Next Micro-Scale "Runner packs"

[3rdrail]

Got the following in a email from Ben at MTL:

Pre-orders accepted from Feb.1st-28th.

N SCALE RUNNER PACKS #5 & 6

Each of these pack features four different road numbers.  Two packs are available for release in August 2007.

 

Runner Pack #5:  Burlington Northern - #993 00 005...$49.95

- Features four BN 40’ standard box cars with single doors, and green paint with white lettering.

 

Runner Pack #6:  Wabash - #993 00 006...$49.95

- Features four WAB 40’ wood sheathed box cars with single doors, and brown paint with white lettering.

 

Wonder if those are single or double sheathed. MTL did Wabash cars in both... or maybe 2 of each??

[ljudice]

How about those beautiful 3 bay open hopper cars in say, CSXT or NS???

 ;D

[Mark5]

I was just reading that email. 

I've got to be a grasshopper and have patience.

[ljudice]

Of course this is where someone usually says "so this is model railroading
so why don't you actually do some modelling and strip and paint these
cars and then decal them and stop complaining"...

Ah...  I have a dozen of the MTL hoppers pristinely stripped using the proper
mix of ozone depleting, ground water destroying Wash-a-way and perfectly
painted in my own toxic airbrush thinned mixture of Scalecoat II weathered black.

They are lined up neatly right here - waiting for DECALS!!!  Microscale's CSXT hopper car
set only includes one CSXT reporting mark (along with several dozen SBD, B&O
and C&O marks). And the other CSXT freight car set which does have the
CSXT reporting marks (suspiciously small in my opinion but still usable) does
not match the colors of the first set. And frankly neither of them match
the prototype.

So in addition to stripping and painting, I guess I should also design a set
of custom decals. Oh... wait a minute - am I licensed to do this?  Well,
I don't have to be, but the custom decal maker I choose does have to be.
Maybe I should go on ebay and buy my own ALPS printer and hope that supplies
are available in the future. Or maybe I should plop down $5000 for a Kodak FirstCheck
system. While I'm at it, why not pick up a $60,000 3D rapid prototyping system too.

Or better question - why does MTL insist on releasing incorrect paint schemes on
perfectly good models as well as fantasy schemes while leaving accurate schemes
which could sell dozens of cars alone for years, if not decades???

Why?  Because they're IDIOTS!

[Mark5]

I've got a bunch of MT undec peaked end twin hoppers on hand awaiting decals.

The guy working on the artwork is pretty close to done though - I need to get on his case.

I'm assuming the thread was meant to be "Micro-Trains" eh?

[Allentown Hump]

So in addition to stripping and painting, I guess I should also design a set
of custom decals. Oh... wait a minute - am I licensed to do this?  Well,
I don't have to be, but the custom decal maker I choose does have to be.
Maybe I should go on ebay and buy my own ALPS printer and hope that supplies
are available in the future.

http://www.testors.com/catalog_item.asp?itemNbr=2255

What CSX doesn't know won't hurt them...

[Sokramiketes]

Or better question - why does MTL insist on releasing incorrect paint schemes on
perfectly good models as well as fantasy schemes while leaving accurate schemes
which could sell dozens of cars alone for years, if not decades???

Why?  Because they're IDIOTS!

It's not so much that they intentionally pick bogus schemes, It's more like the research department is oblivious.  Maybe that's the same things as being idiots, I don't know.  Joe Amato from MTL has been talking to the Z scale guys over at Trainboard...  I don't know what his official capacity is, but I was asking him questions about the Pullman green Rock Island express boxcars and why they don't have the Express lettering.  I'm still waiting for a copy of the photo they used to decorate the model, which supposedly matches exactly what they did.  But, even if it does, the number series they did wasn't even built by P-S.  However, the Rock did have plenty of true P-S PS1's that match almost exactly the MTL model, and even came in the exact same paint scheme!  And to make matters worse, the blurb on the box seems to be lifted in part from the Morning Sun Rock Island Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment, which has the P-S cars in it, right next to the PSC built cars, so all the information was right there in front of them.  

Kadee has it figured out in HO, MTL should just start copying their schemes and then they wouldn't have to pay attention much.  Though Kadee is careful about things like door widths too, that MTL isn't doing.

[amato1969]

Kadee has it figured out in HO, MTL should just start copying their schemes and then they wouldn't have to pay attention much.  Though Kadee is careful about things like door widths too, that MTL isn't doing.

Ooh -- door widths -- one of my pet peeves!  I have emailed MT several times about tooling up 7-foot and 8-foot door versions of the venerable PS-1, and the response has been basically "we're not planning new sides/doors for our PS-1".  Too bad, as the prototype data is readily available, like you say.

   Frank