TheRailwire
General Discussion => N and Z Scales => Topic started by: ai5629 on February 01, 2008, 09:47:26 PM
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Have any of you fellow PRR/PC/CR modelers out there ever bought and assembled the Railyard Models N scale G41A coil steel cars? (I actually have a photo credit in the instructions.) I purchased a six pack a couple of years back, but I never got around to assembling them. I am sure these will look great once I do get the chance to put them together. I was checking out the Rail Yard web site tonight, and I saw they are discontinuing these cars. It is frustrating how a good product is made, and the demand is not there for the manufacturer to continue making it, much less release different models. This car was RYM's only N scale release. I have no coil cars in my Conrail fleet other than these. The Red Caboose ones never impressed me. The stirrups could be replaced, but the deck is so thick it is ridiculous. I am holding out hope that MT or Atlas will procuce a better model. Thanks.
Jeff
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Jeff
We did a group buy of these a few years back, but I haven't seen one turn up done.
Maybe this will be a kick in the pants to us to get them worked on.
It WAS a group buy, now maybe a group build?
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Mine is built, waiting to decal it.
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Mine is in the box, i`ll get to it.... ;D
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Mine is waiting, but I can't seem to work up the gumption to start bending the grab irons for it. I've been meaning to take some measurements and see if BLMA has anything that would be a good substitute.
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It's too bad you guys could not get the x58's from them as they are pretty kick a$$.
(http://lh5.google.com/WoodingsCBI/R6Qchn8eaJI/AAAAAAAAEPU/TcU6QsfX-Nk/s800/IMG_0644.jpg)
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I would have to agree that the HO RYM X58's are fantastic, but $40 a piece!!! And don't forget, you have to assemble and paint them yourself. I mentioned this once already, but I know a die hard 1968 PRR guy in HO, and he will not shell out the money for these kits. I will have to live with my N scale Con Cor stand ins for the time being. I don't hold out much hope that anyone will manufacturer X58's in N scale. I don't think 1960's PRR is very popular in N scale. The thing is, X58's roamed the entire country in PRR, PC, and CR paint from the mid 60's up until at least 2000. Everyone could use at least one or two, even if you are a western modeler. I would buy at least a dozen or two. I would hate to have to paint and decal them all myself, but you got to do what you got to do. Especially since the MS PC boxcars with PRR letters is such a great base (demi data) set for PC or CR painted cars. I can still dream.
Jeff
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As the person who did the group buy, I've assembled and painted mine. Even modified one (to have only 5 and not 6 bays like CR did) and did it in NS paint. Had to make the decals myself and everything ;)
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As the person who did the group buy, I've assembled and painted mine. Even modified one (to have only 5 and not 6 bays like CR did) and did it in NS paint. Had to make the decals myself and everything ;)
Pictures....or it never happened!! (http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u11/70elk/hahaha.gif)
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Pictures....or it never happened!! (http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u11/70elk/hahaha.gif)
Sheesh, some people!
http://www.albany.net/~oplinger/NS%20G-41.jpg (http://www.albany.net/~oplinger/NS%20G-41.jpg)
http://www.albany.net/~oplinger/PRR%20G-41.jpg (http://www.albany.net/~oplinger/PRR%20G-41.jpg)
:P
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Very nice. How difficult would you say they were to assemble? I'm suprised that NS would have repainted them since these cars were built in 1965 or so. They are too old for interchange service now. Did they qualify for "rebuilt" status when they changed them to 5 troughs? Maybe they just use them for on line customers only and not interchange service. Thanks.
Jeff
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Very nice. How difficult would you say they were to assemble? I'm suprised that NS would have repainted them since these cars were built in 1965 or so. They are too old for interchange service now. Did they qualify for "rebuilt" status when they changed them to 5 troughs?
Very easy to build. You'll want tungsten putty or something similar for the weight, since there isn't anyplace 'inside' the car to put it, the model is solid resin. The only difficult part was doing the coupler box covers. Those long extensions to give it the cushioned pocket look require choosing to use either accumate or the guts of a 1023/1025 MT coupler. I'd suggest choosing the 1023/1025 guts. I had an accumate pop open on me last night and it was a train of only 8 cars. I've never really had any decent luck on with them.
I think there's a thread here, over perhaps over in the proto photo area, that has some pictures of the NS versions of the cars. Excellent big photos, made it easy to make the decals. Bright nice new paint, so I'd guess that they are either new cars built on the same scheme as the G41 (as modified by PC) which I doubt or they somehow were qualified as 'rebuilt' to allow them on interchange service otherwise I couldn't see NS taking the time to repaint them.
Penn Central did the original mods, changing some of the G41's to the 5 bay version, so if you make mods, you can paint them in CR or even PC green if you'd like. I know I have a photo of a modified PC green version somewhere around here.
I hadn't built the coil loads that come with the kits when I took those quick photos awhile ago, I just used some of the Red Caboose coils they used to offer. The coils that come with the kits are more properly sized for what the G41 carried.
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Sigh... railyard basically told me to screw when I asked about an N X58. Even at $40, i'd still want 3-4.
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Sigh... railyard basically told me to screw when I asked about an N X58. Even at $40, i'd still want 3-4.
I think Railyard was pretty unhappy about how poorly the G41 sold even though they say on their website it "was fairly successful, it never was able to get enough widespread support to make it a viable long term product. " I too had asked him about making the X58 in N scale and got told "no thanks."
Of course, not knowing about them or that the product existed would explain that. And until folks here were talking about a group buy, I didn't know about them making the G41. And I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the small, odd, quirky manufacturer of items I might want in N scale.
Good news, I was talking with the guy who makes Fine N scale products and he was interested in making one. And the way he does those rippled sides on many of his box cars (PRR X29, X31, X31a and X32 and B&O wagon tops) is very pleasing to my eye. I have many of his models. I stopped short of actually getting them done, it was the year of my work-a-week-or-2-layoffed-a-week-or-2 so I didn't have the funds to do them. I went so far as to point him to the prr.railfan.net page with the drawings on it:
http://prr.railfan.net/freight/classpage.html?class=X58 (http://prr.railfan.net/freight/classpage.html?class=X58)
Although its odd because the drawings are a rib short on each side of the door. These drawings look more like the X65? PC style car. But I told the FNS guy I'd be interested in them too ;)
LV style X65 photo [count the ribs]:
http://crcyc.railfan.net/crrs/box/boxpred.html (http://crcyc.railfan.net/crrs/box/boxpred.html)
PRR class X58 [count the ribs]:
http://crcyc.railfan.net/crrs/box/boxx58.html
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I first heard of Railyard Models on the Conrail Modelers Yahoo group. They were requesting photos of G41A's to include in their directions. I submitted a half dozen photos, and he chose one of mine. I bought a six pack when he emailed me and told me they were available. Back to the X58, Fine N Scale has crossed my mind as someone who might be a possible company that would do an X58. Only time will tell. I would purchase at least a dozen. I have shots of these cars in PRR, various PC, and various CR paint schemes if they ever need some reference photos. Thanks.
Jeff
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I'm in for a bunch of X58s if anyone ever produces them! In addition to Pennsy paint, the PRR shops also built two batches of X58s for the Lehigh Valley : 7100-7139, and 8200-8259, built in 1965 and 1966, respectively. Both groups of the LV cars were painted white with black lettering:
http://rr-fallenflags.org/lv/lv7113agd.jpg
http://rr-fallenflags.org/lv/lv8243ajs.jpg
The CB&Q built two groups of X58 "clones" in its own shops. CB&Q 23300-23499 (class XML-14), and 20695-20899 (class XML-16), built in 1967 and 1969 respectively. The first group was delivered in the Chinese Red schme, and the second group in "merger" green.
Just so nobody can say "only PRR/PC had these" ;D
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Lets draft Fine-N-Scale to produce an X58. Their adress is:
info@finenscale.com
I will suggest they do the ladders seperatly to cover latter non-roofwalk versions as well.
Who else is with me?
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Lets draft Fine-N-Scale to produce an X58. Their adress is:
As I said, I was talking with the owner about doing a X58 or the later PC shopped X65 but lack of funds meant I let it slide. Give me a month and I'll get back to him about the info and doing the cars.
Brian
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Lets draft Fine-N-Scale to produce an X58. Their adress is:
info@finenscale.com
I will suggest they do the ladders seperatly to cover latter non-roofwalk versions as well.
Who else is with me?
I'm in!
Frank
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I'd rather Fine-N-Scale did a PRR XL boxcar, which were built by the tens of thousands prior to World War I. 8)
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I'm in also. I think that an X58 would have more appeal than the X65. (BTW, the X65 had 8 side panels, Despatch Shop style ends and roof. And, the LV had these cars also, in PC green paint!) As far as separate ladders, that would be good for the ends, but the sides look like they were individual grabs that run up the end panels. I suppose if Fine N Scale wanted to go crazy, they could try that. I would just like the roof walk to be a separately applied part that can be installed by the modeler if they wish. I would like them to leave the roof intact, no holes for the roof walk. I hate patching those things. One more thing, there are no decals available (that I am aware of) for the the PRR painted cars. Although, I remember someone on either the PRR, PC, or CR Modeler's Yahoo group mention that Microscale was going to produce a PRR set that was for cars painted in the PK scheme. Thanks.
Jeff
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FNS supplies decals with their kits. I think they could do the car without ladders and supply us with etched ladders on the ends and BLMA grabs for the sides. If they put small dimples in the car, we can choose to have low or high ladders and with or without roofwalk. That would cover a lot of eras.
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Separate ladders - check. Separate grabs, I'm kinda lukewarm about. I appreciate the extra detail, but for me, I don't think the bang-for-the-buck is there.
I think we successfully hijacked the G41 thread :P
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Not to whine, but...
I considered buying one or more of the Railyard kits - it was not an important car to me and the only reason I almost ordered one was to at least show support for an N kit. It would probably be sitting here unbuilt.
I don't understand why they didn't do something REALLY common like some of the PRR/PC gons that made it well into CR or even NS days - that anyone could justify a bunch of.
I just don't get how this particular model was selected...
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I'm in for a bunch of X58s if anyone ever produces them!
I'm not home so I can't rummage through my freight car shell tub, but didn't Con-Cor make an X58, or at least something very similar, many years ago?
Steve
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The Con Cor (old MRC) car is a pretty good stand in. Its major issues are the roof has rectanglar panels (the X58 has diagonal panels) and the door is 11' wide (X58 is 10'6"). I mentioned this before, but I have decalled several Con Cor cars as stand ins. If I ever dig them out, I will attempt to post some for you all to see. Thanks.
Jeff
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the CC cars are very low riding. I think they are lower then the proto by a foot. They certainly look it anyway.
Any Ideas how to re-roof the car?
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Since we have done a lot of talking about a X58 kit, I started a separate thread for that.
Brian
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Sigh... railyard basically told me to screw when I asked about an N X58. Even at $40, i'd still want 3-4.
I think Railyard was pretty unhappy about how poorly the G41 sold even though they say on their website it "was fairly successful, it never was able to get enough widespread support to make it a viable long term product. " I too had asked him about making the X58 in N scale and got told "no thanks."
Of course, not knowing about them or that the product existed would explain that. And until folks here were talking about a group buy, I didn't know about them making the G41. And I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the small, odd, quirky manufacturer of items I might want in N scale.
One of the reasons why I think this N car "failed" the N market is that even though they picked a "basic" car for their N scale craftsman release, there are most likely very few N modelers willing to pay the price for a car that was a kit...and toted as a craftsman kit at that. The members here, and in a few other places are a different breed than what 90% of the N market is, who wants RTR for roundy round.
The fine scale market is huge in HO and especially in craftsman kits, both buildings and freight cars. Just look at the "proto" meets where it is mostly HO scale. Yes the amount of users in HO is somewhat greater than N, but when you compare percentages to their respective scales you'd find a larger "fine scale or extreme detail wanting" HO crowd than "fine scale or extreme detail wanting" N.
If Rail Yard was to do an X58 in N scale it with do horridly. Pretty much the only sales would most likely come from here if the simpler coil car scared them off, and I don't think they would want to compromise on the craftsman type kit on an X58 which would include separate grab irons, steps, platforms. All which some may not want, or only want pre installed on RTR cars. Yes BLMA and others make this all in N so yes there is a market for it, but those are made as detail parts, and not full kits, so the ROI has a much better chance.
Their HO offerings for a small company sell very well, and I had not heard of them until we did the coil group buy last year.
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I would have to agree that the HO RYM X58's are fantastic, but $40 a piece!!! And don't forget, you have to assemble and paint them yourself. I mentioned this once already, but I know a die hard 1968 PRR guy in HO, and he will not shell out the money for these kits. I will have to live with my N scale Con Cor stand ins for the time being. I don't hold out much hope that anyone will manufacturer X58's in N scale. I don't think 1960's PRR is very popular in N scale. The thing is, X58's roamed the entire country in PRR, PC, and CR paint from the mid 60's up until at least 2000. Everyone could use at least one or two, even if you are a western modeler. I would buy at least a dozen or two. I would hate to have to paint and decal them all myself, but you got to do what you got to do. Especially since the MS PC boxcars with PRR letters is such a great base (demi data) set for PC or CR painted cars. I can still dream.
Jeff
How long does it take you to earn $40? A price of $40 for a very detailed high quality HO scale kit seems very reasonable to me and I am sure that Gene isn't getting rich doing this. If $40 seems high it may explain why there is reluctance to offer N scale freight car kits. There's not much incentive. Having said that we are going to release a Pullman Standard 86 foot boxcar kit later this year (as a bit of a gamble) and I am happy to provide a quote for masters for an X58.
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I would have to agree that the HO RYM X58's are fantastic, but $40 a piece!!! And don't forget, you have to assemble and paint them yourself. I mentioned this once already, but I know a die hard 1968 PRR guy in HO, and he will not shell out the money for these kits. I will have to live with my N scale Con Cor stand ins for the time being. I don't hold out much hope that anyone will manufacturer X58's in N scale. I don't think 1960's PRR is very popular in N scale. The thing is, X58's roamed the entire country in PRR, PC, and CR paint from the mid 60's up until at least 2000. Everyone could use at least one or two, even if you are a western modeler. I would buy at least a dozen or two. I would hate to have to paint and decal them all myself, but you got to do what you got to do. Especially since the MS PC boxcars with PRR letters is such a great base (demi data) set for PC or CR painted cars. I can still dream.
Jeff
How long does it take you to earn $40? A price of $40 for a very detailed high quality HO scale kit seems very reasonable to me and I am sure that Gene isn't getting rich doing this. If $40 seems high it may explain why there is reluctance to offer N scale freight car kits. There's not much incentive. Having said that we are going to release a Pullman Standard 86 foot boxcar kit later this year (as a bit of a gamble) and I am happy to provide a quote for masters for an X58.
Like I said in the review of the X58 on my website...the RYM car is well WORTH more than the $40 and Gene could definitely get more for these, so is a great deal for a craftsman car it.
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Here's a shot of an X58 from above:
(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa149/rkbufkin/X-58intrainnearWashDCearly70s.jpg)
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Bob, thats no X58
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Daniel what car is it? Always thought it was an X58.
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Can't be a X58, there are no visible ribs. Check out http://prr.railfan.net/freight/classpage.html?class=X58 (http://prr.railfan.net/freight/classpage.html?class=X58) for links to pictures and diagrams.
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Like I said in the review of the X58 on my website...the RYM car is well WORTH more than the $40 and Gene could definitely get more for these, so is a great deal for a craftsman car it.
What something is worth is clearly subjective and personal and I should state that I have a business relationship with Railyard. At this stage I guess the key question is: what would an accurate, well-detailed N scale resin/etch/formed wire X58 be worth to individual N scalers? Figures including and excluding trucks and couplers would be interesting.
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Door is also wrong. Checked my references and believe it is an X54.
Bob
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Like I said in the review of the X58 on my website...the RYM car is well WORTH more than the $40 and Gene could definitely get more for these, so is a great deal for a craftsman car it.
What something is worth is clearly subjective and personal and I should state that I have a business relationship with Railyard. At this stage I guess the key question is: what would an accurate, well-detailed N scale resin/etch/formed wire X58 be worth to individual N scalers? Figures including and excluding trucks and couplers would be interesting.
I think $30-$40 would be a reasonable price for an N version as well.
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While $40 is a little high for a fleet of these things, I'd be willing to pay that much for one since that is about all I would need.
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First, the overhead photo is of an X38K. There is a good shot of one on page 80 of the first PRR Color Guide. Second, it does not take me long to earn $40, but my wife is expecting, so money is going to get tight. Third, I said that this HO guy won't shell out $40 for an unassembled and unpainted kit. And this guy is the only person I know to have put together a Westfield H25 kit. Fourth, what company is putting out an 86' PS boxcar. Can you say PRR X60G!!! I just think that once you broach the $30 mark for a freight car, your potential buyers will be limited in N scale. I would like to hope that someone could make a hybrid kit with some cast one details and some free standing detail for around $30. What do you guys think?
Jeff
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Mark,
I am so desperate for a quality N scale 86' hi-cube that you will probably recoup your investment from my purchases alone. Would you be interested in selling bulk-packs at a discount? ;D
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Mark,
I am so desperate for a quality N scale 86' hi-cube that you will probably recoup your investment from my purchases alone. Would you be interested in selling bulk-packs at a discount? ;D
Speak to me my desperate friend!
The 86 footers are going to cost too much if we make them on the RP machinery. The current plan is to use a new resin casting process developed by a local model aircraft manufacturer. The molds cost a lot more than conventional silicone molds BUT we know that mold life is at least 5000 shots and he can pop them out at the rate of about 1 every 2 minutes. The process gives a crispness that is every bit as good as injection molding. The process fits between traditional resin casting and injection molding.
Given the fixed costs of mastering and tooling and the (relatively) low part cost compared to RP (although still a lot more the injection molding) there are definitely economies of scale and therefore discounting in order to get more volume makes sense. It's a little early to confirm pricing but I would like to think we can get under $25 for one and maybe a 10 pack for 180. I would like to do better than that but the US dollar is continuing to slide against our dollar.
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Thanks for the info, Mark! These sound promising. Now let's see what's out there for decals...
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I want to get back to the X58 cost issue for a moment. I feel that $25 to $30 would be a fair price for a kit that you have to assemble. I think cost could be helped if the side ladder rungs / grab irons were molded on and the end ladders we're separate. If you wanted separate side grabs, you could remove the molded ones, and add them if you like. If you wanted to model a car with lowered end ladders, you could scrape off a few of the side rungs to match. The would put the kit on par with the newer MT and Atlas master line models. The modeler could supply their own trucks and couplers. I suppose you would need to include decals too, and this does not help the price. I assume all of you reading this are following the X58 thread also. Everyone there is thinking Fine N Scale will produce it. The guy who initially asked about what a fair price for an X58 sounds like he is Canadian since they are the only other country that uses dollars I think (is Fine N Scale a Canadian company?). Any thoughts, comments, suggestions? Thanks.
Jeff
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Any resin/craftsman kits I've seen are usually around $30+ CAD. Some more or less depending on the manufacturer and detail level of the kit. Rail Yard Models is at the high end of this, around $40-45, but they're also at the top end of the detail level, including photo etch metal for walkways, ladders, etc. I don't have any yet, but I could use a couple acid tank cars, and maybe one of those new sulpur tanks...
(I think Australia also calls their currency "dollar". New Zealand too?)
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Given the fixed costs of mastering and tooling and the (relatively) low part cost compared to RP (although still a lot more the injection molding) there are definitely economies of scale and therefore discounting in order to get more volume makes sense. It's a little early to confirm pricing but I would like to think we can get under $25 for one and maybe a 10 pack for 180. I would like to do better than that but the US dollar is continuing to slide against our dollar.
Thanks for the info. Like I said before, I'm very interested in these cars, and I think $25 a pop is a fair price for them, when you consider you need less of them to fill out a train.
Amato, I know Microscale set 60-862 is the one you need for CR 86' boxcars. Not sure what they make that's suitable for other railroads, though.
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I think it's time to start up a Model Railroad Hedge...
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what would an accurate, well-detailed N scale resin/etch/formed wire X58 be worth to individual N scalers? Figures including and excluding trucks and couplers would be interesting.
For me I would not pay as much for a 50' boxcar versus something a little more "noticeably different", like the 86' boxcar, tank cars, the Dragon car that was done a while back, a carbon black hopper, etc. Since the roofwalk is lost on me, I'm effectively paying for a body shell, ladder, maybe the small end-platforms (?) and grabs (inclusion being debated).
Here is a selling point for me, though, from an earlier post...
"The CB&Q built two groups of X58 "clones" in its own shops. CB&Q 23300-23499 (class XML-14), and 20695-20899 (class XML-16), built in 1967 and 1969 respectively. The first group was delivered in the Chinese Red scheme, and the second group in "merger" green."
I'm no SPF, but a huge BN fan and after a little research I found the BN series for these cars:
BN 281600-281799 - Boxcar ex-CB&Q 23300-23499
BN 316900-317104 - Boxcar ex-CB&Q 20695-20899
Assuming this information is all correct, I think there is value in the "conversation piece" factor. The SPF's call the X58 their own, and there isn't that level of attachment to an X58-clone from this BN fan's perspective, but it still makes for a neat model that way. Conversely, I have to think of what number of scenarios would a visitor even know enough to tell boxcars apart--much less in n-scale--and would they say anything anyway given that the other 50 boxcars on my layout were probably all wrong anyway? It IS important to me, but I'm not sure I would be pretentious enough to bring it up unprompted, so the value is unrealized. (so yes, a character flaw--my inability to "toot my own horn"--may indeed kill the deal)
So what would I pay? I'm assuming the trucks and couplers would be standard issue on these, no? So basically where talking without truck/couplers. I wouldn't pay $30 for an undec 50-foot boxcar kit in n-scale...no way, no how. I think I might go $15-20 for this particular car (again, sans t/c) but typically wouldn't for a 50' boxcar. At $15 I would probably be happy with the purchase, at $20 I would feel a little foolish. (this is taking into account I'd be missing the benefit of the etched walkways, which I agree might be one of the better selling points for craftsman-type kits.) Twenty is a tough sale for me when I consider another $10 for trucks, couplers, and FVM wheels, plus more $$ for paint, decals, etc. But I'll be the first to admit I'm becoming more frugal in my old age. Maybe a cheaper price without the roofwalk?
Cool model, yet still a boxcar among many other types of cars we need. (I know, I'm putting on the suit now...)
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I think it's time to start up a Model Railroad Hedge...
Hmmm...topiary. Ever seen Edward Scissorhands?
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I think it's time to start up a Model Railroad Hedge...
Hmmm...topiary. Ever seen Edward Scissorhands?
Who hasn't!
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I think it's time to start up a Model Railroad Hedge...
Hmmm...topiary. Ever seen Edward Scissorhands?
Who hasn't!
Me and my wife, that's who. ;D ;D
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what would an accurate, well-detailed N scale resin/etch/formed wire X58 be worth to individual N scalers? Figures including and excluding trucks and couplers would be interesting.
For me I would not pay as much for a 50' boxcar versus something a little more "noticeably different", like the 86' boxcar, tank cars, the Dragon car that was done a while back, a carbon black hopper, etc. Since the roofwalk is lost on me, I'm effectively paying for a body shell, ladder, maybe the small end-platforms (?) and grabs (inclusion being debated).
Here is a selling point for me, though, from an earlier post...
"The CB&Q built two groups of X58 "clones" in its own shops. CB&Q 23300-23499 (class XML-14), and 20695-20899 (class XML-16), built in 1967 and 1969 respectively. The first group was delivered in the Chinese Red scheme, and the second group in "merger" green."
I'm no SPF, but a huge BN fan and after a little research I found the BN series for these cars:
BN 281600-281799 - Boxcar ex-CB&Q 23300-23499
BN 316900-317104 - Boxcar ex-CB&Q 20695-20899
Assuming this information is all correct, I think there is value in the "conversation piece" factor. The SPF's call the X58 their own, and there isn't that level of attachment to an X58-clone from this BN fan's perspective, but it still makes for a neat model that way. Conversely, I have to think of what number of scenarios would a visitor even know enough to tell boxcars apart--much less in n-scale--and would they say anything anyway given that the other 50 boxcars on my layout were probably all wrong anyway? It IS important to me, but I'm not sure I would be pretentious enough to bring it up unprompted, so the value is unrealized. (so yes, a character flaw--my inability to "toot my own horn"--may indeed kill the deal)
So what would I pay? I'm assuming the trucks and couplers would be standard issue on these, no? So basically where talking without truck/couplers. I wouldn't pay $30 for an undec 50-foot boxcar kit in n-scale...no way, no how. I think I might go $15-20 for this particular car (again, sans t/c) but typically wouldn't for a 50' boxcar. At $15 I would probably be happy with the purchase, at $20 I would feel a little foolish. (this is taking into account I'd be missing the benefit of the etched walkways, which I agree might be one of the better selling points for craftsman-type kits.) Twenty is a tough sale for me when I consider another $10 for trucks, couplers, and FVM wheels, plus more $$ for paint, decals, etc. But I'll be the first to admit I'm becoming more frugal in my old age. Maybe a cheaper price without the roofwalk?
Cool model, yet still a boxcar among many other types of cars we need. (I know, I'm putting on the suit now...)
Thanks for the detailed feedback. It's looking as though my intuition (namely that rolling stock kits in N really need to be of something "distinctive" to get a good return) is sound (ie it better look special if the price is special)
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Either something special, or something MT refuses to release enough of .. 90 foot flats come to mind ..
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Thanks for the detailed feedback. It's looking as though my intuition (namely that rolling stock kits in N really need to be of something "distinctive" to get a good return) is sound (ie it better look special if the price is special)
I think you are probably correct. It either needs to be distinctive, or a "necessity" that nearly everyone can use, but manufacturers continue to refuse to produce in plastic. Things like modern LPG cars come to mind, along with the 86' hi-cubes. The G41 kits were definitely distinctive, but they just didn't have a wide-enough appeal to generate the business. Since N scale is a small market, you have to make your kits appeal to as many modelers as possible to get a decent ROI. And this is especially true with the number of "modelers" constantly shrinking...
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Canadian newsprint cars and Southern/NS waffle boxes come to mind.