Much chuckling this afternoon...
I try not to take the mick out of MREMag, I really do. It's not supposed to be a site for even the semi-serious modeller and is quite upfront about it's leanings toward the collector/train-set end of the market, which is fair enough. As I, to some extent, collect European models and know nothing at all about the prototypes I don't really feel I'm in a position to criticise others who do a similar thing with UK prototypes.
But as it's not my scene I don't look at the site that often, and I certainly don't read the letters as I long ago found them to be of the 'anybody who wants something better is a rivet counter and should be burnt at the stake' variety - deeply disturbing to anyone with even a passing interest in the gene pool. So I'm indebted, as Cyril Fletcher used to say, to a collector friend of mine who thought I might be interested in the checking out the letter from Dennis Lovett, apparently 'Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs, Virgin Trains' concerning the infamous Dapol Pendolino.
It would seem someone had the temerity to suggest the Dapol model was little more than a crock of the proverbial (I don't know why - perhaps he'd bought one?) and Mr Lovett was taking the time to reply. What tickled me was not the fact that anyone should even attempt to deny something so self-evident, but the typical spin that was trotted out. "We are more than happy with the model", "the initial tool shots were checked by engineers", "only praise has been forthcoming", "Some minor problems were experienced with one axle on the initial batch that were quickly resolved by Dapol" - you get the idea. Now why did an image of Gus from 'Drop The Dead Donkey' spring suddenly to mind, I wonder? I think we're experiencing a slight togetherness shortfall...