Athearn N Announcements Friday, October 27

[Mark5]

Ford C cabs for N scale:

Friday, October 27, 2017
Molded cab interior with separately applied steering wheel
Clear window glazing
Rubber tires


Link to PDF
http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/102717/11_N_Ford_C_Tractor_102717.pdf

Mark

[peteski]

Ford C cabs for N scale:

Friday, October 27, 2017

Rubber tires

I really wish that companies making N scale vehicles would stop this nonsense!  Rubber tires?  LOL!  First of all, it is not rubber but cheap PVC.

There are couple of issues.
One is serious:  The cheap PVC they use for making these tires (I have seen it in N scale vehicles and in other larger scale diecast models which feature "rubber" tires) seem to leach the plasticizer which is used to make the PVC soft and rubbery. It is a sticky clear liquid which precipitates from the tires. Not only it is nasty looking (and probably cancerous), but in many instances it will soften any styrene it comes in contact with. So it will soften and eventually start melting the styrene rims on which the tires are installed.

The second (more cosmetic) issue is that in N scale the separate soft tires don't fit the rims well enough to look good.  Just compare the excellent 1-piece rim/tire wheels from companies like Trainworx to any  the wheels featuring "rubber" tires and you'll see what I mean.  Trainworx wheels look 1000% better using just paint detailing.  Of course this is not something that is visible from 3 or more feet away, but some of us do sweat the up-close details. 

But the big problem again is the leaching plasticizer. The entire rubber tire thing seems like a marketing gimmick.

[OldEastRR]

There's nothing wrong with the "rubber" tires on my many years old Sylvan REA truck. Haven't eaten the rims, and they fit snugly and look good, tho not "fat round" like real tires. I suppose one could use tiny rubber O rings glued to the rims to give it that rounded look, but just like nobody notices the detailed underbodies on my passenger cars, I doubt they notice what each vehicle's wheels look like.

[peteski]

There's nothing wrong with the "rubber" tires on my many years old Sylvan REA truck. Haven't eaten the rims, and they fit snugly and look good, tho not "fat round" like real tires. I suppose one could use tiny rubber O rings glued to the rims to give it that rounded look, but just like nobody notices the detailed underbodies on my passenger cars, I doubt they notice what each vehicle's wheels look like.

Depending on the raw ingredients used some batches of PVC is more stable and does not leach the plasticizer. But I rather not take the chance.
Besides, isn't Sylvan using cast urethane resin to make their parts (not the injection-molded PVC used by larger manufacturers)?  Urethane rubber would not have the problem I described. So you are comparing apples and oranges.

And as I said in my last post: Of course this is not something that is visible from 3 or more feet away, but some of us do sweat the up-close details.

[basementcalling]

Peteski's got problems with his rubber.



And downvoting.

[peteski]

Peteski's got problems with his rubber.
And downvoting.

No, not rubber - PVC.  I do like the cute ducky, but it is way out of scale.    Still, I feel like it needs an up-vote.  We all need  more up-votes. 

[nkalanaga]

"I do like the cute ducky, but it is way out of scale."

Have you seen pictures of the giant rubber ducky that's been making the rounds of Canadian and US ports?

[peteski]

"I do like the cute ducky, but it is way out of scale."

Have you seen pictures of the giant rubber ducky that's been making the rounds of Canadian and US ports?

Nope, but I've heard about the tiny rubber duckies in the ocean: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendly_Floatees

[Philip H]

Nope, but I've heard about the tiny rubber duckies in the ocean: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendly_Floatees

 My employer has a very popular ocean circulation model built on how these ducks (and an erstwhile container of Nike sneakers) floated around the ocean.  Scientists. 

[cfritschle]

And getting back to Athearn's Ford C semi-tractors, only the red and blue ones have been previously released.   

The other six colors are new, and appear to be Ford factory colors from the 1960s and 1970s.  I know the red and white and powder blue trucks are in factory colors because I gave John Engstrom of Athearn (at the time anyway) a CD of prototype Ford C photos I had taken, and I had photos of the trucks in those two colors.  And, my brother-in-law had a 1964 Ford pickup in teal, and a 1973 Ford pickup in light yellow. 

As for the rubber tires and steering wheels, I think that is probably just a carry over from the HO announcement, but we will see.