completely agree with you on the lighting. it just makes no sense and is a glaring oversight. hopefully Accurascale will take this on board and make the necessary improvements for future models.
@@ohiosteamandsteel I hope that the class 37’s don’t encounter any issues, or the second run of the class 55’s, it would be nice to see them produce a DP1 in the future with all the bells and whistles.
Great review Eugene. I have recently bought pack 1 of these and they are great. The box is massive but they are well presented. I need to get a Class 68 to go with mine but for now. I am using my Class 92's as these models made me come back to OO gauge model trains after a year of doing HO scale and N scale. I still do N scale but I missed OO gauge and these new Accurascale models won me back over.
I know I have already left a comment on this video but just watching this review again the flickering directional lights on the driving trailer is an issue I had last week, the reason for mine was because connection between the bogie and the chassis was covered in dirt, to stop the flickering unscrew both bogies from the driving trailer and take a Cotten bud and just clean the contacts located on top of the bogie and the contacts that make contact with the top of the bogies, after I did this there was no flickering from the directional lights on mine.
Blimy Eugene i was definitely in my slumber when this review was released, especially as i had worked longer hours yesterday. So nice to see your latest greet me when i opened my phone. Yes a wonderful set, as you say let down by the poor lighting, and your right it most certainly is an important issue and glad you raised it, yep probably down to cost cutting i guess! Maybe a silly question but could the lighting strips be replaced? They are available, but not sure they would be compatible, just dont know. Yes the RRP is amazing as you stated, but i wont be put off purchasing a set, and that im going to do. Another excellent and well detailed review from you, really enjoyed, cheers Nick.
@@sapphirejunction8993 thanks Steve your right, my dear friend Jim at the Locoshed in Manchester has one reserved for me, do you have a set Steve? Have a great weekend!
@@sapphirejunction8993 haha typical might of known, suppose you have all 13 TPE 68's haha! I have two then five DRS and Oxford Flyer Chiltern 010 that's enough for now i think.
Thanks Nick. I think a warranty invalidating DIY job could be in order here given these are such great coaches overall. De-soldering the existing LEDs and using the pads to wire in an LED strip might be the answer. I can see a mini project here.
The lighting to me is very poor mine keeps flicking I just don't let it drive my 68 always pulls everything about them is excellent just a let down hopefully accurascale will read these comments and improve it or you can buy something that will fix the problems and my make enough for everyone that has bought them cheers Paul
Thanks Paul. I'm looking into some remediations and will post an update with anything that will improve things. Am waiting for LED strips from Amazon right now.
Good review and I don't disagree with anything, although I'm not bothered about the lighting. At £225 a real bargain. Would I have thought £300 with better lighting was still a bargain, yes but still happy with the actual deal. Think my layout only needs one set of TPE Mk 5s so potential improvements irrelevant for me. I broke off a couple of small detailed parts fitting the decoder but easy to glue back and no lasting damage. For the destination blinds I'd recommend waxy tack, strong enough with no risk of damage.
Thanks Alan. I'd have had no problem paying more for having better lighting as well. I used some double sided tape for the destination boards for the same reason. Wouldn't risk glue on the upper body.
Nice review. I have a set of these & overall they’re great models. As someone who finds new tool models over complicated , to many separate parts & the usual obsession with ‘detail’ at the expense of the real details such as road holding / coupling up, these models where about what I expected. At £45 a coach they’re pretty good value given what a Hornby mk4 will cost or the Rolls Royce prices that Bachmann command. The lack of a better coupling between thec68 & the end coach you could argue was the biggest let down given the well documented issues of the tension lock dropping on the 68. Always a given the tension locks would be useless, I use the Roco coupling that Hornby supply with its mk3’s. Been using these for years on HO models I have & they work like a seen in keeping the 68’s coupling where it should be , nice meaty fitting to deal with the pressures of pushing the coaches. Been doing the push pull since 1980 with the old Jouef mk3’s / Airfix 2d dbso conversion & the old Hornby 47. So plenty of experience of what works & what doesn’t & how to get the tension lock to work / use Marklin couplers where possible or the Roco ones. The lighting isn’t a deal breaker for me , personally. It’s a tough one I suppose in that the costs of producing these coaches has risen from their first estimates & to not raise the price has meant that they have cut back & it would seem the lighting is one area . I suspect that future runs will see a price rise & the lights addressed. To make these models better , a tweak to the lighting , , make the DT easier to come apart , a driver for the cab & include a coupling for the 68 either a magnet or a Roco one. Producing some figures for the coaches is would be a nice touch I guess what these coaches do illustrate is the way the hobby has become seduced by hype / whipping up expectations etc & so thereby fuelling people’s disappointment when the actual product does turn up & the little things / ie basics are not quite as they should be. Maybe with Bachmann you are paying a higher price for a better product , I wouldn’t know as I’ve not bought a new Bachmann model since 2016. I did buy in a second hand class 150 ( ex dcc dynamis train pack ) & the way the trailer cars wheels scrape the underside of the chassis to be rather amusing , I just have resigned amusement at some of the garden shed engineering & lack of thinking that goes on. As someone who still buys old Airfix mk2d’s / Jouef mk3a’s , would I buy more Accurascale coaches. No ads they don’t make anything I require which is a problem that extends to other manufacturers.
Excellent video Eugene. You're pretty much on point on all matters with the TPE Mk5's. The issues you have highlighted may be down to the fact these were announced at the beginning of 2019 and had a long gestation period before release thus these missteps from Accurascale could be down to their initial learning curve but having said that the tooling of the prototype is pretty much spot on but Accurascale's ability to refine the lighting and certain other details were below par or missed. I am also baffled as to why the destination boards are not illuminated on the sides of the coaches as well as the door opening indicators which would have been a very nice touch considering the detail on their loco's and wagons. The other issue I have is the need to fit the destination boards, these should have come pre-fitted for each pack i.e. Pack 1 (Liverpool Lime St), Pack 2 ( Scarborough) or vice versa...not everyone is going to want to fit these and mistakes will happen with glue thus for me they should have been fitted at the factory. In regards to coupling the loco to Coach E, yes Accurascale should have included a fit for purpose magnetic or non-magnetic coupler and not the standard tension lock which will never work in push mode and I know for a fact Accurascale did say at one point during production they would include a magnetic coupler for the Class 68 loco to connect to the end coach but that didn't materialize and a few people on forums did also ask about this and Accurascale were looking into it thus we'll see what happens with that going forward. Lastly, as with the lighting yes a very frustrating aspect of these packs and IMO Accurascale should have pre-fitted a decoder to the DT that works on DC & DCC and programmed to work the lights in a prototypical manner, yes the price will be higher perhaps at £250 a set but they still would have sold out because that price would still have been fantastic. Accurascale actually state not to take the body off the DT if you can help it because of the attached detail but now all DCC users don't have a choice and apparently Accurascale are now going to configure their own ESU v5 for the DT and in the near future sell it direct from their web site which I will be waiting for to purchase. Just hope all these issues, or non-issues depending on how view them, are corrected in their next TPE Mk5 run which they have said will happen and in summary IMO they need to sort out the coach lighting, pre-fit the destination boards and have them lit all around, include a fit for purpose loco to end coach coupler and pre-fit a DCC Decoder to operate the DT's lights that will also work on DC...as a wish perhaps have lit door opening indicators as well and if even if they priced them between £250 - £295 with all these features I would still buy it and sure many other people would as well. Cheer Steve
Thanks for that Steve. Yeah, I would have gladly paid extra as you say to have these items sorted and remove the risk of damaging the model. Pre-fitting a decoder that is configured for DC operation would have been my preference as well. A bit of a lost opportunity for the first batch. Rather than having to do a repeat purchase, I may get the soldering iron out and address a few items!
@@EuviRail I'm working on some revised PCBs that will add some of these features, including working CDL lights, better saloon lighting and coach E end of train light all controllable via dcc. Will post some videos when my demo board arrives.
@@sapphirejunction8993 Steve all comments dually noted, all makes sense! Now bankruptcy time haha! Cavalex announced all new class 60 wow, on UT earlier Hornby mag, check it out, now i insist!
I agree with all of your comments regarding the lighting and the directional lights flickering annoys me as to the decoder I fitted a lais one and works fine may add a stay alive to combat the flickering I shouldn’t have to and the extra coupler for pushing should have come as standard.
The lighting is definitely a letdown for what is probably the most detailed coach pack on the market. I wonder how much of it may have been down to how long the coaches were in production for after being announced and the prices not changing in that time but obviously various prices had skyrocketed since then. Cost cutting is definitely my suspicion.
Yeah, only the Accurascale boys will know the real story. The long gestation may also have meant that the original engineer working on this was pulled onto newer projects over time or left. Similar to other issues like this I don't sense that the builders in China show much initiative in highlighting that there might be something worth looking into when the first pieces come off the production line. It's probably a case that the design is signed off for production so that's it - build it regardless.
I think it's a problem with modern models - the more detail you add, the more there seems to be to complain about. £41 for an unlit Hornby Mk4, a crazy £75 retail for a Bachmann Mk2f or £45 a coach for these beautiful lit Accurascale Mk5s is a bargain - whether the lighting is perfect or not. It's a bit like the Deltic - a fantastic model at a cracking price and all that many people judged it on was the bogie chains. If I was Accurascale I'd be pretty disappointed at the market taking fantastic and affordable models and criticising them for relatively minor imperfections at the price point. The new mark 2bs however are a different story - at £70 a coach they open themselves up to much higher levels of scrutiny and criticism. Excellent review as always and thanks for posting, all the best, Colin
Thanks Colin. No debate in terms of the bargain these coaches are. It's just a shame given they'd done all the hard work. Just 3-4 more LEDs per coach (pennies) and the lighting would have been fine. Elsewhere in the comments there is input that cleaning the bogie contacts on the driving trailer fixes the flickering. I've yet to try it but that would be a real annoyance off the table. A suitable coupler for push mode in place of the tension locks - zero cost. My frustration is as much with the missed opportunity as anything else. As you say, £70 per is another matter. If I've created a fuss on these coaches it's as much to ensure they go back and double check the 2Bs and 2Cs before we see them to avoid any repeat which I think is good for all concerned. Thanks again for your comments.
Great review here euvirail, I placed my order for pack 2 a few weeks before Christmas 2022, overall I’m very happy with them but I have had one problem which looks like I’m going to have to contact accurascale support at some point, my main problem is the cab light for me doesn’t work, I even took the body off of the driving trailer to see where the blanking plate was but when waving the wand over it the cab light just won’t turn on, I run a dc layout and I have seen that it does work on dc, onto some positives I like the magnetic couplings which for me these coaches are my first experience of magnetic couplers for OO gauge models, I like the close coupling that they give, the lighting is good especially with the capacity they have even when they are not on the track and it’s nice to have some stock for my dapol class 68 which for me is a DRS one but it is realistic to run a DRS 68 with TPE mk5 coaches, I may look for a TPE one in the future though, for propelling my solution was to use a bachmann mk1 close coupling which while it may not be realistic it does work very well, apart from the cab light I’m happy with the coaches but I probably will look into getting the cab light fixed by accurascale support.
Thanks David and thanks for sharing your experience. I'm sold on those magnetic couplers for sure. They're fantastic for "push" operations. I have a DRS Class 68 as well but purchased the TPE version in anticipation of these coaches.
@@EuviRail to be honest I have always seen magnetic couplers a good solution for pushing instead of pulling personally, I can see why using the Transpennine 68 with these coaches over a DRS one and like I say I may look out for one in the Transpennine livery in the future but it is actually realistic to run a DRS class 68 with a rake of mk5 coaches, I was in York a few weeks ago taking a trip to the railway museum for research for one of my OO gauge projects and after I left I was walking through the station and there was a mk5 set so I went to photograph it and on the front there was a 68 in drs livery, the one I think it was was 68033 The Poppy and the version that I have is 68003 Astute but to be honest I don’t really mind which one it is, just seeing a DRS one hauling a set of mk5s was enough to make me basically put both the 68 and mk5s together and run them, in my opinion using a DRS one adds that little bit more variety to the whole train.
@@davidstrains4910 Hi David, yeah, we tend to be purist as modelers and real life workings can involve a much wider variety of loco / rolling stock mixes. We need to sweat our railway assets (both real and model wise) so I'm all in favour of mixing it up.
@@EuviRail I must admit I am a bit of a purist but it’s mainly when I am running my trains, while I collect a lot of models from different eras and regions when I am running them I do try to run them with appropriate stock and try to keep to the specific era that the model may represent, for example if I’m running a steam locomotive that is in BR green with the late crest if I’m running another locomotive on a different track whether it’s steam or diesel I will try to keep it to the same era and region, that’s just me though and it’s what I enjoy doing and the main purpose of this hobby in my eye is enjoyment.
@@davidstrains4910 I tend to do the same and I also model Irish Railways so that means a pretty big switch over when I want to change geography. Modelling 50+ years across the British Isles can be an expensive business but it's certainly interesting!
The default is too bright alright. I only recently discovered you could tune down the brightness via CV settings but I didn't get to these coaches yet.
Excellent review Eugene, thank you. Once again Accurascale have led me to be cautious as their products seem to have flaws. Having returned all 3 of my Class 92s due to serious running problems developing after a couple of hours use, along with other more minor issues, I cancelled all of my pre orders of Accurascale products. I have a set of these MK5 coaches but I am yet to test them. From your review the lighting does seem to be a major disappointment! Perhaps it can be upgraded by me as I have plenty of flexible LED rolls that could be attached in place of or along side the existing. (They are as cheap as chips, about £4 or so for a 5 metre roll, dozens of LEDS). As for the decoder requiring dismantling for fitting, that's absolutely ridiculous! In future I will wait until there is a general release of a desired Accurascale product and maybe I'll purchase an item, such as a class 37 or 31, when they get the all clear from reviews, such is the damaged done to my confidence from my recent experiences! If the products are good and sell well they will no doubt have a second production run anyway. Regards Julian
Been working my way through your videos, really enjoy your reviews especially as I have some of the models you have reviewed. Have got to ask how big is your layout and what is under the archway bridge it looks really high up. Great looking layout and similar era to mine 👌👍
Hi Richie, my layout is 8' x 4' though I do my best to make it appear bigger in my running sessions. The archway bridge is acually a matte background added in post - you'll notice it doesn't appear in my FGWR videos for example where I use an alternative. I'm long overdue to do a run through the layout, the good and the not so good and what I would do differently if starting out again. The layout is due an overhaul and expansion pending some building work but I need to make the best of it until then.
@@EuviRail you’ve done a great job making it appear bigger. It’s good to see layouts of that size as we aren’t all blessed with huge amounts of space for a layout. Mine is 9x5 so only slightly bigger. Would be great to see a layout video 👍
Beautiful looking coaches, such a shame about the lightning problems, but they aren’t the only coaches with duff lightning I’ve seen similar problems in Fleischmann, Roco and even Trix coaches and they cost a LOT more. I think that when they design the lighting they never get around to checking that apart from actually working that they do provide enough light and that the light is evenly distributed. 🤔
Absolutely, apart from the Bachmann MK2Fs I've seen very few good examples out of the box. With cheap ultrabright LEDs available there's little excuse these days though.
Great review and very helpful. I agree that the DT lighting control the user is left with little information about dcc control. For instance I believe there is a sugar cube speaker fitted but no mention of it or if Accurascale will be offering a suitable sound decoder. DC Kits have released one that works harmoniously with their class 68 chip to provide directional horns for example. However, the lack of stay alive means the sound features might be disappointing given the light flicker issue. Strange when Accurascale have fitted stay alive to all of the locomotives. The other puzzle on DT lighting control I've encountered using a Dapol 8 function imperium. I've fitted a decoder to one set and found the control is F0 marker lights not working directionally, F1 tail lights , F 2 nothing, F3 destination boards, F4 cab light. I lose the twin bright lower lights completely but they work on dc. Not sure why or if this is a pcb issue or if I've damage the light guide when refitting the body. Hopefully a dcc non sound and dcc sound chip will be offered by Accurascale. Charles
Thanks Charles. I did see similar behaviour with a DCC decoder I pulled from a loco. I suspected I may have reconfigured that decoder for the loco so put it aside and pulled a "clean" Imperium 6-channel decoder which is what I show in the video. I've just seen the sound support from Roads and Rails. You'll need a stay alive pack to go with that!
@@EuviRail perhaps you right about the decoder as I'd configured it to run the new Dapol 59 light set up. I had the same problem fitting a driver, filed the cab dash slightly to get him or her in!
Hello Eugene, uncanny how what I have just bought you review, same thing again i received mine early this week, I was lucky in getting the last batch ever? to be released. For me who normally has something drastically wrong with whatever I buy these are perfect, but I do agree with your comments regarding the lighting. Peter Dixon of Torridon Road (off RU-vid) had a great tip which I did on my end coach with buffers. Using a Hunt elite intermediate magnetic coupling super glue a piece of thin plasticard to the sides, this prevents twisting between loco and coach, I used a normal Hunt elite intermediate coupling on loco, I have had no problems pushing the rake. I've just received my Hornby Midland Pullman coaches and Midland Pullman class 43 set, is this the next review? Bill.
Hi Bill, glad to hear your coaches are trouble free - the lighting is what it is and not some failure on your units at least! That's great you got sorted with the coupler for push mode. Sounds like a good configuration and probably closer coupling that what I used. I'm switching scales to my next review actually - the TT:120 Easterner. They've been lots of reviews already but I want to give it the due diligence and consider it in light of the Kato N gauge set I reviewed before Christmas which is a pretty high bar. I haven't decided to go for the Midland Pullman set for budgetary reasons (have to draw the line somewhere) but it does look like a nice train. I like the look of Mk3 coaches - makes a change from the older Pullman coaches. My next 00 should be a fully loaded Gaugemaster/Dapol Class 59. I'm interested in seeing the smoke function on that one. Cheers, Eugene
That's a fair review, I'm wondering if they kept the lighting sparse and low key to negate any light bleed problems? It sounds like they succeeded but perhaps a hollow victory.
The Hornby Azuma had dim lighting and still glowed in the dark through the body! I think this model was never going to have a problem with bleed even if the intensity was cranked up. And remember it's both dim and uneven - only 3 LEDs in the main compartment - even if they were super bright the lighting would be uneven.
So they thought dim uneven lighting was Ok? Look at the reference video in the description. It should have been better. No excuses accepted. 3 LEDs in main compartment - I mean come on? Even the Hornby Azuma had about 8 LEDS though they were still all too dim.
Very pleased with almost all aspects of my set, though I’ve not run it as yet. I ordered it when first announced as - at that time, pre-Covid - Nova 3s were intended to run from Manchester Airport to Middlesbrough, then Redcar, then potentially Saltburn and my layout has a Teesside theme. My disappointment, then, is none of these destinations is offered as an option for the separate displays to be added in. Maybe Accurascale could offer them as a separate accessory for purchase? Knowing you like to see drivers to in cabs, personally I’m glad we have to source our own. These days, not all drivers are white males. My partner is Jamaican by birth. It would be good if we now had the option of being able to install women and BME drivers to modern image locos. Otherwise, many thanks Eugene for releasing this video in the middle of the night for us insomniacs!
Thanks Will. That's the problem with destination boards alright. An add-on kit could be in order as you say. Your point on drivers is a good one. There's a definite lack of diversity that's for sure!
I thought that your review was very fair. It was a little disappointing that the documentation gave no guidance on DCC fitment or CVs given that you needed to fit a chip (and it would have been nicer to have had a simpler method of access). The thing that bothers me most (apart from the back-to-back issues which I had to spend some time fixing before my set could run over Peco Code 75 points without derailing) is the flickering lights when the DT is leading. It should have had a stay-alive, although I guess you could add one to the DCC decoder if you run DCC. It seems that the connection from the pickups to the DT directional lighting is prone to lose contact quite easily - as you note it isn't just over points or on dirty track. Even on clean track there is a lot of flicker which is disappointing. Overall I think that they are great coaches and superb value. But some of those niggles take a little of the shine off.
Thanks for that. You have it in one with regard to the driving trailer pickups. If you unscrew the bogie and look at the pickup configuration you can see why it is so. It's a very neat assembly but introduces a second source of mechanical contact in the chain and with only one contact per axle it's going to struggle without a stay alive I'm afraid. The coach lighting stay alive is 5V which is why it's not used for the decoder. They're fab coaches otherwise. Thanks again for sharing your experience.
I am sorry to disagree, but you have overrated this with your high score even though you admit there are various lighting issues & faults.I have had to invest considerable time to correct the faults on the back to back measurements,the axles have been made to long and as a result of decreasing the back to backs the hub caps have fallen off,so I have had to file down the lengths of axles to allow the re gluing of the hubs.Also one of the coaches displays a wobble,& various loose pieces in the box that were not glued properly. I agree the magnetic coupling is the way for this to be attached to the loco,no issues with the same running speeds in either direction now that I have made it fit for purpose.
Good to know I am not the only one with derailment issues, having read your comment, mine is going back as there is no way I will be doing any modifications to it to make it fit for purpose.
Hi Jonathan, you don't seem to be alone with the back to back issues so based on the comments feedback and combined with your other issues I would agree with you that the scoring is too flattering and the performance and build quality scores would warrant a hit. Thanks for sharing.
