Mark 2B Update December 2022

[Warbonnet]

Time for another project update, and this time we turn our attentions to our lovely Mark 2B coaches; a subject that has been crying out for a high fidelity, up to date model and the perfect companions for our new Class 50 locomotives due in late 2023.

So, where are we at? 

We announced our Mark 2Bs to an amazing reception in late August of 2021, with the models of all variations already tooled in both BR and Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) guise for our sister brand, Irish Railway Models. While overall they looked very impressive, we were unhappy with several areas, mainly around the bogies and some aspects where tooling could be improved. We then completed this work, but getting it spot on took longer than we liked. 

Another area that needed improving was the internal lighting, which while very effective looking was causing an odd issue. We noted that with extensive testing that the lighting board was causing heat issues which could distort the detail, so these had to be redesigned and further tested. We're delighted that the boards now do not suffer from excessive heat and perform excellently. 

Production was scheduled to be completed by now with the models arriving in stock. However, the longer time than envisaged to complete the Mark 5 coaches has also impacted this schedule. The good news is that production is now well underway.

Delivery of the Mark 2B coaches will now be in Q2 2023, with Chinese New Year close down impacting on our delivery timeline. We apologise for this delay, but we want these coaches to operate and function correctly, as well as looking the very best they can. We're confident that they will set a whole new standard when it comes to Mark 2 coaches in model form.

We are completely sold out on our Mark 2B coaches on pre-order, but your local Accurascale stockist may still have availability, so be sure to check them out! In the meantime, you can keep abreast of all our latest news and updates, including the next chapter of our Mark 2 odyssey by signing up to our newsletter by clicking here.

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[DJ Dangerous]

On 16/12/2022 at 3:29 PM, Warbonnet said:

We are completely sold out on our Mark 2B coaches on pre-order, but your local Accurascale stockist may still have availability, so be sure to check them out!

 

Sorry if I have misunderstood this, but are they all sold out, or are they still available to pre-order?

Only one, the test coach twin pack, shows as being sold out here:

https://irishrailwaymodels.com/collections/mark-2-coaches-1