Spur 1 Fulgurex Re 460 testing and written review (gauge 1)

This Fulgurex locomotive looks just as exquisite as you would imagine, given the brand name. The Swiss railway model manufacturer is known for its high level of detail in their gauge 1 brass models, and this one is no exception! Even though the real world counterpart may not have as many details as a steam locomotive, it is my impression that what could have been included was indeed included. The one area which might have been slightly improved upon here is possibly the driver's compartment, which appears both detailed and sparse at the same time.

The fact that Fulgurex uses hand painting on parts of their models do leave them a bit more vulnerable to wear peeling off the paint in small places, and the surface being less smooth if you look real closely. Minus points for this.

The sound is absolutely perfect, and leaves nothing to be desired. It comes through clearly and without any coarseness or digital artifacts that I noticed. Very good, and certainly a highlight of this model!

The lighting is clear and crisp, and makes the model stand out in operation. Really wonderful to look at.

Driving characteristics appear to me to be very smooth and realistic. It drives flawlessly at both slow and high speeds, and handles uneven track very well - as you can see, the layout offers a few challenges in this regard, because the track laid now is temporary, and not even all over!

To my knowledge, Fulgurex are the only ones so far to have made the Re 460, although the Re 482/484 from Kiss Modellbahnen (as you can VERY briefly see at 4:26 in the video) comes very close to this one. The difference being mainly the Re 460 has more smooth curved ends, whereas the Re 482/484 has broken lines.

I believe the model to have been produced in South Korea and then shipped to Switzerland. South Korea has a variety of both good and bad labour conditions, and I don't know any details about the specific manufacturer, nor is that common to state. Since the finished models are sold from Switzerland, getting hold of a copy would normally mean you would have to pay more for it in the EU, but maybe you will get lucky and find it used for a lower price. The price to enjoyment ratio is often a challenge with small series manufacturers operating from Switzerland especially, and you should expect to find this for an EU price of approx. 4,000 to 4,300 euro, unless luck is with you :-)

Definitely recommended! 8/10