Kato GS-4 Daylight,problems already.

[Nato]

  Well just like amy new product problems woth Kato's new Daylight are already cropping up on other discussion groups. On the N Scale List at Yehaw someone already had the Traction Tires pop off and cause wheel spin finally got them to stay on after several tries and his now runs. Another poster had the conical boiler front fall out when puting his loco back on the box,also a small spring on the front coupler came out and that poster reported all kinds of problems with the car couplers,which he was sending back,a friend was helping him put the front coupler back together. Of course Athearn's Challemger especially the First Run had quite a few problems. Well my Daylight and car set arrives by weeks end,hope all goes well, but who knows.                                                                                         Nate Goodman (Nato),Salt Lake, Utah."Thinking of selling off his Brass GS-4!"

[UP_Phill]

  Another poster had the conical boiler front fall out when puting his loco back on the box,also a small spring on the front coupler came out and that poster reported all kinds of problems with the car couplers,which he was sending back,a friend was helping him put the front coupler back together.

I saw that post as well. Sorry to be a bit harsh but that sounds more like a user problem. Is there such a thing as PEBKAC in model railroading?

Could be wrong tho!

[Chulvis]

I agree with Phill on that one.

Because of the way the locos are packed in the jewel case one really MUST turn the box over and gently slide the loco out onto a table using your fingers to insulate the impact. There is a plastic thinghy that surrounds most of the locomotive to protect it while shipping. One could easily do quite a bit of damage if they tried to remove that first.

[seusscaboose]

i gotta agree.. with the popluation of these in users hands... and the lack of negative feedback on posts (by the most critical of users.. i.e. forum members and hobby store owners)... i would say you have a quality engine.

i remember the same thing happening with the pcm E's when released.... nothing but grasshoppers in the background chirpping away at aestetics....no comments on the pulling power or tracking ability were made... in fact.. i remember the sound was to LOUD out of the box and you "had" to turn it down...i remember thinking "whatever... be happy you got sound at all out of the box....  "

the thing that i think is cool is the pricepoint on this engine and the quality.  it made me scratch up the funds and go get one.

as i said before, the lack of overwhelming (if at all) criticism is indicative of the quality.  curiously... negative speculation pretty much stopped BEFORE the engine's release when a video was posted pulling 18 cars up a 4% grade.

i wonder how long before someone kit bashes one and throws another shell on the chassis and posts pics....



EP

    

[Puddington]

No.... nope... this engine is garbage; a complete waste of my and everyone's time and money. The thing is a piece of junk; Kato should be barred from producing another N scale steam engine - it's a disgrace and a sham. I mean really, all these problems already ? The engine should have come with an actual functioning boiler that produces a correct to scale steam load and effect; an anatomically correct, fully robotic scale crew; real scale coal, complete with coal dust and should have had 1,290 actual digitially enhanced sounds. If it was worth it's salt it would pull 125 heavyweight cars up a 10% incline and would do so whilst cleaning your track at the same time.. Im just so angry at Kato for such a shoddy piece of junk I'll never.... wait... um.... "Railwire"....ah.... this isn't the "A" board.... um.... ah.... nevermind. ;D

It appears Kato has a winner - I imagine they'll ride this one for a while with follow up versions in the Dayligh and war time Daylight liveries for years to come..... and yes; someone will find time to slag it... because that's what they do best. :

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Agreed.

If someone complaining about a boiler front popping off when they put it back in the box is the big news on this one, I say we just give this one the "model of the year" award right now.

Kato sure as hell knows how to build a good model.

[Dave V]

So am I to understand this model doesn't actually take itself out of the box and place itself on the layout?

I have to do that myself?  How much work do they expect me to do with their product???

 ;D

I hope the GG1 is equally good.  Again, I'm not real happy about the MAP issue, but heck, like you guys say, Kato makes great trains!  And model railroading is not a charity.  If MAP keeps Kato in the black and making great products, then I guess I'm OK with it.

[John]

So, based on the rounding error of opinions of this forum, Kato has a winner .. I saw one at the BANTRAK meeting this weekend, and I was impressed with it .. (of course, I am not a steam head, but I could justify this for an excursion train )

Puddington - don't imagine for one second that if it was a looser, you wouldn't get a negative reaction here ..

[wm3798]

Precisely why I can't figure out why we can't woo Max Magliaro over here from the A-board.  On the 'wire, you'll get a solid critique, followed up with recommendations on how to live with any faults that might be apparent.

If the nose cone pops off, then what do you do to prevent that?  Pulling power a problem? Where do I add weight?... etc.

I have little interest in this bad johnson myself, although I do have a signed Howard Fogg print of the American Freedom Train behind a GS-4...  This ran during, well, slightly after my modeling era, so if that scheme ever gets produced, I might look into the cigar box to see if there's enough boolah boolah for one...

Lee

[John]

Precisely why I can't figure out why we can't woo Max Magliaro over here from the A-board.  On the 'wire, you'll get a solid critique, followed up with recommendations on how to live with any faults that might be apparent.

Max has an account here ..

[wm3798]

...and zero posts in 9 months... ???

Lee

[Nato]

  I have to agree with all that has been posted here so far,my only reason for starting this thread was because we do get negative posts on products and we need to determine if there are really problems or if it is User Error.                                                                                                                       Nate Goodman (Nato).

[Erik W]

My own approach to the hobby is, if I want something I'll get it.  If it doesn't work, I fix it.  If I can't fix it I get rid of it.  I call it "Reality Based Modeling".  ;D  For me it's a moot point if a locomotive should operate a certain way, pull X number of cars, etc. and doesn't.  It is what it is.  Some things I don't like having to modify/fix when they're new, but if I want that product on the layout, then I'll make it work. 

I've showed my wife some threads that involve a lot of bitching and griping.  Her response was, "Those are men!  They sound like a bunch of old hens in a quilting circle".

Erik

[UP_Phill]

Mines probably in the belly of a Qantas or American Airlines flight, so I won't know till next week!  ;D

[Mark5]

So I take from all the discussion about LL's 0-8-0's and the steam to diesel transition that nobody here has any real gripes with the new Kato GS-4 (see heading above) ;D ;D

I'm still trying to resist the GS-4 ...