Looks like Walther's leaked the next Kato announcement...

[Hyperion]

You've gotta give Kato credit for one thing at least:

A brand-new tooled Loco and a set of three brand-new tooled big passenger cars runs about the same price as an old-tooling Atlas loco and just a single freight car.

$180 MSRP for a loco and 3 passenger cars is a great price.  Not that I have much of any use for them, nor could I even 'make up' any good use for them.

[AlkemScaleModels]

Gets my vote for the UGLIEST Loco out there.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Gets my vote for the UGLIEST Loco out there.

I still maintain they look like giant dildos.

[wazzou]

I still maintain they look like giant dildos.

I'll have to take your word on that Ed. 

[nscalesteve]

I still maintain they look like giant dildos.

...or like the marvelous THROMMER ! (you know, The Grey One)   ;D

[asarge]

I kinda like the sleek lines of the loco. Kato has it in their newsletter out today.

[sirenwerks]

Gets my vote for the UGLIEST Loco out there.

Nah, that would be the GE Genesis. Those took about the same amount of industrial design creativity to think up as a wood block. The MPs are reminiscent of the ole' F units, IMO.

[Puddington]

I still maintain they look like giant dildos.

......that hit one hell of a large pelvic bone and kinda "smooshed" in one side.................

Yep; they be ugly...........says the guy who thinks the SD 9 was the height of locomotive style, closely followed by the C Liner............... :-\

[Nato]

      No the uglyest locomotive after the GE P42 is the F59 PH modeled by Athearn. I wish Kato would do the MP 36 in Utah Transit Authority "Front Runner" colors to replace Athern's Foob Stand In F59 PH in those colors which were reciently released. Look up Cesar Vargus the industrial designer responsible for the GE P42. A fascinating man with some interesting ideas. Nate Goodman (Nato).

[Packer]

So 7 years after the real ones start production, a company does them. Suprised it'd be kato with their sporadic american releases.

......that hit one hell of a large pelvic bone and kinda "smooshed" in one side.................

Yep; they be ugly...........says the guy who thinks the SD 9 was the height of locomotive style, closely followed by the C Liner............... :-\

Nothing wrong with the SD9, it's one of my favorites. (F45 is my fav) I still say the P42s are uglier, but these things aren't far behind.

[csolivais1979]

Gets my vote for the UGLIEST Loco out there.

They look worse in person, speaking of the Metra locos. 

[AlkemScaleModels]

Even the snazzy VRE paint job doesn't help these, the first new locos that VRE bought.
http://www.pbase.com/hdralleiii/vre_mp36s

[sirenwerks]

I think my favorite is the NM Road (Rail) Runner scheme. It's nice to see something other than stripes. Then again, I also like the Amtrak Pokemon car (http://www.hebners.net/Amtrak/amtAMFLT/AMTPokemonb.jpg).

[delamaize]

...or like the marvelous THROMMER ! (you know, The Grey One)   ;D

I thought that WAS a dildo......

[Puddington]

All the levity aside; I can't get my head around this announcement. This is a big city communter train; and by "big" I mean massive; impossible to model big.... So; I'm wondering how one uses this consist ? I guess there will be a very small number of modelers out there who might have a pike that represents Chi-town in 2011; maybe some who model an outlying area that this communter service serves but that number is going to be small.

So; can we assume that Kato is aiming this not so much at modelers as collectors ? The colours are "collectorish"; the consist is unique; it's very modern and I believe would meet the general guidelines they have set for their own domestic market releases.

I guess I wonder if this locomotive and car set (and the obvious future releases) are something of a "further shift" in Kato's market stratagy away from supplying "modeler oriented" products (ie: SD 40's, SD 40-2, SD 45, F7, classic named trains....) and more towards collector oriented consists.....?

Just a thought............... :-\