Hawksworth trusses are here as are the nameplates. Those people who ordered
specials have been emailed. Those who paid - your plates went
1st recorded on the last day "guaranteed" for first class
delivery so hopefully will arrive in time.
Printed side TPO's back in stock again, the first batch sold out straight away. Still waiting a delivery of white metal castings to clear the backlog on the older style SR vacuum cylinder/reservoirs and Maunsell duckets as there was a sudden mysterious large demand for them shortly after Christmas.
Currently in test building state: LMS 50' stowage van re-release, and a LNER D.28 all steel third.
Two chunks of website redesign work. There is now an index by coach type as well as the parts index. In addition the first chunk of the Etched Pixels product range has been merged into the Ultima site.
That may seem backwards but the Ultima site was designed later and automated to handle large numbers of items. The Etched Pixels one was not, so it is easier to merge the Etched Pixels site bit by bit into the Ultima site and then make that the Etched Pixels site too.
If you see any problems or want Etched Pixels items not yet merged please drop an email to sales@etchedpixels.co.uk and I can add it to this site.
Plans for 2012: The definite bits - other things to come with luck.
The production of the final mould tools for the EMU ends, various buffers and to re-run the out of stock UM270 parts is now in progress. More news once I get the first parts from it.
Latest piles of etches arrived and ready to unpack. That should fix some of the back order status for both Etched Pixels and Ultima product ranges.
The ducket problem with the Billinton coaches is now sorted to my satisfaction so the next batch of artwork will head off tomorrow.
Working through the test builds. The horsebox will need minor tweaks only. The Billinton duckets need some reworking.
Also received the first spin of the new white metal bits. This includes the 'Nelson' EMU ends to fit with the Bulleid roofs, etched floors, detailing etc and other bits currently being drawn, class 313 style EMU ends, later style EMU ends (317/2 etc) to go with the 210/317/1 ends, and various buffers and other oddments.
Hawksworth trusses are here as are the nameplates. Those people who ordered
specials have been emailed. Those who paid - your plates went
1st recorded on the last day "guaranteed" for first class
delivery so hopefully will arrive in time.
I hope to do the Billinton test builds and instructions over Christmas so they'll just about scrape 2011. The white metal nose ends will slip to early next year.
I did manage to sneak one extra item in instead. This is the test build of the ex LSWR 16ft horsebox, which will be available in both original and 1930's Southern refurbished form in January
Finally the web site now has a section listing the items for which we hold artwork but do not intend to re-run at this point - eg due to low demand, there being an equivalent RTR product etc, but which can be run to special order if people really want one. Note that not everything Ultima did was Ultima owned including some of the brass steam locomotive detail and the ABS/Beaver coach tooling.
The Billinton Brake Second with duckets and also a Billinton Brake 3rd with duckets are now ready for test etching. The double ended brake has been deferred in favour of the much more requested brake third.
Also hopefully now coming before Christmas are Hawksworth trusses, British Rail build autocoach etched sides for the Dapol autocoach and various requested GWR loco number plates.
The L.25 TPO is now available.
The Thompson BZ is released. Some types of roof are now back in reasonable stock.
New stock items, hundred and two hundred bulk packs of shell vents. Intended for kit producers and the like. Also the white metal version of the torpedo vents are now listed and orderable for those people who specifically want them in white metal.
Provisional New Products For The Rest Of 2011
I've been asked many times for easy to build bogies, so after very helpful discussion with Dapol we now carry Dapol Gresley bogies. These are fully assembled and lightbar ready. At some point later this year I hope to add some of the GWR bogies to the range as well.
No news on more roofs as yet. We still have some Gresley roofs in stock and plenty of Hawksworth but nothing depending on the Bulleid style roof is available for the moment until our supplier is back up and running.
With pretty much all the Ultima paperwork and company to sole trader stuff sorted out I'm hoping now to get a bit more time to get the various projects back up and progressing faster. Even more so in October when my OU course finishes.
For the moment however I've had time to get one of them progressed. The Thompson BZ is a complete etched kit with wheels, brass bearings, buffers white metal fittings and a plastic roof profile. I have a couple of small changes to make to the prototype (the roof needs to fit over the ends so it extends beyond them a spot and the steps on the side are in the wrong place on this one) and I want to add a couple of helpers to the etch but I'm hopefully the next test will be the production release.
![[Thompson D.348 BZ]](ThompsonBZTest.jpg)
This will also be a test for packaging and sales as I've had various requests to make it easy to get a whole kit without worrying about extras needed, so there will be a 'just add paint, solder, decals and glue' release.
Various bits have arrived including CCT buffers and more SR steam bogies, these will get added to the site in the next few days, along with items that have been requested including 6.2mm wheels for coaches with 3' wheels and handrail knobs for those folk who like to fit filler pipes.
Vinyl testing continues. I'm not entirely happy with the finish of the Coronation Scot test set I did so they may all end up being offered as updated etches and roof diagrams given that most of them are already done in that form. Fox already do the relevant decals.
Thompsons are now back in stock. SR bogies will be back in a couple of weeks I hope. The UM1014 50ft kitchen car is back in etched form and the etches have been updated to include finer detail. I also have a tested vinyl pre-printed side version sitting on my desk.
New in the etched sides is UME1010 a 65ft vestibule first to diagram 1902. This was previously only available in printed side form.
The new stuff is now listed although some of them lack drawings and details. I'll try and get those fixed when I get a bit more time.
Some order delays but mostly now cleared.
Large pile of new stuff from our suppliers waiting to get listed when I get a moment to do the needed accounting and work out what effect the price rises have had. Thompson coach floors will be a while longer yet unfortunately.
We now have the updated pricing from our suppliers. As a general trend everything is going up sharply, brass in particular due to the rise in the cost of brass sheet. Add the extra VAT on top of that, and the fact that shipping costs are also rising. Then for the final blow the Royal Mail plan to raise prices sharply. It's now obvious that our prices will have to rise in some cases.
Thompson floors are out of stock so the Thompson coaches are mostly on back order but should be back in a couple of weeks.
Everything should now be up and running again. I've also fixed a bug in the shopping cart where sometimes the first item ordered would not show up properly until the page was reloaded or a second item was ordered.
Various new items in stock as well as a new supply of the Bogie-B and wheels.
All business of Ultima Models Ltd has been transferred to Etched Pixels Digital Design. If you have an outstanding order to Ultima it may well be fulfilled by Etched Pixels. New orders will go to Etched Pixels.
Moving onwards there will be some shuffling of the products. I'll probably put all the vinyl sides together under Etched Pixels, and also rework some of the Etched Pixels kits to include Ultima detailing parts.
Reworking and merging the websites is a pending problem, but orders placed around the same time to both will get shipped as one and some postage refunded.
Please note a change of address for cheque orders to
Ultima Models 106 Walter Road Swansea SA1 5QQ
and have a merry Christmas all.
Currently working on Mark 1 sides for the new Mark 1 coaches and getting a few more things back into stock. I hope to have the pullman bogies and bogie B back early new year.
I'm also doing some test re-workings of the LMS bogies with a view to updating them a bit and making them as easy as possible to build.
Large delivery of white metal. This includes the never previously released small monsoon vents as well as the scalloped dome vents and some of the LNWR buffers, axleboxes, CCT and sleeper ends.
The small pile of orders and waiting orders for white metal bits should therefore go out in the next two or three days. Most of them are now updated on the website but there are a few others to go.
In other news Etched Pixels has purchased the other half of Ultima from Andrew Cowling (The Yate Models shop). Over the next couple of months Ultima will be merged into Etched Pixels.
All the LMS/LNWR etched sides are now back in stock including the TPOs.
PC Models etches are now available for order again.
Exams over, so I now have a bit of time to catch up with things. The next batch of ex PC Models etches (MR stock, GWR horsebox etc) have arrived and will get added to the stock shortly, along with the crimson and cream LMS coaches. The new moulds are made so the CCT and sleepers should follow shortly along with a variety of white metal parts including some re-introductions.
Also on the test bench now pending assembly are the corrected L.21, L.24 and L.25 GWR TPO coaches.
A final trawl through the Ultima old stock and materials produced some useful finds and an awful lot of copies of instruction sheets with the wrong address on them. The big one was a large supply of LMS livery coach sides. All the LMS printed side coaches are therefore now in stock in volume. A few like the TPO need some more research, while the CCT and sleepers need ends which will appear with the new moulds.
The Bulleid roof problem has been dealt with we think. The roofs are now being supplied on a sprue rather than being split from it automatically. The 63' Thompson coaches are therefore now go.
We are still having problems with Bulleid style roof supply.
The Thompson coach test building is in progress with just the shorter composite to test build. The test build of the LNER 60ft TPO is also under way.
On the new item front almost all the old etched LMS sides and early sides are now in stock. UME1501 is proving more complicated. I'm pretty sure I have the sides in question but am still searching for a diagram to verify them against. Also now in stock are the LMS loco fitting packs.
On other fronts the web site has had a re-organisation so is hopefully easier to use. I'll try and add some more pictures soon as well as a view by railway company feature. Timeperiods will come later as that's a lot more work and the existing catalogue doesn't have scrapping dates for a lot of the items.
The engineers saloon has been test built and is now available.
Still waiting more Bulleid style roofs due to some machinery problems at our supplier. In the mean time the Maunsell coach sides have been updated to nickel silver which fixes the tendancy to stretch the first few builders found.
New white metal moulds are currently being made which will see the re-release of the Mark1/2 scalloped dome vent, the first release of the small monsoon vents and general availability of various bits we are currently keeping our existing small stock of for full kits only.
Current projects are the re-introduction of the Gresley TPO kits and of the etched 63'6"/59' Thompson 2mm coach kits. The Mark 1 sides are also lined up and ready to go - but will be released to fit the upcoming new-release Bachmann Farish Mark 1 coaches. This leaves the complete LMS kits and Bulleid coaches plus oddments to fill out the range of products actually ever released in the past.
Most of the LMS and pre-LMS sides from the 'Limited Edition' 2mm side range are now back in stock. The etches for the LNER TPO and for the Hawksworth Engineers Saloon are also now here and will be released over the next 3 months hopefully.
At the 2mmSA 50th anniversary we released the first Maunsell coaches and the return of the Midland PC Models etches shrunk from 4mm to 2mm. It was good to meet everyone. Also back in the range are the CR detailing parts which we rediscovered.
Bulleid ends are back in stock. Oval coach buffers are now in stock. This means all the parts for the Maunsell coaches are finally present and accounted for.
The range has now been further widened.
I hope to make progress on the UM16xx (ex PC Models) pregrouping stock very soon. Work has also started on completing the GWR TPO vehicles (L21/2/5) from the old Ultima company that were never finished.
TPO is now back in stock. Bulleid coach ends are on back order instead.
TPO stock is on back order, but I hope to have some more soon. Various additional bits of white metal are back in production and have been added to the catalogue.
Conversion underframes are now in stock for the Thompson conversion of the Farish Mark 1.
The UM1320 TPO stowage and sorting vans are now in stock.
Artwork has now gone to the etchers for the Thomson underframe conversion to go with the vinyl sides. Along with this should be the re-release of UM1320 with an etched underframe and production versions of the etched Maunsell battery boxes.
The Thompson set is now released and available. Maunsell instructions are
still in progress. 63ft Thompson N scale vinyl sides are now also available
for some coach types. These use a cleared Farish Mark 1 coach shell for the
conversion. Suitable bogies are available from the NGS, and for those who
want to do a thorough job a conversion kit
of etched solebars, battery box and white metal detailing, plus roof vents
and diagrams will follow soon.
Test side:
![[Thompson side test]](news-img/news-vinyl-thomp.jpg)
Royal mail prices rise very soon, and our postage prices will unfortunately have to follow.
Various new items have arrived. Some still need instructions writing or updating. We hope to have everything back up and running by the 18th.
The items to be re-released are as follows
The new items to be released once the instructions are completed are
Two other reworking projects are also under way. The 42ft LMS CCT is getting a rework as a fold up etched shell rather than the old aluminium and white metal floor and ends, while the SR royal mail stock is awaiting an etched floor design.
The first test runs of modern cut vinyl sides using the old Ultima artwork are now receiving some tweaking. In theory given the right data the software can render anything Stanier ever built that was smooth sided - at least, for the moment, providing you want it in lined BR Maroon.
Thompson 52ft4 test build.
![[Thompson 52ft4 Coach]](/news-img/ThompsonTest.jpg)
What I hope will prove to the production version of the Maunsell coaches has gone for etching. The initial vehicles are:
Aluminium roof profile and van floor profile has arrived. Various GWR brown vehicles and coaches are now therefore back in stock.
Fixed a bug on the web site where Gresley kits couldn't be ordered. Also added a feature to indicate items that have not been re-introduced but where the N Gauge society has old stock available to members.
The Maunsell test got a basic assembly test today including underframe. Some small glitches found as a result will need reworking as expected. This will now get fully built and detailed and used to produce the instruction sheets as well as to figure out how to produce an interior.
Any interest in Maunsell era Thanet stock ?
Sorry for the delays in getting the monsters/giants available, the Royal Mail have managed to lose the roofs for the moment.
Maunsells are progressing as a joint project using the Bulleid Roof/End parts, a new etched floor/truss rods and the existing Etched Pixels sides and duckets.
Most of the Gresley coaches are now available using etched floors. The triplet set can't use a standard etched floor so for the moment remains unavailable.
Hawksworth stock is now available except for the sleeper. The sleeper should follow shortly once we've verified all the parts.
Hawksworth and Gresley coach floor test etches are completed and built. We hope to have the Gresley and Hawksworth coaches available in the new year. Bogies for the Hawksworth are still under investigation.
We are also experimenting in transferring the LMS printed sides to vinyl on clear plastic. Depending on the success of this some of the LMS sides will be made available again on a "print on demand" basis.
New release by popular request is the BR Mark 1 inspection saloon. This consists of the necessary sides and ends to convert a Graham Farish by BG into a Mark 1 inspection saloon.
Some roofs are on back order, we hope to have a new batch soon but that depends upon the effects of the Christmas post
The following new items are available:
We are currently working on roofs for the GWR monster/giant vans, roofs for the other GWR printed side coaches, and Hawksworth coach floors. As these are resolved further full kits will be introduced. We can supply monsters and giants without roof if you wish to make your own in the meantime. Send an email if you are interested.
The Thompson matchboard corridor full brake is now available again. The 63ft underframe and the Carflat are now being sold as kits and not etches and include the correct white metal parts.
Plastic roofs have now arrived. We have stocks of the roof mouldings for the Gresley and Bulleid coaches as well as Hawksworth roofs and ends. This also means that some of the old Farish conversion kits are now available.
The web site has had a bit of styling exercise done on it. The images have also been trimmed to sensible sizes. Now that the production and supply side is more under control expect the web site to continue to improve.
Large quantities of the white metal parts are now listed and available for order along with many of the etched components. We hope to have roofs in the next couple of weeks and at that point begin re-releasing some of the full kits.
The following conversion kits can now be reproduced but subject to a minimum of ten confirmed orders @£7.50 per set (£10/set for the Inspection Saloon as it also includes ends). Lower prices for a larger volume order. Most of these were designed to fit the Mike Howarth shells (often with some adjustment).
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| UME1001 | LMS 50ft Full Brake |
| UME1020 | LMS 50ft Inspection Saloon (with ends) |
| UME1026 | LMS 42ft BGV |
| UME1045 | LMS 60ft P4 open first (porthole) |
| UME1046 | LMS 57ft Full Brake |
| UME1047 | LMS 60ft P4 corridor composite (porthole) |
| UME1048 | LMS 60ft P4 corridor brake first (porthole) |
| UME1049 | LMS 57ft P4 corridor third (porthole) |
| UME1051 | LMS 60ft P4 corridor first (porthole) |
| UME1054 | LMS 57ft P4 corridor brake third (porthole) |
Online ordering is now available.
Ultima products can now be ordered by cheque payable to Ultima Model Engineering Ltd, 571 Southmead Road, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, BS10 5NL. P&P is £2 or by paypal (email and we will send you an invoice). The shopping cart will be up in the next few days.
A list of re-released items is available here. There are some code changes because electronic ordering needs a unique code for each item, which the original Ultima catalogue does not have. The actual digit part of the code has been kept the same to assist people in finding the right parts.