Update Post-Reading Show and Our Christmas Message
First, I would like to thank all of you who visited our stand at the Reading show on December 10. It was great to see old friends and to make new acquaintances and to be able to find out what interested you in terms of model locomotives. Thank you all for your time and trouble coming to see us.
Although the website has been relative quiet recently, a great deal has been happening on all the models that we have been involved. This note is to update you on what we are doing or have done on all our various programmes at Masterpiece Models.
Both the programmes for Castle and the 45XX/4575 tank locomotives have been subject to a further delay and our target to get the locomotives into the UK in time for Christmas simply could not be met. The painter that we use has had to move premises to a new site. This meant that we effectively lost 3 weeks of painting time. We have used this time to carry out further refinements and to make corrections and improvement to the locomotives. Key components including the new motors have now been ordered for all the GWR tender locomotives.
On Superwheels we have been very encouraged by the response for their demand to be fitted on the ‘Castles’ and we would like to offer these wheels as an option on all our future models. They will be limited in production and available in Scale7 only as they are absolute replicas of the real things. As they are expensive to produce, we will try to keep the cost down as much as we can as we would like as wide a customer base as possible to select them for their locomotives. They are the simply the best and their fitting really enhances the look and value of our models. If you want the best then opt for a Masterpiece with Superwheels every time!
We have certainly been busy and we have learnt that producing new locomotives designs to our very high specifications within 12 months is not practical unless we make all models within a build identical. By the nature of our offering, which is to provide a range of some diversity, we need more time to complete our programmes. For this reason we are now building-in more time for the completion of future locomotive programmes.
It is great sadness that recently I heard of the death of Paul Hatherley. Paul had worked closely with Michael Brooks on a number of Masterpiece Models locomotives and visited SJ Models in Korea on one occasion to see the manufacturing. We offer condolences to Paul’s family especially his son Christopher.
As we head towards the end of the year I would like to thank everyone who has made contact with me at Masterpiece Models since I took the helm. Thanks go out to our suppliers who have been very helpful to us over 2016. I would also like to pay a special vote of thanks to those closely involved with the management and operations of Masterpiece Models, especially Adrian Knowles, Bob Meanley, Bryan Robertson, Veronica de Vries, Sebastiaan Schippers, Kevin Regan and Ros Borkowski, all of whom have worked so very hard with me to keep Masterpiece Models on course. Without their help and involvement we would not have made the progress that we achieved in 2016.
We also need to thank the Builders who have had to work very hard to accommodate the changes and the improvements in technical specification that we have made throughout the year. I am sure you will all appreciate the fruits of their hard work when the models are completed and delivered to you.
Finally I would like to wish everyone a very Happy and Peaceful Christmas and a prosperous New Year 2017.
John Borkowski
20 December 2016
For updates on the models in our current programme, please click these links: