Wheels of time flats

[unittrain]

They posted the first sample picture the NYC  http://www.wheelsotime.com/display/ShowImage?imageUrl=/picture/nyc-2413.jpg?pictureId=21022754&asGalleryImage=true&__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1459789927995

[daniel_leavitt2000]

It's it me or does that wood deck seem off? Maybe it's the lack of plank detail along the sides or that the deck seems way too thick?

[wcfn100]

It's it me or does that wood deck seem off? Maybe it's the lack of plank detail along the sides or that the deck seems way too thick?

Yep, other stuff too.  Wish we could talk about it.   

Jason

[Dave V]

Yep, other stuff too.  Wish we could talk about it.   

Jason

Go ahead...  If that's the final tooling (I don't know if it is), I would call it fair game.  That's a pretty hi-res photo.  Is the prototype all welded?  I don't see rivets either.

EDIT:  I think we just want to make sure we keep it civil.

[unittrain]

I agree that deck is not very good the flat looks good but haven't seen prototype photos either. But yeah the more I look at the deck the more it jumps out.

[thomasjmdavis]

The prototype is welded.

http://www.wheelsotime.com/53-6-general-service-flats/http://www.wheelsotime.com/53-6-general-service-flats/

They are using the car to represent cars built between 1943 (MILW) and 1966 (CP) by at least 4 different builders.

[wcfn100]

Go ahead...  If that's the final tooling (I don't know if it is), I would call it fair game.  That's a pretty hi-res photo.  Is the prototype all welded?  I don't see rivets either.

EDIT:  I think we just want to make sure we keep it civil.

It's pre-production model and clearly so (it also says so  ).  It looks like they may have work themselves into a design corner trying to represent that NYC car with the SP flat.

Jason

[towl1996]

Hard to tell from the angle, but it seems to ride nice and low.

[bbussey]

Too bad I can't use it, as it's too young for my era.  The deck doesn't bother me, as I would be replacing it with wood anyway so that I could distress it realistically.

[Dave V]

It's pre-production model and clearly so (it also says so  ).  It looks like they may have work themselves into a design corner trying to represent that NYC car with the SP flat.

Jason

I get that, but there are varying degrees of "finality" to pre-production models.  How much does the tooling change?  Probably not so much that the deck thickness is going to change.

I'm of the personal opinion (not necessarily representative of the Railwire Mod Corps as a whole) that the voting system will serve to ameliorate the need for specific guidelines on when a model can be criticized in detail.  Several threads last year went seriously toxic (notable examples being the Rapido reefers and the Bachmann K4) so we had to try to sort things out until we could restore the climate.  I've asked my fellow mods for their opinion on this, but I personally don't feel like the Product Discussion needs very much moderation under the new voting system.

With regard to pre-production samples, I think it's fine to discuss them as exactly that--pre-production samples--with the caveat that what we discuss may not make it to the final product.  In fact, I have never tried to squash all pre-production discussion (just overt, mean-spirited bashing) because this could--in some rare cases--be a chance to intercept a fatal flaw in the production product.  Admittedly I was very invested in the K4 threads so I can't say truthfully that my actions therein were completely objective.  So I'm not here to draw lines in the sand anymore...our membership now has a mechanism to provide feedback besides reporting posts to mods.

Discuss away.

[Philip H]

Bearing @Dave Vollmer 's advice in mind . . . . I'm not over the moon about the deck but like @bbussey I'll probably replace any factory supplied deck iwth a wood one anyway (I got way too spoiled by the look of the Exactrail wood decked Trinity Bulkhead flat and an ESM custom deck run here a few years ago).

What I don't like is the black paint - it may be proto for the NYC flat, but it makes it hard to see details.

[Chris333]

To new to care 

[wcfn100]

I'm not over the moon about the deck but like @bbussey I'll probably replace any factory supplied deck iwth a wood one anyway

I guess I don't think a thinner deck is worth it to make the car incorrect.   

If WOT plans to try and paint on the metal deck plates on the cars that should have them, I hope I didn't pre-order any.  I know I have a couple SP on order.  I'll see if the deck bothers me when I get them.

Jason

[peteski]

Yep, other stuff too.  Wish we could talk about it.   

Jason

LOL!  Welcome to the club Jason.  Make sure you have the final product available before making any "constructive" observation.

Sorry Dr. Hot Ballz, I couldn't help myself.  I'll be quiet now.

[Dave V]

LOL!  Welcome to the club Jason.  Make sure you have the final product available before making any "constructive" observation.

Sorry Dr. Hot Ballz, I couldn't help myself.  I'll be quiet now.

@peteski, please see my posts in this thread.  I would like to move away from the need for draconian rule sets, the existence of which is primarily my fault and is mostly obviated by the voting system.

EDIT:  But I will consider it my duty to point out the folly of critiquing performance of a product that isn't the final production product.  Fair?