G'Day All
I got my two R class today at 10.33

Nice models and you can see all the pictures here. Bit surprised no one else posted about these yet? If I missed another post, then my apologies
http://hobsonsbaynorth.blogspot.com.au/

Cheers
Rod

G'Day All
I got my two R class today at 10.33

Nice models and you can see all the pictures here. Bit surprised no one else posted about these yet? If I missed another post, then my apologies
http://hobsonsbaynorth.blogspot.com.au/

Cheers
Rod

G'day Rod,

Thanks for your report and pics.... (I couldn't see the video on there anywhere, but no worries). Whilst I have no particular interest in the r class myself, I am never-the-less glad to see it finally arrive and am sorry that your 3 mates never got to see it before they shuffled off to that big roundhouse in the sky.

One thing I'd like to ask/observe..... It seems that there might be a proper drawbar between loco and tender; correct? If so, then that's a good sign of things to come with the future steam locos which are of interest to me (59 and standard goods). Ron's 60 and 38 class locos relied on the electrical plug to join the tender to the loco (or in the case of the 60, the 3 components), which is not a sound method to my mind. If there is a proper drawbar then I am a happy chappy.

Enjoy your new models mate.

Roachie

G'Day All
I got my two R class today at 10.33

Nice models and you can see all the pictures here. Bit surprised no one else posted about these yet? If I missed another post, then my apologies
http://hobsonsbaynorth.blogspot.com.au/

Cheers
Rod

Rod, personal message sent.

Rod,
is the gap between loco and tender adjustable?  It's huge in your photos.

Mark

Rod,
is the gap between loco and tender adjustable?  It's huge in your photos.

Mark

Mark,

It does look like a dark "shadow" of an extra hole in one of the side-on photos.

Roachie

still saw rod's report, Shiny wheels and wrong sound may mar them. Could have save $200 if we were told. But like Rod I will be happy to have them !

Regards,
David Head

still saw rod's report, Shiny wheels and wrong sound may mar them. Could have save $200 if we were told. But like Rod I will be happy to have them !

Regards,
David Head

David, the loco, as shown in Rod's blog spot, is as it would have been delivered. Of course it will have shiny wheels, and the rest of it is a scale version of what it would look like when new.

Nothing a bit of judicious weathering would not fix.

Look forward to receiving mine this week.
When I confirmed and paid for my order last week I was told that the "preserved" R761 and R707 will not have their steam rail and city of Melbourne plates I was pretty disappointed. Seeing as though they have been advertised as "as preserved". I was told he is looking for a good photo to reproduce the boards
He has had over 7 years to get that done.
Not good enough.
Hopefully that's the only thing I will not be happy with.

Look forward to receiving mine this week.
When I confirmed and paid for my order last week I was told that the "preserved" R761 and R707 will not have their steam rail and city of Melbourne plates I was pretty disappointed. Seeing as though they have been advertised as "as preserved". I was told he is looking for a good photo to reproduce the boards
He has had over 7 years to get that done.
Not good enough.
Hopefully that's the only thing I will not be happy with.

Sure it's not good enough......
And the whinging starts anew. How long will it take before someone finds an 'inexcusable' fault to belt Ron over the head with.

Sure it's not good enough......
And the whinging starts anew. How long will it take before someone finds an 'inexcusable' fault to belt Ron over the head with.

I've come to the conclusion that you'd have to have a hide as thick as that of an elephant to be a model railway importer/entrepreneur. No matter how beautiful or accurate a model is, somebody will ALWAYS find something to grizzle about.

I guess it's just the way things are.....too bad not everyone has been around as long as some of us.... Back in the 60's and 70's we were REALLY happy with the (then new) offerings from the likes of Model Dockyard and Bergs. The price of some of those original brass locos and urithane/white metal rolling stock kits would be more than the equivalent of today's offerings, but the quality was nowhere near as good.....but we never complained.

Oh strewth.....I think we've been down this siding before.

Roachie

Yeah fair point. I wasn't around in the 60's or 70's so I couldn't experience that. My point really is if there there is a picture on his site that has the R707 as preserved with the city of Melbourne plates. That's what I expect in the model.

If I buy a car tomorrow, and there is a description and a picture of it, then when pick it up he wheels the wheels are different. I wouldn't be happy with it. Its not what I ordered. Just because its a nice looking car and it's better quality than 40-50 years ago I wouldn't just let it go.

I don't want to argue about this I am just happy they are here. if it runs good and bad looks nice I am a happy man.

That is a pity if the preserved locos don't come with items specific to the state the preserved locos are in. I wonder if R761 (which I've ordered BTW) comes with the extended coal bunker. I realize it is to soon to judge until I've seen one but if the above info holds water it does make one wonder. I guess it wouldn't be hard to fashion a Steamrail plate if need be.

If I buy a car tomorrow, and there is a description and a picture of it, then when pick it up he wheels the wheels are different. I wouldn't be happy with it. Its not what I ordered. Just because its a nice looking car and it's better quality than 40-50 years ago I wouldn't just let it go.

And suppose the pictures were 'overseas model shown' and they handed you the keys to a left hand drive vehicle not a right hand drive one? Then what? It most likely matches the picture.

I've come to the conclusion that you'd have to have a hide as thick as that of an elephant to be a model railway importer/entrepreneur. No matter how beautiful or accurate a model is, somebody will ALWAYS find something to grizzle about.

I guess it's just the way things are.....too bad not everyone has been around as long as some of us.... Back in the 60's and 70's we were REALLY happy with the (then new) offerings from the likes of Model Dockyard and Bergs. The price of some of those original brass locos and urithane/white metal rolling stock kits would be more than the equivalent of today's offerings, but the quality was nowhere near as good.....but we never complained.

Oh strewth.....I think we've been down this siding before.

Roachie

The big difference back in those days Bill was that we got to see what we were buying first, & we got what we paid for, both correct & incorrect detail, & in many cases with the Dockyard stuff it was mostly the later.  The difference being there was just the one price for any advance orders & the same after they arrived.

Today in most cases, even the production samples as well as the advertising does not always fit the model that eventually turns up. We have no chance to hear the sound that are provided in the models either.  

A reason that in regard to sound, I no longer obtain any model with OEM factory fitted sounds & in most cases the decoders do not have all functions & features available, so I would much prefer to not pay the $100.00 up front, wait, see & hear what comes with the model then choose. With sound, for not much more money one can purchase a fully featured after market sound decoder, such as a Tsunami, or TCS Wow, the latter has excellent sound & control even though it may not be genuine Oz sounds but, as I have said how many of the OEM genuine sounds are really correct anyway?

Look R Class are out of my scope and I wont be getting one but I can surely say a heart felt congratulations to not only Eureka but the people for buying them and waiting that at long last they have their models and from the pictures -it looks a treat.

As long as they finally arrived and people are happy - we can now look forward to whats next on the arrivals board.

Look R Class are out of my scope and I wont be getting one but I can surely say a heart felt congratulations to not only Eureka but the people for buying them and waiting that at long last they have their models and from the pictures -it looks a treat.

As long as they finally arrived and people are happy - we can now look forward to whats next on the arrivals board.

Like you I am not interested in an R class, & I admit that they look nice & its up to those who are actually after them, & know them to make their comments regarding accuracy etc, however for me & many others the aspect that is most concerning is the long time coming & not coming as they were advertised.  

The time factor is not all the fault of Eureka, as its been tough pretty well on all the importers over the past 6 years dealing with certain factories in China, & every one of us really are looking forward to better times ahead in that regard.

All that said, as Ron depends on many pre-orders with full payments & time payment schemes based on his initial & ongoing advertising for partial financing of the projects it is beholding on him as it is with all the others to come out with the models as they were advertised, if items are not forthcoming on delivery as they were advertised then an explanation is warranted at the very least, but also some reduction in price as a sign of good faith.

The sorrow is that many are still waiting on long promised models, paid in full from several others as well as from the Eureka stable, & that does not help things either, nor does it when there are more new models announced with the early bird incentives.

Are you *sure* the sound is wrong?

This: http://bylong.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/eureka-models-vr-r-class-preview-video.html

would indicate to me that, even allowing for the reduction in quality apparent in Youtube videos, the sound is pretty close to the prototype.

Btw, I have it on very good authority (ie the horse's mouth) that the sounds in the R class chip are not 'NSW' sounds, they are recordings of an actual full-sized R class...

As for the 'shiny wheels', it seems that is how the Chinese deliver them, no matter what is in the original specifications...

After spending much time with my own R 761 recordings, the whistle in the Eureka video does sound authentic. The exhaust beat and other sounds I cannot comment on as I haven't heard the model in person yet.
Perhaps some work on the speakers an/or enclosure may help boost the sound quality.


Glad they've turned up though!

So far we all have based  a lot of observations on one lucky user who got his R Class. No one else have reported in, yet.

So it is early days.

Regards,
David Head

Are you *sure* the sound is wrong?

This: http://bylong.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/eureka-models-vr-r-class-preview-video.html

would indicate to me that, even allowing for the reduction in quality apparent in Youtube videos, the sound is pretty close to the prototype.

Btw, I have it on very good authority (ie the horse's mouth) that the sounds in the R class chip are not 'NSW' sounds, they are recordings of an actual full-sized R class...

As for the 'shiny wheels', it seems that is how the Chinese deliver them, no matter what is in the original specifications...

If you are referring to my post, I was not specifically talking about the R class, rather about the so called Oz sounds that have come out with other models, which in the main have been wrong anyway.

As for the R class sounds, the poster of this thread who is a Victorian & VR modeller made the comment that they were wrong.

Any one else got theirs yet ? I haven't. Dunno what's more frustrating, waiting 8 years or waiting knowing they're in the country.  Actually it's the 8 years.....

And suppose the pictures were 'overseas model shown' and they handed you the keys to a left hand drive vehicle not a right hand drive one? Then what? It most likely matches the picture.

ah no, that scenario wouldn't apply because i would of been able to read over seas model shown at the bottom.

Now it seems that on various groups it seems that which preserved state/era the Eureka Preserved R classes are. I reckon a lot of people will be pissed when they find the R classes are in "just" preserved state not currently preserved state.

In but a mere matter of months time the R classes will have been out of service and hence in preservation for 40 years, that's nearly twice as long as they were in service! 'As preserved' does not quote a date, so if they've as they models do at any stage in those 40 years then they are indeed 'as preserved'... They were not advertised 'as seen in 2004'!

In but a mere matter of months time the R classes will have been out of service and hence in preservation for 40 years, that's nearly twice as long as they were in service! 'As preserved' does not quote a date, so if they've as they models do at any stage in those 40 years then they are indeed 'as preserved'... They were not advertised 'as seen in 2004'!

A very valid point indeed!