Something I have noticed in the Lionel AF catalog is that the printed reproductions do not come close to doing justice to the actual model in person.
Specifically: I am a KCS fan and do some photography work for the Southern, which is based in Kansas City. I get to see some of the 1:1 units up close and personal and in the cabs. Very nice detail on those full-size models :) The Lionel catalog photo makes the engines look just OK. When I saw the new Flyonel SD70ACe diesel at Fred¹s Train Shop in Overland Park, KS, I was stunned by the finish, detail and workmanship. It was as good as most brass S items I have seen, and rivaled the full scale, but it is a great runner, unlike some brass models I have seen. Knowing the quality of MTH O stuff, I expect to see the same level of quality in S as well. It is a great time for S! Now, let¹s hope the economy doesn¹t tank again. Roy Inman From: hoquathob <[email protected]> Reply-To: S-Scale <[email protected]> Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2013 21:54:27 +0000 To: S-Scale <[email protected]> Subject: {S-Scale List} Re: MTH "S" catalog new releases A few thoughts, having talked to the MTH folks at York: First of all I think the MTH folks are interested in the S communities input. Several weeks ago their VP-Sales called me and spent about an hour discuuusing the S market. At York Doug Peck and I were able to buttonhole him for about 15-20 minutes (and he was very generous giving out catalogs to both of us). As far as the catlog pictures, not sure if these are pictures of actualpreproduction samples/artwork. They are definitely NOT pictures of actual production items. He said actual product won't be availabler until sometime this summer.As far as the expectation that MTH would improve the SHS line, I am not sure thatis a fair expectation. Keeping it the same level of quality as Don & Mike did is good enough for me. We won't know for sure if the loco drives are better or not until we actually see them. As far as prices, most of the price increase seemed ok to me: except for the trucks and whhelsets! Also, I assume the items will be available from some folks at below the listed retail. I expect to email some comments back, and one will be the issue of the extra cost for scale wheels - don't see why they would not be willing to offer a sale version at the same price as a hi rail like American Models does. If they don't, I know that I would offer scale version a t same price as the hi rail, even if I had to swap out wheel sets myself before shipping out. He also told us that they are willing to do special run cars (a plus for both Doug and I) Can't say I'm really excited about ore cars being a first choice, they were always a slow mover for me, and the Christmas car looks like it will be a dog, I'm sure few if any scale guys will be excited about it! Jeff Wilson Hoquat Hobbies >
