Don't Judge A Model By It's Cover...

A common criticism I see in the hobby these days is people complaining about the lack of die-cast metal on our models. It doesn’t help that some model railway YouTubers and reviewers have perpetuated this as a sign of quality. I’m guilty myself of getting excited when I notice a loco features die-cast construction but more worrying is when others are unfairly harsh towards a model because of the use of plastic instead of metal. Overall it’s a very simplistic way of looking at things and doesn’t take into consideration the overall implications.

Hornby have played their part in this too with their Dublo range - a selection of premium based models (along with a premium price to match) where the predominant feature is a die-cast body. This practice isn’t just limited to their Dublo models - the Hornby 9F, 2MT, J15 and various other models all come as standard with metal construction. The same goes for other manufacturers too: the Accurascale Manor has a metal boiler as does the SE&CR D Class from Dapol & Rails Of Sheffield.

In some ways it’s understandable, after all we’ve been conditioned to think of metal construction as meaning better quality. It’s not just in the hobby either, we generally have a sense that plastic is considered cheap and nasty while metal is better all round. But as I’ve already alluded to, this isn’t always the case.

You see, you get much more fidelity with injection moulded plastic. Die-cast metal is getting better all the time but a plastic body shell will provide finer detail when it comes to things like rivets and other moulded details. Die-cast can still work for things like boilers and boiler banding… but for general overall fidelity, injection moulding takes the top spot, especially given that modellers are always asking for more and better detail.

Ok, so what about making the less detailed parts out of metal and the sections that require more fidelity out of plastic? That would seem to make sense on the surface but again it’s not that simple. Using multiple parts like this tends to create join lines where the two materials meet which modellers don’t tend to be a fan of.

There also an economical cost to consider too. While the manufactures want to make the best models they can they also have to be aware of what we the consumers are willing to pay. A model with lots of different materials and parts drastically pushes up the assembly cost of the models at the factory, which is then reflected in the price we pay. Often it’s better to stick to injection moulded plastic to get the best detail, a consistent finish and a material that the factories are well adept at working with.

But this doesn’t mean our models should be entirely plastic. Quite the opposite in fact and the recent samples of Rapido UK’s GWR County Class in 00 Gauge are a good example of this.

Look at the exterior and you’ll see it’s mostly made of plastic. Yet inside the metal chassis provides plenty of weight. According to Rapido these samples weigh in at 430g - for reference, the Accurascale Class 31 is listed as weighing 455g and that’s a diesel loco with a decent chunk of metal weight inside the body shell.

To me that seems more than heavy enough to be capable of pulling rakes of RTR coaches or wagons and I imagine it wouldn’t struggle with heavy kit-built rolling stock either. Not forgetting that the metal on the inside doesn’t need loads of detail, it’s more about functionality here.

This really is a case of don’t judge a book - or ‘a model’ - by it’s cover. While on the outside this might look like a highly detailed model made out of plastic, it’s still got the heft and weight that lets you know it’s still a quality product.

Anyway, all this is essentially to say that Rapido have revealed the first running samples of their GWR County and they look pretty spectacular! I’m sure next time I’m down at Rapido HQ I’ll be able to put these in front of the camera to see how they perform so stay tuned.

In the meantime, you can place Pre-Orders in for the County at Rails Of Sheffield. Rapido also have order deadlines coming up on the 28th July for Ivor The Engine, the Manning Wardles, and the N Gauge Class 45s & 46s. Make sure to get your orders in to avoid missing out!