Accurascale Class 37/4

Accurascale’s new Class 37 is now landing with customers who had pre-ordered, bolstered by the reputation already earned with its 'Deltic' and Class 92 models. Our review model depicts 37425 in its attractive Regional Railways ‘retro’ livery which was applied by the owner, DRS, in 2020 before the locomotive was recently offered for sale.

As with previous models, the packaging reflects the quality of the product accompanied by a good instruction leaflet, DCC sound function card for easy reference and a BR-style manual giving a history of the prototype and a driver’s perspective of working with Class 37s by Nigel Mack.

Here are five things we love about the new model:

1

Everything about the model looks 'right' and feels of good weight, and the quality of livery application and printing of text and safety signage is as good as any out there in the market.

2

Fitted detail abounds with fine handrails, lamp irons, beautifully sharp bodyside grilles and eye-catching etched detail such as the door kickplates, roof fan grille and sturdy nose aerials.

3 

The glazing is commendably lacking in any prismatic edges; some comment has been raised about the joint between the windscreen surround and the roof and pillars but that joint is present on the real thing, maybe slightly less pronounced than it scales on the model but the effect is good.

4

The detail pack contains bufferbeam detailing and cosmetic screw-link couplings, snowploughs and bogie chain brackets plus a pack of etched nameplates for appropriate models with are already cut from the frets which helps give a tidy and worthwhile result.

5

A design delight with Accurascale models is the ease of access for fitting decoders, and the whole central roof area is easily removed and re-secured by the inclusion of small neodymium magnets. While the roof is off, the tidiness of assembly of the plug and socket wiring is evident, as is the size of the bass speaker included in this model.

Accurascale’s initial models of the Class 37 range across sub-classes and era from early split headcode styles in BR green livery with small yellow warning panel through variants with plated and flush noses, body, roof, grille, buffer and skirt differences, as well as lighting types and configurations. The immensely varied detail differences among class members may not be comprehensively covered within the initial products but there is more to come with a second tranche of models already announced for next year.

Read Andy York's complete model review for the June 2023 issue of BRM.

Model reviews: Here's what we think about the latest new arrivals