Best out of the box weathered cars I've seen from MT yet.

[Smike]

wow... great work.  The bar is raised again...

http://micro-trains.com/wc-GWIX_Frisco_1310.php

[tom mann]

Wow!!!  Really great work, Joe!!

[Philip H]

If only I had the money.   

[wazzou]

The Frisco PS 4427's from this month aren't too bad either.

[Dave V]

Wow, those really do look great!!!

[chicken45]

Those are pretty sweet.
In other MTL related news...
Anyone know anything about these?
http://www.micro-trains.com/nr-1310_penn_Runner81.php
I'm not up to speed on my boxcars yet.

And in even other-er news, I posted a suggestion to MTL's Facebook wall about the Halloween sets.
I said I'd love to see a Transylvanian RR passenger train. Maybe crimson or deep purple varnish, a large steam engine #1431? That was the year of Vlad the Impaler's birth.
Pennsylvania and Transylvania have the same number of letters, so just model it after them.
I was wondering if any others think this is a fun idea. I've always been fond of subtle ways to bring Halloween in to a "serious" layout.
Sorry for getting slightly off topic.

[peteski]

Several of the recent weathered offerings were a mixture of ink jet printed weathering toned down with airbrushed weathering.  I have to admit that this technique is working rather well.  The airbrushed weathering covers up the thickness and sheen of the ink jet paint/ink.

[Denver Road Doug]

Man, those ARE nice.   I've been seeing subtle but steady improvement with the MTL cars but this is a pretty big leap.   I hope this is a sign of things to come, and I hope other manufacturers take note.

The hoppers are too new for me, but that Frisco car looks pretty good too.  I was really tempted to get it.  The underlying weathering and fade is outstanding but it's just a notch too far in the graffiti department for my era.   I would LOVE to see more cars with that level of faded lettering and consistent, light-medium weathering.    VERY nice, IMHO.

[Puddington]

That's just really, really good....... might start putting me out of the weathering business... hey, wait, I'm the client... I'm the supplier.... can I fire myself.... oh man..................

[C855B]

...  too new ... but that Frisco car looks pretty good too.  ...

Yeah... but. The graffiti is too new, and clearly dates that car in the '90s, earliest. That big "urban" multi-color spray-paint style was rarely seen outside of the Northeast before the late '80s. Grain hoppers got mighty dirty, of course, but tended to avoid urban centers and their resident artistes. Heck, even today we don't see a lot of graffiti on grain cars, at least not around here. Boxcars are something else entirely, tho'.

Then again... the BNSF local here has a caboose/cabin car/shoving platform that is pristine. Not a lick of "unauthorized" paint. Unusual, by West and East Coast standards, for sure.

[mu26aeh]

The sad part about the Frisco car, it is already sold out at MT.  I sent email to my pusher to order one this morning, she replied by ok, will do.  7 minutes later, another email stating her sales person said sold out.  I haven't seen any information for this car prior to very late last night, or early this morning and it's gone already.  Get your pre-orders in now with those that offer it, going to go fast.

[Denver Road Doug]

Yeah... but. The graffiti is too new, and clearly dates that car in the '90s, earliest. That big "urban" multi-color spray-paint style was rarely seen outside of the Northeast before the late '80s. Grain hoppers got mighty dirty, of course, but tended to avoid urban centers and their resident artistes. Heck, even today we don't see a lot of graffiti on grain cars, at least not around here. Boxcars are something else entirely, tho'.

Well, there are still Frisco cars around, so I don't think the graffiti is too new for the car, just too new for me!  Depending on what day you ask, I model 1998-2003 give or take....so that type of graffiti exists in my world, just not a ton of it....if you say 2003 then yes it's hard core by then.   But I'm erring on the 1998 side when it comes to graffiti I guess. 

I went back and forth on the Frisco car.  I would really rather have a Frisco 4750 since I've seen them often, so I decided that given this and the other factors I would sit this one out.   The other thing is...by the time I saw it, it was likely sold out...I've been unable to get the last few releases.    Who knows....if one falls in my lap I might pull the trigger.   

[mu26aeh]

I've been unable to get the last few releases.   

I learned my lesson with the first one.  My birthday is Halloween, but when it came out I didn't have money to get it.  Sold out immediately.  Since then, I have said I am not missing another one.  It took me 3 years to get that car, though it was worth the wait.  I only paid $12.00 for it.  And though its not a "Halloween" car, I'd like to get the Norfolk Southern boxcar from the weathered NS set they offered a few months ago, it looks ghost like.  I just wish they would do prototype cars like the original jackolantern car, there are enough of them out there that could fit the Halloween theme there isn't a need for foobie graffiti 

[ednadolski]

+1


Ed

[tom mann]

If you go to the Micro Trains website, you can see links to the prototype GWIX cars on RRPictureArchives.net.  Considering that Joe is mass producing these cars, I think he did an outstanding job.  It'll be interesting to see how he is doing it (full side printing or templates?).