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REVIEWS

Read all the latest product reviews from the Hornby Magazine team covering 'OO', 'N' and 'O' gauge as well as a broad spectrum of model eras and product types. Plus, look out for the Video tag for feature videos included within reviews as well as the Hornby Magazine Express Video tag for our quick overview videos.

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Hornby Loadhaul ‘Shark’ Surfaces

MARK CHIVERS

Hornby’s popular ‘OO’ gauge ‘Shark’ ballast plough brake van returns to the range, resplendent in Loadhaul livery as DB993826.

MARK CHIVERS
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Bachmann ‘OO’ Polybulks Return

MARK CHIVERS

New from Rails of Sheffield are these exclusive ‘OO’ gauge JIA ‘Polybulk’ bogie covered hopper wagons commissioned from Bachmann.

MARK CHIVERS
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Hornby's 'OO' gauge Loriot Y wagon arrives

MARK CHIVERS

New from Hornby is this eagerly awaited ‘OO’ gauge Great Western Railway (GWR) 25ton ‘Loriot Y’ two-axle machinery truck.

MARK CHIVERS
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Hornby Skaledale Victorian terrace houses

JONATHAN NEWTON

Hornby’s ‘OO’ gauge Skaledale range of resin buildings continues to expand with a series of all-new terrace houses to help build up a residential street scene.

JONATHAN NEWTON
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Heljan’s GWR ‘1366’ 0-6-0PT

MIKE WILD

Heljan’s ‘OO’ gauge GWR ‘1366’ dock tank is an attractive shunting engine which made its debut in 2016. MIKE WILD inspects this outside cylinder pannier tank.

MIKE WILD
Accurascale TPE Mk 5 carriages for OO gauge Review Premium

Accurascale’s TPE Mk 5s debut

MIKE WILD

TransPennine Express has one of the most distinctive liveries on the railway and it is also one of only a handful of train operators to make use of diesel-hauled push-pull trains. MIKE WILD inspects Accurascale’s Nova 3 Mk 5 coaches for ‘OO’.

MIKE WILD
Accurascale Mk 5 Caledonian Sleepers Review Premium

Accurascale’s Caledonian Sleeper Mk 5s

MIKE WILD

The striking Caledonian Sleeper Mk 5 carriages whisk passengers from London to destinations in Scotland overnight and now you can add them to your collection in ‘OO’ gauge. MIKE WILD gets the full story on Accurascale’s first ready-to-run passenger carriages and demonstrates their operation on our test track.

MIKE WILD
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IXO London Transport RT for O gauge

JONATHAN NEWTON

For ‘O’ gauge modellers looking for suitable road vehicles, the IXO Models 1:43 scale range includes this classic London Transport AEC Regent III RT double-decker bus.

JONATHAN NEWTON
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Hornby Class 60 60001 Steadfast

MARK CHIVERS

Hornby’s high-fidelity ‘OO’ gauge Class 60 gains a new identity for its latest release as first-built 60001 Steadfast in BR Railfreight Construction sector livery.

MARK CHIVERS
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Riveting Stuff

MARK CHIVERS

New from Railtec Transfers are sheets of crisp three-dimensional rivets or bolt heads in waterslide form.

MARK CHIVERS
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Humbrol sanding pads

JONATHAN NEWTON

Recently added to the Humbrol range of tools and modelling materials are these new flexible sanding pads.

JONATHAN NEWTON
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Hornby magnetic couplings for OO gauge

JONATHAN NEWTON

The first of Hornby’s new magnetic couplings are now available in multi-coupling packs.

JONATHAN NEWTON
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Bachmann Webb ‘Coal Tank’ 0-6-2T

BEN JONES

For its latest venture into pre-Grouping subjects, Bachmann has selected a versatile LNWR locomotive which gave sterling service from the late Victorian era until the late-1950s. BEN JONES takes a closer look.

BEN JONES
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Hornby’s Peckett ‘W4’ 0-4-0ST

MIKE WILD

With strong pre-orders even before its initial release in 2016 release, expectations were high for Hornby’s diminutive saddle tank. MIKE WILD takes a closer look to see whether this tiny steam locomotive can satisfy its demanding audience.

MIKE WILD
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Bachmann's Network Rail MPV for OO gauge

MIKE WILD

Bachmann’s model of the Network Rail Multiple Purpose Vehicle (MPV) made its debut in 2011 and offered contemporary layout builders the opportunity to purchase an unusual model of an enthralling prototype in ‘OO’. A new batch of these unusual vehicles is coming soon. Check out what we thought of the original release.

MIKE WILD
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Bachmann's ‘OO’ Wickham Trolley is a tiny marvel

MARK CHIVERS

The Wickham trolley might not be a first choice as a ready-to-run model, but Bachmann has created a beautiful model all the same. MARK CHIVERS runs the rule over this miniature Type 27 variant.

MARK CHIVERS
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Industrial Storage Shed

JONATHAN NEWTON

A brand new 4mm scale laser-cut industrial storage shed kit is now available from Scale Model Scenery.

JONATHAN NEWTON
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Laser-cut lamp huts

JONATHAN NEWTON

Recent additions to the Scale Model Scenery range of laser-cut detailing accessories includes these 4mm scale Great Western Railway (GWR) and London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) lamp huts.

JONATHAN NEWTON
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DCC Concepts Legacy LED lamps

JONATHAN NEWTON

DCC Concepts has recently reintroduced its extensive collection of ‘OO’ gauge lamps, as part of its Legacy Models range.

JONATHAN NEWTON
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Dylington Custard ‘ghost signs’

JONATHAN NEWTON

Scale Model Scenery’s range of model railway detailing accessories includes a selection of ‘ghost signs’, intended for applying to the sides of old buildings to represent a long-gone business, including this pack advertising Dylington Custard.

JONATHAN NEWTON
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Peco’s Flexi Loco Lift

JONATHAN NEWTON

Peco’s range of model railway track and accessories includes this recently introduced multi-gauge Flexi Loco Lift which can be adapted for use across all scales from ‘N’ to ‘EM’.

JONATHAN NEWTON
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RNAD wagons arrive from Bachmann

MIKE WILD

A new collection of Royal Naval Armaments Depot wagons has been created by Bachmann for its narrow gauge collection. MIKE WILD inspects two of the new arrivals for ‘OO9’.

MIKE WILD
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Kernow Model Rail Centre's Beattie ‘0298’

MIKE WILD

Kernow Model Rail Centre’s Beattie ‘Well Tank’ project is bearing fruit with all four livery variations now approved for production (see Update) and the first Southern Railway liveried variant arriving in the

MIKE WILD
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New 'OO' gauge ‘Hymeks’ from Heljan

MIKE WILD

The popular Class 35 ‘Hymek’ is back from Heljan with an upgraded chassis. MIKE WILD inspects a classic BR two-tone green version of the Western Region hydraulic.

MIKE WILD
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Rapido’s Conflat P for ‘N’ gauge

MIKE WILD

New for ‘N’ gauge is Rapido Trains’ model of the Conflat P – a wagon type synonymous with the ‘Condor’ container train of the 1960s. MIKE WILD reveals all.

MIKE WILD
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‘N’ gauge Co-Bo from Rapido Trains

MIKE WILD

Rapido Trains UK has released its first ready-to-run ‘N’ gauge powered locomotive modelling the characterful but spectacularly unreliable Co-Bo diesels. MIKE WILD casts his eye over this new arrival.

MIKE WILD
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BR First Generation DMUs

MARK CHIVERS

Hugh Longworth’s long-out-of-print reference work British Railways First Generation DMUs returns with revised text and the addition of colour photographs.

MARK CHIVERS
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Book Review: GWR Locomotives - the Prairies

JONATHAN NEWTON

The Great Western Railway (GWR) 2-6-2T ‘Prairies’ were some of Churchward’s earliest designs boasting two basic types: the smaller version for branch lines and the large type for outer suburban work in London and Birmingham.

JONATHAN NEWTON
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Book review: Industrial Railways

JONATHAN NEWTON

Freight topics are particularly popular due to the varied nature of the payloads through the years and this latest volume from Amberley Publishing  highlights some of the heavy freight diesel locomotives  that were introduced by British Rail (and its successors) from the 1970s onwards.

JONATHAN NEWTON
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Book Review: The East Coast Main Line – Peterborough to York

JONATHAN NEWTON

New from Amberley Publishing is this picture album showcasing the present-day rail scene on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) -  a route with a long and storied history.

JONATHAN NEWTON