According to Bachmann, as it states in their catalogue there are 9 eras. As they say in their catalogue this is not absolute and is a rough guide. Please note Hornby uses a slightly different system.1804-1875 Pioneering 1875-1922 Pre grouping 1923-1947 The big four: LMS, GWR, LNER and SR 1948-1956 British Railways early emblem 1957-1966 British Railways late crest 1967- 1971 British Rail blue Pre-TOPS 1971-1982 British Rail blue TOPS 1982-1994 British Rail sectorisation...

Yes, any OO scale loco, wagon or coach will work on any OO scale track, regardless of brand. Couplings are also compatible so they will connect together. You can have for instance a Hornby engine pulling a Bachmann coach. You will find that you can also run on the same track HO scale rolling stock. It is the most common scale around the world especially Europe and the USA. Some HO items may use different couplings but they are usually replaced. This is what makes the hobby so diverse and...

Photo etched parts are a negative photo image that is placed on to a thin piece of either brass, aluminium or stainless steel and all the exposed metal is etched away. This creates very fine parts. These parts are then used to replace plastic parts in your kit to produce a more realistic look, this can be aircraft parts, military vehicle parts or car kit parts. As they are made of metal, you need to use a suitable glue such as cyanoacrylate (super glue) to affix them.

Ejector pins are used in the injection moulding process of the manufacturing of plastic kits and die cast kits. They apply force to eject the part from the mould: once it has been opened, the pins extend in to the mould and push the part out. They then reseat themselves to allow the mould to close and be refilled for the next one. These pins are also known as knock out pins. They sometimes leave marks on models. If the mark would be visible on the finished model, simply fill it with model...

Weathering powders are very much the same as powdered paint pigment. The only real difference is that weathering powders are produced to create a specific effect such as rust, mud, grime and are a realistic match for the real thing. If you are planning on weathering a model, before you start, have a look at some photographs of the real thing to give you an idea of the best place to add that splodge of mud. If when you are out and about look around you, take a photo of those rusty hinges and...

This a hard question to answer. There are no hard and fast rules about how often you should clean the track. Bear in mind the track carries the electricity to the engine, so if your track is not clean, your trains are not going to run correctly. Regardless of where you have your layout, it is going to be prone to dust and in need of a good dusting every time you use your layout. Send your loco around the track, if its running like a three-legged hedgehog then I would suggest a clean. If the...

The principle is quite straightforward: as you are painting your figure or model there may be parts that you don't want to have to retouch if your brush should slip or take on a mind of its own. It is like masking tape but in liquid form. Simply brush the Micro Mask on the dried painted area that you want to avoid getting paint on. The mask is a liquid that will turn to a rubbery type substance. When you have finished and all the paint is dry, simply pull off the rubber mask. This will...

This is really dependent on what it is you plan to glue. There are several different glues for different materials.  If you are planning on gluing a plastic kit, then the best glue to use is polystyrene cement. Some modellers use superglue or two-part epoxy although these are less forgiving and not advisable for someone new to the hobby. If you are gluing different types of plastic together you may want to consider something like Plastic Magic, as some plastics are made up of different...

For wargaming figures, a small coin or washer glued to the under side of the base will usually to do the job. This may also work for larger static based models. However if you are going to be weighting your rolling stock or a plane, a more precise approach may be called for. Deluxe Materials have the answer: it is called Liquid Gravity. It is made up of very small metal balls not unlike lead shot but without the lead and can be positioned in exactly the right place. Add some cyano glue...

You can buy packs of plastic rivets in several sizes. There is also the rivet maker from Trumpeter which is able to create different sizes. If you want a DIY solution, you can make your own with PVA glue: You will need a nice piece of scrap plastic, a blob of PVA glue and a cocktail stick / toothpick. Dip your stick in to the blob of glue and place it on the scrap of plastic create a line of mini blobs of glue which are going to be your rivets. If you want them to be bigger, wait until the...

A vignette is a small impressionist three-dimensional scene creating a moment in time, focusing on one individual thing. An example of this might be a scale model of a soldier standing on a small base. The emphasis of the scene is the character and not the base itself, it is the figure that catches the viewers eye rather than the base.

Peco Setrack and Peco Streamline are compatible with Hornby track as they all share the same gauge width of 16.5mm. The main differences are in the sleeper spacing and the sleeper colour. Apart from that, there is very little difference and they will interconnect with no problem. But as with all things, there are those that will use nothing but Peco, others that will use nothing but Hornby and others that use both. The next time you're in your local model shop, ask if you can see some Peco...