GHQ Northern Pacific W-5 Mikado!

[PGE_Modeller]

Max,

You beat me to the comment about cab length, etc.  Just before reading your post, I had gone back to the NPRHA site and checked the drawings for the W-3B/C/D and realized that W-3A (engines 1700 - 1749) was the only sub-class with the 100" (8'-4") cab with the 36" rear overhang.  The remaining W-3 sub-classes and the W-5 all have the 106" (8'-10") cab with the 30" rear roof overhang.  Now the questions to be answered are "which cab length is in the GHQ W-3 kit?  Does it represent a W-3B/C/D or a W-3A?" 

If the kit has the 106" cab, then it looks as if moving the air compressor(s) to the smokebox front and installing a delta trailing truck would get you about 90-95% of the way to a W-5 engine.  Then you deal with the tender and the remaining 5-10% of the details for any specific locomotive.

Cheers,

[jmlaboda]

While really nice, what about GHQ doing other roads and boilers for other model types... Bachmann's 4-6-0, 4-8-2 and 2-8-0's as examples.  Why are they not considering doing boilers for these as well.  I know this has been asked on the GHQ forum but it appear to be pretty much dead... even as far as new release announcements go.

[wazzou]

Agreed, the GHQ forum was pretty active with some great modeling posts for a short time and then nothing lately save for one guy posting vehicle build threads in the same post.

[sirenwerks]

While really nice, what about GHQ doing other roads and boilers for other model types... Bachmann's 4-6-0, 4-8-2 and 2-8-0's as examples.  Why are they not considering doing boilers for these as well.  I know this has been asked on the GHQ forum but it appear to be pretty much dead... even as far as new release announcements go.

Like Pennsy L1s?

I never understood the GHQ forum.  It might be a good thing for the company's military market, considering it focuses on it anyway, but it would be nice if GHQ participated elsewhere rather than siloing itself; then it might understand its MRR market better.

[mmagliaro]

Folks, consider the arithmetic and the profits.
When the L1s kit was rerun, they made 300.  300 x $99 = about $30,000.    And even with that small number,
many of this kits sat around, unsold, for years.

Consider how much time and work it takes to build a master and all the molds to produce a kit like that.
$30,000 isn't going to cut it.

The remarks on their forum are well-taken.  But I'm sure they are aware of these other forums and know what
we want.  But it doesn't look economically viable to me.

[EMD F7A]

Folks, consider the arithmetic and the profits.
When the L1s kit was rerun, they made 300.  300 x $99 = about $30,000.    And even with that small number,
many of this kits sat around, unsold, for years.

Consider how much time and work it takes to build a master and all the molds to produce a kit like that.
$30,000 isn't going to cut it.

The remarks on their forum are well-taken.  But I'm sure they are aware of these other forums and know what
we want.  But it doesn't look economically viable to me.

If there were molds for said parts, but not enough want to justify a run by the company? Sell the molds to someone who will put them to short-run use. Easy peasy!

[mmagliaro]

If there were molds for said parts, but not enough want to justify a run by the company? Sell the molds to someone who will put them to short-run use. Easy peasy!

No, that's not the point.   It would cost way over $30,000 to do the master and produce the molds for the parts
to make the L1s, unless the model-maker (Gregg Scott, perhaps) is willing to work for slave wages, which is unreasonable.
The point is, it took forever just to sell 300 kits to make $30,000, and that's not even net.  Take out packaging, shipping, marketing, overhead, and they got a lot less than $30,000, and $30k isn't enough to even pay the costs of making the kit.

Now, they did eventually do a second run, and they sell those parts through RLW, so over time, they have probably made it pay.
But look at all the years it took, and the effort.   It wouldn't convince me to produce another steam kit, and I bet
GHQ has arrived at the same conclusion.

[EMD F7A]

No, that's not the point.   It would cost way over $30,000 to do the master and produce the molds for the parts
to make the L1s, unless the model-maker (Gregg Scott, perhaps) is willing to work for slave wages, which is unreasonable.
The point is, it took forever just to sell 300 kits to make $30,000, and that's not even net.  Take out packaging, shipping, marketing, overhead, and they got a lot less than $30,000, and $30k isn't enough to even pay the costs of making the kit.

Now, they did eventually do a second run, and they sell those parts through RLW, so over time, they have probably made it pay.
But look at all the years it took, and the effort.   It wouldn't convince me to produce another steam kit, and I bet
GHQ has arrived at the same conclusion.

Understood and agreed. It all depends on what kind of molding process was used to make that W-5; many initial molds and master molds are simple silicon molds, and could be used to make a small batch.

Won't matter much soon; the pace at which 3D printing is advancing will not only revolutionize the hobby, but make obsolete many longtme parts-making outfits as well.

[peteski]

Won't matter much soon; the pace at which 3D printing is advancing will not only revolutionize the hobby, but make obsolete many longtme parts-making outfits as well.

Unless those outfits themselves start producing items (or at least master patterns) using 3D printing. Some of those companies (like Showcase Miniatures) seem to have already taken that evolutionary step.

[SD452XR]

I would be in for two or three of these W5 kits. Plus some tender shells if those are available.

[mmagliaro]

I would be in for two or three of these W5 kits. Plus some tender shells if those are available.

Remember.. as we have divined throughout this thread, the W5 is in fact nothing more than the W3 with some
appliances moved around.   Just last night, I was at a friend's house and reviewed the write-up and photos
of the W5 in an NP "color guide" and it is quite definite.  That engine only looks 'beefier' because of
those air compressors hung on the flat smokebox front.   It's really the same boiler.     The W5 may be
my next engine project.  I've got the W3 kit.  But for now, I'm working on my layout.