FVM Milwaukee Road Box

[Sokramiketes]

There are a lot of flaws with the HO Intermountain car, including the riveted roof they put on an all-welded prototype car...

The Rib Side Cars models in HO, although not decked out with bells and whistles (free standing grabs, etched running boards, etc.) are considered to be pretty accurate renditions.

Here's a photo of one:



My own opinion is that the FVM car is about 98% of the way to being a perfect N scale model.  The running boards are excellent, including the separate angle grab that is free standing at the corners.  The sides are perfectly rendered.  It's solid... I looked through the stack at the store and didn't see any bulging roofwalks.  The etched brake platform is a nice touch.  It rides a little high, but someday we'll have manufacturers convinced that body mounted scale couplers are the way to go. <grin> 

On the ends, remember that this is a different prototype than what's been done in the past.  I could liken it to the Kato F-units in N scale.  The Kato units looked so good, for so long, that people started to forget what a prototype F unit looked like and had their eyes trained to tell them that the Kato rendition was "exactly" what an N scale F-unit should look like.  Then everyone tried to compare the new-at-the-time Intermountain F's to the Kato unit, instead of to the prototype.  The oversize Kato trucks "looked better"  the Kato squarer than proto nose "looked better" etc. 

I think in this case, the boxcar ends tooled to date have tapered ribs and rounded stamped corners, transitions, etc, so the eye is trained to think that this is what a "boxcar" should have and that the ribside cars should have as well.  The prototype is so different, even in Robbman's last photo you can tell that there is a sharper corner instead of a tapered transition like a later Dreadnaught end, P-S end, etc. 

Could there be a little more fillet from the end rib to the car side?  Maybe.  But if Matt G. says it looked mushy with additional transition, then I'll go with what he says until I see someone try knocking it down with a file and proving it does look better. Right now, it looks comparable to the Rib Side Cars HO model, just in the proper 1:160 scale.

[tom mann]

Where are you guys buying these?  No one has them online?

[wcfn100]

So how does this work Mike, if it looks wrong to Matt he should change it even he knows it no longer follows the drawings, but then if it looks wrong to me, it's because I'm some sort of trained monkey and don't know any better? 



Jason

[Sokramiketes]

So how does this work Mike, if it looks wrong to Matt he should change it even he knows it no longer follows the drawings, but then if it looks wrong to me, it's because I'm some sort of trained monkey and don't know any better? 



Jason

It works like this... you're in step 4 so you BUY BUY BUY.

FVM Dreamed, Planned, shipped to China to build for you... and you just need to buy.  Then file as appropriate to your calibrated eyeball.   ;D

Matt gets first say on what looks right since he footed the bill for that step in the process.   

[wcfn100]

Agreed. You should have said that the first time.


Jason (trying to find a way to step two)

[asarge]

I agree with Skibbe.

If you don't like it don't buy.  Overall, even IF the ends aren't quite right, how much bashing is going to get them done right? NONE. How much bashing is going to make the car a failure? Based on what the complaint is now, not much if at all, regardless of what the "experts" say.

Personally, I'll trust Matt before anybody else has who has posted. No, 98% ain't quite perfect but its darn well as close as ya' gonna get it.

So get the cars, have fun modifying them if you want, but get them on the layouts!

[ljudice]

Really and truly - I don't need this specific car - but I've bought several of the SOO cars - and if there was a 98% correct X58 available I would buy a bunch of those.

I mean this is one of the most recognizable cars I remember seeing growing up - and someone finally does an accurate model - take advantage of it and remember that the success of this car could encourage more one-road wonders to be made.... 

[Puddington]

I pray no one ever makes a 100% perfect model lest some people would have to run out to the nearest highway and play chicken with transports for fear that they'd have nothing to say except...."nice job"  ;D

I think they compare well to a "meritage" of photo's I've reviewed. As Lee said "they look right" in n scale.

[Frank Amato]

Really and truly - I don't need this specific car - but I've bought several of the SOO cars - and if there was a 98% correct X58 available I would buy a bunch of those.

Amen, brother.  I'll put $5 down that Fox Valley cranks up an X58 before it's all said and done.  I mean come on, where's the PRR/PC/Lehigh Valley love? 

  Frank

[up1950s]

Where are you guys buying these?  No one has them online?

Feather River Trains

[ljudice]

Frank - I know X58's are 8 post - right..???

I have a photo - I shot in Allentown Yard 10 years ago of a car that looks like a 7 post X58. I need to get my scanner working and post it.

Is there such an animal, did PRR/LV or someone buy some Soo or BN cars or what?

It was heavilly patched PC vintage BTW...

Lou

[up1950s]

But yet we look the other way with couplers that look like full sized boxing gloves on an infant .

[FrankCampagna]

But yet we look the other way with couplers that look like full sized boxing gloves on an infant .

Not really. However, after years (decades?) of complaints, no one has come forward with an alternative. Should we cease buying all models until the manufacturers cave in?

Frank

[Mr. G]

But yet we look the other way with couplers that look like full sized boxing gloves on an infant .

Not really. However, after years (decades?) of complaints, no one has come forward with an alternative. Should we cease buying all models until the manufacturers cave in?

Frank

I think his point was simply that we all make certain compromises to model in this scale. 

The ends don't look quite kosher to me either, but the lettering looks great and overall the details you normally focus on are really well done. 

[up1950s]

But yet we look the other way with couplers that look like full sized boxing gloves on an infant .

Not really. However, after years (decades?) of complaints, no one has come forward with an alternative. Should we cease buying all models until the manufacturers cave in?

Frank

I think his point was simply that we all make certain compromises to model in this scale. 

The ends don't look quite kosher to me either, but the lettering looks great and overall the details you normally focus on are really well done. 

Bingo and bingo , I look forward to my 1 of each , and thanks for filling the void Matt .