Bachmann's recent Class 57/3 is too modern for any period I'm currently interested in modelling, but I couldn't resist a look as the loco is an indicator of what I can expect from the forthcoming Class 47.
Generally I'm much encouraged. The model is much more 47/57-shaped than Heljan's famously overweight 'TubbyDuff' released back in 2001.
Grille and fan detail is commendably fine, even if the ultimate delicacy of the prototype remains tantalisingly out of reach. Certainly the Bachmann mesh exceeds the quality of some aftermarket parts that modellers have happily stuck to their models over the years. The large, silver, cantrail grilles, by comparison, look slightly less convincing, lacking the very open nature of the real thing. But overall, Bachmann have taken a very large step forward since the days of the dire 'Fishnet Fanny' arrangement.
The bogies remain probably Bachmann's weakest area, even if they are better than the efforts under the Deltic and Class 37. Undernourished, as always, and with sink marks giving that 'pressed from liquorice' look, they don't capture the bulk of the prototype as well as the Heljan mouldings. Although an attempt has been made to recess some of the detail such as the brake-blocks, items such as the springs bear precious little resemblance to the real thing. Improving the standard of the bogies would lift most Bachmann diesels into another league.
These (and other) niggles notwithstanding, the Class 57 is hugely better than much of Bachmann's diesel range. The company has come a long way since the woeful Deltic, for my money the all-time low point of modern D&E RTR. With it's spindly bogies leaving a huge gap beneath the comical nose, the cheesey 'Fishnet Fanny' parts and the rather cynical printed-on panels, you'd be forgiven for thinking the crude and toy-like Deltic came from another manufacturer. Lima perhaps.
Although models should always be compared to their prototype, it's difficuly to resist putting the Bachmann and Heljan products head-to-head, if only to illustrate some of the effects dimensional errors can have. Most people aren't going to see the extra Xmm width of the Heljan TubbyDuff, but rather the knock-on effects of that error. For me, the obvious clues are the exagerated taper of the cab-sides, the bulbous roofline, and the high-forehead look to the cab. The TubbyDuff appears bloated whilst the Bachmann release looks much better.
While not without it's own selection of errors (look at how flattened the cab-roof air-intake is compared to the real thing) the Bachmann mouldings will be the basis for all of my future Class 47 and Class 57 plans.
Internally, the loco has drive to all axles (much better than the Deltic and Class 37) but pick-up from only 8 of the 12 wheels. Bright LED lighting is fitted, albeit with the bizarre 'day/night' fuel tank switch as introduced on the Class 66, and is DCC-Ready. The model even has a void of the correct shape to take a decoder such as the (strongly recommended) Lenz Gold, although curiously Bachmann's own rebadged Lenz 1014 won't fit. Unscrew and discard the buff-coloured plastic cover, and line the hole with insulating tape, thin card or paper before fitting the decoder.
The supplied instructions are a little vague and inaccurate. I removed the four screws indicated but the body wouldn't part company with the chassis, I eventually removed two extra silver screws (one under each cab) before having any success. Even with the body off, I wasn't sure I'd done it right as the short cable-runs didn't allow much room to work without putting strain on the cable joints. I was convinced the cab interiors and lights were designed to stay with the chassis, but as they're stuck firmly into the body I guess I'm wrong - the instruction sheet offers no clues. Pin 1 isn't marked, despite claims to the contrary, and I had difficulty refitting the body, presumably due to the untidy cables getting trapped where they didn't belong.
Although I had no real difficulties that my normal range of expletives couldn't handle, Mehano's recent Class 66 offers an object lesson in how to do the job properly, even if Mehano is a brand I wouldn't normally consider to be of 'continental quality' - whatever that might be.
Note how much tidier everything is compared to Bachmann's rat's nest. All wires have a defined path, cast into the metal of the chassis block, and obvious items such as the speaker and the decoder have a designed-in place to live. Undo the 4 screws exactly as per the instructions and the body slides off easily, no detail-threatening force is required.
Even the wires to the lights have a place to run, cut into the corners of the chassis. Note how the decoder sits in a cardboard tray - you don't have to be hi-tec to be well thought-out. Better design is an asset not just for DCC novices, but also for any form of maintenance, modification or upgrade. Some manufacturers just make it so much easier for you that it's difficult not to be a repeat customer.
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