Model Reviews

Sun Feb 1 10:27:25 EST 2015

"Both societies have offered assistance to manufacturers who were quite happy to tell us to go pound salt,"

Doesn't that just frost your balls!!!

Jimmy Lisle
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Most certainly does! Why would someone refuse the offer of information on something they want to sell and hopefully make a profit on? It's usually free too! Doesn't make sense but unfortunately it happens and apparently quite frequently. If I were going to invest a large chunk of money I'd want as big a return as possible as fast as possible. As with Rivarossi I imagine the comment about not wanting to spend the extra bucks to make a correct boiler were valid to them. When you consider the quantity of prototype AGs vs H-8s and the number of model sales they will do I think they may be right in saving their money. I would have preferred it not be that way and we had a correct boiler but it is what it is! Then there's the argument in the OTHER DIRECTION. Athearn has produced many, many thousands of B&O Confederate scheme PA-1s/PB-1s over the years. THEY SELL! A lot of folks don't care if the B&O never ran one. It's a beautiful engine (for a diesel!) and
 the paint job is up there with the most popular ever so it keeps selling. I have a trio of Baldwin RF-16 Sharks in Western Maryland Fast Freight (Fireball) paint.

One thing that happens frequently is a manufacturer produces something and it doesn't sell well. They buying public picks it apart and spends their hobby budget elsewhere. Then the mfgr gets all pissed and swears he won't produce anything else for XYZ RR because the modelers won't support it. Well........IF you had asked for, looked for or accepted advice and information to produce an accurate XYZ RR car or locomotive in the first place maybe you wouldn't be in this predicament? 

I can't understand it and it happens in the very expensive world of brass too. I remember trying to convince one importer that his advertised engine wasn't right for a series of engines but for only one out of three of them. He told me FO and mind my own business. Eventually I got a call and he asked me WHY it was all wrong. I explained and after a lengthy conversation and a large packet of information being sent we got three very accurate models. That was one guy that finally saw the light out of many.

I find it hard to believe ANY manufacturer in this internet age doesn't have access to good information and KNOW that historical societies and their membership are out there praying for new models for their favorite roads and they are more than willing to help get them produced. It's just not acceptable to produce an inaccurate item any more. We somehow have to get past the dollars and arrogance thing with these folks!

Many of us can accept shortcomings just to have something that's "close enough" to what they tried to produce. Many won't spend their money as they are looking for perfection. Good luck there!

On a similar but different sideline to production......what's with having a couple or several manufacturers doing the same items lately? As beautiful as the C&O H-8 is I find it hard to understand how or why we suddenly have 2 or 3 on the market at once. Very expensive toy and they hurt the modeling budget of many of us so why invest THAT much money to produce something someone else is either working on or has in production? Crazy? I believe one current mfgr just likes to screw with the rest of them and has done this over and over again. Maybe they have more money than sense and just want to hurt the others? I don't know. WHY does every mfgr want to do F-7 units? Aren't there enough on the market now? They range from crap toy like engines to brass quality Intermountain and new Athearns. I see surveys all the time about what engines/cars/structures/etc we want as modelers. I haven't seen an F-7 on the list in eons. 
The PRRT&HS does a survey every year with good response. Fortunately mfgrs seem to respond to their list because they are probably the most followed railroad out there so they know stuff will sell. Even they had two mfgrs just do the H-10 2-8-0 at the same time. What gives when there are so many items we want and beg for? One of them could have done the M or M-2 4-8-0s. They were extremely popular and with the 475 at Strasburg it would have been a good seller.

Anyway, buy it if you like it....don't if you don't. I don't think it's going to change their minds about producing stuff in the future.

My 2¢,
Roger Huber
Deer Creek Locomotive Works  

--------------------------------------------
On Sun, 2/1/15, NW Modeling List <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

 Subject: Re: Model Reviews
 To: "NW Modeling List" <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org>
 Date: Sunday, February 1, 2015, 7:54 AM

     "Both
             societies have offered assistance to
 manufacturers who were
             quite happy to tell us to go pound
 salt,"

     Doesn't that just frost your balls!!!

     Jimmy Lisle

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