Although there have been some decidedly poor models released in the last few years, regardless of whatever the braying WeveNeverHadItSoGooders might claim, there are a couple of stand-out moments for me. Two comedy classics where the sublime concept of an error has been taken to the ridiculous extremes of a caricature. The first of these has to be the Bachmann Deltic with it's bizarrely sloping nose, curiously reminiscent of a Concorde on final approach. The second (and a new entry this month) is the Heljan Western, with it's already infamous peaked-cap look - surely a homage to Budgie the Little Helicopter?
The two comparison photos above show the problem. Jon Numan has done a fine weathering job on the model, it's just a shame that Heljan couldn't be bothered to put the same amount of effort into the tooling. Compare the model with Pete Piszczek's photo of the real thing, and also the second version of the model where I've crudely removed some of the cab roof. Sorry, I can't claim to be much of a whizz with Photoshop.
There are those who go out of their way to claim these errors don't exist. Or call it 'rivet counting' whilst pretending photographs conveniently distort things and don't count. If they want to stand up and make a spectacle of themselves then that's fine by me. I do, however, intend to do my level best to ensure that innocent bystanders aren't misled by this clap-trap. People should be able to make their own minds up about whether something affects their decision to purchase, based on facts and not fictions. So if you're struggling, try this animation put together by Pete to show what all the fuss is about. Buy the model, or not, based on your own standards. Then, as with the Deltic a year ago, sit back and enjoy watching people trying to convince you it's correct, secure in the knowledge that they're talking complete and utter b*ll*cks...
Currently On My Stereo: Richard Thompson & Danny Thompson - Industry