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Poor Airport Shuttle because it got smacked by a significantly larger Maersk! I love my Shuttle too - managed to find a MISB 6921 track expansion for the bargain price of £40 the other day, but I want more! (To be specific, points, straights, inclines...) That must be quite a draw on a single box? I've got mine running now as a train of two halves... Front: Rechargeable box Dual motors (1x normal, 1x reversed) Front lights Rear: AAA box Rear lights This means I don't have a wire running down the 6 passenger carriages to deal with, and my rear power is totally independent. Does mean I have to use 2x IR receivers though, and two channels (motors on one, lights on another).

Hah, poor Airport Shuttle :( Reminds me I need to pick up more monorail track...

You're going to need a huuuge layout to fit a 10 car train on a straight! I'd even be wondering if you'd need to motorise the rear loco... I missed out on Emerald Night too, due to not being that interested in the set. Every day I have to convince myself that the cost of buying 3 more carriages would be ridiculous...

I personally think Lego moved away from RC because it was a limited system - it wasn't as expandable as the current PF system (so we might have never gotten the geared Emerald Night) and it also limited what the designers could build, because of the massive AA battery box stuck in the middle of the train bases. I find the two sets I have decent, especially the cargo train (the white passenger trains uses the pre-moulded noses, which are horrible) when hauling their original carriages, and am happy to keep them running alongside my PF trains. To be honest, I think Lego just came up with a better solution for motors and decided to switch before they got any more committed to RC.

Yes, both sets became harder to get towards EOL - they started disappearing of various regions' S@H and retail sources dried up. You've got over a year to pick up a pair of HE's, but I wouldn't leave it to the last minute.

8866 is the old PF motor for trains, and quite simply it doesn't work properly with newer trains sets (Maersk, HE etc) as the bulk of the extension cable gets in the way, and hits the edge of the train base when cornering - this is probably what is causing your derails. You'll need to bite the bullet and get 88002.

Just wish I had space for a permanent setup :( 90% of my Lego is in storage and will remain so for at least another three years!

Nice modification on the valances, that was my next step once I've finished my final pair of passenger cars. Did you just extend by 2 studs?

Okay, so running notes... My HE is currently 6 cars, all with Jacobs, as I'm awaiting some Bricklink orders to customise my final 2 and a few bits and bobs (ie: rear red lights). It also only has a single motor currently, running off the rechargeable battery box (so PF motor and PF LED front lights), which is unfortunately simply not enough to haul the train at anything approaching speed. On straight she'll run decently, but as soon as you hit a curve it slows right down due to the increased friction - and starting up involves quite a lot of wheel spin! As such, I think dual motor is essential if you're running anything more than a single set of carriages. Beyond that, she looks beautiful. Lego really have hit the ball out the park with this one - the black stripe down the side of the windows, the white stripe underneath running the entire length of the train, and then the gloss black roof. Pictures shortly! http://imageshack.us/a/img829/4813/dsc01243nb.jpg http://imageshack.us/a/img29/1647/dsc01244ae.jpg http://imageshack.us/a/img541/5292/dsc01239ay.jpg http://imageshack.us/a/img521/1711/dsc01242m.jpg http://imageshack.us/a/img267/2913/dsc01238xj.jpg http://imageshack.us/a/img42/4465/dsc01237ud.jpg http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/404/dsc01246ah.jpg/ - official Jacobs http://imageshack.us/a/img41/1122/dsc01245jp.jpg - My custom, using spares from the set

Utterly fantastic interiors - loving the colours and the structures themselves. I actually like your ground floor - high end designer shops are frequently very plain and understated, rather than gaudy and eye catching. Wish I owned this one!

Jardeon, I've literally just noticed that - I tried hooking one of the HE carriages to my red cargo train and it made a very satisfying clunk and connected solidly. Now the HE carriages seem to be a lot stronger, so it looks like a magnet has shifted. Not overly impressed, but I can deal! I've also bodged together a Jacobs' with the spares from not having to fill the engine with a fake IR receiver etc. It isn't the same as the proper one, but looks pretty decent. Only downside is that you need 4x 3176 per bogie that aren't in the set and have to be acquired elsewhere. I'll put pictures up tomorrow

Picked up three copies today at the Westfield Stratford (London) store as they opened. Apparently they have "quite a few" in the stock room, but they are severely short on PF items - no LED lights, no power wall bricks, no IR receivers, no train motors...basically they have the switches and rechargeable boxes. Building starts now! EDIT: Okay, so there are minor issues with trying to build like this. Firstly, you simply don't have enough parts to build the Jacobs' bogies out of spares unfortunately. My triple set should have 2 locos and 6 passenger carriages, but as supplied, I only have 3 Jacobs' out of a needed 5. They aren't a complex build, but you'll need to order the parts. Secondly, I don't know what Lego have done, but the magnets between the loco and carriages are incredibly weak unless perfectly centered. I haven't run the full set yet (only built 1/3) but I am seriously worried that it's going to separate constantly. Will report back with results! PF installation is fine. Not dual-motoring yet as I'm waiting to switch my second to backwards running, but cabling will fit.

I'll be photographing as I go - unfortunately my current small flat doesn't have space for a permanent layout though :(

That'd be fantastic, but you won't find a bogie in the retail stores as they never have them! I've got a spare sitting on my desk, so I can post that over to you. I'll drop you a message :)

Problem is I'll be running an 8 car unit, so that's a rather long wire to run!

Long term I'll be fitting a battery box etc. to my rear loco for red lights at the back, but I won't add a motor as I've found that the trains can sometimes be a bit unreliable if run in that configuration - it's far better to dual-motor the leading loco. Still looking at re-wiring one of the motor bogies, but I lack a soldering iron :(

Fantastic, thank you! Looks like I need to pick up a PF switch to get mine running. Don't really mind losing the driver...

Can you stick up photos? I'm going to be dual-motoring and am trying to work out what will fit!

Perfect, thank you. I'll be at Westfield first thing on the 1st!

I don't know if there's a delay, hence the question. I know that they have had stock in store prior to release date for other things (I was shown UCS R2-D2 from the stock room several days before launch) but I want to know if they'll have HE - so I can buy 3!

I like it as well - finally another corner building - and also one with a totally different architectural style. Will definitely pick this up!

Anybody know if this will be in Lego retail in the UK on the 1st?

Great model, really appreciating how closely it follows the official X-wing in terms of look and feel, yet giving it the E-wing twist. Any chance of releasing the LXF so I can make one?

Sigh, still 1st Jan for the UK. I want to spend my VIP points!

Lovely build - I really do like the colour palette you've used. Would like some pictures of interiors if there are any to speak of? I really need to build a shed for my locos, but fail to come up with a good one :(