◆ GAUGE ‘O’ ◆ MODEL Masterpiece Models Class 52 ‘Western’ ◆ PRICE £3,360.00 ◆ AVAILABILITY Masterpiece Models Web w ww.masterpiecemodels.co.uk

"Livery options cover the whole gamut of colours carried by the prototypes"

When Michael Brooks established Masterpiece Models in 2007, the company’s purpose was to produce ready-to-run 7mm scale models of the highest possible standard. The first offering was a GWR ‘Castle’ 4-6-0 and, such was the positive response from modellers, that other premier steam classes followed, including GWR ‘Kings’, LMS ‘Coronations’ and ‘Duchesses’, plus Bulleid ‘Pacifics’ and the BR ‘Britannia’ class.

Following Michael Brooks’ retirement in 2015, the business was taken over by Scale- Seven group chairman John Borkowski, but the company’s aim has remained consistent, which has been borne out by the latest project – the BR Class 52 ‘Western’.

Marking Masterpiece Models’ first foray into diesel outline traction, great efforts have been made to ensure that these models reflect the distinct character of the prototype. Indeed, the ‘Westerns’ have long been ranked as one of the most cherished of British diesel locomotive designs, while also providing a stern challenge for a number of manufacturers in the past.

With the National Railway Museum’s General Arrangement Works Drawings unavailable, the team from Masterpiece Models arranged to have the preserved D1015 Western Courier laser scanned, with assistance from the Diesel Traction Group at Kidderminster. However, with the cab front and roof a notoriously difficult element to reproduce, the results of the 3D scan alone were not enough.