NE Caboose coming from Walthers???

[wm3798]

Bryan, don't mess up a good theory with facts...

[bbussey]

And thankfully, Lee, Life-Like was an East Coast manufacturer so we actually SAW eastern railroad releases on their motive power on a consistent basis.  I have multiples of the FAs (in NH and L&NE) and multiples of both versions of the PAs (in various NH schemes) and they all run flawlessly.  In fact, the old-style plastic-frame FAs are my favorites - I pair up ABA sets which run smoothly and pull a ton.

[wcfn100]

  The release of the GP18 started the rise, and the products got better with each release and re-release - both in design and in decoration.  SW1200, FA1/FB1, FA2/FB2, PA1, Erie-Built, DL-109, FM C-Liner, RS2 and I'm sure I'm leaving out something.  All of these were either released or in process prior to the acquisition and not one of these models is sub-standard.

Is a painted on white dot for a lower headlight "sub-standard"? 


Jason

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Not when all the companies at the time used one phase for all their models.

[Mr. G]

I've got to agree with Bryan here.  Toward the end of LL's run before the Walthers take-over, their diesels were becoming really good.  The detail was actually sharp and they were real pullers.  I have several GP18s and GP20s.  They're all really good.  How many times have we gotten separately applied bells well-molded lift rings on our diesels?

I recently went into a shop that almost exclusively sold HO equipment and looked closely at what's available.  It's not something I normally do, having left the scale a while ago, but I was in awe of the detail on models that cost the same as our far less detailed versions.  This caboose model really hammers that home.  They offer it because they think we'll buy it.  They offer the HO guys really good detail knowing that they expect it, but we get metal pizza cutters and details that would be considered poor on a battery-powered toy. 

[wm3798]

Geez, Jason... Cant' drill a hole?(the slice the tip off of an MT Bolster to make a trim ring and hit it with a silver sharpie?)

 ;D

[sizemore]

,,, No question Walthers has been a bit hit and miss in the N market.  LL was, too.  I just can't believe any one thinks they screw us on purpose.

Where has Life-Like been "hit and miss" with their products?  Once they decided to offer higher quality items, their products improved exponentially right up to the Walthers acquisition.  The release of the GP18 started the rise, and the products got better with each release and re-release - both in design and in decoration.  SW1200, FA1/FB1, FA2/FB2, PA1, Erie-Built, DL-109, FM C-Liner, RS2 and I'm sure I'm leaving out something.  All of these were either released or in process prior to the acquisition and not one of these models is sub-standard.

2-8-8-2, 2-8-4.... The 0-8-0 was started at LL but ended up in WaLLy's hands, I think. Life Like benchmarked plastic steam even though the pulling power was anemic.

The S.

[wcfn100]

Geez, Jason... Cant' drill a hole?(the slice the tip off of an MT Bolster to make a trim ring and hit it with a silver sharpie?)

 ;D

It's a little more complicated for the RI.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1564192

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ri/ri622asw.jpg


Did they do the same thing on the Erie builts?

Jason

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Don't forget the GP38-2s sans-sight glass and with playdoh fans.

It's like LL did 90% of the shell, and you know who did the last 10%. Bet ya can tell where they took over...

[bbussey]

It's a little more complicated for the RI.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1564192

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ri/ri622asw.jpg


Did they do the same thing on the Erie builts?

Jason

Your expectation in this specific example is unreasonable.  You would never see that railroad-specific nose done on an injection-molded plastic diesel body regardless of the manufacturer.  Be happy that Life-Like did the DL-109 at all - considering the low production run, limited railroad appeal, AND the presence of an already-existing serviceable model.  What they did saves you 99% of the work needed in order to model a railroad-specific Rock Island unit.

I needed Alco C-425 New Haven units, and was quite happy to see the C-424 be released.  I didn't fuss over having to make minor modifications to the back end to upgrade the units to C-425s.  Better that than kitbashing the units out of old Yugoslavian Alco models, which was the only way to get an N scale C-425 prior.

[sizemore]

They kinda got the color right for a late WM Speedscript Cabeese and the PC.

The S.

[wcfn100]

Your expectation in this specific example is unreasonable.  You would never see that railroad-specific nose done on an injection-molded plastic diesel body regardless of the manufacturer.  Be happy that Life-Like did the DL-109 at all - considering the low production run, limited railroad appeal, AND the presence of an already-existing serviceable model.  What they did saves you 99% of the work needed in order to model a railroad-specific Rock Island unit.

I needed Alco C-425 New Haven units, and was quite happy to see the C-424 be released.  I didn't fuss over having to make minor modifications to the back end to upgrade the units to C-425s.  Better that than kitbashing the units out of old Yugoslavian Alco models, which was the only way to get an N scale C-425 prior.

First of all, I never said I expected them to do the lower headlight.  You made the claim that none of the last LL units were sub-standard.  If you think painting on a lower headlight is a standard practice, that's fine, that's all I was asking.

Jason

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Wow, they screwed the PC one up the same way they did the CR one.

I wonder what's up with that. There's got to be a story there... What's the most odd about it is that they actually did something complicated (painting the two ends of the cupola), but just not the RIGHT thing.

[inkaneer]

Wow, they screwed the PC one up the same way they did the CR one.

I wonder what's up with that. There's got to be a story there... What's the most odd about it is that they actually did something complicated (painting the two ends of the cupola), but just not the RIGHT thing.

I wonder if it is even painted.  Could be bare black plastic.  Had that happen on a car I once bought.  One of the interior mouldings was not painted but the plastic color was a close match to painted color.  Maybe the same here although the black appears to be too shiny to be bare plastic.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

It's just so strange.

Hopefully the beating they're taking on Facebook will get them to at least fix that oddness.