The latest Groudle locomotive

 

When I visit the Groudle Glen Railway, I always have to buy something from the shop. The problem is, I already own most of the branded souvenirs they sell. If you are lucky enough to get two visits in during your stay, this makes things worse. 

Last time I was there, in visit one, I finally bought the GGR fleece I'd wanted for a while; previous attempts were stymed by all the chubby enthusiasts beating me to it. 

On the second trip, I spotted something bright orange. It's a sort of steam engine, and best of all, number six, my lucky number! It was also very cheap, being sensibly aimed at kids visiting the line. So, orange, with a six, and cheap, how could I resist? 

The box has been kicking around for a while, and last week, I was just in the mood for some brick building, with the added attraction that I'd clear a medium-sized carton from the pile.  

56 pieces, all looking like Lego, but about 3/4 the size, and not compatible with the Denmark originals. 

Never mind, a few minutes fun was had putting the model together. It's fiddly, but not difficult. The biggest challenge being the wheels. For a start, they need to go on the correct way so the axle doesn't stick out from the middle. Then you apply the sticker, which doesn't. Pity, as they are a nice touch. 

I just hope the tiny contribution pays for a bit of loco coal. 

 

Little Phil's dream LGB wagon

 

As a kid, I loved my Lego. And I loved model railways. And my ZX81, although that's not relevant to this story. 

Anyway, at the time, when I heard of LGB trains, they could only be objects of desire. We couldn't afford them, any more than we could afford a Rolls-Royce. Fortunatly, this didn't really bother me. After all, I wasn't interested in funny looking foreign narrow-gauge locos. 

However, that would have changed if the LGB Lego wagon had been available!

I first remember seeing something like this at a G scale show. The society had a stand with some flat wagons topped with genuine Lego building plates, and kits were being encouraged to construct their own wagons.  

I'm pretty sure we published an article about making the basic wagon in Garden Rail a few years ago, it's a simple project. 

Anyway, time moves on, and LGB get in on the act themselves with the Building Block starter train set. Complete with a loco, two Lego compatible wagons, track and a controller, young Phil would have gone nuts for this!

The wagons are also available seperately, described as "building block cars", and that's what I have here. To be honest, I didn't know about the seperate items, and assumed this one had been split from a set and was therefore a bit rare. It pays to do your research, as I paid the full price, but don't get a box...

Not to worry, I'm still happy with the model. Yes, it's "knock-off Lego" rather than the real thing, but since the Danes lost the court rulling that opened the floodgates of "compatible" items, this is how it's going to be. I did get a bag of bricks with the wagon, so at least I can try it out. 

Long term, I want to try this on some youngsters. The idea of using their favourite toys as part of a model railway seems clever, and a good way to stop they seeing model trains as "weird". It's a fun hobby, and if this can make show that, then it's a good thing. 

Panlos Brick Nisan

 

We all love a bargain, and when I was offered four Panlos Brick kits for a tenner at the IPMS show, I couldn't resist. Three will be heading out as fun Christmas presents, but I couldn't resist keeping one for myself. Partly because I like making things, but also due my curiosity about "knock-off Lego". 

It's a big box - good as a present - but with a lot of space filled with cardboard. At the show, I was glad I had the car because lugging a stack of these around all day would have lessened my pleasure a lot.

Surely is is over-the-top? It's not like the bricks will be damaged if the box is dropped. Lots of bags contain all the parts. Presumably they split the car up into stages, but I just opened them out in once go. Because I am a rebel and not going to let The Man tell me what to do!

The instructions are comprehensive, showing which bricks you need for each stage. Pay attention to this and don't move on until you have used them all. Working out exactly where they all go is a bit of an observation test. I'd say this isn't suitable for young children, it's surprisingly hard work. 

You can build two different models - a robot and the car. I thought I'd have a go at the robot first, but got horribly confused and gave up. It looks a bit rubbish IMHO, anyway, the car is the star. 

Exactly which car? Not sure, although I'm sure someone will be able to work it out. I originally thought Porche, but there are "Nisan" badges in there. Presumably, dropping an S avoid a visit from copyright lawyers. 

Anyway, after about 90 minutes hard, but satisfying, thinking, the car was finished. Brick fit was excellent. The plastic seems slightly more brittle than the Danes supply, but I can't complain about the grab, this isn't going to fall apart easily. 

The Chinese assume you want more building than the boys from Denmark do too. The minifig needs you to fit both legs, arms and hands to him. 

For the money, this was great fun. Looking at the box, there is a proper Porche on offer, in a fantastic shade of orange. If that had been on offer, I'd have grabbed one of those! 

Never mind, three lucky people will be recieving a reasonable sized box for Crimbo. I just hope they aren't cursing me when it comes to assembly time!