Dave Shick reviews Trumpeter's Dampflokomotive BR86 kit.



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Thanks!

Very nice review. This isn't my topic of interest, but the information provided gives me all the details I would need to know about the kit and what it requires to make it look like the real thing.

Thanks for the review. This engines where used in both germanies, austria and other nations well into the 1970s so they are not restricted to the WW2 time frame so they, like the platform cars would also fit under a Leo 1 or a NVA T62.

One detail: The german term Einheits does mean Unified, Standartized. It shares a root with Einheit (unit) but has a slightly different meaning. The Einheitslokomotive means Standartized/Standard engine-

Tausend Dank, MBR, I should've picked that up about the translation of "Einheits." I have amended the review accordingly.

Pretty slick looking kit. Thanks for the peak inside Dave!


- Jeff

Sorry guys, lesson learned. I used Google translation on an article in German, and it came up with "unit". I know Bill is fluent, I should ahve asked him.

On the anti skid pattern:

Could it be that Trumpeter used a post WWII engine as a base? As far as I could find out all 13 surviving engines have been in use post WWII and most of them have been german or austrian units. So maybe the pattern was added later?

The BR52s have been rebuild a lot post WWII gaining many features dropped in the "simplification" process. Maybe the BR86 where given a similar treatment.

All I have to go by are pictures from the W&W book, and some from Libor, all of existing engines in various museums. None of them show this pattern.

In any case, Trumpeter's rendition of the pattern is a very unrealistic pattern at scale. This is true of all the parts that have the "diamond" pattern. I didn't emphasize this before, because I thought I'd been too negative already.

Thanks for the information. Sadly the only BR86 "in range" (< 100km) is currently "in storage" and those accissible are all in south/east some 400+ km away so I can not try and take some pictures of the german engines (My guess is Libor has photographed the polish engines)

Thanks for the review; however you are mistaken about the "nike swoosh" on the Reichsbahn emblem. It's actually half a hakenkreuz & the other half is right next to it on the decal sheet. You merely lay one on top the other & voila - no more political correctness!

Thanks, Heaver, for pointing that out. Some countries won't allow swastikas to be sold, so this is an ingenious way to fix the problem. I will edit the review to reflect the situation.

Good to see this up, well done review Dave.
MBR - there is not a point talk about any base what Trumpeter used for their kit, because they simply made a copy of earlier produced CMK resin kit to the last screw (just like with their BR52 loco). This one was based probably on drawings of very first BR86 engines, as later on many areas were improved and their design changed. But still there were many mistakes and wrong bits in CMK kit anyway, and you will find exactly the same ones in Trumpeter´s kit. That is about the base - based on CMK base which was very early one (of course it does not correspond with number plates provided in both kits - once again, the same numbers and decals in both kits - there are 2 numbers provided with the kits, and both belonged to later produced locos with different frame, different valves, compressors etc...it just reminded me that CMK have mentioned in their instructions black and red painting scheme for 86 245 as that was painted in 1935, although in fact this number loco was manufactured in 1936 )
Few years ago at model show in Germany very accurate drawings and references were offered for free to Trumpy managment to make their BR57 right - well, but it would be very expensive to produce the kit well detailed and exact, they said and refused his offer. Simply they dont want and need to do their rail kits any better.
Anyway, at the end - before I get too excited - this loco painted in grey BR86 283 is located in Germany, on DEUTSCHEN DAMPFLOKOMOTIV-MUSEUM in Neuenmarkt. Every year I find a couple days to get to Germany and visit some of their great museums across the country and take hundreds pictures for my references.
Cheers
Libor

Nice review and discussions.

Here's an in-progress forum of this model being built: BR86 2-8-2T Locomotive by Trumpeter