A J Rimmer

Ah, that would help yes, although as a newbie I can say that your 'Do not Post' thread did stand out to me. Am I right in thinking generally Airfix only subjects in the boards though?

For me it's a bit of both. Sometimes I'm happy to use the decals in the box, much like the Curtis Hawk I'm building now, or sometimes I like to do something different. I recently built the newish Spitfire Vb kit with some Xtradecals for a PRU Blu over Grey aircraft from the South African Air Force. I also like to do certain themes, I recently started building a collection of Iranian F-5s that required AM decals.

Thanks Richard, I take it that's the reason for the old 'DO NOT POST' forum forum? 😄 The new site looks good - I'll have a look about.

Hi All, Although my account goes back to 2017 I've not posted much, However, since joining the Airfix club I thought I might as well get involved in the forum a bit more - for that 'club' experience. Couple of quick questions though if you'll indulge me. In the topic specific forums (e.g. aircraft) there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of WIP style posts, just generally finished builds. Is WIP welcome, or is it generally frowned upon? Are we allowed to post up WIP/finished builds of non-Airfix kits, or is it generally (and quite understandably) only Airfix (I did see some non-Airfix stuff in the 'Recently purchased' thread). Cheers! AJ

Hi Guys, Quick question for someone who only joined the club for the first time last month. Are we supposed to get a hard copy of the Club Magazine through the post , and if so how often, or is it digital only? Cheers! Stuart

Mainly aircraft in 1/72 and 1/48, with the odd small scale armour model - typically WWII or late Cold War. I'm also keen on 90's era metal and plastic Citadel Miniatures.

@tvr - that's an awesome amount of info, thanks very much! I think the HST I have is quite an old one - probably from the 80's. Thanks for the links. I'll have a good look. The 0-4-0 is a nice idea, I was kind of thinking the same thing although I'm rather partial to the old BR 0-6-0 type shunters (the big blocky rectangular ones). That littler Bagnall looks goo though. Thanks Man! @96RAF - thanks for that advice, that sounds just the sort of thing I should do. It might have to wait until I move, but it'll happen, I think he'll get a lot more out of it, especially if I can power the points. @RDS - It's not actually an auto allocation. I'm on a few scale modelling forums and it's my normal forum name. I can however change it if you wish, it's not a problem.

Thanks! Yes I'd noticed that :-D Wire's all over the place! I don't think it'll be too long before it goes on a base board, even if it's just a flat board that we can put free standing scenery on so that it can be put up against the wall when not in use - but enough to hide the wiring. Also I'd like to power the points so he can control them from the same place of the signals and I don't think that would work well loose on the floor. Good fun though, the Flying Scotsman runs really well, less so the HST, I think it needs a service. The HM2000 is performing really well.

Hi All, Just wanted to thank you all for your help a few weeks back - I managed to get my son's new track up and running complete with working signals. Here're are a few shots. Close up - waiting at the lights!

@tvr - Thanks for the advice - you guys have been superb! :-D

@chris - thanks for that explanation, I'm glad I asked! It sounds like an interesting thing to play around with, and something I might look into in the future, but yeah, for these purposes it might be better to keep them separate - I have vison's of him running the train full tilt into the isolating track! @tvr - Good advice thanks. I will certainly screw it all down when I get the chance. I think some sort of stow-away board maybe the way to go as a next step, like the 6x4 ft table I used for wargaming when I was a teenager. I've found Sam's Trains last night funnily enough - I watched his review of controllers which is why I invested in a better one.

Thanks Chris! How does one of these isolating track sections affect the current coming from the power supply/controller?

That's a cool idea, thanks for that! I take it an isolating rail is a track section you can purchase that you just drop in to replace a track section? (or do you have to make one?)

Thanks Rob - I've ordered a new one so hopefully it'll be okay.

That's understandable - but as it is I think I'll stick to the HM2000. The reviews on youtube are pretty good. Thanks for all your help Chris (and Rob) - it's much appreciated! I'll let you know what I get sorted! Cheers!

Thanks Chris - I think I'm getting there, which is good as I've got to get ordering as it's his birthday in a few weeks! I know this is a Hornby forum, but rather than the HM2000, what about something like a Gaugemaster model D? edit - oh, and the plan (if he gets into it) would be to mount and pin it all when after we move to Wales in the summer.

Thanks Chris... That's really good to know - so something like a HM2000 (R8012) or HM4000? (and maybe use the R7229 just to power the LED signals?) edit - and thanks for the forewarning on the Trakmat.

Hi Chris - just got your edit as well - thanks for clearing that up!

Hi Chris, That is awesome answer thankyou - that's pretty much all I need to know! You're spot on that we only require something basic - this really will only be a 'toy' to begin with, and will be on the trackmat on the dining room table, so the R406 & R046 combination does indeed sound like the best combination. If he really gets into it (or if I do lol!), then yes I'll base if for him properly and do some proper scenery etc. Your point about the terminals leads me to another question. I've always loved the Intercity/HST 125 and have been looking for a good used one for him (he loves Steam and Diesels) - I've found a couple of older Starter sets in good condition that come complete with the older style controllers with the knurled nuts you mentioned - would the contents of these sets (tracks, power supply and controller) be compatible with the new starter sets like the Flying Scotsman? Cheers!

Thanks for that - Really helpful. Would that be the R7229 Controller? (Which is presumably the one that comes with the starter set?) I'm assuming you can only wire one signal into the accessory output?

Hi All, Good to meet you. First time poster on the forum with a basic question. I'm not a railway modeller (although I build a lot of Airfix models etc.) but my son has asked for a model railway for his birthday (he loves the model railway in Bourton on the water). Now, because he's autistic and we're hoping that this is something that we might be able to use prise him away from his electronic devices, my wife and I had decided to invest and get him something with some wow factor (although alas we can't quite afford DCC) as this might help get him into it and away from his games. We've got him a Flying Scotsman starter set, some additional track packs to make a 2nd circuit (B and C - thanks for the excellent 'getting started' PDF on these boards!) and a 2nd hand Intercity 125 (we might also get a building or two). I've also going to get a second controller, power supply and the correct connectors etc. as per your guide. This might sound like a lot, but we're going on the basis that we can sell it at a later date if he's uninterested... Anyway, getting to the point... One of the things he's asked for is working signal lights (Red, Green). It doesn't have to control the points or anything whizzy, just some thing where he can press a switch to change the colour and then manually stop the train next to them. The question I have is can you get this sort of thing with the switches already wired in, or is it something where I'm going to have to buy the pre-made lights, and wire in the switches, power etc? Any thoughts? Thanks in advance for any help. Cheers!