Wagonmaster and Mountaineer: Ready for Your Workbench, with a Little Help from the Community
Mountaineer
The Wagonmaster and Mountaineer Style locomotives are now essentially ready for release, which is a rather satisfying sentence to finally write. After spending so much time looking at the details of these little locomotives, there comes a point when you need to put them into someone else’s hands and see what they make of them.
Before moving into full production, I’d like to do exactly that. I’ll be producing an initial evaluation batch of 15 Wagonmasters and 15 Mountaineers, available through eBay at a reduced price. It’s an opportunity to get one of the first models onto your workbench and help shape the versions that follow.
The planned prices are around £25 for Mountaineer, designed for the Sidar chassis, and £17 for the Wagonmaster, designed for a Toma chassis. The listings will confirm the exact chassis requirements, contents and prices before anyone orders.
For me, this is a sensible next step for Shoreleave Models. The community has already helped improve designs through comments, questions and suggestions, and I’d like to bring that involvement into the final stages of development in a more organised way.
When you’ve looked at the same model for too long…
There’s a particular problem with designing something yourself: you know how it’s supposed to go together.
You know which way a part fits, where to hold it and which little detail needs a careful touch. You can become so familiar with the model that you forget someone opening the packet for the first time won’t have any of that background. What feels obvious at my workbench might need a clearer explanation at yours.
Then there are the things that only become apparent during a build. A detail might look lovely on screen but be awkward to reach with a paintbrush. A small part might benefit from a little more strength. A fit that works well on one print might need more tolerance to make it consistent across a batch. Even the packaging needs to do its job properly; there’s little point getting the model right if a delicate part doesn’t survive the journey.
Feedback on designs I’ve shared has already shown how useful another pair of eyes can be. Someone will spot something I’ve stopped noticing, or ask a question that makes me reconsider an assumption. Those conversations have been valuable, and I want to carry that through into the models people actually receive.
Shoreleave Models currently has 100% positive feedback across hundreds of sales. I’m proud of that, and grateful to everyone who has taken the time to leave feedback. As the range grows and I tackle more unusual locomotives, I want to keep giving each model the attention that helped earn that reputation.
So, what will the evaluation involve?
Each model in these first batches will come with a link and QR code to an online feedback form. Once you’ve had a chance to look it over and work on it, I’d like to hear how you got on.
That includes the quality of the printing, how the parts fit, whether assembly is straightforward and whether the instructions tell you what you need to know. If something arrived damaged, proved frustrating, felt too fragile or simply left you scratching your head, that’s useful information. Suggestions about the appearance and detailing are welcome too.
I’d also like to hear what you enjoyed. Knowing that a feature works well is helpful when deciding what to change and what to leave alone.
There’s no need to write a lengthy report or use technical language. “This part was difficult to fit, and a photograph would have helped” can tell me a great deal. A quick picture of an issue can be especially useful, as can a suggestion based on how you approached the build.
You certainly don’t need to be an expert modeller. Someone building their first few 009 kits will notice different things from someone who has spent decades modifying locomotives, and both perspectives matter. I want these models to be enjoyable to build, and that means understanding where people of different experience levels might run into difficulties.
What happens to your comments?
Once the feedback comes in, I’ll review it, investigate any issues and use the findings to make practical improvements to the production models.
Some changes may be straightforward. Others might need another test print or a little thought about the balance between appearance, strength and ease of assembly. At this size, those things are closely connected: making a detail finer can improve its appearance while also making it more vulnerable during handling.
I can’t promise that every suggestion will become a change, but I can promise to take the feedback seriously and explain the decisions that follow.
I’ll publish the feedback on this website, without buyers’ personal details, alongside updates on the resulting improvements. That should make the development easy to follow, whether you’ve bought an evaluation model or are simply interested in how the finished kits come together.
It will also give those who take part a chance to see what their comments helped achieve.
A thank-you for taking part
Buyers from these initial batches who complete the online feedback form will receive 40% off the production models.
You’ll therefore get the evaluation model at a reduced price, have an opportunity to influence its development and receive a further discount when the production versions become available.
That thank-you is for your time and honest observations. It applies whether you loved the build or found several things that need attention. The feedback form is separate from eBay seller feedback, and the discount isn’t dependent on leaving a positive review.
Please do tell me when something could be better. Finding those things is the reason for making this first batch.
Buying with confidence
The models will be clearly listed as evaluation versions and sold through eBay, with eligible purchases covered by eBay’s Money Back Guarantee, subject to its usual terms.
Many of you have already bought from Shoreleave Models and will know that I care about making sure you’re happy with what arrives. That remains just as important with these batches. If there’s a problem with your order, please get in touch directly so I can help; you don’t need to wait until you’ve finished the model or completed the form.
I’m looking forward to seeing both locomotives on other people’s workbenches. Everyone brings their own ideas to a model, whether that’s a carefully researched finish, a well-used industrial look or a completely fictional railway with a story of its own.
There’s a tremendous amount of experience and imagination in the narrow gauge community. Giving that community a part in developing the Wagonmaster and Mountaineer feels like a good way to take Shoreleave Models forward.
If you’d like to take part, keep an eye out for the eBay listings or send me a message through the Shoreleave Models Facebook page. There will be 15 of each in this initial run, and I’d love to hear how you get on with them.
Leighton
Shoreleave Models
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