Factory Fading: Why can't they get it right?

[ljudice]

I am a fan of FVM's freight cars - and was looking forward to the new double door boxcars
in faded Golden West with SSW restenciled marks.  But photos of the models show the same mistake
ALMOST every "factory faded" model displays.  The body is a faded blue and the lettering is
brilliant, deep yellow and red.   It should be faded yellow and pink on these cars - as shown in
the lettering diagrams for the models.

I have to assume someone in China looks at the instructions for the model and says "pink!! that
can't be right - it must be red!"

Walthers - on the 100T 2 bay hoppers did get it right, and Atlas usually gets this right on some of the
restenciled hoppers they've done.

Why can't anyone else get this right?  Pre-fading - in my opinion - is much more useful to us than
factory weathering or graffiti...

[Denver Road Doug]

I think you're probably right...the interpretation gets lost along the way.   One person has the vision and the spec, but it looks too "odd" to the untrained eye and so they alter things to the point that it no longer looks right. (aka no man's land)   I agree...Atlas has done some good stuff, and I have the Walthers Greenville Golden West and it's a good job too.   Athearn has had a few that were ok....more hit/miss, and on older tooling.  MTL doesn't fade theirs unfortunately.

I think this is the next big thing in n-scale....more faded paint/weathered cars.  I do hope the trend is "easy on the grafitti"....I don't have a problem with it, but there are era issues.  For example, the widespread "growth" of the complex "super-grafitti" graffiti really shot up around the year 2000 or so, (or maybe someone has more data on that...it's just what I seem to recall) so in my n-scale world it's there, but every 10th car versus every 3rd car today.

[ljudice]

Agreed on the graffiti....

I keep thinking this fading business is a way for manufacturers to rather easily boost sales - since it requires no additional artwork, just some cleverness in color selection. 

I noticed the FVM NS GEVO Primer units selling out quickly - I suspect a Kato BNSF C44-9W "Peach" would also be a sell out.

[VonRyan]

I think you're probably right...the interpretation gets lost along the way.   One person has the vision and the spec, but it looks too "odd" to the untrained eye and so they alter things to the point that it no longer looks right. (aka no man's land)   I agree...Atlas has done some good stuff, and I have the Walthers Greenville Golden West and it's a good job too.   Athearn has had a few that were ok....more hit/miss, and on older tooling.  MTL doesn't fade theirs unfortunately.

I think this is the next big thing in n-scale....more faded paint/weathered cars.  I do hope the trend is "easy on the grafitti"....I don't have a problem with it, but there are era issues.  For example, the widespread "growth" of the complex "super-grafitti" graffiti really shot up around the year 2000 or so, (or maybe someone has more data on that...it's just what I seem to recall) so in my n-scale world it's there, but every 10th car versus every 3rd car today.

It's the canadians who started the "super-graffiti" thing. Actually called a "wholecar" in the graffiti community. They usually do it out somewhere just north of nowhere and requires hauling lots of paint, be it roll-on or spray cans, not to mention a ladder or two. Usually there will be three to five guys involved, and sometimes the piece can take more than a day to complete, let alone dry.

This is the benefit of having a younger brother who is a graffiti artist, he's a reference to all kinds of terms, and not to mention a translator.

-Cody F.

[JoeD]

We have pre faded some of our cars (not enough), more on the way now that I have been able to seperate the mid month releases more from the first of the month.  Stay tuned, we have some very cool stuff in the works...pre fading and more detailed weathering.

Joe
MTL

I think you're probably right...the interpretation gets lost along the way.   One person has the vision and the spec, but it looks too "odd" to the untrained eye and so they alter things to the point that it no longer looks right. (aka no man's land)   I agree...Atlas has done some good stuff, and I have the Walthers Greenville Golden West and it's a good job too.   Athearn has had a few that were ok....more hit/miss, and on older tooling.  MTL doesn't fade theirs unfortunately.

I think this is the next big thing in n-scale....more faded paint/weathered cars.  I do hope the trend is "easy on the grafitti"....I don't have a problem with it, but there are era issues.  For example, the widespread "growth" of the complex "super-grafitti" graffiti really shot up around the year 2000 or so, (or maybe someone has more data on that...it's just what I seem to recall) so in my n-scale world it's there, but every 10th car versus every 3rd car today.

[ljudice]

We have pre faded some of our cars (not enough), more on the way now that I have been able to seperate the mid month releases more from the first of the month.  Stay tuned, we have some very cool stuff in the works...pre fading and more detailed weathering.

Joe
MTL

Excellent!!!!