German Dampflokomotive BR86 - 1:72 Hobbyboss

[Paul A H]

German Dampflokomotive BR86

1:72 Hobbyboss

The Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft Class 86 was a German locomotive designed predominantly for use on goods trains and branch lines. It was manufactured by virtually every German locomotive factory, with 775 examples being completed by 1943. Its designed dated back to the 1920s, but despite this, the last units were not retired until the 1980s. It was used widely throughout the Second World War, but despite the often dangerous nature of the work they undertook, just twenty locomotives were destroyed during this period.

The Class 86 wasn't confined to service with the German railways, and many examples found their way to Austria, Poland and, after the war, to Czechoslovakia. Over twelve examples are known to have survived the scrap yards, with most of the preserved locomotives located in Germany. The Class 86 holds the record for having enjoyed the longest production run of any German locomotive.

This kit is clearly a product of the close relationship between Hobbyboss and Trumpeter as it is based on the much larger 1:35 BR86 kit released by Trumpeter a few years ago. Inside the stout top-opening box are six sprues of caramel coloured plastic, one small clear sprue and two separately moulded parts for the cab. In common with other Hobbyboss kits, extensive use has been made of slide moulds in order to maximise detail whilst keeping the part count under control. Despite this, there are well over 220 parts included, giving you some idea of the detail that Hobbyboss have managed to retain from the kit's bigger brother. All of the sprues are individually bagged and the more delicate components are wrapped in foam for extra protection. The plastic parts are nicely moulded and surface detail is fine and sharp.

Construction begins with the base, although you could just as easily leave it until last or even discard it completely. It is comprised of two sections representing a raised mound of ballast, with sleepers moulded in place. The rails and fish plates are moulded separately. The join in the main sections of the base will be fairly obvious, so I would recommend using some model railway ballast or a similar product to cover the join (or in fact the entire base).

Things kick off properly with the chassis of the locomotive itself. This is split into left and right halves, joined initially by the axles. The leaf spring suspension is moulded in place but is no less detailed for being so. Detail parts such as the oil tanks and mounts for the boiler are gradually added to the chassis to flesh it out. The buffers and coupling gear are also assembled and added at this point.

The piston, side rods and wheels are next. Each of the pistons is made up of eight parts, meaning that they are very nicely detailed indeed. All of the main wheels are moulded as single pieces, and are very nicely detailed indeed. The front and rear bogies are separate sub-assemblies, so they can be posed in different positions if you happen to have some curved track of the right size. The valve gear, side rods and connecting rods finish off this part of the build very nicely indeed, giving the running gear a suitably busy appearance.

Construction of the boiler is next, by which time the locomotive is really starting to take shape. The main structure of the boiler is split vertically, with details such as the sand and steam domes, air pumps and the smoke box door being moulded separately. The whole assembly then slides into the front section of the cab. A small sprue of clear parts is provided so you can glaze the cab windows. The instruments and controls, as well as the rods for the steam and throttle regulators are all moulded separately and slide into the cab from the rear.

The back of the cab is made up of one large, slide moulded part and a couple of smaller parts such as a ladder and lamp. There is nothing to represent the coal in the coal box, so again a trip to the model shop to purchase some model railway coal might be a good idea. Once the front and rear sections of the cab have been joined, the whole upper section can be joined to the chassis and running gear. Before you can call the model finished, you must assemble and fit the water tanks, each of which is made up of five parts. Once these parts, and a couple of other small items, have been fitted, construction is complete.

Decal options are included for two locomotives;
86 245, finished in black with pre-war red running gear; and
86 271, finished in wartime grey with black running gear.

Conclusion

Just like other Hobbyboss kits that have been scaled down from their larger Trumpeter cousins (e.g. the 1:16/1:48 T-34 tank series), this is a superb little kit. Everywhere you look, there is plenty of intricate and nicely moulded detail. It will build up into a superb model in its own right, or as the centrepiece of a small scale diorama. Highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of

[JeffreyK]

why why why does no one make this in 1:48...

[thepureness]

I'm usually an aircraft modeller but I've always been tempted by military rail kits, might be worth my first dip into this area as it looks fantastic

[richellis]

That looks a nice kit, Im so tempted to build some trains ATM!

[swordfish fairey]

I do like the look of this one, would make a nice change to do a loco............Smudge

[steveinns]

Yes, I like this too. A very practical sized locomotive without being too overwhelming. I can see one of these being incorporated into a very pleasing diorama.

Thanks for posting an informative review.

[Shar2]

This does look very nice, having just got the 1:35 kit the detail does look good on both kits.

[paganpete]

That is so crisp - thanks for the review!

Pete

[HOUSTON]

very well written review ...

LOVED the box art too..

[max stafford]

Happy to advise on loco finishing if any of you go for it. Railways are my main modelling interest.

There are some examples of my finishing on my blogs.

www.albaweathering.com.

www.maxstaffordskennel.com