Production Samples of HUO Arrive

We are delighted to report that we have now received the first production samples of our HUO from the factory in China. Here are some pics, for you to see the finesse and detail we are packing into this model. Please note that this is a first sample and revisions are required and already underway. Despite previous reports you may have seen elsewhere, these revisions do not cost the earth at this stage, and are easily done.

The brake gear requires amending, with the shoes slightly too small and the assembly itself being slightly too large. This revision has already been sent to our factory to rectify. The self-contained buffers are receiving further refinement too before tooling.

There is a garish golden glow to the wheels, which of course, will be toned down for production using a chemical blackening process to look prototypical.

These samples are hastily hand assembled, made on a Friday afternoon before Chinese New Year, so the fit and finish is not A1, but it will be on the finished model. The slight warping of the chassis parts are down to haste too, these will be rectified on the finished model. We also found that the positioning of the NEM pockets is incorrect and they are being dropped to correct NEM height for production.

We do love how the factory made it in full Tanfield Railway livery for us. We also love the under-frame detail and the overall look and feel of the wagon. It is very free rolling too.

The first five packs of the HOP24 wagon have proved to be very popular among modellers already. Make sure you don’t miss out, as each pack is made in a limited quantity of 250 packs. Order yours today!