I'm waiting for the New 2-8-8-2 also but if it is anything like the 0-8-0 then back to the dealer it goes. I'm willing to give them a chance but it better be good. If we all hold the mfgs. accountable for a quality product then maybe they will get the hint. I will not accept a defective product and neither should anybody else. Dave
Yes, I'm guilty of accepting less than expected. There was a post on one of the forums in which the member said he had contacted Life-Like about the lack of traction tire on the original 2-8-8-2 and was told that one would likely be offered. I naively awaited this, running the loco sparingly, and it never materialized. Unlike Pogo, "We have met the enemy and he is ME." Or are most of us guilty of this? Ben
Define.... defective? I don't own a Berk or an 0-8-0 from Walthers... lucky me I guess! I do own the first run 2-8-8-2 and wouldn't classify it as 'defective'... but rather... as an underachiever. I don't necessarily classify poor pulling as a defect. LifeLike made it the way they intended it to be. The only thing I can say was defective was the hype claiming that it would pull 65 cars... it must have been on a downward slope. We can't even claim they lied... we simply weren't there to witness the feat of the 2-8-8-2 being pushed downhill by 65 cars! Having not run it very much... I don't know if it would have any mechanical defect. It would probably not fail mechanically since it couldn't pull very much... so... I wouldn't run it! It's a pessamistic win-win situation.
