RedBrick1

I would anticipate McLaren branding in place of the Marlboro logos.

Great work, keep working on this! These are the types of mods I am looking to make to my copy as well. The pilot wheel mod greatly improves the balance! (The only downside in appearance is the buffers will now move along with the rotation around curves.) I'm hoping that the extra space between the wheels allows for the cylinders to be extended lower by a stud. Do the XL drivers fit under the existing running boards?

There are lots of big business experts in the thread today.

Further spacing out the pilot wheels is a great-looking mod. How much extension was needed to add the rear bogie? Are those larger drivers?

Rose-tinted glasses. The last time they tried this the sets sold poorly. There is a reason they have never tried the "My Own Train" strategy again.

Double VIP points weekend coming up. Time to place the order!

Has anyone been able to real-world test larger drivers on the locomotive?

I was holding out a small bit of hope that this set would go on pre-order for Black Friday. It doesn't look like that will be the case at the moment.

Excellent! Thank you for your continued work on this. The race to motorize will help to put those not fully in the loop more at ease as this set nears release.

Thank you for testing this out. This tweaks helps balance things out even further - I'm a fan!

Any thoughts on what modifications would be required in order to fit larger Big Ben drivers?

Agreed, that is a legitimate criticism. I assumed that the fairly fat boiler was meant to house the motor. I am looking forward to seeing what your modifications are!

My initial guess is that it is designed to be motorized, but it doesn't run well due to weight, so they aren't pushing that feature. (Especially with LEGO specifically saying "Model is built for L Gauge and fits L Gauge track.") We will know for sure when we can see the instructions.

I'm still impatiently tapping my fingers on my desk, awaiting the release date. My modding plans include enlarging the firebox area, dropping the cylinders down lower, and spacing the front bogie wheels out farther. I might add a single trailing wheel as well, but still debating that.

Has anyone heard when we should get an actual official look at the set? Are we looking at a December 2023 release, or early 2024?