Simon, I am so in agreement with your argument. Get the product in the ball park and I can take it the rest of the way to my liking or the compromises that were made I can deal with or accept. How many on this list have installed DCC sound into AM locomotives? It's a similar idea. Lionel's new tooling for diesels goes a long way in this direction.
The 'China' drive gears are a little unfortunate but not all that visible on the U33c and virtually disappear on the SD70ACe. They are not show stoppers for me and I'm looking forward to the cylindrical hoppers. The real challenge to this approach are steam engines. Even SHS chose not to offer interchangeable wheels on their steamer. Now if we are nice and encouraging to the majors they may decide it's worth their while to further accommodate scalers. This is why I think Fred's experiment with the Y-3 is interesting and noteworthy. But if there continues to be a lot of bitter sniping and messages sent that scalers won't buy unless the models are brass level detailing with scale wheels, then why bother? If 'tweeners' are the fastest growing segment of S, that along with the direction of ever higher level of detail and fidelity of (high-rail) models in other scales, more detailed products will be offered in S-scale anyway. Let's be encouraging because tempting product will be forthcoming and we may just get something desirable that would be hard and expensive to do as an after market or custom modification. Ben Trousdale --- In [email protected], "Simon" <simon_dunkley@...> wrote: > > I have been on this list before, but re-joined a couple of months ago. I > think that is usually long enough to get the flavour of things, but in > this case, I really hope it isn't. > > Why, you may ask? Well, I suspect you won't, because it should be fairly > obvious looking at some recent themes. > > Guys, S scale is a small interest (even smaller over here in the UK!) > and we cannot afford to fall out with each other over how MTH might do > something (not have already done) or hi-rail versus scale versus > finescale and drive manufacturers away. The simplest message to them is, > "If you make sure that you have scale and proportion right, then the > scale/finescale S modellers will also buy your models, so you will > increase your sales." Nothing else will ultimately matter to a > manufacturer engaged in mass-production. If they fit larger flanges, and > either smaller wheels or jack the body up, I can deal with that. > Likewise, if the pilot and couplers are truck-mounted rather than > body-mounted, it is not a problem as I can deal with that, too. Just so > long as the rest of it is right, I am happy, and will buy if it suits my > era/locale: I am a modeller, and prepared to make and amend things. > > For those catering for the even smaller sub-group of (fine)scale > modellers, different objectives apply, but we don't want to upset them, > either: they may increase their sales of high-quality craftsman kits by > advertising to the AF end of the market, too. > > The S Scale Model Railway Society in the UK states in its constitution > that it exists to promote railway modelling to 1:64 scale. To be a > member of it, you don't have to model in S scale, or indeed do any > modelling, just have an interest in the scale. > > Can we not do the same, and if we disagree, do so gently without falling > out? > > For pity's sake, at the end of the day, for most of us it is a hobby, > and is supposed to be fun... > > Simon Dunkley. > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
