The Definitive Guide To The Locomotives You Need In Your Collection Model railways have captivated the imagination of railway enthusiasts and modellers for over a century. They offer both a trip down memory lane but also into a whole new world. Unlike most collectibles, they are something you can actually interact with. Build elaborate, all encompassing landscapes for them and spend hours - or in some cases, decades - meticulously refining and recreating history before your very eyes. In this article, we took a look at our model locomotives and broke them down to this definitive list. Did your favourite make the cut? Class D11/2 4-4-0 6401 'James Fitzjames' LNER Black The last of the D11 class of LNER locomotives, this elegant model evokes the picturesque terrain of the highlands of Scotland. The LNER might have been famous for its 'apple green' locomotives, but in reality most of its locomotives carried black liveries for most of their time. Perfectly detailed and impeccably crafted, though it might not be your go-to when it comes to model locomotives, there is no denying it’s beauty and we absolutely love it. GWR, 6000 'King' Class, 4-6-0, 6023 King Edward II One for ardent train...

Christmas is coming up fast, so here's some great special offers for those hard-to-buy-for friends and family members. For the kids and big kids, we have Flux Assault V2 Radio Controlled Buggy 4WD and for a limited time we're throwing in a Free Charger For all you modelling enthusiasts we are including, for a limited time, free Speed Bond glue with some of our best-selling Occre kits such as the iconic San Francisco cable car , or much-loved Stephensons Rocket , a wood and metal model in 1:24th Scale by Occre Or for lovers of all things nautical, you might prefer the highly detailed Occre 1:100 scale Bucaneer Pirate Ship The Norton 750 Commando is a 1:9th Scale plastic kit by Italeri which is on offer while stocks last The American LaFrance Eagle Fire Pumper 2002 is a fine quality plastic model kit by Trumpeter which again is offered while stocks last.

The range of Hobbyzone workshop modules has become a firm favourite with Hobbies customers over the past couple of years. Both model makers and craft makers alike enjoy having all of their paints and tools laid out neatly, where they can be seen easily and accessed quickly. The resulting workspace is always a thing of beauty. Now the range has been extended to include narrower 20cm wide modules. This allows you to be even more precise with the overall dimensions of your workstation. The new 20cm wide module units that have been introduced include a 2 drawer module , a 4 drawer module , a bottles module , and a brushes & tools module . Both the 2 drawer module and 4 drawer module have windows made of acrylic glass which allow you to see the contents at a glance. The Bottles Module has three shelves for paints, bottles or other containers of different sizes. The Brushes and Tools Module has a lot of holes in different sizes for any tools or brushes etc. Use the supplied magnets to connect with other modules. You can always change the configuration of modules according to your workshop needs. Here are some great...

If you've always wanted to create a highly detailed model diorama, but not really known where to start, we have the perfect solution. By using the Occre Berlin tram and the Occre Berlin Diorama Kit , alongside the detailed instructions and videos from the Occremania website , you can create this amazing post World War 1 scene. Please click on the video at the bottom of the page, and expand it to see the incredible detail and realism of this kit. Setting the Scene: A general strike at the start of January 1919, provoked terrible confrontations in the streets of Berlin between the government of the time and the burgeoning Communist Party of Germany. Berlin had to live with street barricades, armed conflict between workers and army and great loss of human lives for several days. The new Occre Berlin Diorama Kit captures the state of the streets, somewhere on the tram line between the train station and the zoo, during those dark days.

A more practical design for those looking to spruce up their house a bit or add some colour to their kitchen. This holder holds three plant pots of reasonable size, and is modelled after an old gardening wheelbarrow. Despite its three-legged design it’s pretty stable and solid if properly put together using the right hardwood. We advise using this design as a guide but selecting your own size based on the pots you have available. Alternatively, try sizing it to use as a bottle holder for beer and wine bottles, or even building a miniature version as a desk tidy. To retrieve this plan, either right-click on the image, save it and then download it to print (we suggest A3 paper or several sides of A4 if you've got it, although the design works at any scale). We suggest building this design with a sturdy wood and varnishing it to ensure its stability. Hobbies' craft section should be able to supply you with everything you'll need to get started.

Feeling a bit handy? These free plans will help you assemble your own bookcase and bureau set with just basic resources and tools. The bookcase is 36 inches high, 24 inches wide and ten inches deep, with two shelves for books and a top bureau shelf for writing and storage. No more faffing about with IKEA instructions - build your own furniture your own way. While Hobbies unfortunately no longer supplies specific kits with the materials to build one of these bookcases, we do sell brassware, screws and hinges ideal for this sort of project. You’ll also need a couple of large sheets of hardwood, preferably cedar, maple, alder or even teak and mahogany. Hobbies can provide these, although for larger sheets you may want to visit a local hardware store or builder’s shop. Make sure all the screws are properly tightened and secured, and this bureau will help you keep your house tidy for years to come.

A simpler design more directly suited for sailing on open water, the Challenger is a simple but rugged hull design with a full keel that can be sailed on ponds, rivers and model boating lakes. Instructions for a mast, rigging and sails have sadly been lost to the archives, but we recommend a light cloth or even paper sail, and dowel and string for rigging. Small boats like this are great for training aspiring sailors without having to get a full boat out, as they can be rigged in the same way and in a variety of configurations. We recommend building this design of light but waterproof wood, and varnishing thoroughly to ensure that it's waterproof. Hobbies can provide waterproof glue, varnish and paints as well as wood and materials to make sails. This guide might be useful if you're looking to rig the model properly: http://www.rcsails.com/sailmaking.html

This free cabin yacht design is perfect for a more practical hobbyist who wants their own miniature sailing boat. While the kit model doesn’t include a mast, sails or rigging, you shouldn’t need much more than some strong dowel (fitting into the slot ahead of the wheelhouse marked ‘Hole for Mast’ ) some lightweight scrap cloth and some string, as well as eyelet hooks to mount it all. Unfortunately, the part of the plans detailing the exact rigging designs have been lost, but getting this model to full sailing condition should be a fun challenge for any modeller. If you aren’t going for a full sailing vessel, however, this is still a handsome and detailed kit ripe for additions that will make an excellent and challenging model.

We have seen a lot of brand new products rolling into Hobbies just lately, and many will be featured in the New Hobbies Handbook 2018 which is due out in August next month. Here's just a few of the new items to wet your appetite: Tamiya Yamaha YZR500 GP Racer To celebrate the release of their 100th 1/12 scale motorcycle model, Tamiya have chosen to re-release their first ever 1/12 scale motorcycle model, the Yamaha YZR500 Grand Prix Racer . This model kit features fantastic detailling and includes markings for the No.1 machine ridden by legendary motorcyclist Kenny Roberts Sr. 3D Jigsaw Flowerpots These fun, decorative pots are assembled just like jigsaw puzzles, but because of clever design and double layered cups, they can be used as a flowerpot Hobbyzone Painter Grip The newly redesigned Hobbyzone Painter Grip is perfect for holding miniatures, small figures and models while you paint them. It is comfortable to hold for long periods with its leather handle, and the included base allows you to keep the grip upright while you take a break or wait for the paint to dry. Tamiya Fairey Swordfish MK.II Affectionately known as the 'Stringbag' by those who flew them,...

Lightships like this one were used all over the world to mark offshore navigation hazards in places where lighthouses or offshore platforms were unfeasible. The earliest were built in the 1730s. Crews would maintain the light and the ship, and also keep record of passing ships, observe the weather and occasionally rescue stranded ships. Lightships served throughout the 19 th and 20 th centuries, and while almost all are now unmanned, Trinity House still maintains vessels in the Channel, the Thames Estuary and on other areas of the coast. Lightships were usually painted in bright red and white colours to aid visibility, and had the name of their station painted on their sides. This kit should be simple to build, and can be assembled entirely from wood. If you’re feeling more ambitious, why not try and fit a working model of the Fresnel rotating lens used by real lightships and lighthouses. To download these plans, simply right-click on the image below and click 'Save Image As' then print the image onto A3 or A4 paper, depending on the scale you prefer.