Yeah, there's definitely something that's not right in the windshield portion of the Life-Like shell, but Kato has refused to offer their E8 in C&O colors. >

Intermountain also does a better job, but they haven't produced an E8 (the C&O used E8s for passenger train power on this portion of the railroad).

So, the Life Like will have to do. With the DCC decoder, the new LED headlight, the Kato grilles I installed, and the plan to install wire grabs (or at least paint the molded on grabs), it will pass muster for now. I must agree that it does run pretty well, for what I consider an economy-quality locomotive.
Dave