Just How Bad is the Hornby Class 66? | Unboxing & Review 

"Mrs Logistics, what are you going to name your son?" "Malcolm."

Hornby: Hmm what train do we go for next Emperor Palpatine: Execute Order Class 66

Whoever at Hornby thought using a wrap on something this small clearly has no idea about vinyl wraps. Clearly they were only concerned with saving money and churning out many different variants of the same model.

What's really annoying too, is that the tooling for the main body atleast after taking one apart is that it's identical to Lima ones I also have, so the cost to produce this has been done with the most minimal amount of effort, so this should definitely be a railroad model if a model by hornby at all

The Lima 66 was produced back in 1998. Back then Limas UK importers at Riko ain’t just could t be convinced that modellers would pay £75 for a can motored 4 axle drive loco with lights. At this time Riko had tied its colours to the collecting mast. So they turned out a poor model in comparison to the previous class 92 & 59. The model is nothing more than a slightly modified 59 bodyshell as the front windows are the wrong size for a 66, the model utilising the existing class 59 glazing units, the bogie sideframes lack the distinctive curved ends. The model back in 1999 at £49.95 was expensive for what it was & what was required to heavily modify it to get it looking better. It was a real disappointment as the 66 should have been the Lima loco that brought Limas HO spec to OO. When Hornby acquired Lima all they did was take out the proven / ultra reliable / easy to maintain / nyon run forever motor - pick up system & replaced it with a cheaper motor / cheap grade metal wheels. Hornby is all about sales , they’re a company still bound by its debts / previous mis-management & so they’ve decided that utilising older models in new colours is a easy / cheap way to get the money in. Cheaper models in the newer colours is a noble idea & its a shame the Lima 60 , 67 , 92, HST power cars / mk3’s are not available in the newer liveries of which they are better models than the Lima 66. It’s typical Hornby that they flood the market with the worst Lima model. For me at £75 it’s not worth it’s money as the model requires so much work to get it anywhere near how it should look & therefore it’s more cost effective to buy a Bachmann or Hattons one. That said these 2 models have their issues & it is quite something that we are now onto a 3rd gen tooling & they’re still nowhere near the standards of the Marklin / Trix model or the ESU version, whilst the Mehano model is no slouch either. Given the weight of some of the wagons that are produced , the loco will struggle to haul some of these heavyweight vehicles such as the Dapol megafrets that this loco would haul. Anyone expecting miracles from the 66 is going to be disappointed , all products like this do is tarnish the Hornby brand , be far better to keep models like these fully packaged / sold under the Lima brand, as with the Lima UK range you knew what you where getting.

My grandparents bought me one for 80 pounds - we were in a model shop near theirs and I was under the impression that it was a high quality model since it's not in the Railroad range. Needless to say I was disappointed beyond measure and felt quite guilty about asking for it! When i switched to N gauge a while ago, I was selling my 00 stock and couldn't get more than 35 for it. Really disappointed in Hornby for this one. :( Thank you for getting the word out. Great video! You got me into 3d printing, I too bought a Flasforge Adventurer 3 after seeing your review, and I'm making some new products for the modelling market, and already designed a sci-fi body for my N gauge 47 chassis. Take care, Mikhail

I bought the Hornby Class 66 in the Cemex livery which isn't a wrap and was quite pleased with it. Mind you I only paid £56.24 back in April! 😉 Great video btw. It's good to hear an honest review. 👍

I've just realized something, perhaps Hornby are thinking they can get away with subtly reviving their 'Design Clever' era.

Märklin/Trix also do a Class 66, might be worth a review to complete the set of available models on the market. It's quite a bit more expensive than the Hattons one, but is fully digital with functions, has metal bodywork, 4 axle drive (and traction tires, so pulling power is quite ridiculous), and is also scaled in H0.

I mean..looks okay from..a distance? Haha. The wrap is shocking though, especially in the close ups.

There's something to be said for affordable versions of modern locomotives and rolling stock. I personally like lots of detail and features, but sometimes a well built if slightly simple, and well thought out model is really worth every penny and a super detailed one is not. Here in North America we have Walthers Mainline versions of modern diesel locomotives that have LED lights, heavy diecast frames and all wheel drive for about $100/$120 with DC and $150 with DCC & Sound. They seem to be incredibly popular, which speaks volumes about what people actually want in this hobby, and they didn't have to pay an arm and a leg for that enjoyment!

Was looking forward to this , now I know why I spent 134 quid on a beautiful Bachmann one! lol Awesome review Sam

The Hornby 66 can be a good model. I was surprised when I saw the title because I have a 2008 EWS version. Being a RailRoad model (yes, mine came in a RailRoad box) derived from Lima tooling it would never be expected to match the features of the Bachmann or subsequent Hattons models. However, while not flashy, it is certainly adequate as a locomotive. The lights, while not working, are about as convincing as they could otherwise be (and lights are usually an easy upgrade if you're that way inclined). The detail looks accurate, if not always as fine as the more expensive versions (though this of course makes it more robust). The grilles, while moulded, are reasonably convincing and of course, it has the ridges which define the locomotive. Haulage is adequate, though I don't require it to pull enourmous loads due to the size of the layout, and the only mechanical or electrical deficiency is the cogging at low very low speeds (which smooths out by about 10mph scale speed). That said, I wouldn't spend more than £50 on any RailRoad diesel, even though I am very satisfied with those I have, and I certainly wouldn't spend anything close to that on this monstrosity. I would probably try to remove the vinyl and start from scratch.

Loved your honesty and frankness. Currently I have 40 Class 66s, in my collection, 35 by Bachmann and 5 by Hattons. Of the former, 2 are Rainbow Railway specials and 2 from Ben’s Resprays. Do have others in mind from RR.

So after zero help from Hornby regarding my class 66 and faulty TTS. My local model shop fixed the problem. I’ve now traded it in, and excitably await the arrival of my sound fitted Hattons class 66. After watching your review of the Hattons I was lucky enough to get a good deal at my local shop on one. 👍

another great vid loved it sam ive been watching u for ages in 2015 i think ive well done on 100k you have grown

I really enjoy and value these comparison type reviews.

This review reminds me of the Hornby Class 156 review. Old Lima tooling but the prices are laughable. Great review as usual Sam.

Sam, just wanted to say thank you for inspiring me to get back into a hobby I loved years ago, but had given up on owing to the pressures of life, job, mortgage payments, all the rest of it, for several decades. Now, about that big box of old Hornby stuff in my basement. Nah, let's the build the layout first and have fun buying new stuff (not this Class 66 though)! One day, I will dig out that 1988 Hornby Mallard, though. Tender drive and all the troubles that go with it....

Might be a silly question but..as I understand weight is seen as an advantage providing greater traction…can you add weights to a model ?? I was thinking how effective would hot gluing fishing lead weights to increase traction?

I have a second hand Ebay bought Hornby GBRF Class 66 and I've had it for 2 year it runs really well, pull about 15 wagons with no problem.

sam, is the end with the score thing a looped video? i would love to see how you did it.

Sam’s Trains , I was wondering because you have a very large layout how do you reduce voltage drop across your track.

Good and fair review Sam, Hornby's 66 models okay for punters to buy for particular livery / 2nd header loco and buy Bachmann / Hattons (apart from some QC issues) for a detailed version.

lol do you have a map? I'm struggling to find the detail. Hattons knew what Hornby was up to when they suddenly went all out on 66 liveries. It was actually mentioned in James May's Big Trouble in Model Britain. A model like this (Malcolm specifically) is probably nice as wallpaper in a fuelling depot but not a patch on the higher grade models up close. However it is definitely true that depending on what livery of Hornby Class 66 you pick you could get a very decent looking one. I saw someone review the DB Schenker variant. None of the critical detail got lost under the livery. Everything was much clearer.

Hello Sam! I bought my wife the Hornby Class 66 in ONE livery (because its pink 😉 ) and she just runs fine... Luckily its painted and printed well... You´re right its a basic model, our version is absolutely ok and I think a good basis for homemade improvments, such as lightning and so on... True is, its more a loco for the railroad range, but for the price it is also a fair beginners model... (when there is no such rubbish sticker livery on it) At least its quit common that many manufacturers use old forms and toolings and put a high price tag on it, I think of my other TT gauge models and the manufacturer Tillig GmbH here in Germany, use partly forms from Berliner TT Bahnen (BTTB) from the old GDR (DDR or East Germany) times... Those forms and tooling are over 35 or 40 years old now... And they sell them with prices of todays models... Like an old saying means that "everyone cooks with water" from that point of view the prices for those Class 66 models are ok... 😃 It would be interesting what is underneath this sticker... Another livery or blank plastic? Hm... 🤔

I’ve got one of these in a much better DB Schenker red livery, and it looks good. No broken bits or chipped parts. Was very glad that it had pickups on every wheel. I definitely agree on performance, as even on my oval loop it’s sometimes funny around 2nd radius curves in its speed, and if it’s not sitting right on the track, then it just won’t go. And the weight distribution is off. But if it gets going, then I find it’s fine and it navigated hand built points at my model railway clubs layout no problem (which is built to HO Scale being an Australian club). For the $115 I paid, I’m happy. It’s definitely not as good as my railroad 47, which is my closest diesel comparison, but it does go, and the NEM sockets are a big advantage.

Interesting review. My only Class 66 is the 'Capt Tom' special edition. It appears to have a different body moulding and a painted finish. No rivets on mine where you show the rivets in way of the grill. Pleased with mine running on DCC.

I’ve got 5 of these! I love them.. They’re not meant to be super glamorous, just a good budget models for people who don’t want to spend loads.. Obviously if I had the money, I would choose a Hattons one, but the Hornby ones work for me.. I don’t know about the livery you got, my favourite is my Freightliner G&W Orange one.. Great video, stay safe and take care 😀👍👋

At this price, it means that as a children's starter locomotive, it is affordable.

Hey Sam! I have the Pride version, and it doesn't have a manky vinyl wrap. I'm happy with my version, especially when I got it cheap. It even comes with extra little metal name plates! (I would've liked lights in it though,...)

Good to see more diesels reviewed on this channel. I've got a Hornby and a couple of Bachmann 66's, the Hornby is a real disappointment, can't comment on the wrap as I have the BR livery (66789), one of the biggest fails in my eyes was missing out the cab lights; a simple addition which is very cheap to manufacture and should be standard on every loco these days..

Got one of these plus a Malcolm container - a train with my name on it seemed cool. Arrived with snowploughs loose (apparently a thing with many Hornby class 66). As they help hold in the couplers that is not good. But worse .. the motor bogey clip had broken away from the body leaving the motor held in only by the wires. The plastic motor shell is very thin. The wrap had also chipped away over some of the grooves. The replacement I got was better - no chips and the snowploughs were tighter. Take care of that finger - looks painful.

I totally agree with you regarding the Wrap/Crap finish on the Loco, only 2 driven axles what the hell are they thinking of?

I still can't understand why this model is still in the main range not the Railroad range. They could have at least fitted some LED lights and detail upgrades when Hornby did the Lima tooling upgrade. Although Matt Slade did a great comparison on his channel where he lined up the Hornby, Bachmann and Hattons class 66's and compared them, he came to the conclusion the Hornby version is a low price beginner's model, Bachmanns is middle of the road on detail but not on price and the Hattons version was excellent detail and great on price.

Hi Sam, nice video as usual ;-) It would be interesting to see the ESU (Electronic Solution Ulm) (Germany) class 66 in comparaison of the 3 models as it has very interesting functions that the other don’t have. Cheers

Usually wouldn't bother commenting but anyway, This review isn't really showing off this locomotive for what it actually is. A cheap model aimed for the not so serious modeller. You're getting what you paid for, this isn't for someone who wants to seriously model the Class 66, go to Bachmann or Hattons examples for that. This model is for your 4 year old son who's just seen a 66 out on a daytrip and wants one for his toy train set. Wont care about lights, livery or details but it runs, it can pull a train and that's all that matters with something like this. In this day and age you can't expect something as cheap as £75 to have everything you'd expect a model that costs £170 would have. Bachmanns new Mk2s DCC fitted cost more than this whole loco. It would seem the reviewer would like premium models for budget prices and that's not really going to happen. Just my opinion.

Even though you had experience with it and loved it how come didn’t you buy a Hattons 66 the price dropped dramatically from £150 to £119 and they do sell spare axles if you do lose any? There still a few on sale right now mind you.

I have the Biffa waste version which doesn't seem to even work any more after having it since maybe 2018

I would be interested in some of those wagons from Aliexpress. Do you have a direct link to them?

Hi Sam, may I ask what controller you are using? At low speed my british locomotives don't Performer well with my german controller. Regards Harald P.S. I like your videos very much!

Hi sam im glad you reviewed this as I have a db red 66 for a few years now and although it's cheap and cheerful it runs nicely and never had problems with stalling, the wrap on that one is appalling, the best part of it is the fancy railways box 😂

I bought one of these after watching the James May program, after they were saying it was the latest and greatest. I was horrified when it came, I at least expected lights. The only good thing was I bought the Evening Star and the paint job on that is quite good. The body is the same as the old Lima class 66 but they have updated the bogies, chassis and mechanism. The reason I know is that I upgraded my old Lima chassis to be the same. Compared to the old Lima the Hornby new mechanism is a lot better especially if you want to add TTS sound as it draws far less power. I eventually bought a couple of Bachmann ones that Rails did cheap, and the same with a couple of Hattons ones. Both of these models are tons better, but as you say they are a lot more expensive, even on discount, but worth the extra.

What i will say about these is that they're all different quality - and i know why but i'll leave that until the end of my comment. I have two class 66s from Hornby - both bought brand new. The first one is the GBRf / Andrew Scott CBE. Runs well enough but i did notice after a while that it has a tendancy to slow down a little - on 3rd radius curves! That's not a good thing, 3rd radius should be easy to power along right? But I just assumed this was normal and left it at that. It crawls well at low speed and i was happy with it - even if the blue colour was a tad too dark. Well today i came home with the 2nd one. It's the Bardon Aggregates / Bill Bolsover version. I liked this as the shade of blue was nicer / lighter and while it didn't jump out at me from the shelf, it was certainly waving. So having reminded the retailer that he knocked off 10% last time, he did the same this time and i came home with it all excited. Excitement wasted! It runs like a dog. I'm really disappointed with it. On those same 3rd radius curves at the same speed setting it nearly comes to a complete STOP. Yes, you got me, it comes to an almost standstill. It's also slower that the other one oh and it hasa habit of causing a short on a set of points - which the GBRf / Andrew Scoot rides over with no hassle. I'm really disgruntled with Hornby over this - and my son is STILL waiting for his car transporter over 6 months after he was due it for his birthday gift all because Hornby can't get their act together. Anyway the newly acquired 66 is such a disappointment i'm going to take this up with Hornby direct. Now.. the cause. China. See Hornby are in Kent - the other side of it, or so i thought until I had a recent run-in with an external contractor that is used by their facilities. This chappy told me they now have a facility in canterbury and that he'd been there in his line of work. While being there he was shown two identical models by a Hornby rep - who showed them to him and asked his thoughts. The chap said they both looked great and asked what the difference was. One was made in Italy (presumably the old Lima setup?) and was well made. Then the hornby guy shows the chap the one from China. It had bits of excess plastic inside the body from where it's removed from the mouldings too quickly, They arrive in the UK and Hornby staff have to manually open them up and cut these bits of plastic out before repackaging them ready for sale and presumably there are other defects that may or may not be found and rectified. So basically, there is no quality assurance from their chinese partners and over there in china they're not really bothered about providing any form of quality, just knocking them out as fast as possible and sending them out to Hornby. This is a real shame but my source is credible and it is the problem behind a lot of Hornbys problems at present - although Hornby show no signs of wanting that to change. I only bought a 2nd class 66 due to the shade of blue (lol) but purely by accident i've exposed a glaringly obvious difference in quality that most people would never discover - as it's not often people buy two of the same model so they can compare them yet alone review them both. The irony is that i have a lima class 92 and 50 (victor hugo and a NSE) and both pull better than the Hornby 66s. The NSE does well but does need a service. The 92 is knackered - damaged chassis allowing the motor bogey to grind its gears against the sides.. traction tyre came off a month or two back and i've had to add in extra pickups made from 30A fuse wire.. but hte 92 is literally superior over all of them for reliability despite its faults - it never stalls, never slows, can pull a 28 car train on one traction tyre (literally the back of the train going round the loop just a foot or two in front of the 92).. its a lima and yet it's proven to be so much more reliable than my Hornby 66s.

Was the cow at the end there to help pull the loco along?

I have had this train for 1 year now. Not only does the decorative wrap obscure details but it flakes and chips away at the edges under light touch. It is now relegated to a model for my kids to drive and abuse. On the other hand it drives very well with an enormous and cheap home made stay alive as there is loads of room inside and the hornby sound decoder is cheap. In the long run there is nothing for it but to strip the wrap off and treat it as my first attempt at respraying a loco. Model is fine but dont get big decorative wrapped versions. My kids still love it though so it has a place!

I’ll keep my £70 quid. I was thinking about buying a couple. Great review. How about a review of hornby railroad plus diesels? Class 20,37, and 73? Thanks Sam.

Awesome video today Sam such a shame about the modle today by the way what have you done to your finger

As usual Sam I agree with a lot of what you have said. However, I believe there is a place for the Hornby 66. Yeah that wrap is crap and they should have lights but that is it for me on the criticism. I have 9 of them and 11 Bachmann. I have owned one Hattons 66 and could not wait to get rid of it. The Hornby one has surprising pulling power and mine have never let me down. If I do not run one for a couple of months it just goes, no hassle. The Bachmann ones will not. Your one needs running in and go for a DB one for detail on show.

Are you going to have a look at the Trix HO class 66?

Hi Sam great and accurate review. My parents bought me this exact 66 for Xmas last year and it is such a disappointment for what it is. I sold mine and bought a Bachman 66 in Evening Star livery. Much nicer and better made model with much more feature for only 40 pounds more. Keep up the great reviews.

Its a bit like that top gear episode where jc wrapped his vw golf in orange velvet but covered everything including door seals so he could only open the drivers door and windows. He even wrapped over the sunroof haha 😄 😆 😂

I was watching this and I thought about the things I must have in a new car; auto and air conditioning. In this day and age I would expect all wheel drive and lights on a locomotive. I would think that not so serious modellers (like me) would be attracted by working lights more than a plethora of detail and separately fitted parts. Overall, what were they thinking of?

I had experienced Hornby's Class 47 when I worked at Gulliver's Gate. It had the same mechanism as your Class 66, and it ran just as well (junk). I replaced it with a Bachmann Class 66 in Freightliner livery, which ran much better.

Hi love the video got the same Hornby 66 in key workers livery and for my smaller layout it is perfect can you add a link to the Ali express hoppers as I need some thanks

I agree that hornby should not have marketed loco as top of the range but as a railroad model I think it's a winner especially at the price.

You should get ahold of the mehano one its got lights and fans and separately fitted details... According to eBay I didn't even know mehano did one tbh

love the concept that the price should be related in some way to the weight of the loco

A railroad model in the railways range? Didn't the same thing happen with the l&yr pug?

I have Bachmann and Hornby Class 66s. I plan to buy a Hatton's version at some point. My Bachmann has a built in sound decoder and lights but that was reflected in the price. I own the ONE, Capt Tom, BR and the new delivering for our keyworkers locomotives (because I was one) Hornby models. I tend to put sound decoders in them all and I have light packs to add. All of mine run very well. I got what I paid for, so I don't have any complaints.

To be honest. You could potentially use this as like a scrapyard level class 66 for a layout tbh. A 66 working in a scrapyard while running on its last legs, shunting and making short trips back and forth to locations to deliver and collect materials.

Crikey did they send you Hornby's decorated sample. Shocking for finished product!

I wonder what colour is under the wrap if you peeled it off? Might make it a nicer model! I got the NHS "Sir Tom Moore" one as I wanted to give to charity and it's OK but it's obviously the same model as this but is decorated better.

Great review as always Sam. I was shocked to see that Hornby have used a wrap as a livery, and done such a bad job. Shocking. I have a freight liner Lima model from early 2000 and that wrap it terrible. You have highlighted how valuable reviews are in the day of remote/online sales. I’d send it back if I’d have received it. However we now all know to be wary of this. I hope Hornby don’t repeat it. I know why they’ve done it. But at the sample/prototype stay they should have stopped it or changed it. As a follow up see if you can find out if other liveries are wrapped and thus can advise us. As the price isn’t too bad if it was on a par to the Lima model of old.

“Interesting review!” I run a number of old Lima diesels because I enjoy keeping these old locos going however not really expecting to see a “new” loco showing some of the same issues! For instance, the pick-ups may not be all wheel and I am about to start adding extra pick-ups to locos from the 1990’s and yet this new loco looks like it may need the same work…!?

I think I might have a good idea for a running session... where do I put suggestions?

I mean.. to be fair you can actually fit lighting to the Hornby 66.. I've seen it done before! Nice video anyway :D

i have a Hornby RAILROAD class 66 and it's in Colas Rail Freight livery plus you can see the cab doors on it. That lima Freightliner class 66 506 Crew Regeneration that you have, i saw the real thing of that parked up on the east midlands branch line opposite me and i took some photos of it. 😊

Dear Sam's Trains : Could you do a video to explain all about DCC ready and Pin Decoder plus all the other electronic terms mean please and how they work thanks ? I am 60 years old and used to be a whizzkid on electronics and computers but I am way out of date so please help young Sir ?

good vid sam keep up the good vids

I have one of these in the BIFFA livery which I say is fairly well applied. But I like it because it was extremely cheap however it could just be In the railroad range. Great video.

Will you keep it or get rid of it?

Thanks for the review Sam - doesn't pull any punches! Whilst it is fairly weak and should be in the Railroad range no question, it is not as bad as the Railroad Class 47 (unbelievably light and weak!) and the very expensive new Avanti West Coast Train Pack which (the two examples I have owned) derail constantly on the motor bogie in either direction when stopping or starting. What on earth are Hornby doing? Thank you for being honest!

oh noooo i purchased this one out of a choice of three hornby 66s because I liked the livery. Didnt realise it was a wrap. haven't openned it yet

Why the listed price of Class 66 on Hornby website is GBP96.99 to 99.99 today? Price up a lot!!

Thanks for the review. Wow. I generally like 66s but this one I can leave as I have three nice Hornby ones.

"Ridiculously naff" and "lipstick on a pig"; you had me roaring with laughter Sam! From a distance it looks lovely but up close it's an entirely different story. Even having a 5 pole motor is really small beer in a bar full of stiffs. Did it need lubricating in view of performance or did the pickups need adjusting? I have the Hattons Class 66 model which weighs 700 grams, I'll stick with that, I think. Calling it a Railways model when clearly it is a Railroad model is an insult to the quality Hornby Railways models out there (and quite a number of Railroad models too, I would suggest) There are still a number of the Hattons models still available. Best, Pete.

atheran gp35 is around the same quality. but theres no film wrapped around it

I have always wanted to get a Hornby Class 66 but I decided to wait for the right time also I may be Getting a Hornby railways tender driven Duchess of Sutherland for My 17th birthday

Thanks Sam, much appreciated and brilliant as always

I've got a hornby 59 (59001 Yeoman Endeavour in Aggregate Industries livery) which would be an identically tooled model to this, although I got it back in 2012 i think. I added weight to it to improve traction, as well as adding bullfrog snot to replace the traction tyres, but it still is way less powerful than a bachmann 25. Lights may be a future modification, once I can face attacking the noses with a drill. I had a lima EWS 66200 for a while, which is obviously the basis of this model, but I swapped it for other stuff. So yeah, the DCC socket and motor are upgrades, as are the new style wheels and all wheel pickup, and the NEM pockets plus the object deflectors. This model should really be in the railroad range. Or at least branded railroad+ due to its 'advanced' livery application which doesn't seem present here at all. The decoration really is shocking, and looked much better in promo shots (although I didn't look at promo shots of this livery tbh) I've got 3 bachmann 66s (EWS 66135, Freightliner Heavy Haul 66610, FirstGroup GBRf 66725) and a hattons 66 (GBRf/large logo 66789), and I'd rather get another hattons 66 than 2 of these.

I still don’t think testing an engines performance on a layout on a carpet floor isn’t particularly fair. Models are designed for a flat wooden baseboard layout, not fluffy uneven track

Does anybody make an HO Class 66 in the English Welsh & Scottish Railway livery?

I had the previous Malcom Hornby 66 and got it new for less than £60 and the livery was much better and it runs great

Can u plz make a video how to run 2 different trains on 2 different tacks

I picked one up for 60 quid in a local shop, getting it mended soon. For me it runs quite well and does the Job from a distance, but it get the point you’re making, it isn’t the most detailed and for a railways range it’s not enough, maybe a railroad could be better

Christmas is coming but I don’t think you will be getting a card from Mr Hornsby. Great review, always entertaining when you get the hump. Keep up the good work Sam

I finally bought a GBRf Metronet R30021 on sale for AUD99, or GBP56. It runs well enough, and looks much better than Sam's, as it's painted, not wrapped. The roof grille is painted silver, and looks better too. Interestingly, on the bottom RHS of page one it states: "Locomotive Bodywork - The locomotive body is overall spray painted and the rest of the decoration is applied by a printed process, not transfers." I wouldn't have bought at a higher price, and feel I've done well. It even comes with name plates!

I watched this whole video at 66% volume. Also Sam I hope your finger is better soon.

At least with the bad-running Bachmann and Heljan models they look decent (and as such, you can put them on display on the layout), but this doesn't even have that going for it, lol. Honestly, it would be neat to see a "head to head" for the various Class 66s in production right now some day.

Wow the wraps are shocking.. I'm a little surprised, I bought a Hornby 66 "Cemex Express" about a year ago and it has a really nice paint finish which is enhanced with a little weathering. Why Hornby would go with what is basically a "sticker" amazes me.

I do love buying a top of the range model and get 3 whole separately fitted parts

Does it at least run well

Well that’s a bullet dodged I was just going to buy a few of these to go with my 2 Hattons class 66s (both tested for hours no wobble and all the axle boxes still in place brilliant motor and stunning detail ) I’m going to save up some more money and get a Trix class 66 in “Rush Rail livery” as I like odd liveries. Keep the reviews coming please as this definitely saved me buying a load of duds 👍

Cool model Sam. But what happened to your finger?

I kept checking the date to ensure it wasn't April. I kept expecting you to tell us you picked this up at the Pound Store. Snarkyness aside, I know not everyone can afford expensive models, but like you said, even budget models should have standards. And that, I think, is what upsets me most. I have been on the buying end of budget models that ended up subpar and it's just a waste of money.

Ooh that score though... Going back to the quality, I have to say props to Hornby for the gauging. It doesn't seem like a lot but recently I bought an absolutely stunning 57 from Bachmann recently and it had everything you'd want in a model and the price was brilliant. The problem, the wheels came in from 14.6-14.8. So it can't run on track which with points, or insulated fish plates leaving a gap in the rail. 🙄 Just goes to show how even the smallest details need to be considered, which raises the question of how Hornby got that right for the 66 and everything else wrong...

Hornby could of used a scalpel to cut the vinyl rap where it covers the gaps in the vents and the indented details like the doors and i doubt sprung buffers are very expensive. For some reason this video reminded me of a programme on the Yesterday channel on October 11th about Hornby, i don't know what time its on though.

I have the GBRF golden jubilee, I love it. As long as you know they are a budget model and buy one at a discount there great. But not serious model like the Bachmann or Hattons.

To be honest, I am a cheap sort of person who buys 0-4-0s and older locos but I bought the pink ONE livery one and couldn’t find a problem with it. Although, it really should be a railroad loco.