joe shouldn't have said "exact match". he should have said "good match." making a GP60 out of parts that are not GP60 requires one to deal with generalities. "exact" in that context was the word he used to describe a good fit. i got that. maybe it comes down to his poor use of terms, rather than a reflection on his professional reputation.
claiming "exact-ness" in this forum would have been a mistake, with so many experts around. i'm sure joe knows the difference. but it's a pilot model -- a concept. if MTL ever does make a GP60 it will be open season for critical examination. that would be the time, if necessary, to question someone's professional ability and qualifications.
just for infomation: one reason i got away from narrow gauge modeling, as my focus, was because everything had been done before -- so well -- so techically perfect -- that there was not room to model and have fun. if you weren't prepared to make a museum quality piece -- you just didn't try because everyone would remind you that you got the wrong thread size on the grab iron bolt. who needs that, especially starting out?
i'm having fun again, because in primitive Z scale there all kinds of room to explore, try, test, and enjoy. NO ONE in Z (including joe) thinks they're stuff is dead on exact -- but we're having fun trying, and at that (fun) we are succeeding.