FVM: NS and BNSF Gevo are here!

The cab headlight is an easy fix, but the hanrails and rear headlight are not.

 

I can see only one solution to the NS problem.

If FVM would design new cabs with the correct headlights for NS and have them on their future NS models and also sell the new cabs already painted and ready to place so that people that already have a gevo could replace it, no color matching or bashing required.

FVM really impressed me when they changed the cab for the CP version (low number boards), BTW BIG Thanks to Matt and Co.

So who knows what FVM is capable of doing?
Being a “smaller” company they are more likely to listen to its customers than a bigger company is.

Brakie’s post #80 bought up an interesting thought.
Maybe a new thread / group / website could be made dedicated to how accurate a manufactures model is, something like Spookshow’s site but then for accuracy and what it would take to get them accurate.

 

Heres an idea, get an undec with correct rear headlight, throw on the Mark4 cab, paint with the correct black, add decals, voila. It'd pass as a damn near accurate loco and you wouldnt have to go online and tell us all how you havent bought one because they're 'painfully inaccurate'.

 

GT Rail,you are missing the point. Scott is saying that for the money there are too many problems to fix. Yes he changed the headlight on the Kato units but you have to remember these units are over 10 years old. As someone said in an earlier post we would still have rapido couplers and open pilots if no one complained. I have 3 units myself. Two are CSX
and one is a Ferromex. These are oustanding locos. Someone stated that we should be happy as long as they run well. I have a problem with this. I use MRC with Aristocraft wireless throtles and the FVM units will only run extremely fast with very little control. I can not get anyone to give me a solution to this problem. DCC is not an option as I have nearly 100 locos and the FVMs are the only ones that will not function correctly with this setup.
Jeff

 

That would be my solution as I stated earlier-at least the obvious detail fault is corrected and many like me may not notice the other mistakes..

 

Says them man who has to make no changes to there locos because they model BNSF.

If Atlas and Kato can get correct details on there recent GE widecabs, then the supposely new guy that everyone says is doing it better that Atlas and Kato should to.

 

I figure that's because Atlas and Kato got the point after being ripped so many times over their mistakes...The new guy needs to heed Atlas and Kato's lessons.

 

I dont model BNSF my friend, freelance all the way and I have to work on my locos to get them right for the way i want them to look. So far I've done a SD70MAC-T1, have 3 SD70ACe's on the workbench having numerous details added aswell as one becoming a cabless booster unit and last but not least a AC4400CW that I have modified to have the CN style GE cab aswell as high mount headlights.

 

Matt is doing as best as he can with the locomotives.

Fact that most are forgetting, that there is a minimum build count for the locomotives for each release.

Maybe it is because there are not enough NS modelers to justify the run of correct cabs?

So how would it be to get the 100% correct locomotive if you had to pay $250 and you had to have a minimum order of 15 locmotives per person to offset the dedicated run costs?

If that is acceptable, then you can get what you want.......so go ahead and contact FVM and tell them.

 

Actually,I think the majority isn't as forgiving as the few.Time and the hobby has changed and modelers pay more and they expect more.

Ever wonder how we got from this:

Arnold-Rapido (Germany) EMD GP7/GP9/GP30


To this:

Atlas (China) EMD GP38 / GP38-2 / GP40 / GP40-2


Suffice it to say it wasn't because we smiled and said "Thank You!"

If we keep quiet I fear we would still have these for $99.00 :

Atlas/Roco (Austria) EMD GP9 & GP30

 

I think you're wrong...I still think the opposite holds true...JMO

*I'm still smilin' :tb-smile:

.

 

Whereas I own a manufacturing company, I understand the issues and compromises that have to made in order to get product to market.

I am not sure about the production runs for FVM, but my gut feeling is that if they knew they could sell out the run of correct NS locomotives they would have, but there may not be enough NS modelers to make the production run viable. This may be why Kato always releases NS locomotives with other railroads like the CSX on SD80's and UP on SD70M's.

My theory is that if a correct NS Gevo could make the proper cost points if they had a commitment that covered the requirements of a dedicated run. I am not sure how many units constitute a run , but lets say that means 10,000 units. So if there are 1,000 NS modelers they would all need to preorder 10 locomotives to make the run worth while. The question is, are there that many NS modelers and would they own up to the 10 unit minimum purchase? What if that cost is $50 more than the other similar units?

I am not sure how many of the respondents have a background in manufacturing and understand the economics of tooling, line setup charges etc. But before you tear apart a product like this, just remember he staked his money to bring you something special. Would you really be happier if there were no Gevos at all? Do you really think Kato is going to come out with everything correct as well with theirs?

Compromises have to be made for prodution for ecenomic reasons as well as produceability reasons, that is a fact of life, to think otherwise is a fallacy.

Perhaps you should put your money up and pay for a dedicated run if you think it isn't that difficult to do it correctly in all aspects.

 

If you take a look at what the Z folks are doing with fiber-optics to get the correct lights in their locos you might get some ideas as to how to fix these.

Did someone mention color-matching problems for NS? How hard is it to match black? If one of them is a little glossier than the other you just hit it with some dull-cote and you're done.

Anyway, happy modeling.

 

look on ebay for NS stuff there's 122 items
http://toys.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_n...kw=&_osacat=19119&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1311

now look for UP or other names there's 693 items
http://toys.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_n...ern&_osacat=19119&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1311
the NS stuff will sell out right or wrong. i'm just
saying it would be nice to not have to cut up a
$100.00 loco to get it looking right

 

Not all roads had anticlimbers... and the newer releases do have anticlimbers.

 

David,Sorry and no offense meant but,those was the lame excuses manufacturers used for years to cut corners..Today that doesn't wash when it just as easy to make a correct cab after all they did a 3 window cab (UP) and 4 window cab(BNSF)...Wonder why they took those extra steps since it required addition tooling costs and shipped doing the correct NS cab with headlights?
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Again all black isn't equal..Norfolk Southern's 13 dip black is not as easy as using "engine black"-I tried and it didn't match the factory's black paint.

 

It's very easy to tell the manufacturer what to do when we aren't the one paying the bills.

Frank

 

gevo

IT is not just only ns modelers that buy ns engines

 

And not all road have nose mounted lights. You missed the example with this one.

which I wrote about if you had read my response.

Mike

 

Frank,That's a 2 way street..They want us to spend our hobby dollars on their high dollar products and we should expect correct models in return.

Sounds fair enough to me.