New Model Power / MRC Steam

[Nato]

       I do not know how good they will be, but I just ordered (Reserved) two of the soon to be released Model Power now MRC 2-8-2 steam locomotives with DCC and Sound. The price is reasonable and the product description at least at BLW sounds like they have addressed some of the short comings these MP steamers had ,now they will have better electrical pickup traction tires and several other improvements. We will see. Further details when my SP & UP locomotives with vandy tenders show up. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.

[victor miranda]

well, the bar is not that high....
lotsa good reading here: http://www.spookshow.net/mp282.html

the overall appearance is good as far as I am concerned.

at this point, I'll need good photos as proof of improvement and
I do wonder if they can get in front of that Kato Mike I hear so much about...

what price is MRC thinking for the sound option?

victor

[mmagliaro]

BLW has them priced in the 170s and 180s with DCC and sound, in the 130s - 140s without.

If all the problems were really addressed, I would consider that a fair price.   However, there is no evidence
from the description on BLW's site, or anywhere else, that they are really doing that.

Is the "all wheel pickup"  really what we
expect (i.e. split frame, pickups through bearings on the drivers, no wipers on the engine drivers, and
axle-point all-wheel in the tender)?   Doing that right, especially in the loco, would require a massive
rework of the frame, bearings and axles so I have a lot of doubt that they are really fixing it.
The fact that the BLW ad mentions the pilot truck makes me think they added a pickup there and did nothing
else to the engine side, which I would consider to be a total failure.

The traction tire is the only concrete improvement listed.  That is the one element of
the description that I think they will live up to, especially since it only involved changing to a grooved driver,
which they already had made and offered as a retrofit before.

But that still leaves the pickups, the horrible motor/wiring scheme through the cover plate, and the drivers that
notoriously break loose and slip on their axles.   As long as you aren't committed to buying or losing any deposit,
fine.   But I wouldn't lay out one penny for these things until I really see what MRC is going to do to them.

MRC is providing no details on their website about the details of this model.  That makes me think that they
have no intention of making these serious changes, or that they have no idea that these changes are needed in order
to make the engine a success.

   

[peteski]

I suppose that the sound comes from a . . . MRC decoder. Yuck!  At least they are offering non-sound units.

[Chris333]

I can't find these listed anywhere online?

[mmagliaro]

I can't find these listed anywhere online?

BLW has them.  I didn't see anyone else.

[Chris333]

Is there a new name? Nothing listed at all for Model Power and MRC only lists decoders.

[Paradise275]

I contacted them a while back to ask about other road names. The response was they would wait to see how this went before the brought out any other roads. Sounds like they are taking baby steps to start.

Rick

[victor miranda]

I contacted them a while back to ask about other road names. The response was they would wait to see how this went before the brought out any other roads. Sounds like they are taking baby steps to start.

Rick

rut roh.

as far as I can tell,  the pacifics and mikados are not selling quickly when they are over 100
on the bay...

I'll watch them more closely.

the sound option may be a big incentive.

it is entertaining.

victor

[glakedylan]

Chris
try this link
http://www.blwnscale.com/mp-462-pacific.htm

[Chris333]

Ah, thanks. If you go to their online index they don't even list Model Power.

If they will be available with sound they must have retooled the tender floor. Fingers crossed.

[peteski]

Ah, thanks. If you go to their online index they don't even list Model Power.

If they will be available with sound they must have retooled the tender floor. Fingers crossed.

While BLW has good prices and service (I have been a customer from long before the website was up), the website is very poorly maintained.  Lots of non-cross-referenced links all over the place.  It would take a long time to get things in any sort of an order and indexed properly.  It is too bad (compared to MBK for example), but I also understand that unlike MBK, BLW is mostly one-man operation.  No time to get the website fixed up.

[mmagliaro]

MRC lists them here:

http://www.modelrectifier.com/model-power/n-scale-Locomotives.asp

Road names listed are:

ATSF
CN
PRR
Southern
B&O
UP
SP
C&O

[peteski]

the sound option may be a big incentive.

it is entertaining.

victor

Considering the bad reputation of MRC decoders (deserved, IMO), that might not be such a big incentive. Unless the buyers are unfamiliar with that bad reputation.

[Kentuckian]

MRC's website and BLW both list the C&O version as having a vandy OIL tender!  Blasphemy!  Sacrilege!  The photo does show a proper coal tender.