River Point Station N Scale Ford F-350 Trucks

[cfritschle]

I have been communicating with Ron at River Point Station, and the production run for the N scale Ford F-350 trucks is planned for this spring.  Ron would like to do authentic railroad paint schemes for the trucks, and as of now, he is in need photos and info for CSX and NS trucks from the late 1980s through late 1990s.  Ford produced the prototype F-350 trucks in which the RPS model is based on for the 1992 through 1998 model years.

If you have personal photos or know of any online photos, please send digital copies of your photos, or links to online photos to: info@nscalevehicles.org

You can also get to that email address here:  http://nscalevehicles.org/contact.php

Thank you for any photos or information you may have or know of!

[peteski]

I have been communicating with Ron at River Point Station, and the production run for the N scale Ford F-350 trucks is planned for this spring.  Ron would like to do authentic railroad paint schemes for the trucks, and as of now, he is in need photos and info for CSX and NS trucks from the late 1980s through late 1990s.  Ford produced the prototype F-350 trucks in which the RPS model is based on for the 1992 through 1998 model years.

Hopefully there will be plenty of civilian truck paint schemes released too.  After all, there are many more civilian vehicles than company cars out there in the world.

[Mark5]

Their trucks are immensely popular in 1:87 - so will likely be a hit in 1:160.

[cfritschle]

Hopefully there will be plenty of civilian truck paint schemes released too.  After all, there are many more civilian vehicles than company cars out there in the world.

Peter,

If you look at all of the paint schemes River Point Station has released for their more modern Ford trucks and pickups, I think we can expect a somewhat similar selection for the N scale models.  http://www.riverpointstation.com/pages/pick_up_truck_index.html

The crew cab pickup has a lot of possible civilian paint schemes, including some cool two-tone paint schemes.  Or, should it be Tu-tone since these are Fords.   

[cfritschle]

A photo of the trucks that were assembled from the test shot parts is available on the N Scale Vehicle Association's Industry News page:  http://nscalevehicles.org/news.php

[peteski]

A photo of the trucks that were assembled from the test shot parts is available on the N Scale Vehicle Association's Industry News page:  http://nscalevehicles.org/news.php

Very nice!

Also adding a comment I should have have made earlier:  I'm glad that they are not using "rubber" tires on those N scale models.  I had some bad experiences with those tires on models oozing out liquid.  The "rubber" tires are usually made from PVC and probably the low-grade formulations used in China have the plasticizer leaching out.

[Kev1340]

They look as good as I expected! I can see me buying a lot of these...

Cheers,

Kev

[sundowner]

Very nice, I can see me buying quite a few of them

[peteski]

They look as good as I expected! I can see me buying a lot of these...

Even if they end up selling for $30 a pop?  Which makes me ask: do we know what the MSRP will be on these?

[cfritschle]

Even if they end up selling for $30 a pop?  Which makes me ask: do we know what the MSRP will be on these?

Peter,

The MSRP for a 2-pack of the RPS Fords should be similar to the MSRP for a 2-pack of Atlas 1973 Ford F-100 pickups.

[peteski]

Peter,

The MSRP for a 2-pack of the RPS Fords should be similar to the MSRP for a 2-pack of Atlas 1973 Ford F-100 pickups.

That's reasonable (as far as today's prices go).  If the prototype accurately depicts the final models, they seem to be better made than the F-100s.  The bodies seem to have finer engraving and thinner walls, and the "glass" also seems much thinner.

[Kev1340]

The MSRP for a 2-pack of the RPS Fords should be similar to the MSRP for a 2-pack of Atlas 1973 Ford F-100 pickups.

That was what I was anticipating.

Cheers,

Kev

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I'd like to add a few things I learned talking to RPS in Springfield.

1. MoW schemes will have one of each style of body in the 2-pack. Standard decorated will be either a work truck or crew cab.

2. RPS tooled the model to have totally flush windows. The pillars are incredibly thin with notches in the clear window inserts that match it, much like windows on Kato engines.

3. Undec kits will be available. These will have wheels and fenders pre-chromed to ease painting. These parts are separate.

4. If these sell well they will add a detail kit that includes tools and other items typically found on work trucks.

5. They are looking at adding new bodies in the future if these sell well. We talked about the possibility of a brush truck.

As a Conrail modeler, I'm a bit bummed these are not GMCs. Conrail didn't really purchase Fords - possibly because GM provided a discount on fleet vehicles with engines purchases. I know the P&W had these work trucks though. I have to find a few photos of them.

[ljudice]

These look fantastic!

[ai5629]

As a Conrail modeler, I'm a bit bummed these are not GMCs. Conrail didn't really purchase Fords - possibly because GM provided a discount on fleet vehicles with engines purchases. I know the P&W had these work trucks though. I have to find a few photos of them.

If I modeled Conrail in the 90’s, I would still get these trucks.  We will most likely never see GMC trucks due to GM’s “swallowing” rule.  N scale has too limited of a vehicle selection to be selective when modeling specific automobiles.  When I get around to my Conrail MOW vehicles, my desire will be to make them look good, even if they are not what Conrail owned (in the 80’s).  Freight cars I am selective with, automobiles not so much.  Just my humble opinion.

Jeff