Tennessee Pass Models

[cfritschle]

I visited Jens actual site and get the impression he's still designing new vehicles, because his product line featured on his Facebook page has more vehicles than the PDF lists show, like Jeep models and Toyota 4x4s I could use. Short of knowing what the agreement is between Jans and Showcase, Showcase seems to have sole ownership of the line, or at least North American sales rights.
I still have no 3d design or printing experience - maybe it takes file tweaking to get into production. That's understandable if you're taking a model from one scale to another, but Jens seemed to be designing specifically in N scale. If Showcase does own/lease the whole product line it seems printing on an order by order basis would be an option and the whole stock list would be available to order from. But maybe Showcase is buying one product license at a time, doesn't want to jump into the deep end of the pool, or it insists on having stock built up and is limited somehow in that.
It's kinda maddening. Showcase may be sitting on some great stuff. And saying it is "slowly" growing it's product line is an understatement, everyone has "that" vehicle they want (and then they want more). It almost makes me yearn for the hassle that Shapeways was.

Bryan,

Showcase is taking requests for which MAC models you want them to offer.  It appears most of the requests have been for 1950s through the 1970s vehicles.  I requested the 2003-11 Crown Victoria, and it took about six months before they offered it.  One of the problems with MAC vehicles is they are not all 1:160 scale.  The first Crown Vic Walter printed for me was about the same size as an Atlas Taurus.  I asked if it would be possible to make it a little larger, and he "amended" the file and printed a larger version for me.  It is still a little under 1:160 scale, but it is now noticeable larger when parked next to the Atlas Taurus.

Here is another example. This photo shows three versions of the 1990-98 Chevy pickup.  From left to right: regular cab long bed, extended cab long bed, extended cab short bed. 


The calculated scale of each pickup based on the width of the models has the regular cab long bed pickup at 1:155.6, the extended cab long bed pickup at 1:160.5, the extended cab short bed pickup at 1:160.0.  After the photo was taken I purchased the crew cab long bed pickup (scale based on width = 1:160.5) and the crew cab Dually pickup (scale based on width = 1:160.0). Generally, the models look fine if the calculated scale width comes out somewhere between 1:159 and 1:161. You can probably use models in which the scale width is larger than 1:159 or smaller than 1:161 somewhere on the layout, but I would generally avoid parking them near a vehicle model that is between 1:159 and 1:161 scale.

The width seems to be the most critical dimension to get right, and Walter is able to adjust the width without requiring input from Jens.

[cbroughton67]

I purchased some n-scale vehicles from him once on eBay, and won't be buying from him again. Lead time is 2-3 weeks, both vehicles I purchased were flawed - one was a print rendering issue, and the other was a design flaw, which reset the lead time meter to get a replacement. He promised combined shipping, which never materialized. I had the distinct impression that he didn't understand how to use eBay's basic selling features. Any feedback that's critical of his service is met with a TMI list of excuses (he seems to have a lot of chaos in his life), rather than focusing on the issue itself. I eventually got a refund and the items went in the trash. It's unfortunate, because he does have a great selection of n-scale vehicles, but IMO, it's not worth the hassle of dealing with the guy.


Chris

[tehachapifan]

I purchased their Kenworth T600 single axle day-cab a few months back and, while I have not yet attempted to build it, I am very impressed with the overall look, details and print quality. It also does not strike me as being out of scale and looks more or less comparable in size to the TWX T800, although it is still attached to all the printing supports so I could only hold the T800 nearby for a rough comparison. There are indeed print supports that are attached to some pretty tiny parts (the smallest possibly being the mirror mounts on one side) which may prove very challenging to remove without causing damage (actually, I just looked and that mirror mount is already broken). It also does indeed appear that the interior may not be removable, which will make painting it a challenge and I'm not sure how I will do the windows. Overall, I'm pleased with the purchase.

[sirenwerks]

Bryan,

Showcase is taking requests for which MAC models you want them to offer.  It appears most of the requests have been for 1950s through the 1970s vehicles.  I requested the 2003-11 Crown Victoria, and it took about six months before they offered it.  One of the problems with MAC vehicles is they are not all 1:160 scale.  The first Crown Vic Walter printed for me was about the same size as an Atlas Taurus.  I asked if it would be possible to make it a little larger, and he "amended" the file and printed a larger version for me.  It is still a little under 1:160 scale, but it is now noticeable larger when parked next to the Atlas Taurus.

Slightly off scale as represented by your three example models isn't going to keep me from ordering. Loco and rolling stock manufacturers don't always get right either and as long as the models are within the tolerances you stated, I could live with that. I am surprised Showcase hasn't released a few modern popular vehicles like a Ford Explorer and an Expedition.
A couple problems with the notion of requesting models from Showcase... First, when comparing the images on Jahn's website catalog and his online images, it's clear he's European and Japanese created models that are not listed on the PDF documents available. I see a contemporary Porsche SUV, a couple Mercedes, and some Toyota that could find a home on a contemporary layout. Again, perhaps the MAC licensing agreement sticks to N American built vehicles. If not, if foreign vehicles aren't listed in the PDF catalog they're hard to request them, unless you go digging into his website and put the onus on Showcase to find it. Even then, Jahn may not have pics of everything he's designed on his web page. An updated catalog would be great, even just a list by vehicle manufacturer.
With the above in mind, I've tried to communicate with Jahn though his site in Google-translated German but never got a response. So to know if he already has a design done for a specific vehicle or to make a request for him to design one in English seems challenging. For instance, I'd like to see an Isuzu F series or Hino comparable cab, an Amazon delivery van, a couple versions of the Ford Transit (mini and Cargo) and stuff to fill modern parking lots - like Tesla, VW/Audi passenger and SUV, Subaru and other Japanese stuff. 

[john3]

Yes I wish shapeways was back, Jens had all kinds of trucks and cars and had a new one everyday.

[john3]

    You used to be able to order direct off of Jens, but the Tariffs Trump put on things coming in to U.S. from Europe made it to expensive to ship and created a lot of extra paperwork, so the only way to get his products is from Showcase Miniatures.