Piko 37531, G-scale V36 diesel locomotive

The first weeks of year 2018 have brought several very interesting discounts on some of the Piko products. I have previously described my purchase of the Taurus electric locomotive in G-scale, and I also mentioned it wasn't the only bargain I found. The other one was a V36 diesel engine, which I'm going to take a look at now.

This locomotive is rather small, so the packaging is not very big either. G-scale rolling stock usually comes in larger boxes. And similar to what I encountered in case of the Taurus engine, the cover does not really reflect the real item inside. The picture shows a black model...

...while Piko 37531 is actually a green one what is confirmed by the product tag on the lid of the box.

The locomotive seems to be very well protected inside the polystyrene foam packaging. The usage of the term "seems" is not a coincidence here. I will come back to it later in my article...

The complete set consists of:

• a V36 locomotive in green livery
• two optional central buffers for narrow gauge operation
• four extra handrails for individual installation
• a set of manuals

The mentioned handrail details come in a small bag which contains also a short installation guide.

Adding those parts is very easy - you just push them into the designated holes. They're a tight fit, and it does not seem like any glue is needed at all. They feel fragile though so it's a pity Piko provided no spares in case of any accidents.

The model's manual is available in English and German, and it covers all the relevant topics. That includes the DCC conversion procedure - a must have for a digital layout owner like me.

It's photo time! Here's what the Piko V36 in G-scale looks like:

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It looks really, really good. The model is nothing fancy but there's not much to complain about, either. I would even say the amount of details is exactly what we need on a locomotive that is intended for outdoor usage. I'd rather not have too many small parts that could get damaged whenever my train hits a shrub that wasn't there a week ago. And let's not forget the original engine is not really a beauty either :)

I really like the grills on the sides of the locomotive, and the ladder at the front is very attractive, too. The paint job is simple but flawless and the number plates definitely add to the look. I'm very happy that in this case Piko decided to include an engineer figure inside the model. He's a twin brother of my Piko BR80 driver, but that is perfectly fine.

The only real issue is that my model arrived damaged. It would seem that the packaging Piko uses is indestructible. And it would also seem the way the MSL store delivers the merchandise is even more secure. But still the grab irons on one of the sides got broken somehow which can be easily seen in the photo below. I can't say I'm happy about it, and it was probably a reason good enough to ask for a replacement. But instead I just used two drops of glue to fix the issue. And I hope it solves it for good...

Let's go back to the good stuff. A very nice feature of the model are its light functions. The locomotive offers three lamps at the front, three at the back and an interior cab illumination. The lights are bright and look really great. Just look at the photos below!


But they do look a little bit weird, too, don't they? Well, it's not a photographer's mistake. The front headlights are indeed cold white, while the back lamps are warm colored. Is it intentional? Or is it Piko's mistake? I do not know the answer but I can't say I really mind it.

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I'm actually glad that items disappear from the Piko's annual catalogs, as it clearly makes their prices go down. It would seem I bought the described model at the best possible moment in the product's lifetime. If it wasn't for the merchandise damage, I'd be 100% happy with my purchase. But instead my satisfaction is at a mere 99% :)