BR Classe 50-Grand logo avec toit gris et bande de longeron orange-50021 « Rodney » -Sonorisation DCC

Looks great and runs well. The sound is superb and loud! A welcome addition. Looses one star due to packaging issues and loose parts, as well as unpainted connections. All known by Accurascale and being sorted I understand. That said, still pleased with my purchase.

Stunning model of 50021. We all know the issue, which we all give our thanks to Accurascale for taking on board. Not many other manufacturers would do this. So it’s a super 5 Star. Looks the parley and sound awesome. Can’t wait for next batch

The latest loco from Accurascale seems more fragile than its predecessors (apart from the Deltic) with all 3 of the class 50s I have received arriving with parts detached. 50149 (which I was not invited to review) suffered most having multiple parts detached including underframe assemblies; it is currently with Accurascale for repair. 50021 was more fortunate, having only 2 orange ETH sockets loose in the box. That said, the model is excellent with fine detail and exquisite livery application and an impressive sound project, extremely smooth running and feature packed lighting controls including a more realistic dimmer light in the engine room than earlier models. There is, however, room for improvement as there are aspects that aren’t as good as the benchmark Hornby class 50 which is still a respectable competitor despite its longevity. Here are some suggestions to consider for future releases:-
Make the model more robust - the 31, 37 and 92 arrived intact.
Improve the packaging - it doesn’t protect the contents adequately despite its bulk.
Make the circuit board less visible in the cab - previous Accurascale models didn’t have this issue and the wonderfully clear cab windows on the class 50 make it more apparent.
Address light bleed from under the cab and through the exhaust ports.
Make sure all parts are painted - use of self coloured plastic on the ETH sockets detracts from the quality feel.
Use metal buffers rather than plastic.
Use a warm white LED for the headlight; a cold white LED is incorrect for a 1980’s loco.

Great item. Love the sound of this loco. Excellent value for money. 2nd loco i have bought from Accurascale and I hope the quality and price stays the way it is. Better detailing that what Hornby and Bachmann have produced. You even get a stay alive intge loco which is more than the other producers do. Any problems and Accurascale are ega to sort them out for you. I am so impressed with this company. Keep up the great work and products. Hope you produce a class 08 shunter in RTC livery soon.

Rodney has arrived, and had a run in around my layout. Can't fault it at all, runs great, sounds great and I had no bits fallen off when it arrived either ! Highly recommended.

Another excellent model from Accurascale. The detail and sound is amazing

Superb loco. Cannot wait to fit some crew. The dcc spund version has an excellent representaton of the loco sound.

The first time I saw a full-size Class 50 up close, was when as a schoolboy, I encountered English Electric Type 4 number 404 at the buffers on Platform 2 at Paddington, circa 1973/early 74. At the time everyone was chasing Westerns and the last few Hymeks, but I was blown away by the length, and sheer bulk of 404, which later in 1974 would become 50 004.
This magnificent new model from the Accurascale team, reproduces that impression of power, with it's well-rounded shapely bodywork. (steady!) Now I can re-create my memories of happy days of 100mph running to Bristol.
Cheers, Brian.

A great model but finish well below Deltic standards.
The glazing has annoying imperfections that are awful, sadly. Also paint lines blurred at one cab end . Not a specimen that would be sent to model press.

Sadly, the worst Accurascale
model I have

In short: A nicely modelled locomotive, and certainly once to be considered. However it's also a model compromised by quality control issues, design choices, and some irregular company ops.

The good
- General shape and finish is superb
- Fantastic sound profile
- Lighting/Function Suite
- Overall relief of the model is very fine, particuarly around the bogie areas

The bad
- 2 models in, and dropping pieces, particuarly orange boxes
- Orange boxes are also clearly unpainted (which is strange because some are, so clearly the manufacturer forgot about this). Very toy-like finish
- Shipment was delayed about a week, despite being advertised as in-stock
- First shipment (via Rails) came without Accura-ends or substatial packaging
- Stay Alive functionality is poor (Class 66, 92, 37 and 31 did not have this problem... so yes a higher amp system may solve it... but it does seem like a design choice is at fault here. Dissapointing
- Cut-out in the cab. Can also see light leak at the bottom end of each nose
- Slightly matte finish on the loco

I'm happy enough to keep it, but there's certainly a lot left to be desired.