MTL 36' meat packer reefer series

[bbussey]

I received the first car in the MTL 36' meat packer reefer series today.  It's actually a little before my era, but I bought it to support the cause in that it's a targeted limited run series and it's prototypical - a first for MTL.

The model is crisply masked and finely printed, as is the standard from MTL.  The pleasant surprise is that the roof hatches are molded in the color of the roof.  The reefer ice hatches have been the last holdout of plastic MTL detail parts always molded in black, so this is a very pleasant development.

The bottom line is that the model is very well done.  Hopefully the series does well with modelers as well as collectors/accumulators, so that we will see more of these types of limited prototypical series sprinkled in with the presidents, pseudo-circus, holiday and events series.  The collectors/accumulators automatically are going to buy these.  So what would persuade MTL to offer more prototypical targeted-series is based on how much the sales are increased by the modelers.

[peteski]

Brian,
I sort of (because I don't own every reefer from MT) collect Kadee/MT billboard reefers.  AFAIK, all the reefers from MT have ice hatches which are painted the same color as the roof (and molded from the same color plastic as the body - usually the main color of the car which often is boxcar red) .  I'm not sure why you're surprised by that.  The hatch hardware OTOH is usually black Celcon plastic.

I'm also not sure why you seem to be so hard on the collectors.  Micro-Trains models are still my favorite brand of freight car models and while I roll my eyes often seeing some of the stuff MT releases, I think that without those collectors MT would have gone out of business long ago with all their "Made in USA" stuff.  We have to take the good with the bad if you know what I mean.

I'm planning on buying all the meat reefers from this series which I find attractive (that is my way of collecting).  So I'm doing my part as a collector/accumulator/modeler.  Actually I would put myself in the accumulator/modeler category (aptly coined by I think George Irwin) rather than in a collector category.

Thanks for the writeup - mine is also on order with BLW and will be on the to me shortly.

[CoalPorter]

I paint the underside (inside) of the ice hatchs silver, as I think most
ice reefers have a silver interior. Im not sure why it matters what color
they mold the hatchs from, as long as they are painted. I think most
refers had black or tuscan roofs and metal was silver or painted. I dont
think too many reefers had yellow roofs (or other hard to paint  colors).

I have always wanted to know why some of the 40' wood ice reefers are
molded in black ? I cant recall any paint sheme that really needs black sides? 

[up1950s]

I received the first car in the MTL 36' meat packer reefer series today.  It's actually a little before my era, but I bought it to support the cause in that it's a targeted limited run series and it's prototypical - a first for MTL.

The model is crisply masked and finely printed, as is the standard from MTL.  The pleasant surprise is that the roof hatches are molded in the color of the roof.  The reefer ice hatches have been the last holdout of plastic MTL detail parts always molded in black, so this is a very pleasant development.

The bottom line is that the model is very well done.  Hopefully the series does well with modelers as well as collectors/accumulators, so that we will see more of these types of limited prototypical series sprinkled in with the presidents, pseudo-circus, holiday and events series.  The collectors/accumulators automatically are going to buy these.  So what would persuade MTL to offer more prototypical targeted-series is based on how much the sales are increased by the modelers.

+1 , I wasn't going to because of error era for me , but I do collect billboards on the non-beer type , proto and Smith's fruit packers label series , and I also wanted to support this non silly series . I hope in the future they will do re-purposed in the 50's era MOW cars .

[bbussey]

Brian,
I sort of (because I don't own every reefer from MT) collect Kadee/MT billboard reefers.  AFAIK, all the reefers from MT have ice hatches which are painted the same color as the roof (and molded from the same color plastic as the body - usually the main color of the car which often is boxcar red) .  I'm not sure why you're surprised by that.  The hatch hardware OTOH is usually black Celcon plastic....

Typo on my part.  I meant latches, not hatches.

[peteski]

Ah, that is a positive development - the shiny black latches looked weird.