Pola G diesel oil facility is an item that immediately caught my attention in this year's Faller catalogue. It just looked so nice in the official photo. Luckily it did not need much space and would still fit on my G-scale layout. I've made the purchase as soon as the product became available.
The model's small, so the packaging isn't large either. It's also very light so there won't be that many parts inside. But I did not really expect more from a set priced under 50 Euro.
Opening the box reveals the first nice surprise. The baseplates are included. Those are quite heavy and feel very sturdy.
The colorful parts will be used to create fuel tanks and accessories...
...while the grey ones will form the roof and the shed.
A set of stickers and a manual are included, too. This time I'll skip creating my own labels and will use the ones provided by Faller.
The instructions are short but detailed. Looks like it's going to be a fun build.
The first step requires assembly of the largest elements: the baseplate, the red tank and the shed.
Once those are glued together and some details are added, the oil station looks almost complete.
But we're still missing the accessories and the roof. These parts have to be built separately before they're added to the main platform.
That was a quick one. The model is ready. I've noticed I did have some freedom about how to position the elements. I've tried following the distances given in the manual but I clearly failed. And guess what - it did not really matter. The facility still looks the way it is supposed to.
And here it is installed outside. I really have to consider adding some crew here. And perhaps some lighting. But it looks pretty good already!
I'm happy with my purchase. It was not an expensive one and it is a nice addition to the layout. It is quite original, too, as I've never seen a similar set before.
The only slight disappointment are the stickers. The main model and the accessories feature some weathering resulting in an industrial look. The stickers however look fresh and new and really do not fit the facility at all. I really hope they'll get dirty with time and will not look as flashy as they do now. Otherwise I may have to make my own after all.
This is blog post #100. It's difficult to believe but I have actually written that many articles already. It took almost two and a half year and consumed a significant portion of my time. Hope someone is reading it after all!
Anyway, this post was supposed to be just another review of my purchase. However, the purchase was made three months ago and I could not describe the product until today. The reason? Issues. Issues of various kinds. But let's not spoil too much...
I have wanted to add a Gravita locomotive made by Brawa to my collection for a very long time. I was tempted not only by its cool look but also by the included digital functions and sound. The purchase wasn't possible due to its price point but one day a significant discount was offered at the MSL store. I bought it immediately and it arrived quickly in a non-transparent yellow box.
The box hides the product so well, that the only way to confirm the content without opening it is to check the tag on the side of the packaging.
The model is protected by a transparent plastic enclosure. Some extra parts are immediately visible, as well as the manuals squeezed at the bottom of the box.
Documentation consists of three pieces: the original locomotive's description, a model's user guide...
...and a DCC information (which is available only in German).
The model comes without its couplers installed. Those are provided in a separate bag along with some other extra pieces. Installation takes less than a minute.
OK, let's take a closer look at the model.
Well, it looks very good indeed, just as I expected. It's very detailed with lots of small elements. The painted labels are crisp and the colors are nice and vivid. Nothing to complain about, right?
Well, not exactly. Upon closer inspection I've realized a front light element is missing. There's just an empty hole instead. It's clearly visible in one of the above photos...
So the model is incomplete. Bad luck. Let's hope it runs well...
Unfortunately putting the locomotive on the track did not result in a decent operation. I have easily programmed its DCC address and the model did run smoothly. However the sound performance was very poor and I was getting audio garbage instead of horns and whistles.
Because of that the locomotive was sent for repair to Brawa. This took eight weeks. Once it returned I was happy to notice the missing front light was added but was also very disappointed as soon as I placed the model on the track. The sound issue was still there and nothing was fixed.
I've sent it to Brawa's service again. This time the model returned rather quickly. To my surprise it still did not work. Here's a video showing the symptoms...
At this point I was really angry and ready to demand a refund. However, I have posted the video on Youtube and received a very interesting comment. It contained an advice to modify the value of a variable CV961. And guess what - it worked!
CV961 is an undocumented variable. But it seems to contain a value defining the voltage threshold for sound operation. The default value is not compatible with every single control station available on the market. In my case it did not work with Roco Multimaus and Z21 but internet is full of stories about issues with other equipment.
Turns out the locomotive was never broken. It's just not designed to support a wide range of devices. That's a bummer but at least it works now. Here's a video showing its functions...
I can't say I'm happy with the model. I'm glad it works but it really should not require an investigation to make it behave properly. Moreover, I have configured a variable which is undocumented. I have no way of knowing whether what I did was safe for the decoder. Perhaps I have even lost my warranty by doing that...
I'm very disappointed in Brawa. This is my first locomotive made by this company and I was very excited to get it. Unfortunately not only the model did not work as expected but also Brawa's service proved to be unable to help me at all. The solution was given to me by a Youtube user and not by Brawa's engineers after all!
I'm also disappointed in the MSL's service. They claim to have a policy of an "in advance replacement" but it somehow did not apply to me. My item was sent for repair and I had to wait for many, many weeks. Why it was the case - I still don't know...
I love the way the model looks, and it really works fine after the fix. The generated sound is satisfactory and the locomotive runs smoothly. I strongly hesitate however to recommend the product to anyone. It clearly has some issues and apparently it's the entire product line and not just my piece. All my other locomotives worked immediately out of the box. This one did not. Unless you're ready for an adventure, I recommend you avoid this model.
The town on my garden layout is almost complete when it comes to buildings. I have space for just two more houses and my intention is to fill those lots still in this season. Hence another purchase...
Unfortunately the products available on the market are very limited in variety. If you're looking for European-style buildings that are not German mountain huts, the selection is rather small. That's why the house I'm assembling today is actually quite similar to a model I already have.
The set I'll be working on is Piko 62072. Its overall architecture is almost identical to the previously reviewed Piko 62050. But the external look is quite different, or at least that's what I'm telling myself...
The product comes in an impressive box measuring 60 x 40 cm. Lifting its cover reveals additional internal containers protecting parts of different kinds...
The largest elements are of course the walls and the roof.
One wall piece clearly stands out. It's painted using two different colors. The building is supposed to resemble a house under renovation, and that particular wall is exactly the side being worked on at the moment.
The house consists of many other parts...
...and features a white fence.
An easily noticeable set of gray and brown parts allows assembly of a scaffolding structure that will attach to the half painted wall.
The set includes also some curtain imitations, stickers, some flora foam and three tubes of glue. Baseplate is not included.
The manual is as detailed as always. Building steps are very, very clear.
The build starts with the walls. Doors, window glass and curtains are added during this step. Please note the extra part glued at the top of the door frame - this should stop it from opening to the inside.
In the meantime the scaffolding can be constructed. This element is really fun to build and looks really cool.
The fence is unfortunately just four pieces. There's not enough to circle the house.
With the four walls and a roof connected together we get the first glimpse at house's future look.
Some extra details and it's almost ready.
One thing I complained about in my review of Piko 62050 was the building's symmetry. It looked almost identical from both sides. Now the problem is even bigger, as I not only have a symmetric house, but actually two of those (both looking very similar). In an attempt to countermeasure repeatability on my layout, I have 3D printed some extra elements to replace the stock ones.
Add some custom made stickers and it's ready!
Let's take a look from different angles...
I have to say it looks very nice. And quite different from Piko 62050 after all. The idea of modeling a house under construction was a very good one, and the scaffolding element definitely adds to the scene.
The house features some nice and soft colors. This makes it look pretty realistic. The symmetry is still an issue with identical "front doors" on both sides of the building. But I think the extra 3D printed parts actually helped here and I'm happy with the result.
Here's the house placed outside with interior lighting already installed. I definitely like it!
It's not like the product could not be better. With just a few extra parts one would not have to worry about model's symmetry at all. The fence would be much more useful if there was more of it. And I really think Piko should start providing its own method to control whether the door opens to the inside or not.
But other than that, it is a very, very nice model. It looks just like a regular family house and that is a big advantage of this set. Many other similar products try to show some very specific style and sometimes all we need is just a regular building. This item fulfills that role 100%.
