MTL SW1500 test shots.

[ryan_wilkerson]

Will both undec shells and mechanisms be sold separately? Judging by the price differences for different paint schemes, I'm hoping a complete functioning undec will be an economical option too. Atlas shell pricing is ideal. I remember getting full shells for $10 at Caboose Hobbies when I was a teenager. Those days are gone but I'd hate to have to pay Kato prices for undec shells (~$35).

[Sokramiketes]

I understand the decisions MTL made to bring this to market.  But MTL decisions are not indicative of the rest of the manufacturing world. 

They were hesitant to jump in with both feet and do a completely new locomotive.  Every time they go back to order more Life-Like chassis is another argument that this locomotive could have sustained a ground-up design.

Just because this wide-hood design was the only way to get the project green-lighted through the MTL board, doesn't mean that no other manufacturer could have tooled a new locomotive with scale width hood at the same price point.  What it does mean is that no other manufacturer will touch it for awhile now that this one is on the market soaking up market share. 

Yes, they will sell.  But they won't sell quite as well as they could have. 

[Catt]

Personally I don't care if the hood is to damn wide to make Joe Nitpicker mad.But I will tell you this if he gets his nose thet close to MY new switcher he will be seeing something besides the loco.

[u18b]

Joe,

If you are going with a modified life like mechanism.....

(I'm sure you know this but....) don't use a crappy plastic worm like on the early runs.

Brass does not go out of round like those awful plastic worms.

Thanks for sharing with us.

[Puddington]

Sorry Mike but the fact of the matter is that all this chatter will not have a measurable effect on sales of the unit what so ever. As a matter if fact if MTL picks the right mix if proto schemes and popular foobies as kick off schemes it will sell even better than if they blew a bundle on a new, more svelt chassie.... Meeting the ever increasing demands of the A@@hats doesnt translate into increased profits as much as knowing what price point vs. cost plus what "pretty paint scheme" to sell it in does..... And that's just a fact we all have to live with.

So; don't like the model ? Ok; I repeat; pony up the dough and commision your own model; prove the industry wrong......

[JoeD]

I think there tends a fundamental lack of understanding of how the MTL market is structured, our resources, and the actual cost to produce something, especially when 50% of it is done here in the states. Understandable when you are on the outside...Pud has gotten a face full of reality    The cost to produce a new chassis, source motors that don't exist, would have doubled the development costs, making our ROI twice as long to make.  Given the state of the N Scale market (small and not getting much bigger by the hour) the level of sales and a crowded field, going the all new route would not happen.  I'm happy we could do what we could, I am happy with the product as it sits on my bench and am happy that most of the modelers out there will enjoy having one or two or three added to their fleets...(can't wait to do the NASA engines) I'm also happy with the response and it's nice to be in a situation where we have to scramble to meet orders again.  So, there are going to be things that could have been better, I would have wanted "all new", but this is a good compromise all around.  And as Pud said, if you don't like it, that's ok...more for me 

Joe

[Puddington]

What Joe said.... Plain, simple and to point.

[Dave V]

It does seem that with every single new locomotive release, irrespective of manufacturer, this forum plays out the same narrative with the same voices playing the same roles.

[johnh35]

I am disappointed by the hood, but my bigger concern is how are you getting the power from the trucks to the frame halves?

[johnh35]

Plus MT created a DDC Ready Frame for the SW8 & 1200..
 

Which is of no use without a decoder. It is easy to install a decoder in the original LL SW mech. The easiest solution to this would be to have TCS make their Z2 on a board that would plug directly in place of the current light board (the front headlight would be on the board). The wires would come with the brush cap contacts already in place and all that would be needed is Kapton tape to isolate the contact going to the lower brush. I have discussed this with a gentleman at TCS, but they are more interested in sound decoders at the moment.

[peteski]

Which is of no use without a decoder. It is easy to install a decoder in the original LL SW mech. The easiest solution to this would be to have TCS make their Z2 on a board that would plug directly in place of the current light board (the front headlight would be on the board). The wires would come with the brush cap contacts already in place and all that would be needed is Kapton tape to isolate the contact going to the lower brush. I have discussed this with a gentleman at TCS, but they are more interested in sound decoders at the moment.

If you were to look at the first page of this thread, you would find:

To go DCC you unplug, remove light board and drop in a decoder (Digitrax is working on one)

[tom mann]

It does seem that with every single new locomotive release, irrespective of manufacturer, this forum plays out the same narrative with the same voices playing the same roles.

Next time, I'll make sure to assign us different roles ahead of time.   

[Sokramiketes]

Sorry Mike but the fact of the matter is that all this chatter will not have a measurable effect on sales of the unit what so ever. As a matter if fact if MTL picks the right mix if proto schemes and popular foobies as kick off schemes it will sell even better than if they blew a bundle on a new, more svelt chassie.... Meeting the ever increasing demands of the A@@hats doesnt translate into increased profits as much as knowing what price point vs. cost plus what "pretty paint scheme" to sell it in does..... And that's just a fact we all have to live with.

So; don't like the model ? Ok; I repeat; pony up the dough and commision your own model; prove the industry wrong......

So why does Rapido bother trying to get details right?

[Sokramiketes]

I think there tends a fundamental lack of understanding of how the MTL market is structured, our resources, and the actual cost to produce something, especially when 50% of it is done here in the states. Understandable when you are on the outside...Pud has gotten a face full of reality 

Pud works for a company that focuses on prototype fidelity. And I fully agreed that this is probably the only way for MTL to hit the market with the cost of their in-house tooling in the states.

I don't agree that motors are non existent. I don't agree that China couldn't do it at the same price point. Actually, I don't agree that someone in the states couldn't do it either, I think that tide is set to change in the next 5 years too.

So really all I'm saying is it's fine for MTL to say they can't do it. But they shouldn't imply it can't ever be done as part of their reasoning as to why they didn't do it. Every manufacturer has a niche.

[Puddington]

Without getting into a discussion that may tread on proprietary information I can say that high quality n scale style motors are right now very hard to source.