Unless you're in the Action Figure game, NECA if you buy it they will break. Haljin seems to be the railway model world's equivalent. But fully agree with you, NRFB model should run and a toy should not break out of the box.
Sam you are a good honest reviewer . That is why I like and trust your reviews. I would honestly like to know what is going on with Hornby . They raised their prices and lowered their quality. I do not think this is isolated instances . It has been happening to often now I have seen it on other reviewers. It is a beautiful engine but I would send it back if I were you. Good luck with it.
Bless you Louis, that's lovely to hear! It certainly isn't an isolated issue, though I wasn't aware of this being a problem with the King! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I do agree that Hornby's quality control is still, unfortunately, so variable but this engine and the B12 were made back in about 2015 so the point about raising their prices but reducing their quality is not clear cut. It would be interesting to know if the B12s they are currently selling on their website have better quality motors and thus actually worth anywhere near the £195 they want for them!
The issue is that they are trying to cash in on the surge of popularity since covid started, hoping to make the most they can knowing that the hobby will eventually hit a problem where the current modellers have used up all their disposable income and because it's such an expensive hobby younger generations simply won't take it up when they are more happy to play on a computer that they can buy for the price of just this trains RRP...
Hi Sam! I think you should: 1. Put the DCC tender on it, just to see how much lipstick can help the pig. Because science. 2. Get the airbrush and masking tape out and have a go at giving it a bit more of a modern shine with some satin/gloss varnish depending on how daring you are. 3. Make another step towards finding the perfect aliexpress generic motor for our needs and get it installed.
I was going to, but if the motor's faulty, I don't want to risk that TTS decoder getting fried. Adding some gloss is an awesome idea - I'd love to try that! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
When seeing the worm gear at 18:34 I was concerned with the distance between the worm gear and the gear underneath, it looked as if the teeth weren't meshing at all. I would check to see if the teeth are making good contact because I wonder if they are slipping, that would explain the clicking sound at low speeds.
Totally agree. Went looking in comments to see if anyone else had the same thought. I’d definitely be checking the meshing between the worm drive and gearing Sam
The gears are meshing with the worm, there are two gears on the shaft, one is big which meshes with the worm on the motor and there is a smaller gear which engages with more gears underneath that drives the wheels.
@@davidstrains4910 Thanks for explanation but for RRP of over £200 the mechanism should be faultless and the owner of the model shouldn't need to flaff around at all.
Honestly, seeing another Faulty loco from Hornby, it makes me glad that I'm buying locos from other companies. While not perfect, at least I know those ones can run quite well with a load behind them.
haha I don't blame you - Hornby are now the biggest culprit for faults in the models I review... and they're one of the most expensive now too!! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I second another comment made, although they are relatively expensive it would be cool if you did a couple of oo9 reviews and maybe make a new track for them with their narrow turning circles it could be interesting
Actually there was one Great Western engine larger than the King, namely a one-off 4-6-2 'Pacific' built in 1908. She was No. 111 'The Great Bear', and ended up being rebuilt as a Castle in 1924. I don't think my Dad would be happy with this model; the Kings are his favourite Great Western engines (though mine are the 72xx class 2-8-2T).
This is just the sort of thing I meant when I commented on your previous video about the 'better running' of modern models. Sadly, this sort of thing seems to be all too common with purchases of new models. I've certainly experienced a number myself that were defective right out of the box - not necessarily exactly like this, but not properly functioning. And this is why, if anything, I feel more confident buying a used quality model from well in the past than I do buying a brand new recent release. As a general suggestion, given how committed you are to fully and accurately reviewing the models that you purchase, I would suggest that you incorporate a multi-meter into your reviews, so that you can actually see how much current the loco is drawing. I'm pretty sure that you'd find that the current draw for faulty models like the B12 and this King would be unacceptably high for a modern model (though, of course, you would also find that much older models would routinely draw rather more power).
haha you're not wrong - it does seem fairly common, and increasingly so! It isn't as common with newer releases fortunately, and some manufacturers are certainly more prone to this than others. Thanks a lot for sharing! Cheers, Sam :) Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Both my Hornby B 12s ru n very well. I did have to return one originally, because it simply stopped moving, just sat on the track humming. Turns out the PCB was faulty. No issues with the new ones though. I find new models in general are excellent.
I recently bought a Hornby Star class very cheaply, £62 & it was exactly the same on crawl. I released the motor from its mount & held it vertically while i applied a little oil on the motor spindle as it exits its casing. I then applied power for a while still holding the motor vertically. The result was a completely different loco, able to crawl very slowly & very smoothly.
Hi Sam. Send it back to Hornby and get them to fix it, doing whatever it takes to make it a good runner. Then, make another video to take a look at what they did to it to get it working properly. I think it will be interesting to find out what they did.
Finally - a 'King' that looks like a 'King'; though why nobody has made the inside-to outside linkages work is a mystery. We've had 'Stars', 'Castles' and 'Kings', and yet nobody has made these essential features of the GW four-cylinder locomotive actually move! Had these been from a continental manufacturer, they would almost certainly be operational. Seeing a 'King' slip is an odd sight - the prototypes were incredibly sure-footed machines.
Hi Sam good video thanks. I just bought a King class today King Edward the v111 eighth no problem whatsoever perfect slow starter and runner you must have had a faulty locomotive. Thanks Sam Bryan
Evil sounds Good Sam. No only kidding try one of your new motor Jobbies. Great Video Sam show them what needs to be done. We are with you all the way. Bill Western Australia
Hi Sam. I purchased one of these from Hattons a while ago. (Early2020) and I had a brilliant experience with it. Ran nicely and no strange sounds. I don’t focus on performance a lot as I am happy just to see a rake behind it but I didn’t have any problems. Ultimately I had no issues and was very pleased with my purchase. But I do admit hornby quality for the last quarter of last year to now have definitely dropped off slightly. I blame the seagulls blocking all those drains and flooding the production floor haha
Sam a great review as always. You could put the naysayers to rest and fit a DCC chip and prove that DCC doesn't solve the issues. It looks like that Hornby has fired their QC staff!
I fitted a DCC decoder to a Smoky Joe (as an experiment because I had a spare). It transformed the running making it both smooth and capable of a decent crawl. Surprising, especially as the three pole, over geared mechanism made it very un scale-like before.
I'm wondering if its the brushes - new brushes are flat so make little contact with the commutator, which is why running in helps - but if the carbon used is harder than the old softer carbon, maybe it snags and grates at low speed until very smoothed into a curve, when more current would flow more easily? I could be way off mark though! Great reviews as usual Sam!
Well said. Unless something as sold and described as "Poor runner" or "Performance issues" or something along the lines, it shouldn't have performance issues. No amount of a discount matters if it doesn't work. I don't know how anyone can disagree. They might as well be saying you should be able to smash a model against the floor, sell it for a fiver and be doing nothing wrong. Just madness.
best Kings class i got was from the Cornish Riviera set a fair few years ago, 'King Charles 1' number 6010. I still have it, and it works great. Seems like I was wise to stick with it and not get a newer one ;) Thanks for the review
I bought the King George with TTS on board and it was and still is, Brilliant. My select controller went into the bin and I now use Digitrax. I totally agree with you regards purchase, Unless something is marked up specifically as faulty. Then it should WORK PROPERLY. Suggestion, Put a load of about 12 coaches behind it and run it at full whack for an hour.See if it gets any better, it looks to me as though it is a mechanical drive problem. Then if it doesn't improve. bin it or send it back.
It's not just Hornby. In the last 15 months I have bought six new locomotives and three of them have been damaged, one due to poor assembly and the other two down to courier transit from the retailer. I have two further locos on pre-order and fully expect one of them to be damaged. How can this have happened, especially when you consider how much more we are paying for our models? Another excellent review Sam....................send it back.
I'd definitely be curious to see a video on replacing the motor. It sounded like there was a grinding sound at the low speed, could something else in the mechanism be making that sound?
Great review as always Sam, and sorry you got a dud. I got a BR green one (6029) a couple of years ago when they were discounted, and the performance is very similar to yours at a crawl with the cogging/rattling sound. Weirdly, mine doesn’t have the torque issues though. Hope you get it sorted 👍🏻
I purchased a king after watching your first review (the same one in this video but a couple of years ago) of the king and was very happy that it run just like in your video. The Hornby models from a couple of years ago run much better than the newer ones. They seem to be very hit or miss of late. Have you ever considered doing a video on why some locos are built with certain mechanical features like for example fly wheels (one, two or none), bearings or no bearings as an example. As a starting hobbyist, I am perplexed why some locomotives are cheaper but have great mechanical features while an expensive model lacks from the same manufacture (example Hornby). Thanks for the reviews they are so helpful.
I would like you to test the model thoroughly to see if it does get better with time. Then I would appreciate you seeing if you can defintely trace the problem to the motor or something else. What is significant is that the model number is R3408 and thus it dates from about 5 or 6 years ago. Hence, it is as if at this time Hornby had a really bad period of bad motors: the same period as the S15, just before the H class and a similar time as the B12. I thought that the B12 was so cheap owing to the unpopular livery, but which I like!
Good review, get Hornby to rectify the fault and give you a full report on what was wrong and how they repaired it., and then show it ruining correctly. Yes a new loco should work correctly.
Totally correct, goods sold as working ought to work regardless of cost. But the audacity suggest anything more than a token fiver is cheap and you get what you pay for is insane. We recognise where the retail price comes from, but ultimately the material cost is double digits, not treble, and if it’s only fit to be a desk ornament, it might as well be £20 and come with a magazine of oft repeated myths and legends of the railways.
Huh… another faulty one? At a reduced price? Somebody knows something they aren’t telling us. I know manufacturing costs have gone up, but this is the same price range as the upgraded A1, and that had a die cast plate and firebox glow, so that definitely does not make any sense. Hornby are in a very strange place right now
i have had issues with some of the new hornby loco,s seems the blanking chips in tender are a bit on dodgy side seem suffer voltage drop i replaced a couple loco then ran fine
Christmas 2016 Hattons brochure has the R3384TTS King George I at £166. Doesn't say the list price because it isn't under the bargains. Autumn 2017 shows the non-TTS kings (R3408/09/10, as here) with RRP £181.99 reduced to £109, so this model is not new at all in terms of release. The Kings were the most powerful 4-6-0s, but the LMS Princess Coronations were certainly more powerful. The front bogie is designed like that because the inside cylinders wouldve fouled the inside frames at the front of the bogie, but the outside cylinders wouldve fouled the outside frames at the back of the bogie. As much as I like GWR locos, I've only got a 1980s tender drive King, a hornby dublo Castle, and 2 00s ringfield loco drive Castles. I could do with getting more modern versions, and a Star and a Hall too. This loco is the most juddery I've ever seen. And this is why I have trust issues with Hornby at the moment, why I haven't ordered a W1 or preordered Turbomotive.
Hi Sam. I bought a Hornby loco, from Hornby at Margate, very expensive. It also the Duchess of Kent it arrived minus the chimney. For the last 2 weeks they sent me a New one Alas after putting it on the track it didn't even start. I phoned Hornby they replaced it with another new one. It didn't even start again. So after 5 weeks I am now waiting to get my money back. Bryan
Hold up… if it’s against the law to not disclose the item as faulty, and this continues to happen, you might need to report this to the consumer commission, or whoever regulates this stuff. If this keeps happening, somebody knows they are faulty, which means they are not disclosing this information, and if that’s true, somebody will need to report this
You're right - I have a few more ready to review ASAP, if more of them are like it, I will consider reporting it/taking action, good idea! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Thats sad to see that the running was faulty I remember seeing your review of the king about 5 ish years ago and purchased 2 of them 1 dcc and 1 in a train pack. They both run tremendously well on although the dcc one's decoder burned up and I had to convert it to dc
Does anyone know, are all of Hornby's King class liveries detailed the same? I'm considering purchasing a King Henry III No. 6025 in the lighter blue livery to go with a rake of Pullmans, but I'm worried about making a mistake or purchasing the wrong one (this will be my first purchase (excluding railroad box sets from when I was young))
I'd say try replacing the motor for a more powerful upgrade... It'll be interesting how cheaply it can be improved over Hornby's attempt. I agree with the paintwork... Hornby have a knack of making paintwork look dull and dim.
There is no way a new locomotive should perform like this on analogue. It is faulty so return it for a full refund. A locomotive that does not run properly is no bargain.
@@SamsTrains The trouble with making it a project is that Hornby get away with selling a faulty locomotive. I know model railway people like to tinker with models and a lot probably do make them projects when they get them for a discount, but it means Hornby make money selling a faulty loco and don't have to replace it. Maybe this is why they end up on discount, though I hope Hornby has not sunk that low.
I have one fitted with a DCC decoder and it still cogs at low speeds, but not as bad as your new one. Gotta be the motor, could it be 3 pole? Anyway, can you possiblly find a better motor for it?
Hey Sam! Good video showing differences in DCC vs. Analog running. If you are looking for a more reliable DCC system, I'd personally recommend the NCE Power cab. You can buy boosters for more power later but for running few engines the basic power cab system should be enough. I do believe they make a UK power pack for it. :)
Hi Sam, I enjoy your reviews. Interestingly, I purchased this loco, King Edward II at a very good price of $220.00 AUD. I DCC fitted it, with a DCC Concepts decoder, which I rate as very good performers. Mine runs beautifully at all speeds, hauling decent loads. Perhaps your one is just faulty.
I bought a Hornby King Class recent at a heavily discounted prices and it does cog a tiny bit but it's only on the very slowest speeds and otherwise a fabulous model that will creep around at a scale walking pace. It is DCC and fitted with a home made stay alive however. I'm very pleased with it apart from a slight tendancy to wiggle its nose as it runs but it only shows fom the front. It is now sprayed gloss and lightly weathered too and looks truly stunning. Such an iconic design! I feel this 'discounted for a reason' shenanigans is becoming a thing with Hornby. I bought a Hornby B17 heavily discounted recently and it turned out to be an awful runner. After some investigation I found the metal weight block inside the tender was screwed down onto the tender pickup electrics and intermittently short circuiting it. A tiny bit of insulation tape later to fix a poor design and it is truly an amazing locomotive. Im fairly confident an otherwise excellent model is so discounted as Hornby know they have quality control issues. Hornby know how to make great models when they try and keep an eye on quality and not just money.
Send it back. I had a problem with an LGB wagon that I bought from Rails. It was described as used but not faulty, and certainly not missing a vital part of a mechanism. They have refused to refund me and have only offered a ten pound credit note.
Sam, I recently bought a loco with a very strange quirk. if you turn the power up slowly, it runs fine. If you turn the power up quickly from stopped though, it'll make a "Pop" sound, then wheelslip violently until it gains traction. And if you turn the power down while it's wheelslipping, it instantly dies. I think there's something wrong with the jankily wired DCC system.
My Brother has a Hornby King. Displaying the same symptoms as yours. Even on DCC it is a very poor performer at slow speeds. Although we are not experiencing the torque issues. Even after an hour in each direction it’s still not 100%.
that motor is definately experiencing bad contact on one of more of the poles could just be old stock thats been kept in a humid environment for a long while some deoxit sprayed into the commutator/brush housing and some run in afterward should fix the problem
You're absolutely right Sam. Whatever price you pay this is a RTR and should do so just well. But we know that the definition of RTR has changed. A real shame. I recently bought another J15 and had to adjust the wheel pickups on the tender wheels and remove the over-oiling on the chassis. The problem is: no Quality Control with China mfr, so one must be lucky to get a good performing loco. Unacceptable ! Appreciate your honest reviews. Thanks, Filip
Well, terribly sorry but we would be the ones to ask that annoying question. There are more perspectives than just the one. It's not set in stone. E.g., the audacity of shops and dealers to sell faulty returned items again at reduced prices isn't exactly a novelty as just one option... Perhaps... just perhaps in these days of financial difficulties everywhere could it perhaps be a common practice more than ever? (so high chance?) Then again, H’s random shenanigans…,? like a broken record… I agree that whatever the price, it should be RTR properly without disfuntional faults, but in these days everything is possible...
@@lindaoffenbach You make a point for in these dark days ALL is money based. Human values, respect and morality seem to degrade by the day. Strange thing is that most people accept this ! High tech, intelligence ...but no wisdom.
And you’re spot on. Regardless of price, no loco out of the box should be faulty! For yourself, it’s probably not the end of the world, as you have the resources and ability to fix some issues. but for the average modeller it is going to be impossible to repair!
If you wanted to try some other motors I would love to see you some how fit an athearn motor into it. You can get them used somewhat cheap on eBay and they're great motors usually they come with a nice pair a flywheels. I've been hooked on them since my first athearn loco.
Another good review.... frightening issues with the reduced engines. It seems to work at 60% is that not good enough. It would be hard to return from outside the UK. I am left confused. Is there an option to make them all DCC and then run it at 6 with the other KING on 5. Would the Kings be pulling both Pullman and Suburban coaches. Can you weather the plasticky appearance out of these sort of engines. Then finally what is it going to cost to make up the three trains you featured today including the weathering and some level of detailing (Driver and Passengers). Something I have struggled when looking at these things is what can I match with the locomotives and how long do the trains get in model form. Maybe you could show that some how.
judging by the clicking, I don't think that's cogging in the motor, I think it has some part that's malformed, and is having mechanical interference. Try running it for several hours, and compare before and after performance. I think it just needs a REALLY long running in, to wear in whatever malformed part is clicking, probably one of the gears. Alternatively, take it apart fully and look at the gears, and if you find one that's messed up, try 3d printing a replacement part. I really do think one of the gears has a messed up tooth or something that's creating a lot of resistance.
I love your videos, they are very informative and will be of use if I dive in OO modeling as I'm thinking of starting with OO9 models, either built to run or maybe a shape ways body on a Z or OO9 scale chassis
Exactly Sam not listed as faulty or factory seconds it's listed as brand new even at the discount price you expect your model to work as intended. The juddering almost sounds as if the motor cradle is broken its a heck of noise whatever it is.
Hi Sam No just return it I've got 4 of these modern King class loco's & they all don't perform like that. I only had a fault with one of them & Hornby replaced the tender chassis as the old one was causing the motor to overheat, other than that they have been amazing performers for me I cant speak for anybody though. My faulty one still performed better than your one though so I would return it and hopefully Hornby will get the hint about quality control. Also will you be reviewing the new Accurascale deltic's? thanks for the reveiw Sam as always, looking forward to the next one. Hopefully I didn't sound like I was bragging or anything
It's really sad how the consumer is being conditioned nowadays to almost expect faulty products when it's not supposed to be that way at all. Those people that said well if it's heavily discounted it must be bad didn't see your GG1 video where it was quite heavily discounted and was one of your top ten models for that year. I agree wholeheartedly that anything bend new should work flawlessly right out of the box and give you enjoyment at least initially and ideally for years to come. If faults pop up over time it's frustrating but not inspected but not right out of the box. At some point the manufacturers are going to have to realize they can't rely on their reputation for very long and can't just keep screwing over the customer forever we do have a limit on forgiving faulty models. Sorry for long comment ill get off my soap box now.
@@SamsTrains Glad you appreciate the feedback even if it seems long and dragged out. I'm like you I want to enjoy this hobby and not have to worry about brand new faulty products.
Changing the motor would be interesting. I agree with you - a discounted model should still work properly - you're not buying it to sit in its box or on a shelf.
I think you should have reviewed the one that you gave 10/10. Your arguement was that models should never be 10/10 well I think that same blue model should have been reviewed again to see if it really was worth the 10/10 rating otherwise it cancels that statement if you review completely different model especially when you look at the old review's performance of the king class. My hornby king class(6002 in late BR condition-Analog version) is 9.5/10 but mine was from 2019 so I can't compare it, rating-wise, to a 2021/2022 edition of the same loco. Maybe add build date/edition so that if you dont want people to confuse the performances of the 2017 edition to the most recent edition, people can find the exact editions to buy and not to buy. Otherwise great review, Sam's Trains!😄😁
An attempted repair or motor swap could be a beneficial learning experience for your viewers. I wish sellers would warn customers about the reason bargain locos are selling at a discount. Novices to the hobby or people buying a present for someone else would not know of problems when ordering online, while those in the hobby would be aware of reasons for discounts.
I think so too - and it's a way to actually get some enjoyment out of this damn thing! I wish they would too... but based on the questions I've asked, it seems as though the retailers don't know about the faults! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Great review. Not the locomotive specifically but the video. Make you make another series of rebuilding and repairing locomotives like for Salvage or Scrap.
There is nothing more disappointing than buying something that doesn't work. If it's bought as "seconds" or used then you can expect it sometimes, but not from new items. The quality control on model rolling stock from most manufacturers seems to be seriously inadequate. Having said that, the model looks nice and I'd take a gamble on one at the price you paid. I live in Australia so would have to fix it myself as postage is so costly, but I'm comfortable with that.
I have a 2 year old King Charles II and although not as bad as yours does cog a bit when starting even with a DCC decoder installed and fine tuned BEMF. I don’t know why they used such an unreliable motor in these as compared to the really nice 5 pole motor in the Bulleid light and heavy pacifics and the A4s which run beautifully.
Enjoying our evening coffee and watching another Sam’s Trains. Lovely. Cracking model to look at. Terribly sorry but we would be the ones to ask that annoying question you and others so dislike. There are more perspectives than just the one. It's not set in stone. E.g., the audacity of shops and dealers to sell faulty returned items again at reduced prices isn't exactly a novelty as just one option... Perhaps... just perhaps in these days of financial difficulties everywhere could it perhaps be a common practice more than ever? Then again, H’s random shenanigans…,? like a broken record… “Where is my hammer”, LOL, hahah. Hopefully some remain making the difference such as the Peckett’s. Converted Daphne is now running happily on our layout Sam. However, a question; H delivers them with the same classic simple / cheap trivial 12 volt can motor like in this King class (and 3-pole we suppose). Would you have an idea for how long these last typically when okay from the start? We did find replacements on Aliexpress for just over 1 USD (12-24 volts rated) as a backup so not much of an issue, but we were wondering what your experiences might be with these motors from H.
Well to be safe you might be buying 10 replacement motors to have just 1 functioning ok ! Chinese rubbish - be aware.... and IF you order arrives after all !!
I bought the same model, and another King at the same time, both discounted. I run on dcc and both have the same cogging at slow speed problem. I bought two replacement Hornby motors to see if I could improve the crawl, but it made little difference - one improved very slightly but not enough, and the other made no difference. Torque seems ok, but my layout it fairly level. The old saying is "once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, but three times is enemy action". There is too much evidence of these discounted models being faulty for it to be a coincidence.
I picked up a King Class from Kernow for 114 pounds. The only thing wrong with it was the the fall-plate was in the packaging, something that is rather commonplace for me since I live overseas. I tend to get my big tender engines at bargain prices since shipping is an absolute money sucker. The only problems I have with them are usually cosmetic - loose buffers, broken decals, etc. I've never had running issues from bargain locos.
My King runs well on my rickety DC layout. I agree unless an item is described as faulty we should expect it to work properly irrespective of the price. Regards Paul.
You are right. It does not matter how much discount you get, unless stated, it should work properly. Return it and get another one. There is no excuse for it to run like that. Hornby are charging more and more but the product quality is rubbish! Their attitude towards their clients is NOT right. These are not what Mr. Hornby says (you are buying a memory.) Unless this is the memory he means.
Interesting review as usual....I got my King Class 6001 King William IV last year at a discounted price and your review played a large part in my decision, never regretted it, it ran well on DC and since fitting DCC runs well there too, but it has never missed a beat on either. Overall a great loco, I think I paid GBP115 in 2020 (RRP was around GBP150). from my point of view I have to disagree with it being a plastic look, well as far as my model is concerned, but do agree that the plastic 'brass bits' could be electroplated, and the loco RRP is obviously overpriced when you consider the new Dapol Manor is GBP260 DCC with Sound fitted. May there be another reason these 'bargain' models are prone to faults. I agree that a brand new loco should not be faulty but maybe they aren't exactly brand new, maybe some factory seconds are being released into the marketplace. Several of your recent Hornby purchases have been 'bargains', cheaper than one would expect and ultimately disappointing. At the end of the day return I'd return them (easy for me to say as in OZ retailers have no option but refund if a product is not fit for use) ...Drew
Hey Sam. Great review. I have about 5 of these. Funny enough at least 1 is exactly the same as yours, even on DCC. I thought it was just me or the chip, but as it appears it is not. Lovely looking engine though, except in my view the green is too light. I have a few older kings from the early 2000's (may even be the late 1990's) and the greens are so different, the new ones just look 'wrong'; but that is my view. Do you think a new motor will help with the problem? Stay well.
Thanks a lot for sharing - that's very interesting! Yes quite a few people have issues with Hornby's greens... I've felt the same on occasion! Yeah I'm pretty sure a new motor would solve this! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Yes, this is eight months ago, and no, I haven't read every one of the 421 comments on here, so there's a possibility I might be repeating what someone else has already said, but I think there's a really big clue in the detailing pack which might explain what's gone on here. With all the locos I've ever bought, either brand new from the manufacturer or a retailer, or from that well-known auction site but described as new, the detailing pack has been *sealed*, and the same goes for etched nameplates, headboards and the like. This supposedly new King class has an accessories bag, but as Sam says, it's a *resealable* one, and not only that, the etched cabside numbers are floating about loose in it, rather than being protected in a separate bag, as they would normally be. Now all this says to me the loco isn't brand new - it seems highly likely that someone's had it before Sam, tried it out, found it was a rubbish runner and sent it back, then the retailer has resold it (either knowingly or unknowingly) "as new", at a heavily discounted price. The crucial thing here I think is that the previous owner opened the detailing pack, and before returning the loco, resealed its contents in a new bag. I may be wrong, but every time I've seen a resealable detailing pack, I know someone's had the loco before me and it's not brand new. Anyway, that's my theory and I'm sticking to it !
I got one earlier this year, probably around the same time as you but my one is second hand. My one is perfect, it has a more realistic finish than yours, slightly neater paintwork and its a really nice runner, better than my merchant navy (except the flywheel obviously). I think you maybe got a bad example.
Conspiracy time! Hornby are selling faulty models for cheap to retailers and keeping good ones back. The retailers sell the engines at a discount to customers. Hornby then hope that this puts people off retailers and gets them more direct sales at their price. Or I’ve had to much caffeine today.-Das Mann
change the motor and se what happens. but i would return the loco it does not matter if you paid full rrp or paid a bargain price . if you change the motor i have a fun fact marklin has a ringfield type motor that is five pole. so acording to marklins booklet it fits a class 37 that what i red in the booklet. but i feel that change the motor to a bulk chinese five pole motor. Keep up the good work sam. ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪👍👍👍👍
I'm wondering whether these locos are bargains because not many people have bought one soon after manufacturer. Therefore they were manufactured at the same time and Hornby had a bad batch of motors. Was it the same motor in the B12? Are there better motors than Hornby's standard ones which fit?
Well really you should return it . However you have the capability to dissect it and find out what the matter is , much as you did with the B12 . Maybe try a new motor to see if it is any different. Of course you really don’t need to do it but it might show Hornby they really need to get act together and improve quality .
Sounds like a Geiger counter when it's jittering about, lol! Also, might be a little late, but do a "destruction review", a bit like what ageing wheels does. If you havnt heard of him, check those videos out, they are hilarious
Hi sam im glad you reviewed this loco as I picked one up from amazon last December for 103 pounds it runs absolutely fine, sorry to see its faulty, i think you should expiment on it 👍
I would like to see, if not hear, it follow the power pack down the loft ladder. Or maybe it could be used at a cricket match? Another incisive review. I spend hard earned money on British trains, but not until I know what Sam has to say. If I might offer one suggestion: I'd really like to see these pieces, power or wagon, travel through some of that intricate point work. This will separate the wheat from the chaff in quick order.
You're 100% correct, Sam. A brand new loco should not be faulty, regardless of the purchase price
Thanks Stephen! Seems so obvious doesn't it? Though apparently not to some xD
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Unless you're in the Action Figure game, NECA if you buy it they will break. Haljin seems to be the railway model world's equivalent. But fully agree with you, NRFB model should run and a toy should not break out of the box.
But for free? Its ok maby
Sam you are a good honest reviewer . That is why I like and trust your reviews. I would honestly like to know what is going on with Hornby . They raised their prices and lowered their quality. I do not think this is isolated instances . It has been happening to often now I have seen it on other reviewers. It is a beautiful engine but I would send it back if I were you. Good luck with it.
Bless you Louis, that's lovely to hear! It certainly isn't an isolated issue, though I wasn't aware of this being a problem with the King!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains What’s wrong with hornby? Too expensive for a crappy model. I would not buy steam engines from them really except for the A3s
I do agree that Hornby's quality control is still, unfortunately, so variable but this engine and the B12 were made back in about 2015 so the point about raising their prices but reducing their quality is not clear cut. It would be interesting to know if the B12s they are currently selling on their website have better quality motors and thus actually worth anywhere near the £195 they want for them!
The issue is that they are trying to cash in on the surge of popularity since covid started, hoping to make the most they can knowing that the hobby will eventually hit a problem where the current modellers have used up all their disposable income and because it's such an expensive hobby younger generations simply won't take it up when they are more happy to play on a computer that they can buy for the price of just this trains RRP...
Sam has saved me much trouble and found me excellent locomotives from many of the manufacturers. Without his help I'd be in a world of hurt.
Hi Sam!
I think you should:
1. Put the DCC tender on it, just to see how much lipstick can help the pig. Because science.
2. Get the airbrush and masking tape out and have a go at giving it a bit more of a modern shine with some satin/gloss varnish depending on how daring you are.
3. Make another step towards finding the perfect aliexpress generic motor for our needs and get it installed.
I was going to, but if the motor's faulty, I don't want to risk that TTS decoder getting fried. Adding some gloss is an awesome idea - I'd love to try that!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
When seeing the worm gear at 18:34 I was concerned with the distance between the worm gear and the gear underneath, it looked as if the teeth weren't meshing at all. I would check to see if the teeth are making good contact because I wonder if they are slipping, that would explain the clicking sound at low speeds.
Totally agree. Went looking in comments to see if anyone else had the same thought. I’d definitely be checking the meshing between the worm drive and gearing Sam
Good point - but instead of flaffing around, wasting time and possibly voiding warranty - would return the loco for a full refund.
The gears are meshing with the worm, there are two gears on the shaft, one is big which meshes with the worm on the motor and there is a smaller gear which engages with more gears underneath that drives the wheels.
@@davidstrains4910 Thanks for explanation but for RRP of over £200 the mechanism should be faultless and the owner of the model shouldn't need to flaff around at all.
@@dafyddthomas7299 please don’t think I was defending, it should be perfect especially if someone is paying in excess of £200.
Honestly, seeing another Faulty loco from Hornby, it makes me glad that I'm buying locos from other companies. While not perfect, at least I know those ones can run quite well with a load behind them.
haha I don't blame you - Hornby are now the biggest culprit for faults in the models I review... and they're one of the most expensive now too!!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I second another comment made, although they are relatively expensive it would be cool if you did a couple of oo9 reviews and maybe make a new track for them with their narrow turning circles it could be interesting
I totally agree with this! I’ve been wanting to get into 009 modeling myself and would love to see reviews of models made my Sam!
I think that was my comment
I'd really love to - as soon as I get some more space, I'll definitely do that! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@dakshanbalaramesh ah thank you, sorry I couldn't find it when I first looked
Actually there was one Great Western engine larger than the King, namely a one-off 4-6-2 'Pacific' built in 1908. She was No. 111 'The Great Bear', and ended up being rebuilt as a Castle in 1924.
I don't think my Dad would be happy with this model; the Kings are his favourite Great Western engines (though mine are the 72xx class 2-8-2T).
This is just the sort of thing I meant when I commented on your previous video about the 'better running' of modern models. Sadly, this sort of thing seems to be all too common with purchases of new models. I've certainly experienced a number myself that were defective right out of the box - not necessarily exactly like this, but not properly functioning. And this is why, if anything, I feel more confident buying a used quality model from well in the past than I do buying a brand new recent release. As a general suggestion, given how committed you are to fully and accurately reviewing the models that you purchase, I would suggest that you incorporate a multi-meter into your reviews, so that you can actually see how much current the loco is drawing. I'm pretty sure that you'd find that the current draw for faulty models like the B12 and this King would be unacceptably high for a modern model (though, of course, you would also find that much older models would routinely draw rather more power).
haha you're not wrong - it does seem fairly common, and increasingly so! It isn't as common with newer releases fortunately, and some manufacturers are certainly more prone to this than others. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Cheers,
Sam :)
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Both my Hornby B 12s ru n very well. I did have to return one originally, because it simply stopped moving, just sat on the track humming. Turns out the PCB was faulty. No issues with the new ones though. I find new models in general are excellent.
I recently bought a Hornby Star class very cheaply, £62 & it was exactly the same on crawl. I released the motor from its mount & held it vertically while i applied a little oil on the motor spindle as it exits its casing. I then applied power for a while still holding the motor vertically. The result was a completely different loco, able to crawl very slowly & very smoothly.
Hi Sam. Send it back to Hornby and get them to fix it, doing whatever it takes to make it a good runner. Then, make another video to take a look at what they did to it to get it working properly. I think it will be interesting to find out what they did.
I see Hornby have out done themselves again Sam! Thanks for an honest and informative video as always👍
haha very much so! It's a pleasure my friend, glad you liked it!
Cheers,
Sam :)
Hi Sam,
I'd do a video on sending it back and getting a replacement to show quality control and customer service.
Finally - a 'King' that looks like a 'King'; though why nobody has made the inside-to outside linkages work is a mystery. We've had 'Stars', 'Castles' and 'Kings', and yet nobody has made these essential features of the GW four-cylinder locomotive actually move! Had these been from a continental manufacturer, they would almost certainly be operational. Seeing a 'King' slip is an odd sight - the prototypes were incredibly sure-footed machines.
Hiya, The noise it making @ 20:44 sounds like a Metal detector!!! 🤔🚂🚂🚂
Hi Sam good video thanks. I just bought a King class today King Edward the v111 eighth no problem whatsoever perfect slow starter and runner you must have had a faulty locomotive. Thanks Sam Bryan
Evil sounds Good Sam. No only kidding try one of your new motor Jobbies. Great Video Sam show them what needs to be done. We are with you all the way. Bill Western Australia
Hi Sam.
I purchased one of these from Hattons a while ago. (Early2020) and I had a brilliant experience with it. Ran nicely and no strange sounds.
I don’t focus on performance a lot as I am happy just to see a rake behind it but I didn’t have any problems.
Ultimately I had no issues and was very pleased with my purchase. But I do admit hornby quality for the last quarter of last year to now have definitely dropped off slightly.
I blame the seagulls blocking all those drains and flooding the production floor haha
That's very good to hear Austin - glad to hear yours was issue-free! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I have no context for the 'seagulls' bit, but it sounds amazing and I love it already.
Sam a great review as always. You could put the naysayers to rest and fit a DCC chip and prove that DCC doesn't solve the issues. It looks like that Hornby has fired their QC staff!
I fitted a DCC decoder to a Smoky Joe (as an experiment because I had a spare). It transformed the running making it both smooth and capable of a decent crawl. Surprising, especially as the three pole, over geared mechanism made it very un scale-like before.
I'm wondering if its the brushes - new brushes are flat so make little contact with the commutator, which is why running in helps - but if the carbon used is harder than the old softer carbon, maybe it snags and grates at low speed until very smoothed into a curve, when more current would flow more easily? I could be way off mark though! Great reviews as usual Sam!
Well said. Unless something as sold and described as "Poor runner" or "Performance issues" or something along the lines, it shouldn't have performance issues. No amount of a discount matters if it doesn't work.
I don't know how anyone can disagree. They might as well be saying you should be able to smash a model against the floor, sell it for a fiver and be doing nothing wrong.
Just madness.
best Kings class i got was from the Cornish Riviera set a fair few years ago, 'King Charles 1' number 6010. I still have it, and it works great. Seems like I was wise to stick with it and not get a newer one ;) Thanks for the review
I bought the King George with TTS on board and it was and still is, Brilliant. My select controller went into the bin and I now use Digitrax. I totally agree with you regards purchase, Unless something is marked up specifically as faulty. Then it should WORK PROPERLY. Suggestion, Put a load of about 12 coaches behind it and run it at full whack for an hour.See if it gets any better, it looks to me as though it is a mechanical drive problem. Then if it doesn't improve. bin it or send it back.
It's not just Hornby. In the last 15 months I have bought six new locomotives and three of them have been damaged, one due to poor assembly and the other two down to courier transit from the retailer. I have two further locos on pre-order and fully expect one of them to be damaged. How can this have happened, especially when you consider how much more we are paying for our models? Another excellent review Sam....................send it back.
Could review a narrow gauge train like the "prince" made by peco
That would be amazing - maybe one day! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I'd definitely be curious to see a video on replacing the motor. It sounded like there was a grinding sound at the low speed, could something else in the mechanism be making that sound?
Great review as always Sam, and sorry you got a dud. I got a BR green one (6029) a couple of years ago when they were discounted, and the performance is very similar to yours at a crawl with the cogging/rattling sound. Weirdly, mine doesn’t have the torque issues though. Hope you get it sorted 👍🏻
I got mine last Christmas and it runs just fine
It’s very strange that in a few months the performance of this product was decreased
I purchased a king after watching your first review (the same one in this video but a couple of years ago) of the king and was very happy that it run just like in your video. The Hornby models from a couple of years ago run much better than the newer ones. They seem to be very hit or miss of late. Have you ever considered doing a video on why some locos are built with certain mechanical features like for example fly wheels (one, two or none), bearings or no bearings as an example. As a starting hobbyist, I am perplexed why some locomotives are cheaper but have great mechanical features while an expensive model lacks from the same manufacture (example Hornby). Thanks for the reviews they are so helpful.
Maybe you could do a review of DCC systems seeing which is the best in terms of price, ease of use and setup, and how the loco’s act on each system.
I think you should return it and see if it was just a one off fault. Great reviews Sam 👌
I would like you to test the model thoroughly to see if it does get better with time. Then I would appreciate you seeing if you can defintely trace the problem to the motor or something else.
What is significant is that the model number is R3408 and thus it dates from about 5 or 6 years ago. Hence, it is as if at this time Hornby had a really bad period of bad motors: the same period as the S15, just before the H class and a similar time as the B12.
I thought that the B12 was so cheap owing to the unpopular livery, but which I like!
Good review, get Hornby to rectify the fault and give you a full report on what was wrong and how they repaired it., and then show it ruining correctly. Yes a new loco should work correctly.
Totally correct, goods sold as working ought to work regardless of cost. But the audacity suggest anything more than a token fiver is cheap and you get what you pay for is insane. We recognise where the retail price comes from, but ultimately the material cost is double digits, not treble, and if it’s only fit to be a desk ornament, it might as well be £20 and come with a magazine of oft repeated myths and legends of the railways.
Huh… another faulty one? At a reduced price?
Somebody knows something they aren’t telling us.
I know manufacturing costs have gone up, but this is the same price range as the upgraded A1, and that had a die cast plate and firebox glow, so that definitely does not make any sense.
Hornby are in a very strange place right now
I suspect so too - and the more examples I find, the harder it'll be to disprove. They sure are!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Picked up one of these in BR Express Blue a year or two ago and haven't had any issues with it.
i have had issues with some of the new hornby loco,s seems the blanking chips in tender are a bit on dodgy side seem suffer voltage drop i replaced a couple loco then ran fine
Christmas 2016 Hattons brochure has the R3384TTS King George I at £166. Doesn't say the list price because it isn't under the bargains. Autumn 2017 shows the non-TTS kings (R3408/09/10, as here) with RRP £181.99 reduced to £109, so this model is not new at all in terms of release.
The Kings were the most powerful 4-6-0s, but the LMS Princess Coronations were certainly more powerful. The front bogie is designed like that because the inside cylinders wouldve fouled the inside frames at the front of the bogie, but the outside cylinders wouldve fouled the outside frames at the back of the bogie.
As much as I like GWR locos, I've only got a 1980s tender drive King, a hornby dublo Castle, and 2 00s ringfield loco drive Castles. I could do with getting more modern versions, and a Star and a Hall too.
This loco is the most juddery I've ever seen. And this is why I have trust issues with Hornby at the moment, why I haven't ordered a W1 or preordered Turbomotive.
Hi Sam. I bought a Hornby loco, from Hornby at Margate, very expensive. It also the Duchess of Kent it arrived minus the chimney. For the last 2 weeks they sent me a New one Alas after putting it on the track it didn't even start. I phoned Hornby they replaced it with another new one. It didn't even start again. So after 5 weeks I am now waiting to get my money back. Bryan
So sorry to hear that Brian - what an utter disaster on their part - I really hope all is sorted for you soon my friend,
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hold up… if it’s against the law to not disclose the item as faulty, and this continues to happen, you might need to report this to the consumer commission, or whoever regulates this stuff. If this keeps happening, somebody knows they are faulty, which means they are not disclosing this information, and if that’s true, somebody will need to report this
You're right - I have a few more ready to review ASAP, if more of them are like it, I will consider reporting it/taking action, good idea!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Thats sad to see that the running was faulty I remember seeing your review of the king about 5 ish years ago and purchased 2 of them 1 dcc and 1 in a train pack. They both run tremendously well on although the dcc one's decoder burned up and I had to convert it to dc
9:40 Also note the different style of steam pipes
Yeah absolutely - amazing variations!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Does anyone know, are all of Hornby's King class liveries detailed the same?
I'm considering purchasing a King Henry III No. 6025 in the lighter blue livery to go with a rake of Pullmans, but I'm worried about making a mistake or purchasing the wrong one (this will be my first purchase (excluding railroad box sets from when I was young))
I'd say try replacing the motor for a more powerful upgrade... It'll be interesting how cheaply it can be improved over Hornby's attempt. I agree with the paintwork... Hornby have a knack of making paintwork look dull and dim.
That would be interesting actually - probably a decent amount of room in there for something beefier!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
GWR paint looks really drab when it's matt like this. It doesn't help that pne GWR 4-6-0 looks much the same as another.
There is no way a new locomotive should perform like this on analogue. It is faulty so return it for a full refund. A locomotive that does not run properly is no bargain.
Absolutely Paul - I may do, I may make it a project!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains The trouble with making it a project is that Hornby get away with selling a faulty locomotive. I know model railway people like to tinker with models and a lot probably do make them projects when they get them for a discount, but it means Hornby make money selling a faulty loco and don't have to replace it. Maybe this is why they end up on discount, though I hope Hornby has not sunk that low.
I have one fitted with a DCC decoder and it still cogs at low speeds, but not as bad as your new one. Gotta be the motor, could it be 3 pole? Anyway, can you possiblly find a better motor for it?
Hey Sam! Good video showing differences in DCC vs. Analog running. If you are looking for a more reliable DCC system, I'd personally recommend the NCE Power cab. You can buy boosters for more power later but for running few engines the basic power cab system should be enough. I do believe they make a UK power pack for it. :)
Hi Sam, I enjoy your reviews. Interestingly, I purchased this loco, King Edward II at a very good price of $220.00 AUD. I DCC fitted it, with a DCC Concepts decoder, which I rate as very good performers. Mine runs beautifully at all speeds, hauling decent loads. Perhaps your one is just faulty.
I bought a Hornby King Class recent at a heavily discounted prices and it does cog a tiny bit but it's only on the very slowest speeds and otherwise a fabulous model that will creep around at a scale walking pace. It is DCC and fitted with a home made stay alive however. I'm very pleased with it apart from a slight tendancy to wiggle its nose as it runs but it only shows fom the front. It is now sprayed gloss and lightly weathered too and looks truly stunning. Such an iconic design!
I feel this 'discounted for a reason' shenanigans is becoming a thing with Hornby. I bought a Hornby B17 heavily discounted recently and it turned out to be an awful runner. After some investigation I found the metal weight block inside the tender was screwed down onto the tender pickup electrics and intermittently short circuiting it. A tiny bit of insulation tape later to fix a poor design and it is truly an amazing locomotive. Im fairly confident an otherwise excellent model is so discounted as Hornby know they have quality control issues.
Hornby know how to make great models when they try and keep an eye on quality and not just money.
She was a Stafford road loco at one point saw on box Wolverhampton I live 5 mins away from the site of the old shed
Send it back. I had a problem with an LGB wagon that I bought from Rails. It was described as used but not faulty, and certainly not missing a vital part of a mechanism. They have refused to refund me and have only offered a ten pound credit note.
Sam, I recently bought a loco with a very strange quirk. if you turn the power up slowly, it runs fine. If you turn the power up quickly from stopped though, it'll make a "Pop" sound, then wheelslip violently until it gains traction. And if you turn the power down while it's wheelslipping, it instantly dies. I think there's something wrong with the jankily wired DCC system.
My Brother has a Hornby King. Displaying the same symptoms as yours. Even on DCC it is a very poor performer at slow speeds. Although we are not experiencing the torque issues. Even after an hour in each direction it’s still not 100%.
that motor is definately experiencing bad contact on one of more of the poles could just be old stock thats been kept in a humid environment for a long while some deoxit sprayed into the commutator/brush housing and some run in afterward should fix the problem
I wonder if we'll ever see a RTR model of the GWRs' Great Bear?
I emailed KR models with the GWR Great Bear as a ‘yes please’ if they’d like to consider making one.
It would be great to see you review the roco usatc s160.
You're absolutely right Sam. Whatever price you pay this is a RTR and should do so just well. But we know that the definition of RTR has changed. A real shame. I recently bought another J15 and had to adjust the wheel pickups on the tender wheels and remove the over-oiling on the chassis. The problem is: no Quality Control with China mfr, so one must be lucky to get a good performing loco. Unacceptable ! Appreciate your honest reviews. Thanks, Filip
Well, terribly sorry but we would be the ones to ask that annoying question. There are more perspectives than just the one. It's not set in stone. E.g., the audacity of shops and dealers to sell faulty returned items again at reduced prices isn't exactly a novelty as just one option... Perhaps... just perhaps in these days of financial difficulties everywhere could it perhaps be a common practice more than ever? (so high chance?) Then again, H’s random shenanigans…,? like a broken record… I agree that whatever the price, it should be RTR properly without disfuntional faults, but in these days everything is possible...
@@lindaoffenbach You make a point for in these dark days ALL is money based. Human values, respect and morality seem to degrade by the day. Strange thing is that most people accept this ! High tech, intelligence ...but no wisdom.
And you’re spot on. Regardless of price, no loco out of the box should be faulty!
For yourself, it’s probably not the end of the world, as you have the resources and ability to fix some issues. but for the average modeller it is going to be impossible to repair!
Awesome video today Sam beautiful modle I think you should try and see what the fault is
If you wanted to try some other motors I would love to see you some how fit an athearn motor into it. You can get them used somewhat cheap on eBay and they're great motors usually they come with a nice pair a flywheels. I've been hooked on them since my first athearn loco.
Another good review.... frightening issues with the reduced engines. It seems to work at 60% is that not good enough. It would be hard to return from outside the UK. I am left confused. Is there an option to make them all DCC and then run it at 6 with the other KING on 5. Would the Kings be pulling both Pullman and Suburban coaches. Can you weather the plasticky appearance out of these sort of engines. Then finally what is it going to cost to make up the three trains you featured today including the weathering and some level of detailing (Driver and Passengers).
Something I have struggled when looking at these things is what can I match with the locomotives and how long do the trains get in model form. Maybe you could show that some how.
judging by the clicking, I don't think that's cogging in the motor, I think it has some part that's malformed, and is having mechanical interference. Try running it for several hours, and compare before and after performance. I think it just needs a REALLY long running in, to wear in whatever malformed part is clicking, probably one of the gears.
Alternatively, take it apart fully and look at the gears, and if you find one that's messed up, try 3d printing a replacement part. I really do think one of the gears has a messed up tooth or something that's creating a lot of resistance.
I love your videos, they are very informative and will be of use if I dive in OO modeling as I'm thinking of starting with OO9 models, either built to run or maybe a shape ways body on a Z or OO9 scale chassis
Sam. Great narrating as standard. 👌
I have a gaugemaster prodigy express 2. A great DCC controller and affordable.
Much better than the Select 👍🏻
Exactly Sam not listed as faulty or factory seconds it's listed as brand new even at the discount price you expect your model to work as intended. The juddering almost sounds as if the motor cradle is broken its a heck of noise whatever it is.
Hi Sam
No just return it I've got 4 of these modern King class loco's & they all don't perform like that.
I only had a fault with one of them & Hornby replaced the tender chassis as the old one was causing the motor to overheat, other than that they have been amazing performers for me I cant speak for anybody though. My faulty one still performed better than your one though so I would return it and hopefully Hornby will get the hint about quality control.
Also will you be reviewing the new Accurascale deltic's?
thanks for the reveiw Sam as always, looking forward to the next one. Hopefully I didn't sound like I was bragging or anything
It's really sad how the consumer is being conditioned nowadays to almost expect faulty products when it's not supposed to be that way at all. Those people that said well if it's heavily discounted it must be bad didn't see your GG1 video where it was quite heavily discounted and was one of your top ten models for that year. I agree wholeheartedly that anything bend new should work flawlessly right out of the box and give you enjoyment at least initially and ideally for years to come. If faults pop up over time it's frustrating but not inspected but not right out of the box. At some point the manufacturers are going to have to realize they can't rely on their reputation for very long and can't just keep screwing over the customer forever we do have a limit on forgiving faulty models.
Sorry for long comment ill get off my soap box now.
It is sad, you're right! And don't apologise for the long comment - they're always much appreciated!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Glad you appreciate the feedback even if it seems long and dragged out. I'm like you I want to enjoy this hobby and not have to worry about brand new faulty products.
Me got a king class its fine.mines a lima tender drive. Love Stephen.
I just got one of those on Ebay for 50pownds earlier release but same engine . Cheap as chips
I'll stick with my 1970's Hornby GWR King Class I bought as "non-functional," though all she needed was a bit of cleaning and adjustments.
Changing the motor would be interesting. I agree with you - a discounted model should still work properly - you're not buying it to sit in its box or on a shelf.
The green shade is so off on this it reminds me of the 70s model. When I bought one I went for the blue livery as it has a much better finish.
I think you should have reviewed the one that you gave 10/10. Your arguement was that models should never be 10/10 well I think that same blue model should have been reviewed again to see if it really was worth the 10/10 rating otherwise it cancels that statement if you review completely different model especially when you look at the old review's performance of the king class. My hornby king class(6002 in late BR condition-Analog version) is 9.5/10 but mine was from 2019 so I can't compare it, rating-wise, to a 2021/2022 edition of the same loco. Maybe add build date/edition so that if you dont want people to confuse the performances of the 2017 edition to the most recent edition, people can find the exact editions to buy and not to buy. Otherwise great review, Sam's Trains!😄😁
Nice review Lord Warwell!
I recently purchased and retuned a P Class for being faulty
haha thank you my subject! Ahh that's a real shame - sorry about that mate :(
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
An attempted repair or motor swap could be a beneficial learning experience for your viewers.
I wish sellers would warn customers about the reason bargain locos are selling at a discount. Novices to the hobby or people buying a present for someone else would not know of problems when ordering online, while those in the hobby would be aware of reasons for discounts.
I think so too - and it's a way to actually get some enjoyment out of this damn thing! I wish they would too... but based on the questions I've asked, it seems as though the retailers don't know about the faults!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Great review. Not the locomotive specifically but the video. Make you make another series of rebuilding and repairing locomotives like for Salvage or Scrap.
Great review my hornby king runs beautifully so this is very strange hopefully this isn’t a new norm with faulty models
There is nothing more disappointing than buying something that doesn't work.
If it's bought as "seconds" or used then you can expect it sometimes, but not from new items.
The quality control on model rolling stock from most manufacturers seems to be seriously inadequate.
Having said that, the model looks nice and I'd take a gamble on one at the price you paid.
I live in Australia so would have to fix it myself as postage is so costly, but I'm comfortable with that.
I have a 2 year old King Charles II and although not as bad as yours does cog a bit when starting even with a DCC decoder installed and fine tuned BEMF. I don’t know why they used such an unreliable motor in these as compared to the really nice 5 pole motor in the Bulleid light and heavy pacifics and the A4s which run beautifully.
Thanks for your review Sam. What to do with it? If it was mine then a straight return - Hornby will not learn or improve if people do not do so?
Could the problem be the location of the worm gear on the motor shaft? Moved a bit one way or the other?
Enjoying our evening coffee and watching another Sam’s Trains. Lovely. Cracking model to look at. Terribly sorry but we would be the ones to ask that annoying question you and others so dislike. There are more perspectives than just the one. It's not set in stone. E.g., the audacity of shops and dealers to sell faulty returned items again at reduced prices isn't exactly a novelty as just one option... Perhaps... just perhaps in these days of financial difficulties everywhere could it perhaps be a common practice more than ever? Then again, H’s random shenanigans…,? like a broken record… “Where is my hammer”, LOL, hahah. Hopefully some remain making the difference such as the Peckett’s. Converted Daphne is now running happily on our layout Sam. However, a question;
H delivers them with the same classic simple / cheap trivial 12 volt can motor like in this King class (and 3-pole we suppose). Would you have an idea for how long these last typically when okay from the start? We did find replacements on Aliexpress for just over 1 USD (12-24 volts rated) as a backup so not much of an issue, but we were wondering what your experiences might be with these motors from H.
Well to be safe you might be buying 10 replacement motors to have just 1 functioning ok ! Chinese rubbish - be aware.... and IF you order arrives after all !!
@@phil36310 Oh well, we have bought a few. All have arrived and are working tbh. But I understand your point.
I bought the same model, and another King at the same time, both discounted. I run on dcc and both have the same cogging at slow speed problem. I bought two replacement Hornby motors to see if I could improve the crawl, but it made little difference - one improved very slightly but not enough, and the other made no difference. Torque seems ok, but my layout it fairly level. The old saying is "once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, but three times is enemy action". There is too much evidence of these discounted models being faulty for it to be a coincidence.
I picked up a King Class from Kernow for 114 pounds. The only thing wrong with it was the the fall-plate was in the packaging, something that is rather commonplace for me since I live overseas. I tend to get my big tender engines at bargain prices since shipping is an absolute money sucker. The only problems I have with them are usually cosmetic - loose buffers, broken decals, etc. I've never had running issues from bargain locos.
My King runs well on my rickety DC layout. I agree unless an item is described as faulty we should expect it to work properly irrespective of the price. Regards Paul.
Glad to hear that Paul - not heard much of this being a problem with the kings, annoying I got another dud!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
You are right. It does not matter how much discount you get, unless stated, it should work properly.
Return it and get another one. There is no excuse for it to run like that. Hornby are charging more and more but the product quality is rubbish! Their attitude towards their clients is NOT right. These are not what Mr. Hornby says (you are buying a memory.) Unless this is the memory he means.
Interesting review as usual....I got my King Class 6001 King William IV last year at a discounted price and your review played a large part in my decision, never regretted it, it ran well on DC and since fitting DCC runs well there too, but it has never missed a beat on either. Overall a great loco, I think I paid GBP115 in 2020 (RRP was around GBP150). from my point of view I have to disagree with it being a plastic look, well as far as my model is concerned, but do agree that the plastic 'brass bits' could be electroplated, and the loco RRP is obviously overpriced when you consider the new Dapol Manor is GBP260 DCC with Sound fitted. May there be another reason these 'bargain' models are prone to faults. I agree that a brand new loco should not be faulty but maybe they aren't exactly brand new, maybe some factory seconds are being released into the marketplace. Several of your recent Hornby purchases have been 'bargains', cheaper than one would expect and ultimately disappointing. At the end of the day return I'd return them (easy for me to say as in OZ retailers have no option but refund if a product is not fit for use) ...Drew
Hey Sam.
Great review. I have about 5 of these. Funny enough at least 1 is exactly the same as yours, even on DCC. I thought it was just me or the chip, but as it appears it is not.
Lovely looking engine though, except in my view the green is too light. I have a few older kings from the early 2000's (may even be the late 1990's) and the greens are so different, the new ones just look 'wrong'; but that is my view.
Do you think a new motor will help with the problem?
Stay well.
Thanks a lot for sharing - that's very interesting! Yes quite a few people have issues with Hornby's greens... I've felt the same on occasion! Yeah I'm pretty sure a new motor would solve this!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Yes, this is eight months ago, and no, I haven't read every one of the 421 comments on here, so there's a possibility I might be repeating what someone else has already said, but I think there's a really big clue in the detailing pack which might explain what's gone on here.
With all the locos I've ever bought, either brand new from the manufacturer or a retailer, or from that well-known auction site but described as new, the detailing pack has been *sealed*, and the same goes for etched nameplates, headboards and the like. This supposedly new King class has an accessories bag, but as Sam says, it's a *resealable* one, and not only that, the etched cabside numbers are floating about loose in it, rather than being protected in a separate bag, as they would normally be.
Now all this says to me the loco isn't brand new - it seems highly likely that someone's had it before Sam, tried it out, found it was a rubbish runner and sent it back, then the retailer has resold it (either knowingly or unknowingly) "as new", at a heavily discounted price. The crucial thing here I think is that the previous owner opened the detailing pack, and before returning the loco, resealed its contents in a new bag.
I may be wrong, but every time I've seen a resealable detailing pack, I know someone's had the loco before me and it's not brand new.
Anyway, that's my theory and I'm sticking to it !
I got one earlier this year, probably around the same time as you but my one is second hand. My one is perfect, it has a more realistic finish than yours, slightly neater paintwork and its a really nice runner, better than my merchant navy (except the flywheel obviously). I think you maybe got a bad example.
Conspiracy time! Hornby are selling faulty models for cheap to retailers and keeping good ones back. The retailers sell the engines at a discount to customers. Hornby then hope that this puts people off retailers and gets them more direct sales at their price.
Or I’ve had to much caffeine today.-Das Mann
Ooh blimey, that is quite the theory!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
change the motor and se what happens.
but i would return the loco it does not
matter if you paid full rrp or paid a bargain price .
if you change the motor i have a fun fact marklin has a ringfield type motor that is five pole.
so acording to marklins booklet it fits a class 37 that what i red in the booklet.
but i feel that change the motor to a bulk chinese five pole motor.
Keep up the good work sam.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪👍👍👍👍
I vote for a new motor video. Enjoy them. I wonder whats the biggest coreless motor you could fit in that huge space inside the body.
I'm wondering whether these locos are bargains because not many people have bought one soon after manufacturer. Therefore they were manufactured at the same time and Hornby had a bad batch of motors. Was it the same motor in the B12? Are there better motors than Hornby's standard ones which fit?
You should do a review on the castle class next.
Cheers Jasper & Willow
Maybe I should - nice idea! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Well really you should return it . However you have the capability to dissect it and find out what the matter is , much as you did with the B12 . Maybe try a new motor to see if it is any different. Of course you really don’t need to do it but it might show Hornby they really need to get act together and improve quality .
Hi Sam, didn’t you hear that at slow speeds this model doubles as a Geiger Counter? Listen to it again!
Huh? A Geiger Counter? Hmmm... I do need a portable,steam locomotive shaped one,to go to Chernobyl NPP(If this war in Ukraine is gonna end).
Sounds like a Geiger counter when it's jittering about, lol!
Also, might be a little late, but do a "destruction review", a bit like what ageing wheels does. If you havnt heard of him, check those videos out, they are hilarious
Hi sam im glad you reviewed this loco as I picked one up from amazon last December for 103 pounds it runs absolutely fine, sorry to see its faulty, i think you should expiment on it 👍
I would like to see, if not hear, it follow the power pack down the loft ladder. Or maybe it could be used at a cricket match? Another incisive review. I spend hard earned money on British trains, but not until I know what Sam has to say. If I might offer one suggestion: I'd really like to see these pieces, power or wagon, travel through some of that intricate point work. This will separate the wheat from the chaff in quick order.
If it were me I would return it via the dealer you bought it from, although the last time I did that it took hornby about 6 months to fix it.😊