Hey Sam, if you haven't done so by now, have you thought about doing a video where you do a personal ranking of all the major model manufacturers. Pros and cons of each basically, sorta like what you did when you ranked the different controllers.
I'm not sure I'd count that one since it was a judgement on, like, three manufacturers and only on a couple of wagons. I'm curious about the ranking based on locomotives of varying real-life power sources, as well as rolling stock. @@timbervalleyproductions
Hornby have had a vanwide in their range for 40+ years. It's biggest drawbacks are the big tension lock couplings and the not-always prototypical liveries. However with second hand prices, some bauxite paint, and some transfers you can put together a rake of 6 wagons for the price of one of these.
Let's be honest, if you went to a second-hand sale or a carboot, if you purchased a lot of the vans you might build a rake of 10 or so for another £10 in total cost versus the single van if you don't want to paint/transfer them.
Hi Sam, great video, the doors don’t even open! At least Hornby did a van which the doors opened a few years back, these model railway companies are starting to take the piss out of railway enthusiasts, Stevie wonder wouldn’t buy this for this scandalous price.
Hey Sam you summed this up perfectly in my view and shame on company’s that dare charge such money again for model toys. What does it do. Drive itself around the track, no. It’s sad but as a retired old bloke it looks very much like my hobby has now come to its end. Grrr. £40 quid for me on a pension isn’t doable.
I agree with you Sam, I also am a retired old bloke and the best thing we could do is just not buy the product (even if you could afford it) and let it sit on the hobby stores shelves to collect dust or have them returned to Bachmann for a refund and say no one wants to pay this price.
@@fredtedstedman what forty quid a week shopping?god your liveing well,no just kidding your right it's a ripoff if your eye site is good and you don't mind doing models parkside do a good model of this wagon, the number I think is c41 and you can find on e bay for Les than seventeen pounds but you have to paint and transfer as well ,like you I can't afford that price bachmann and Hornby are out pricing them self's toy fairs are your best chance for a bargain,
@@joginns778 I built a parkside brake van for someone (o gauge ) and was very impressed ! I think Hornby are on another planet at the moment .I did a lot of work for Dapol ( built and painted all the Airfix stuff.)and their own wagons were about £6-8 . by paying these prices modellers are just encouraging them , don't buy this stuff is my best advice
Ahh interesting! It definitely wasn't listed as weathered (as you can see from my screenshot), but that would sure explain it! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Just got two professionally weathered ex-PO wagons off the bay for 24 quid. Also I managed a perfectly nice Dapol gunpowder wagon for 14 quid. I will never ever pay 40 quid for anything that isn't a loco. Whatever. Good review!
It's a nice wagon but like you say (and others in the comments) the price is insane! I'll stick to my A/S MDO at ~£25 per wagon with all the details you want. Also not exactly a direct comparison but the A/S Chaldrons are only £5 more for a pack of 3 with 5 different hopper toolings, diecast chassis, 3 different brake styles, 3 different wheel types and scale chains!!!!!
Expensive? Yes they are! But compared with the kit alternative I'm beginning to think they're a lesser evil. For some perspective, it is possible build the same Vanwide from a Parkside/Peco kit, which is available for around £10. I refused to pay the Bachmann price for these vans when they finally unleashed that insane RRP and decided to kit build a few as a bit of an 'I'll show you!' moment. However, to get even close to the same quality as the Bachmann model, you need to pump in £5 on 4 drilled cast metal buffers (Lanarkshire models for springing with separate heads), 3 link couplers, 4 different packs of transfers at £8-12 each (which will cover doing 6 vans), 3 paint colours plus gloss and matt varnish, dovetail coupler mounts, NEM couplers. You also want new wheels because since Peco changed wheel suppliers they're no longer very good as supplied compared with the Romfords these kits used to have. Oh, and several hours build and paint time. They worked out as costing nearly £30 each anyway, not counting the build time pumped in, and side by side the Bachmann model looks better! Honestly, I wish I had just bought the Bachmann vans now.
Spot on. I just bought about 20 of each LMS and ex LMS suberban coaches from Hornby when Hattons were selling them of for about a third of original price. I bought lots of brake 3rds/2nds and converted them into push-pull cab coaches. total cost of each unit £30 for the latest highly detailed coaches in a form that can not be bought, Best of all Worlds; cheap, detaled modeling work required and outstanding result
This is why I stick to second hand rolling stock from places like train shows or train store bargain bins. Here in the U.S, you can easily find used freight cars for about $5 a piece or less. They might not be the most realistic things, but they still look good, and sometimes they have some cool paint schemes or are one-of-a-kind pieces.
£40?! I've bought locomotives for less than that!!! Granted, they were either: a) much less detailed, b) heavily discounted, or c) nearly 20 years ago, but still...
An interesting and thought-provoking review again Sam. I decided a few years ago that, as I was getting a little clumsy and my eyesight was ageing, I would make the move up to O gauge. I was getting fed up with knocking tiny details of plastic models! I had a look at my O gauge Dapol VEA wagon whilst listening to your review and some things struck. Firstly, the O gauge wagon has moulded door-opening rails, as opposed to the separately fitted ones on the Bachmann model: so, the smaller wagon is actually slightly ahead on that score. However, my main gripe with your review is that you express disappointment at the lack of underframe detail but don’t fit the extra detailing components. I feel sure that, were you to do so, the underframe would look vastly improved, up to the level of detail of the O gauge wagon. The other thing is that research, design and tooling costs are similar in whatever scale you choose, so the differences in price are simply down to the amount of raw material used for each item. This is why the price difference between O gauge and OO gauge is not as great as it might be thought it ought to be. In closing, my father always said to me “ if nobody buys it, the price will come down”. Put simply, Bachmann must be selling a sufficient number of these at this price for them to market them. The ONLY way to reduce prices is for everybody to vote with their wallets: be prepared for less detailed models though!
Thank you Sam for pulling the manufacturers up over pricing. It is time modellers said no to these prices. Back in the eighties Rovex Hornby Railways came out with a standard British manufactured Ventilated Van! What was special about the van was the doors actually slid open. Complete with metal wheels and a tinned sheet that was sandwiched between the chassis and body. It may in Hornby's eyes too much of a toy rather than a serious model. However that could be overlooked due to the functionality. I agree with you Sam, prices are bonkers and in some ways they've gone backwards if they cannot open the doors!
This is funny. About a week ago, I was going to ask if you could identify someone for me. I remember watching a young man in England giving himself a time limit to get a locomotive working. I looked and looked, but I couldn't find him. Then you posted a video in which you attempted to repair a loco. Perfect timing! : ) I enjoy your frequent videos. It must be very time consuming getting them online. I think people would like to see the behind-the-scenes work - filming and editing and what gear you use.
Hi Sam, in answer to your question, NO, never is that wagon worth £40 or even the £30 + you paid. Your statement about the extra detail parts , highlights something I have been moaning about for the last couple of years, about Hornby and Bachman’s ethos for Model Railway’s. They are concentrating on Static Models more and more, as those little bags they put in the boxes are worth their insane prices. There is a growing market for super detailed models that Collectors will pay big money for. The sort who buy a model , put all the extra bits on it, and display behind a glass cabinet etc or a static display (Diorama) which often get sold for insane prices. Hornby’s new owners have publicly said in a video, that they are not a toy manufacturer, but a high quality model creator for a Select Market who want Super details. Meanwhile they will destroy what Frank Hornby, and other Original model maker’s strived to create for years. They are using the conglomerates idea, but all the companies who support the industry, and sell everything under one roof. Unfortunately they forgot about the specialist companies who make detailed parts, as there are absolutely thousands of them, thank goodness. Now Hornby and Bachman etc are going for the little bag of extras to justify the cost increases. If they had put screw links and other items, they would have put a £55-60 tag. They know they couldn’t sell at those prices now, but think how much the wagons cost now. Modellers will have to vote with their wallets, don’t buy them, and then they will end up with stocks they cannot sell at the ridiculous prices. Model shops should also vote with their wallets, buying them at even their discount prices, makes them think they are winning. How many model shops are struggling, they are the ones who lose out because they have stock for ages. But there are the Collectors and deep pockets around who the manufacturers pamper too. Mr Waterman and Co ( big stars - Mr Stewart ) could start a campaign - Model Aid - bring back affordable Modelling, help the younger people learn to look at building skills in construction, recycling. Too long a post I know. Keep safe and healthy Sam. We need your reviews. They are superb as always.
Considering you can get a second-hand Coca Cola branded *diesel* train for £10 less… I’m not too sure. If it was 25-£30 it’d be fine as a novelty little thing but, for twice that price you can get a full train set.
At 5:20 You ask: "why is it so expensive if the features of the model don't match the price tag" ? - answer: because you and other are willing enough to pay what they ask ! Suggestion for a poll: should Bachmann change their company name to "Ben Dover Rail Models" (Yes/No)
Parkside BR vanwide kit £13.50. Easy to build, run very well (they come with wheels and bearings) and simple to paint. Nice rake of 10 £135. Bachmann £400! Small amount of effort and you've saved enough for a nice loco or 2 to haul them!
I paid over £40 for a Bachmann bogie bolster wagon a few months ago, then I picked a brand new one last week for £34, they are on sale most places for £43-£52, they are very good detailed models to be fair.
Fully detailed and decorated Kadee boxcars now go for $40. Of course, they are 40 to 50 scale feet long with two bogies with metal wheels, have highly detailed underbodies, and also sport operating doors. The separate details are molded with very strong bendable plastic (Derlin?), but one could argue that if they were destined for a layout where they were subjected to a lot of handling the details could be a bit too much. In any case, I think the van you review here is "in the same ballpark" and so is not completely unreasonable. A bit of matt varnish from a spray can gets rid of the plastic sheen and also gives a nice base for a bit of weathering, should one be so inclined. Just my two cents (or should I say one pence?). Cheers from Wisconsin!
Ah Vanwides and Vanfits! That keys in with my most scary memory of rail travel. Picture this:- we are coming into Carlisle and we are held at signals at the old yard on the S & C route. Next to us on the next track, are a collection of old Vanwides and Vanfits. I don't think much of this until I notice a hazmat sticker on one of the vans. Radioactive. Oh poo. And it looked like it was all of them that had the hazmat sticker. Oh double poo. By now, I was frankly a bit scared. Finally we moved off, to get into Carlisle station. Well, I haven't grown an extra head, and I'm still here, but thinking about it is still terrifying. I now think it may have been medical waste from radiology departments, but still.....🤮😖🤔😉
As 2 of my hobbies are Lego and model railways I prefer to buy used box wagons. I apply the same thing with Lego so I buy bricks individually to do my own replica Lego sets. Really love your videos Sam and have followed you over 5 years!
Seems consistent with prices of everything rising while quality/quantity decreases due to supply chain, workforce, transportation, and pandemic issues. Maybe a price comparison of cars manufactured and sold in 2022 vs 2017 would shed some light on that.
For the recommended price I would expect at least opening doors! As you say Sam, they haven't reached a satisfactory level of detail. And a note to you Sam.... How about running stock in reverse as well a s forward? to show how stock behave whilst being shunted, some of the couplings on new stock just aren't up to it.
Accurascale HAA - metal frame, metal wheels, brass bearings, full underframe detail, superbly detailed, sprung oleo buffers, fantastic paintwork. £22.50. Oxford and Dapol producing supetb wagons at half the price.
They need to sell 450 of those wagons to pay for the shipping container. I highly doubt they will struggle to sell 450 at that price and what else is in the container they will sell? These prices I agree are out of control.
Seeing prices like this makes me appreciate buying much older but far cheaper rolling stock ant train swaps or flea markets as we call them. Sure they lack alot of the detail you see in more modern rolling stock but they still very much look the part and have less parts to break off generally. And usually it only takes some metal wheels and decent couplers to make them really great runers vs just okay with plastic wheels and such. I just can't see myself buying rolling stock at this price unless it's something really special or just hard to get anymore. Great review as always and look forward to more in the future.
people say you can only get similar setails in home with resin 3d printer, but if you use ironing function and 0.2 mm nozzle you could print that car flat and assemble it later
I agree a Dapol O gauge VEA is £50, part of the reason I ditched OO for O gauge, OO with Bachmann & Hornby is now just a ridiculous price for what you get.
I think the popularity of and necessity for so many people to build “micro layouts”, is justifying the existence of models like this. If you can only have six to ten wagons on your layout, you might as well have nice ones.
Bachmann's vent vans are usually fantastic, and I have one which has all the underframe and end detail in place already (such as 38-381, although no yokes, and still no actual chain links or instanters or screw links. The XP makes me think screw links would be suitable here). Don't think I've paid more than £20 for one, and the majority I've bought for less than £10. This one seems semi-weathered, with a faded finish, hence the underframe is more grey adn the upside down T shape of the darker brown. These vans were built as vacuum fitted, hence VMV, but BR switched to air brakes after not that long so they were all modified to air brakes hence reclassified VEA. My dapol VEA cost me around £50, and that's 0 gauge so much larger, with sprung buffers and working couplings.
Yep - they do a good van do Bachmann! Yes you're right - the finish does seem semi-weathered, that's a very good point actually! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
In my opinion the price can be better but as shown in the performance, details, design, it is worth the purchase knowing it almost looks like its real than a model. Cheers mate and have a good one!
Sam great review as is the normal with you. So is high prices with Bachman. Yes some of products are worth the high prices but not many. We in the hobby should not tolerate this kind of prices by protesting with our wallets. Even if some of you can afford it please don’t make it hard for the rest of us.
Thanks very much Louis - it definitely makes sense that this should be a little pricey, but seems a bit far for me... nice wagon though! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Clearly Bachmann are testing the market for well built goods wagons with lots of accurate detail, underframe accuracy, finescale wheels and great paintwork. I'm sure they know the price will be too much for many/most of us but it may well tell them just how many railway modellers are prepared to shell out this kind of money for a superior product. Then, no doubt, they will decide if the numbers suggest making more of them.
When you can by 6 wheel coaches with interiors and lights for less than this. You can still buy some Hornby coaches with sprung buffers and interiors for less than this. Perhaps they have an invisible interior but we are just unable to see it. The last van I bought was the Oxford GE van, which I was very pleased with. Maybe I will just buy a vanwide kit, which you could probably buy 3 or 4 for the same price. It is a shame because I would have liked to have one just for the variety. As for detail, if a van is travelling round the track, you can't see the detail. I would have given a 1 star for value especially when you compare it with the Oxford van.
I have to say that I actually really like this. Nice to see details that aren't just moulded. I'd get one to be honest. A lot of these bauxite Vans appear quite matt if you look at them.
I do too - excellent detail, and very refreshing not to have constant coupling and derailing issues... these guys know their stuff! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Sam talking about high prices Hattons have just put a pre owned GWR City of Truro engine on sale for 213 pounds which has a missing smoke box door and damage to the rear of the tender
Exactly spot on and very fair on review Sam. Indeed, no matter from what angle viewing it, this one certainly is quite shamefully overpriced for what it is, even including some slightly warped plastic parts…. The details aren’t anything special tbh. E.g., Roco Box Wagons (Cover Goods Wagons) are somewhere between ~27 to 33 Euro…, super sharply crisply executed and certainly without deformed components… Within that price range, even quite some BoBo goods wagons can be had from them, and even weathered from factory. The same applies for Piko and Märklin (unweathered). For 40 GBP, this is indeed A. shamefully pricey already even had it been flawless, and B. it is quite subpar executed for trying to be presentable as “premium” in the first place we thought. At ~20 GBP it should sit more realistically perhaps as an offer.
@@andrewdonaldson6225 Very solid point. Yes, indeed, always and all the German and Austrian premium brands with pivoting coupler mechanics since... uhmm the 1960s? (when many Roco H0 models were still made by Fleischmann) instead of these stone age fixed ones. They used to be metal and metal spring loaded. All plastics today though, both the coupler and spring mechanism but at least they do pivot smoothly. I haven't checked on Japanese Kato, but I suspect pivoting as well one may assume. Bachmann's fixed for this most silly price, is sincerely shameful as well.
Insane. Remember you reviewed that O gauge prestflo wagon?. Bachmann have also re released that at £50. Compare that to the O gauge!. If you were to make a complete train of these and other re released wagons you would be looking at 30 wagons and over £1000 without the loco.
Given I’ve paid/seen $39.99 price tags on Bachmann box cars here in the states this doesn’t surprise me. Bachmann has gone off the deep end over here anyway with their MSRPs.
Hi Sam. Great review as always. The price is ridiculously high, like most of Bachmanns products. In these times, people will have a better use for their hard earned money, than to spend £40 on this. I have given up buying new stock because of the over the top prices that manufacturers charge. All that will happen eventually is that the Manufacturers will drive people away from the hobby. Cheers Chris.
A good quality freight car here in the US by say, Kadee costs close to this amount but our rolling stock are all bigger "bogie wagons" as you'd call them. If a boxcar was highly detailed, had metal wheels and couplers and cost this much, as Kadee branded ones do, it'd be somewhat reasonable. Still, almost half the price of a loco so not great but at least somewhat reasonable. Your British two-axle box vans, even in OO instead of HO are WAY smaller and cost less in the amount of plastic used to make it, let alone assemble it and at THAT level of quality. it's not THAT small and complex yet also not nearly large enough to justify over $48 US! I've known for a long time Bachmann have been ripping off it's customers but damn, I didn't know it was THAT bad!
Another interesting review Sam. £40.00 for a wagon is outrageous for a lot of plastic. I have some Hornby vans like the one you showcased made last century that are alot better. I would not touch Bachmann with a ten foot bargepole. It seems to me you have to be a merchant banker to buy model trains now. Thank God for Ebay. Thank you Sam 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟👍
Wow more expensive than the Hornby Coke wagon and you don't get a coke bottle with this! I rarely buy any wagons or coaches new, even though I like some of them. I wait for bargains or second hand. The prices don't seem to justify the vans. Having said that, I did buy three of the Bachmann Collectors Club army vans recently and I have pre-ordered the Accurascale RTC double set.
I normally don't get to many decent model shops where I live but last week I was on holiday in York. Round there they are some decent model shops. I was horrified when I saw the price of new Bachmann rolling stock, the cement wagons are even more expensive. I suppose Bachmann have decided to follow the trend of the prices on their new coaches. Fortunately there are Dapol and Oxford wagons available at half the price, ok not as detailed but to me not an issue. Funny though most Bachmann locos are substantially cheaper than Hornbys (eg Bachmann class 90 verses Hornby class 91).
Sam, have you heard of dust? Maybe the finish is oriented more in a fine patina than anything glossy fresh out of the factory pimp my wagon look (Rapido). Maybe, just maybe, next time you go outside you can actually see the dust I'm speaking of :))))))
I can say that Bachmann have ludicrous (or even beyond ludicrous...) retail prices on their U.S. stuff, and usually for things with worse detail than this. Fortunately, it's not hard to get things at a discount. Sometimes even the discount price is very steep however, matching or exceeding the retail prices of other manufactuerers for similar products- I'm thinking of the Siemens SC-44/ALC-42 in particular here.
My inpression is that Bachmann are slowly, but surely, pricing themselves out of the market, will it sell, certainly there are those who will buy it, but anyone wanting a rake, is going to have to dig deep, failing that abuse their credit card, when I want detail, I take recourse to kits, kit-bashing, and aftermarket accessories, I get exactly what I want, not saying it's a cheaper process, but I also have the satisfaction of being its creator. A small point, your close-up side views of the van elicited the fact that the footboards are somewhat warped, only a small point, however, at its stated retail, I wouldn't expect this. Quality has its price, and I accept this, in my opinion, what is offered does not justify the price. Bachmann could well be heading for a Ratner moment.
Yay for being charged for bits you can't fit if you want to use the dam thing. And another cheer for all the detailed crap you won't see when it is running about. I think a gap in the market also helped price these as they were popular from the 70-90s and have quite a few liveries.
£40 😮 Bachmann sell fully sound dcc locos in America for $60. Come on Bachmann…. And don’t blame covid. Well done Sam. Think I’ll carry on with Oxford rail for now. 👍🏻
Maybe it's just me, but it doesn't look too much more detailed than the other higher priced vans? I guess there's not a whole lot of parts to a van, but it doesn't look like it's giving you a massive leap in detail for such a high price. I might be biased because I don't usually buy train cars/wagons on their own that often, but that kind of price definitely doesn't seem worth it for an unpowered wagon.
I model HO gauge mostly and £40 is cheap when you are buying some of the German stuff like Fleischmann,Roco and especially the Marklin Trix stuff (thank god for eBay) but they are very detailed and most of them have a diecast chassis at the least, but £40 is too much for a mostly plastic model.
For this price you’d at least expect the side doors to open. Groundbreaking prices demand groundbreaking features. And yes this would literally cost me a days wage
Hey Sam :) I’ve got an idea you should definitely do 3 more TTS sound videos and the next one with steam locos and then the next one with diesels and then the last one with steam and diesels :) since this video is good those will be good too cheers :)
I would say that this van is far better value than the Oxford rail gun any day, the Oxford rail gun has very limited appeal and is confined to a certain era being ww1 and ww2, one problem with the Oxford rail gun is that it is out of gauge meaning that you can’t have any items at the side of the track when using it because if you do the rail gun will hit it, it’s essentially useless unless you have a layout with no items at the side of the track and a layout set in either ww1 or ww2, this van can be placed on a layout straight away with no modifications or requirements on a persons layout.
@@harrytodhunter5078 material wise it probably is better value but remember one of the main aspects of this hobby is being able to run the models on our layouts which is one of the main aspects for me, if I had a layout and bought the railgun but then found out that I have to modify my layout in order to accommodate it then to me it would be a bit of a waste of money, the railgun would be useless, this van on the other hand doesn’t require anything that to be done and can be taken out of the box, put onto a layout and can be used straight away, that to me makes this van better value than the Oxford railgun, also with this van you get more use out of it compared to the gun, I also consider this van much better value because and this is only my opinion is because it’s made by a manufacturer who gets things right and makes the item work properly, Oxford seem to lack this as every model that I have seen from them has some issue that isn’t seen on any other manufacturers products.
Hey Sam, another great video! Would love for you to do a comparison review between the new high price hornby HST class 43 compared to the old Lima tooling HST and are they worth the £300 price tag, would love to know should I spend my money on these loco packs 😊
I can answer that. I have 7 sets now and have had 12. They are amazing. Great runners and they look great. However are they worth over £300?. No way. When you consider they now do the dummy on its own for £90. So simple maths 2 of them is £180. So how come the set is £340. That in simple terms is £140 for the motor. The sets should be no higher than £225 maybe £250. I have cancelled 3 sets of these after Hornby upped its prices. Look for a second hand set.
Something about the music from the beginning made me think of Pulp Fiction I'm a US citizen and was considering buying a 12 Ton Van, but not that expensive! Oh why Bachmann, why? Why Why Why?!
You know I ask myself how much is to much detailing and how much am I prepared to pay for a piece of rolling stock?? If you want to run a decent size train and Bachmann produce these wagon types at this price....then the short answer buy something else. Good review but I get anxious about buying a £15or $30 Hornby VEA van from Hattons let alone $60 plus van even if it is super detailed. Good review Sam and yes you are right in every respect. I like Bachmann and buy heaps but 🎶 "I'll do anything for trains, but I won't buy that." 🎶
For something of this price they could get away with £50 IF they gave it a Deltric like box with all the stuff that came with the deltric , they gave it opening doors , spring buffers , and a metal finish .
NO ! about £6.00 , but if people will pay £40 for a waggon - that's what they will charge ! It's just an upward spiral 😫😫 more money than sense is an expression that springs to mind ......
AAH! The GWR Gunpowder Van runs! Frightened as I am of that thing, be warned. I might just be brave enough to request it. Your new van is very nice, could have been a bit cheaper, price-wise but who am I to criticise? I'm a poet and I didn't know it.
Ok so shipping containers have gone from 2k to ship to 18k to ship but that’s still a silly price. It should have had a Dicast chassis for that money. And that’s still expensive if you asked me.
I would want better finish, doors which slide open, sprung buffers and more weight. I get annoyed when we see crap like this, I mean crap when paying this much. If it was £10 then it would be excellent. I purchased a lot of Oxford rail wagons last year and the only criticism I had was the weight. Why are we expected to allow ourselves to be ripped off by these companies. Thank you for reviewing this model, However, I would never have bought it at that price anyway, even if it had a decoder in it. I'm shocked.
I mean that's crazy, you can literally buy the same thing in O gauge for £50, which is what £15 more than Hattons for a OO gauge. I seriously what the hell!
