Thank you Jenny for this video, it’s made some interesting viewing. I have a few A4s and date back some years, each has its own level of detail increase and can see how hornby have moved forward. Only have hornby currently in the fleet of the locomotives. Always enjoy the videos and the updates from your channel. Wishing you both a very happy new year and looking forward to next video for Jan 2022. Marc

Brilliant detail on the Hornby model cab, love the bucket seats

thanks for all your videos happy New year

Happy Hogmanay, Jenny!🍁🎶🎊🎉😁👍 A great comparison!

Happy New Year Jenny! I've had several A4s from Hornby down through the years. I think they have captured the shape perfectly although I think we need a new chassis with more weight and a firebox glow. Currently I've three A4s in my collection in the three LNER liveries of the 1930s

The superlative A4 is the Hornby model in the Sir Nigel Gresley Centenary Train Set. It’s a class above and so are the Gresley Teaks it comes with.

Happy new year, Jenny! Yes, I agree that the Hornby one is the superior model. However, I'm really not a fan of the dull finish that Hornby always seems to use for its BR green models (as Matt Slade said in his own A4 comparison video). Like him, I much prefer the satin finish (and slightly richer shade of green) that we see on Bachmann models. If I was getting a OO gauge A4, and it wasn't BR green, then it'd definitely be a Hornby one. But if it was BR green, then I wouldn't be so sure...

Good morning Jen!! Happy New Year!!

The very latetest models of Empire of India and Commonwealth of Austrailia from Hornby in the Garter Blue are the best A4 's I have seen and the put my Bachmann model of Silver Fox in the shade. The new hornby ones are in m view the best ones i have seen. The new tender connection and the cab details with Fire box door open to reveal a glowing fire box in the cab. The models have come out in time to go with the new Coronation Coaches due out later this year.

A good example of dont just buy one brand - the few models hornby do well, they do really well, the A4 is certainly one of those. Great video JK

Great video jenny 👍 thank you 😊 😊

Awesome video

awesome video

Jenny, an interesting set of comparisons of the Class A4. I only have 1 X Hornby TTS 🔊 My other one in A1 class, TORNADO, my first loco after pausing on the hobby for over 40 years ! Best wishes for 2022 alongside your partner. 🙂🙏

Hi Jenny and Zoe. hope 2022 is good for you. Best Wishes Peter

Thank you for this video showing the difference between the two. Being in Norway these models arent plentiful, and an A4 4468 Mallard is high on my list of locomotives I want (for this I blame TTD). I might buy one for myself as a christmas present. Looks like Hornby is the best model overall.

I've always self-conscious of the fact that a cab door came off my Hornby A4 but it's reassuring to see others have the same issue. Sacrifice to the super detail gods I guess.

Wasn´t the original Bachmann model from Liliput from the beginning?

Not keen on the flangeless rear wheels on the Hornby to be honest, but I wouldn't be able to get past that moulding line on the boiler of the Bachmann, it really draws the eye.

Happy New year to the Jen 'The queen of steam' Kirk and to all.

I have an early DCC A4 Mallard. Sadly her front buffer beam has dropped off. But she’s a gorgeous locomotive!!

Thank you for these videos Jenny glad Hornby came out on top it is a lovely model.

The Bachman model looks like an earlier generation when molding and metal work was not as fine (everything is chunkier on the bachman - it looks mid 80s or early 90s to me). It would be a fine model in it's own right, until you saw the Hornby. One plus of the Bachman is you can't see the front bogie/tracks when looking down through the chimney like you can on the Hornby streamlined models ( the LMS Strealined Coronation has the same issue)

They both look pretty good, detail wise I prefer the Hornby example (that cab interior!), but I do prefer Bachmann’s near gloss paint finish which makes it look heavier for me.

Horny’s second eccentric link motion is supurb, as is Bachmann’s BR green. I have both types of A4, nice video to watch. Thanks. I saw A4’s in the 50’s & 60’s they were, and are, powerfully, poetry in motion! Bachman forced Horny to upgrade its tender drive A4.

Ok I have both the Hornby and Bachmann and I also have the Dapol A4. If I had to pick one it would be the Dapol model, it's heavier , better detailed and a smoother runner. On the down side it's much more expensive. The old split chassis Bachmann model can be updated to the new chassis as it fits except under the cab where a bit of work is required to re-manufacture body to chassis fixings. As for the Hornby model, most of it's iterations are good and while I'm sure they make it easy for most modellers to fit sound it's never that great. I usually dispense with the socket in the tender, hard wire a sound decoder in the loco body and fit a large speaker up in the smoke box, bigger the speaker, the more air you move, the better the sound.

Hey Jennifer E. Kirk, I prefer the Hornby A4s because they have a better mechanism and better tender pick-ups. Plus, I do not like the A4s in BR liveries because they look boring compared to their LNER liveries which they look much better. I really want to get all 35 A4s in their LNER liveries because I want to honour Sir Nigel Gresley for his workmanship. I also have the new Hornby W1 4-6-4 Hudson in its rebuilt form which is much better than its original form.

I couldn't fit one in at the minute. Apple Green B12, that'd get me back to where I wanted to go.

Simply hornby on a4 But peppercorn a2 a1 I would say Bachmann

Hi Jenny Another great video, although I don't know very much regarding Hornby or Bachmann OO gauge models, it seems to me that the Bachmann 60002 model appears to my eyes to look like its had a (semi?) proffesional repaint/renumbering, (is there an issue code number for it recorded anywhere?). As you mentioned it was s/hand too, maybe someone has had it redone when sold on has put it in newer box? It also looks like the nameplate is coming slightly adrift (towards the front), on the firemans side. I apologise if this sounds critical, its not meant too, as long as you are happy to run it on your layout and you like the model thats fine. Its merely just an observation from an 'outsider' to OO gauge (I've only ever done N gauge) but I know that sometimes people like to repaint thier loco's etc. I hope this is not too judgemental I certainly don't wish to be in anyway, Thanks.

Overall I feel that the Hornby model is superior to the Bachmann model. One thing that bothers me about almost all current Hornby steam locomotive models is the phony trailing truck. It probably isn't so bad looking on large radius curves, but on sharper curve watching it swing out looks wrong.

Just cleaning the track at the minute. Lay it out again.

Ah yes!! And that poor old Mallard is a Hornby model.

I have a collection of A4s starting with the Hornby Dublo Sir Nigel Gresley. The Bachmann A4 was better than the Trix A4 and the Hornby tender drive A4 and I thought it was the first A4 which was better than the Hornby Dublo version. I think that the Hornby fixed, flangeless pony truck is dreadful. Apart from this the Railroad LNER version is very good and the new Hornby versions are excellent.

Dapol's Black Label A4 is even better. One better still and probably the finest A4 ever made is Golden Age Models' one. I don't own one of these but have seen them and they're in a class of their own imo. Joachim

Ive got a few bachmann A4s and tbh i think there very good not better than and certainly no worse than yhe hornby version

Is that windows 98?

The Bachmann A4 has a superior finish but the age of the ex Lilliput moulding shows, as well as the front number plate being wrongly positioned. I have the first Bachmann one Union of South Africa

A very welcome addition would be a comparison of loco running characteristics. For most operators, smooth responsive operation is among the highest of priorities. I strongly agree with Stuart Aaron's previous comments. The RIGID Hornby pony truck with its ugly flangeless wheels is an abomination that Jenny doesn't address at all. In all other respects, I agree with Jenny and others who prefer the Hornby, although cab detail, in actual running practice, is almost an irrelevance, But that horrible pony truck ruins the other good work put in by Hornby.

Hornby have the edge....pity about the price....especially s/hand?

Hornby have always produced better steamers than Bachmann....no split chassis, pickups on tenders etc.

You forgot to mention that STOOPID arrangement of flangeless trailing wheels under the cab of the Hornby models. This looks SERIOUSLY unrealistic when going around curves, with the wheels "hovering" in mid air! One of the dumbest designs I've ever seen on a model...I have modified the rear trucks on all three of my Hornby A4's to allow for enough side-to-side play to go around curves while using the flanged wheels...not difficult at all! Apparently, Hornby is targeting the "train set" crowd with their ridiculous tight curves ...it seems that Hornby thinks that we should all be "forgiving" of this flagrant design flaw! Do they think we don't notice that, in most cases, the rear wheels aren't even TURNING, and not even TOUCHING the TRACK ❓