BLI E-6's have hit the shelves...

[peteski]

Got a reply from BLI this morning.

They are more than willing to swap the unit but I'm not sure I feel safe doing that. When I mentioned the parting line on the nose, they couldn't see it in the photo and didn't know what a parting line is. If they don't have a clue how their own product is made, what chance is there that I get a better unit than I already have.

I guess they are used to half blind HO guys that can't see these types of errors.

Tony,
you seem to take for granted the fact that you are seasoned modeler who understands many facets of what goes into making model trains (mechanical, electrical, electronics, plastic molding, resin castings, painting, etc.)  The most likely reason "they" didn't see or know what "parting line" was that you were dealing with BLI customer support personnel, not their engineers or die and mold makers.  To BLI customer support that shell looks normal (just like any other N scale E-6 shell they sell).  I also suspect that their are not as fastidious as you are so to them that shell looks perfectly acceptable.

In their defense, any multi-piece sliding mold will show parting lines to some degree. Even Kato E and F units have traces of parting lines on the nose. Just Kato molds are made to slightly tighter tolerances.  The only way to totally eliminate those is to have each shell carefully sanded (by some little Chinese lady) before painting.  I don't think that will happen on large production runs. Other than that, mold parting lines on curved loco noses are here to stay and your best bet is to buy undecorated unit, sand it and paint it yourself.
I suspect that all those shells will have the same parting line in the same place.

So even if you send yours in, the new one you receive probably won't be any better or worse.

I'm not trying to poke fun at you - just being realistic.

[spookshow]

Got mine today. I don't know how well it shows up in the photo, but the "stainless steel" sides are the best I've ever seen. I'm going to be spending the rest of my life obsessing over fingerprints 



No ride height issues with mine as it lines right up with my BLI E7 -



The tops and bottoms of the BLI shell also line up with my Life-Like E6. I think the reason there's so much daylight underneath the BLI E6 is that the truck sideframes are smaller than Life-Like's. Also, the Life-Like pilot extends downward a bit farther than BLI's (no idea if that's more "correct" or not) -



Cheers,
-Mark

[rogergperkins]

Mark, I have a B&O Life-Like E-6 that I bought recently from "thebay."  It came with a MTL compatible front coupler, noticed your seems to have different one.   Coupler on my sticks way out.....really emphasizes that pilot.

[SkipGear]

Tony,
you seem to take for granted the fact that you are seasoned modeler who understands many facets of what goes into making model trains (mechanical, electrical, electronics, plastic molding, resin castings, painting, etc.)  The most likely reason "they" didn't see or know what "parting line" was that you were dealing with BLI customer support personnel, not their engineers or die and mold makers.  To BLI customer support that shell looks normal (just like any other N scale E-6 shell they sell).  I also suspect that their are not as fastidious as you are so to them that shell looks perfectly acceptable.

In their defense, any multi-piece sliding mold will show parting lines to some degree. Even Kato E and F units have traces of parting lines on the nose. Just Kato molds are made to slightly tighter tolerances.  The only way to totally eliminate those is to have each shell carefully sanded (by some little Chinese lady) before painting.  I don't think that will happen on large production runs. Other than that, mold parting lines on curved loco noses are here to stay and your best bet is to buy undecorated unit, sand it and paint it yourself.
I suspect that all those shells will have the same parting line in the same place.

So even if you send yours in, the new one you receive probably won't be any better or worse.

I'm not trying to poke fun at you - just being realistic.

I was talking to the tech guys, not customer service and my 12 year old Life Like E6 has parting lines in the same basic place and they are nearly invisible. They can do better and have. The Santa Fe we have in the case at the shop is absolutely gorgeous and the parting line is barely visible.

[CBQ Fan]

What I think is a little ridiculous is that there are no pictures available from the manufacturer on a $199 - $249.99 engine.  I guess you just have to go on their reputation, which does not impress me.

[spookshow]

I haven't the faintest idea what "parting lines" are, but if they're this...



...I guess I don't much care. Tantamount to rivet counting if you ask me 

-Mark

[spookshow]

Mark, I have a B&O Life-Like E-6 that I bought recently from "thebay."  It came with a MTL compatible front coupler, noticed your seems to have different one.   Coupler on my sticks way out.....really emphasizes that pilot.

Not sure what you mean by "MTL compatible", but the coupler on mine is the same non-operational (IE one piece) knuckle coupler that LL used on the pilots of all their E's.

Cheers,
-Mark

[peteski]

Mark, you correctly guessed what a mold parting line is.  Looking at Tony's frontal photo his loco's parting line (on the left side looking from the front) seems to have an extra "booger" protruding from the body. At least I think that is what he is referring to.

[wazzou]

The gouge out of the post adjacent to the windshield is a little disturbing too as long as we are talking about molding.

[SkipGear]

I haven't the faintest idea what "parting lines" are, but if they're this...



...I guess I don't much care. Tantamount to rivet counting if you ask me 

-Mark

Mark,
 That is it. On the loco's with the plated bodies, the lines are very faint. I think the plating helps hide them. Our Santa Fe unit is almost flawless and you have to look hard to find the line.

On mine it is much more visible.....



The blob on the opposite side is another issue also. Oddly enough, the parting line on that side is almost invisible except for that bit of flashing (which I have already shaved off and touched up the paint.)

PS. This photo was not taken to hilite the line, it just stood out after taking the photo and now bugs the .... out of me.

[Lemosteam]

Guys, I'm with Tony on this one- that looks really bad for such an expensive locomotive.  Too much slop on the tool slide (on both sides) allows the material to press into places it shouldn't and it allows a shift line to apprear like the one you see.  Surprised that one made it thru QC to paint.  Are there similar issues on the E7 & E8?

[spookshow]

If anyone has a B unit (dummy and/or powered) and would care to provide me with a picture of the chassis (IE shell removed), I'd be most appreciative. I only have A units.



Thanks,
-Mark

[spookshow]

That is it. On the loco's with the plated bodies, the lines are very faint. I think the plating helps hide them. Our Santa Fe unit is almost flawless and you have to look hard to find the line.

On mine it is much more visible.....

That's interesting. They're not all plated?

Thanks,
-Mark

[spookshow]

Interesting... I see that BLI has installed the decoder boards in their E6s "upside-down" (at least as compared to their E7s). I wonder why the change? Less stuff sticking up and hitting the shell?

E7 chassis -



-Mark

[SkipGear]

That's interesting. They're not all plated?

Thanks,
-Mark

Mark,
 Only the ATSF and Rock have the plating to simulate stainless siding. All the others are paint over raw plastic. The plated bodies are fully nickle plated then paint is applied over them.

 I will send a picture of a naked B unit when I get home from work today.