; 92001 which is part of our first release, and it's stablemate 92031, which we may do in the future. In our previous update we explained that a price increase from £159.99 to £189.99 for DC/DCC ready and from £249.99 to £279.99 for DCC sound fitted would be necessary for any new Class 92 order made after Friday, March 19th, 2021. We of course guaranteed to honour any active order made for the lower price point before this deadline. Orders have flooded in as a result, with modellers seeing what a special bargain this locomotive represents, with some of the more popular liveries now running low on capacity of available orders. However, since we have yet to receive decorated samples, we have decided to extend this deadline to allow any modellers sitting on the fence to make up their minds when seeing finished models. Our factory has advised us that we will receive decorated samples in late May. Therefore, we will extend the deadline to four weeks after we reveal decorated samples. Delivery for finished models is slated for late Q3/Early Q4 2021. So, if you want to avail of the bargain of the year, you now have some more time to play with. Order here, with a £30 deposit guaranteeing your early bird price. These running numbers and liveries are only available direct via Accurascale! View the full article

Our humble PFA went down a treat when they arrived in stock 12 months ago, with modellers loving the variety of loads we produced, with coal containers, gypsum containers and low level nuclear waste containers (LLNW) offered in our first run. It was the latter load which sparked an absolute sales frenzy on these wagons, with our low level nuclear waste container wagon runs selling out in rapid time. Even the second production run sold out in a matter of days. As a result we looked closer into the nuclear traffic carried by our PFAs, and have now developed FIVE new interesting containers to represent the wide ranging nuclear traffic these wagons have operated on for DRS for over 20 years, right up to current operation. Enter The Dragon One of the more curious loads in the "Dragon" flask. It is used to carry 40 litre stainless steel canisters of fuel from the decommissioned Winfrith Dragon reactor in Dorset. The distinctive containers are moved by road to the loading terminal at Berkeley in Gloucestershire for onward transport to Sellafield. They first appeared in 2018, often accompanied with one or to 20ft FHISO containers (Full Height ISO), which our pack will depict. We have tooled two different 20ft x 8ft 6in IP-2 containers for this new production and the "Dragon" flask will be teamed with a pair of one of these types. These 2896-series containers will be provided in grey and blue paint schemes, both with completely unique printing. This trio of three PFAs and loads will be part of our "Accurascale Exclusives" range, and only available direct via our website. Nupak-ed with Detail Around since late 1990s, the Nupak reusable drum carriers have found themselves a wealth of heritage traction in the early years of DRS, right up to their replacement by Novapacks in 2017. Initially loaded on bogie KFA wagons, they were partnered with the two-axle PFAs from the early 2000s and are the perfect partner for our Class 37/6s, as well as Class 20/3s, Class 33s and more! They were initially used to move aging LLNW from Drigg to Sellafield that needed repackaging and storing at Sellafield, but more recently have been noted on Berkeley workings from Winfrith and Harwell between 2013 and 2017. They have operated in singular and pairs on a 20ft ISO transport frame with a variety of different-sized containers. Our pack will feature the most typical pairing of green 3739-series and blue 3390-series Nupak containers and one 20ft 2896-series container in brown red livery. Super Novapak The Nupaks were replaced from 2017 by the Novapak Type Bs, which were larger in size and offered better protection of their hazardous contents. These are also used on the Berkeley to Crewe and Crewe to Sellafield routes and are often mixed with 2896-series, "Dragon" flasks and unloaded PFAs acting as barriers. Initially single PFAs with two Novapak containers were the typical quantity in a train. However the from 2020 pairs of PFAs with four Novapaks began to be the norm as decommissioning of the Harwell and Winfrith sites accelerated. These once again will be offered in a pack of two wagons with Novapaks and one wagon carrying a 20ft 2896-series IP-2 container. From Russia, With Love Our final container is one that that runs in longer rakes and more akin to a standard 20ft ocean going ISO container. However, it does display subtle differences such as a subtly angled centre panel and two strengthened ribs each side. These more conventional containers are finished in a brown red livery with distinctive markings and are used for export of reprocessed uranium from the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP) at Sellafield to Russia via eastern ports. The first working took place in 2004 and while they are usually are exported from Hull they have previously used Felixstowe and Immingham in the past. Running in longer trains than our other packs, they operate with as many as 15 PFAs with the end pair left empty as barriers. However, they can be shorter on occasions, such as 11 PFA with nine loaded. We are offering three packs of these wagons, each fully loaded. Typical power for these services in the past was top and tailed Class 20/3s and Class 37s, but more recently Class 68s have become the norm. As you can see the loads are fully tooled and ride on our excellent diecast PFA wagon, steeped in a wealth of detail. Artwork is complete and we await painted samples in the coming months. Delivery is slated for Q4 this year and will have a price of £74.95 per set of three wagons. Six packs are available, with five available direct or through our retailer network, and the Dragon pack available only via Accurascale. If you add three or more packs to your cart you will get 10% off your PFA order at the checkout! We also plan to introduce further coal container and low level nuclear waste container packs later this year too, so keep an eye out for them! Pre-ordering is now open, so click here and place your pre-order today! View the full article

Realistically ’doing it right’ is not more expensive enough to do it wrong.

Unless you look for it how would you be aware Not being flippant but railway modeling is a niche hobby. Irish railway modeling is a niche within a niche. I only rediscovered Irish outline myself by accident about 10-11 years ago now. The scale of the niche means only cottage industry or one man bands can be supported unless a larger firm subsidize Irish models with, for example, UK models where the market is many many many times larger (and even then still a niche hobby) The best way to grow the hobby is through availability of models. For 99% of us, we are here because Paddy Murphy made that brave leap.

Not only economies of scale but Hornby sell those train sets at a loss to generate market

We can’t be confirming or denying all rumors now can we

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1111393745593442/ Railway modellers Ireland has 2.2k members, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1891729351153157/ Model Railway Enthusiasts Ireland has 728 members https://www.facebook.com/groups/244994963227832/ Railway modellers in Ireland has another 489 https://www.facebook.com/groups/318749555716842/ Railway modelling Ireland has 889 and there are other pages and groups for trading, buy and sell, regional groups, etc. and as @Warbonnetjust posted, this forums page has 1333 followers.

But by that logic there are already Irish railway model groups on Facebook with thousands of members? This forum is one of the oldest communities of Irish model enthusiasts online, and in addition to 1500 registered members, serves over 4 million pages a day of content to people interested in Irish models. Starting a new group from scratch seems duplication You'll also find a list of services and manufacturers here.

Why not use this very forum?

If it helps, -no one- does. The only slight claim would be Bachmann, who's owned by Kader industries, who own factories in China (they are Chinese). Every single other manufacturer using China contracts factories.

Seems they’ve tried to cut Rapidos Lion off at the pass too

That’s quite normal costs for ‘proper’ SLA prints. Bear in mind it was over 100 parts also. Which is about a third as many go into a real one.

We’re beyond excited to finally land these. It’s been a long road but the end’s in sight!

No, just parts printed. And bear in mind, its not the number of products launched in a year that generates a return, but the volume of products over time you can generated from the capital spend (the R&D and tooling cost). Thus, the lowest cost of labour is key. Our last run of accurascale wagons, took 73 assembly workers, 14 weeks to complete and paint and box. When you are in the 40-50,000 hour range for a run of wagons, the cost of labour becomes almost the single largest impact on price.