Rainbow Rustons - Decorated Samples Of Our First O Loco Are Here!
We first revealed our debut O gauge locomotive at the 2023 GETS show last October, and it certainly raised some eyebrows!
"Accurascale not doing a large mainline diesel? Good heavens!"
Indeed!
The large diesel sector of the O gauge market is very well catered for, and as a small market, the 7mm side is likely to not withstand two companies competing on the same class of loco. It's also quite new to us, so we said we would go small, cater for layouts large and small, from the sidings of the large empires to the fun shunting planks in the spare rooms around the country and go small, cute and colourful.
Our little Ruston 88DS gives us just that.
We're delighted to say that our first decorated samples have arrived for assessment, with one complete model for further testing, and a collection of fully decorated bodyshells to give you a flavour of what's coming soon!
As with any product development process, there is a lot to like, and some changes that are required!
So, what do we like so far?
Tampo and overall body paint colours across all liveries are very pleasing.
Some of the highlights include W.M.J.E.A No.1 with its lining and Ruston crest on the cab sides.
Our BR Green, and two tone Rowntree Mackintosh lined green and shadowed lettering are also pretty highlights!
Sticking with our green theme, the Bowaters Northfleet 88DS in its Opaline Green and running gear in red, which really stands out and looks very striking.
The cab interiors are very pleasing, with nice, detailed cab desks. We're also delighted with the weight! They are very, very solid and have a real quality feel to them, with excellent haulage capacity for a locomotive of their size as you will see when we demonstrate them in the coming weeks!
Of course, there are areas we can further improve on and correct too. For instance, the yellow that has been applied across the Wasp Stripes and Warning panels is a bit ‘thin’ on these samples, so the density needs to be increased.
Masking also needs to be improved, but both these issues are normal at this stage and something we have encountered on our OO locomotives at this stage of the process, being fully corrected on the production models customers receive.
In places, the excellent fit of the parts has led to that fit being adversely affected by the paint layers; notably on the removable engine panel that covers the PCB which is now too tight and the Donkey Engine panels, which do not sit as flush as they should. Again, this is easily remedied.
The glazing panels also suffer from not being cleaned up diligently, which is a common problem on EPs/Deco Samples. Again, this will be corrected for production models. Buffers, Drawhooks and Wheels have not received their chemical blackening, which is normal for this stage, but which does look odd even so. The Panhard Red used on the Tottenham Gas Works 88DS is wrong, but a definitive colour swatch has now been sent, and the red will be adjusted accordingly.
Overall, our little rustons are progressing very well indeed through the design process and are bang on schedule. Sound recording for our digital sound fitted models will commence in the coming weeks and we will look forward to bringing you some footage of the finished sound files once we have them prepared. Delivery is anticipated for Q1 2025.
Pre-order your O Gauge Ruston and Hornsby 88DS today via your local retailer, or direct for no money down via our website by clicking below!