tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4293175883157636914.post8076415416364086733..comments2024-03-28T20:19:52.869+00:00Comments on Wood End and Beyond: A salt and batteryChris Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17126638769396595508noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4293175883157636914.post-4491368192484656082014-06-10T18:07:15.041+01:002014-06-10T18:07:15.041+01:00I hope that this is taken in the spirit in which i...I hope that this is taken in the spirit in which it is intended. I was like an excited six year old when I opened the packet. There is no 'criticism' involved, just an honest appraisal of what I found being a complete novice at this sort of thing. I'll repeat - it's an absolute bargain and I'd definitely get another should the need arise. I was just puzzled to the screw absence and the fact that the instructions stopped short of wiring.<br />CFAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4293175883157636914.post-4457379906727530212014-06-10T11:35:13.990+01:002014-06-10T11:35:13.990+01:00To be fair to IP they've always been good at r...To be fair to IP they've always been good at responding to requests for damaged/missing parts. The quality across the range is variable I've found. I'm certainly very tempted by their 7/8ths Ruston if we ever manage to sell the house and move somewhere with a bigger garden. The T&D railcar is superb. Perhaps the problem is that basic, beginners, low cost and, in the NG world, freelance, get lumped together to mean the same thing. As Phil's pointed out on his blog the DJH Andrew Barclay is an excellent beginners kit but the result is it isn't cheap. <br /><br />Paul, I vaguely recall Brian using a cheap battery electric toothbrush to power a model.I have happy memories of building a 16mm Simplex using his parts when I should have revising for my finals. If you can get a cheap non-runner I rather like the Novo/Big Big Train 0-4-0 shunter mechanism. <br />James Finisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16351798531269786632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4293175883157636914.post-10143851732456852392014-06-10T11:22:34.683+01:002014-06-10T11:22:34.683+01:00I know Ivan quite well. I don't know his rail...I know Ivan quite well. I don't know his railway kits (I designed boat kits for him), but I do know he keeps prices down to pocket money levels to encourage youngsters into the hobby. Whilst there's no excuse for gears that don't fit, for the price, you will not find better value and I know Ivan's view would be that of course people know what a self-tapper is and that a youngster would want just a loco that hammered round the track without a care for speed control. Ivan is a business man, a successful one, in a world of whingeing, fussy, critical, special interest enthusiasts. He's never going to be popular, but he will give hard up easy going enthusiasts what they want and do well out of it. He has started doing the same with his Vintage Model Boats Co. spin off. Nobody does a wooden boat kit anywhere near as cheap. But, if you don't like a no-nonsense approach requiring a bit of simple savvy and effort on your part, go pay through the nose from one of the others, whose stall at a garden rail show has nobody buying, while Ivan's is four deep and has 5 staff running card machines. I was one, at the Brandon show a while back.Oddshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15406048947308249483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4293175883157636914.post-53611210045371481932014-06-10T10:12:52.082+01:002014-06-10T10:12:52.082+01:00Interesting. I've built a few IP kits and enjo...Interesting. I've built a few IP kits and enjoyed them apart from minor niggles. This sounds duff though. No excuse for the lack of screws or weird wiring. Did you check it wasn't a packing error?<br />Phil Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15673614093646938053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4293175883157636914.post-49362889231080738802014-06-10T09:53:05.830+01:002014-06-10T09:53:05.830+01:00Ah, Saltford Models. Brian's booklets were alw...Ah, Saltford Models. Brian's booklets were always entertaining and well illustrated. As well as 'Building Simple Battery Locomotives' he also wrote 'Wizzard Loco Wiring for the Timid', subtitled 'How to survive wiring up your battery electic model loco with a Variable Speed Switch'. I enjoyed building his kits.<br /><br />Note to self - if going back into 16mm avoid I.P. Engineering.Paul B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05278773151546187084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4293175883157636914.post-2164865891533024962014-06-10T09:28:01.008+01:002014-06-10T09:28:01.008+01:00You know there are corners of the garden railway w...You know there are corners of the garden railway world where to criticize IP products is tantamount to heresy? Especially if that criticism has anything to do with the question of scale, but that is another story.<br /><br />In Saltford Models days Brian used to produce a handy booklet on building battery locos from the cheapest of components. <br /><br />It is worth looking at the Andel range as an alternative,James Finisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16351798531269786632noreply@blogger.com