AZL September New Items Part 1

[ztrack]

For the first release of September, we have Western Pacific Heavy Mikados! These are available in two road numbers.



Western Pacific Heavy Mikado Locomotives

50111-1 WP USRA Heavy Mikado 311 Black MSRP $219.00
50111-1 WP USRA Heavy Mikado 312 Black MSRP $219.00

The Mikados feature:

Fine injection molded details
Highly complex working side rods
Filigree handrails
Intricate pad printing
Directional controlled LED
Traction tires
Tender drive and power pickup
Working front coupler for double heading
Front coupler can also be easily removed
AZL AutoLatch™ couplers
Minimum radius of 220mm recommended

Photos can be found at:

http://www.americanzline.com/

Rob Kluz

[Sokramiketes]

How come the herald isn't centered on the tender?

[mcjaco]

It's off center......just like you.   

[ztrack]

AZL did a good bit of research on the logo placement. What they found is these were often set back on the tender. They would be positioned at the basically underneath the end slop of the raised portion of the top of the coal bunker. Some railroads did center the logo, but a good number did not. In some cases, you will see both examples, even on the same class of locomotive.

There is one correction. The WPs are actually available in three road numbers!

50111-1 WP USRA Heavy Mikado 311 Black MSRP $219.00
50111-2 WP USRA Heavy Mikado 312 Black MSRP $219.00
50111-3 WP USRA Heavy Mikado 313 Black MSRP $219.00

Rob

[Chris333]

Not that it matters to me, but as I'm bored at work I find:
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/wp/wp-s0319jpa.jpg

[Sokramiketes]

Now that I look back on the other releases, the NYC lettering and the CB&Q logo are also offset to the rear on the AZL models.

I'd like to see some photo evidence, but it doesn' jive with anything I've seen.  Are you sure they just weren't printed correctly?

[jnevis]

Ummm......
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/15555/Photo_2006_9_4_11_47_57_edited.jpg
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/76304/Day10%20DSCN4477%20WP%2026%20Travel%20town.JPG
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/mikado/wp301-harris.jpg

Even the Mallets and GS-64s were centered...
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4064/4646488292_10487f53fe_z.jpg
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/tr_wpr252.jpg

[Sokramiketes]

And here's the Q version:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3271265

[wazzou]

Actually, as far as the WP is concerned, it looks like it's centered under the Coal Bunker rather than on the length of the tender.

[Sokramiketes]

Actually, as far as the WP is concerned, it looks like it's centered under the Coal Bunker rather than on the length of the tender.

Right, general railroad practice would lead me to presume that a logo would either be centered on the body, or centered on a predominant feature like the coal bunker extensions.  It's like passenger car lettering too, the roadname is generally centered on the car body... or centered under the dome in the case of a dome car.  Railroads were all about aesthetics. 

So while a shop might have screwed up once in a blue moon on logo placement, I can't imagine this was the norm for WP, CB&Q, and NYC.  The logo placement on the Z scale models just feels off balance.  And for railroads that were persnickety enough to have their own fonts... it just doesn't jive.

[wazzou]

And for railroads that were persnickety enough to have their own fonts... it just doesn't jive.

Agreed.

[ztrack]

Here is a good photo showing a CB&Q logo pushed back. Note the placement between the rear trucks and the shute in the middle of the tender.



AZL matched this placement in their model.



Rob

[GaryHinshaw]

I have no interest or need for this model so I should just be quiet, but...  It seems to me that the bigger issue with this loco is that the tender is a bit of a foob.  On the proto 311,312, the tender is quite a bit longer and the slope sheet is nearly centred on it.  Here is a nice gallery of WP 2-8-2 photos:

http://www.wplives.com/archives/steam/282/index.html

I don't begrudge a foob tender - compromises are inevitable, especially in Z steam.  But given that, maybe offering the logo as a decal would have let modellers make their own choice of logo placement... 

[Sokramiketes]

Here is a good photo showing a CB&Q logo pushed back. Note the placement between the rear trucks and the shute in the middle of the tender.



AZL matched this placement in their model.



Rob

That's not a USRA Heavy Mikado.  CB&Q had plenty of real USRA Heavy Mikados, so if you're using photos of steam engines that arn't... well whatever, no one cares.

[Sokramiketes]

I have no interest or need for this model so I should just be quiet, but...  It seems to me that the bigger issue with this loco is that the tender is a bit of a foob.  On the proto 311,312, the tender is quite a bit longer and the slope sheet is nearly centred on it.  Here is a nice gallery of WP 2-8-2 photos:

http://www.wplives.com/archives/steam/282/index.html

I don't begrudge a foob tender - compromises are inevitable, especially in Z steam.  But given that, maybe offering the logo as a decal would have let modellers make their own choice of logo placement... 

You've spotted the issue, but misjudged the length of the tender.  The tender is about the same length overall, but WP 311 had a shorter coal box.  So yes, the logo is centered AND under the slop sheet, but that's because the slope sheet is centered. 

I suppose someone can make the argument that the artist moved it back because the slope sheet is farther back... but that's an odd judgement call.  The logo looks strange that far back.  And if it was centered on the tender shell, a modeler would be able to cut back the coal box extensions to match the prototype without having to re-letter the tender.