You are far more polite and euphemistic about Hornby's products than "Sam's Trains"! I understand why he is often so cross with the recycled and rebranded items offered at double the price they are worth. I think if you were modelling a Welsh line in the current era, then you might be glad of these coaches, but for anyone else, then as you say, I wouldn't recommend paying the retail price! Another fair and frank review. Thanks for uploading.
Thanks for that. I try to judge each model on it's own merits (or lack thereof). Hornby pricing, particularly for rehashed models like these is always a pain point. I would expect we'll continue to see these discounted perhaps by as much as 30-35% due to the regional aspect of the livery as you point out.
On the coaches I have used Hunt Intermediate length magnetic couplers. They give that extra bit of space between the coaches that they need but still nice and close together and the run quality in both push and pull mode is amazing hardly any derailments. The only thing I had to do was glue a small piece of plasticard to the side of the hunt couplers as supports, a bit like the MK3 sliding door couplers from hunt, for added support in push mode!
Thanks for the review, something worth mentioning is that Hornby didn’t include a coupler on the front end of the DVT, missing a key aspect of the prototypical operation. I bought a set to be dragged by a 37 at the Ally Pally show and picked up the Hunt coupling designed for that, but it didn’t deal with the corners on the layout. The shape of Hornby's mk4 coaches also isn't accurate when compared with the prototype - as a lifelong fan of the mk4s I was quite disappointed with Hornby's effort 😅 but they're still a huge improvement on what we had before!
Thanks for sharing Simeon. Still on the lookout for the ideal coupler for these - surely Hornby should have done that for us? I'll be checking out the Hornby magnetic couplers when I can lay my hands on them.
@EuviRail I ran mine with Hunt couplings between coaches and they worked well distance wise, but I found the plastic used was too brittle for the strength of magnets as we had a few of them snap when being uncoupled
If it was a customer return, the retailer is meant to let the customer know that's second hand. If I found out it was second-hand as in a customer return, I would've returned it. Other than that, they look below Hornby's Railroad cheaper items. You can see that they are light and look too plasticity.
Hornby's MK4s have always had a cheaper feel to them compared to their MK3s. While they don't market them as Railroad models, they definitely feel like such models. The MK4 DVT does have lighting which the older version didn't have though the overall feel of the model isn't great either.
Hi Eugene, are you planning on reviewing hornby new class 91 to go with these coaches? Having watched your review i don't expect it to be brilliant. And then there is a price north of £200!
Hi, yes, I have LNER Class 91 all set for review. Will be Sept as there are other videos queued up first. Looking forward to putting it through it's paces.
The 50s, 56s, 60s and 67s were good in their day and while still good runners they are showing the their age overall and should be priced accordingly which they aren't. On a positive note, I've never had motor or drive train problems with Hornby diesels unlike Bachmann and Accurascale locos in recent times so old designs aren't always bad ones. Railroad diesels were poor runners but have improved of late. Still, you're just not going to get a quality diesel for £85-£100. The Pendolino and Eurostar are Railroad level designs though in the case of the Pendolino it's priced as a full spec model which it isn't. I don't have experience with Hornby's new Class 91 but have heard it's not what it could/should have been and it's more expensive than most top notch DCC Ready models from other vendors. Hornby do appear to have been focusing on (expensive) steam models in recent years - to the detriment of their diesels and electrics alright.
I'd say Hornby Class 60 is their best but their 08, 31, 43, 50, 67, 87 and 800s also good. The rest are for the cheaper market which apart from a 66 I have not bought recently. The 66 is OK for the price. Paintwork good, no lights and runs OK. PS Forgot the 56 and 91s which are also good. Agree with the comment on motors too. Curiously the recent Bachmann 20s and 37s were marred by unsecured motors which need a bit of cardboard to fix. If I could only pick one diesel and electric manufacturer it would have to be Bachmann.
The DVT has maybe £10 worth of electronics and about £5 worth of plastic if you're lucky, at least the coaches have an interior but they derail when in push mode so only work one way? did nobody check this. Even at the lower end of the price range they are just not worth it. This was never a cheap hobby but the prices that most manufacturers charge now are just mad. ☹️
Hi John, prices have gone to pot alright. I believe the coaches will ultimately work fine in push mode with the right couplers attached, but it shouldn't be up to the customer to figure out which ones - Hornby should have done this. The fixed drawbars are hard to work with so this should have meant magnetic couplers were shipped with these.
That was the "catching" I talked about when in push mode. This will occur with both the tension lock and the Lima couplers which will ultimately de-rail. It also occurs with the Accurascale magnetic couplers to a lesser extent. If these were 1-2mm longer they would be fine - which is a pity as otherwise they would have been excellent with these coaches.
Having had a lot more time with the retooled MK3s and the latest MK4s since I did this review, I would agree that the scoring on the MK4s should be lower. They haven't really kept up with the times. You can pick up the DVT + 2 coaches for ~£100 now which is more in line with what they are. Thanks for commenting.
Hi, good review on these items, i have seen that class 67 TFW for £154 in a sale, thanks for sharing.
Yeah, the locos do appear to be getting discounted by some retailers. That's a decent price, particularly if you didn't have the DB Schenker 67.
You are far more polite and euphemistic about Hornby's products than "Sam's Trains"! I understand why he is often so cross with the recycled and rebranded items offered at double the price they are worth. I think if you were modelling a Welsh line in the current era, then you might be glad of these coaches, but for anyone else, then as you say, I wouldn't recommend paying the retail price! Another fair and frank review. Thanks for uploading.
Thanks for that. I try to judge each model on it's own merits (or lack thereof). Hornby pricing, particularly for rehashed models like these is always a pain point. I would expect we'll continue to see these discounted perhaps by as much as 30-35% due to the regional aspect of the livery as you point out.
On the coaches I have used Hunt Intermediate length magnetic couplers. They give that extra bit of space between the coaches that they need but still nice and close together and the run quality in both push and pull mode is amazing hardly any derailments.
The only thing I had to do was glue a small piece of plasticard to the side of the hunt couplers as supports, a bit like the MK3 sliding door couplers from hunt, for added support in push mode!
Thanks Dan
Great review Euvirail!!! Thanks for sharing! Cheers Onno.
Thanks Onno
Thanks for the review, something worth mentioning is that Hornby didn’t include a coupler on the front end of the DVT, missing a key aspect of the prototypical operation. I bought a set to be dragged by a 37 at the Ally Pally show and picked up the Hunt coupling designed for that, but it didn’t deal with the corners on the layout. The shape of Hornby's mk4 coaches also isn't accurate when compared with the prototype - as a lifelong fan of the mk4s I was quite disappointed with Hornby's effort 😅 but they're still a huge improvement on what we had before!
Thanks for sharing Simeon. Still on the lookout for the ideal coupler for these - surely Hornby should have done that for us? I'll be checking out the Hornby magnetic couplers when I can lay my hands on them.
@EuviRail I ran mine with Hunt couplings between coaches and they worked well distance wise, but I found the plastic used was too brittle for the strength of magnets as we had a few of them snap when being uncoupled
Very detailed!
Thanks
@@EuviRail no worries
Kernow are curently doing a DVT for £45 and Mk4 coaches in various liveries for £23.99.
Hard to argue with those prices. 4 cars + DVT for less than £150 - the same price as a Bachmann Mk2F DRS liveried DBSO!
If it was a customer return, the retailer is meant to let the customer know that's second hand.
If I found out it was second-hand as in a customer return, I would've returned it.
Other than that, they look below Hornby's Railroad cheaper items.
You can see that they are light and look too plasticity.
Hornby's MK4s have always had a cheaper feel to them compared to their MK3s. While they don't market them as Railroad models, they definitely feel like such models. The MK4 DVT does have lighting which the older version didn't have though the overall feel of the model isn't great either.
@@EuviRail let me guess, Hornby is only using plastic & flimsy pantographs now?
Hi Eugene, are you planning on reviewing hornby new class 91 to go with these coaches? Having watched your review i don't expect it to be brilliant. And then there is a price north of £200!
Hi, yes, I have LNER Class 91 all set for review. Will be Sept as there are other videos queued up first. Looking forward to putting it through it's paces.
Good review. For the price point the product seems reasonable. Is it only the class 67s DB Schenker or TFW that are suitable?
Thanks Alan. These are the only two 67 liveries I've seen used with them so far but there may be others.
Nice review
Personally, I dont think Hornby make good diesel \ electric locos. Their forte seems to be kettles and coaches.
The 50s, 56s, 60s and 67s were good in their day and while still good runners they are showing the their age overall and should be priced accordingly which they aren't. On a positive note, I've never had motor or drive train problems with Hornby diesels unlike Bachmann and Accurascale locos in recent times so old designs aren't always bad ones. Railroad diesels were poor runners but have improved of late. Still, you're just not going to get a quality diesel for £85-£100. The Pendolino and Eurostar are Railroad level designs though in the case of the Pendolino it's priced as a full spec model which it isn't. I don't have experience with Hornby's new Class 91 but have heard it's not what it could/should have been and it's more expensive than most top notch DCC Ready models from other vendors. Hornby do appear to have been focusing on (expensive) steam models in recent years - to the detriment of their diesels and electrics alright.
I'd say Hornby Class 60 is their best but their 08, 31, 43, 50, 67, 87 and 800s also good. The rest are for the cheaper market which apart from a 66 I have not bought recently. The 66 is OK for the price. Paintwork good, no lights and runs OK. PS Forgot the 56 and 91s which are also good. Agree with the comment on motors too. Curiously the recent Bachmann 20s and 37s were marred by unsecured motors which need a bit of cardboard to fix. If I could only pick one diesel and electric manufacturer it would have to be Bachmann.
The DVT has maybe £10 worth of electronics and about £5 worth of plastic if you're lucky, at least the coaches have an interior but they derail when in push mode so only work one way? did nobody check this. Even at the lower end of the price range they are just not worth it. This was never a cheap hobby but the prices that most manufacturers charge now are just mad. ☹️
Hi John, prices have gone to pot alright. I believe the coaches will ultimately work fine in push mode with the right couplers attached, but it shouldn't be up to the customer to figure out which ones - Hornby should have done this. The fixed drawbars are hard to work with so this should have meant magnetic couplers were shipped with these.
Did you notice at 0:09 one of the mk4s decided to jump slightly?
That was the "catching" I talked about when in push mode. This will occur with both the tension lock and the Lima couplers which will ultimately de-rail. It also occurs with the Accurascale magnetic couplers to a lesser extent. If these were 1-2mm longer they would be fine - which is a pity as otherwise they would have been excellent with these coaches.
@@EuviRail Hi, have you tried the Hornby magnetic couplings yet?
@@StormmyStormmy Not yet.Currently sold out from all my usual sources.
I do think you're too generous with your scoring as these Hornby models are quite average . . . .Great review though. :)
Having had a lot more time with the retooled MK3s and the latest MK4s since I did this review, I would agree that the scoring on the MK4s should be lower. They haven't really kept up with the times. You can pick up the DVT + 2 coaches for ~£100 now which is more in line with what they are. Thanks for commenting.
Hmmm, bland on the run.
LOL