February 2018 Micro-Trains

[peteski]

While casting the clear plastic body shells was probably not an issue, the intricate painting and pad printing was extremely challenging.

Very difficult to see in the photo, the clear side of each car has a very fine mesh like look, with additional data, logos, and reporting numbers pad printed over the simulated screening.

Micro-Trains Line's current printing process has likely resolved some of the issues that were encountered during the production of the earlier run products.

I'm pretty sure that those cars are decorated using their ink-jet printing process.

[Philip H]

Frack!  Now I have to buy another business car!

[pmpexpress]

I'm pretty sure that those cars are decorated using their ink-jet printing process.

Don't believe Micro-Trains had their ink jet style printer yet; as the first example of an ink jet printed model was the February 2009 release of stock number 451 00 050, a Southern Pacific SPLZ 936260 Golden Pig Service 45' Fruehauf Van Trailer, which had mediocre printing.



The aforementioned model was released almost nine years after the special run Impact Cars were produced for the NSC.

[Rossford Yard]

Had a train lunch with Denver Road Doug last week when we saw the UP/SP/Golden West Blue covered hopper and both blurted out "Sweet!" I see the label "sold out at factory" so I gather many agree.

I don't need freight cars, but many, if not all of those MT weathered/graffittied cars are on my list.  They make my 2000 era layout look a lot more realistic.

[peteski]

Don't believe Micro-Trains had their ink jet style printer yet; as the first example of an ink jet printed model was the February 2009 release of stock number 451 00 050, a Southern Pacific SPLZ 936260 Golden Pig Service 45' Fruehauf Van Trailer, which had mediocre printing.



The aforementioned model was released almost nine years after the special run Impact Cars were produced for the NSC.

I guess I wasn't clear enough. I was saying that the new run of those transparent cars will be made using their ink jet printing technology (which makes that type of decoration much easier for them).

And yes, they have upgraded their ink jet printing process at least 2 or 3 times already.  The meat reefers were rather crudely printed. They have made several improvements to the actually print resolution, ink thickness, and the actual printing techniques and finishing.  It is now miles ahead from the initial examples. But I'm still not sold on it when they use to decorate the entire side of a wooden reefer (specifically the entire yellow side).  I woudl still prefer the yellow background to be painted rather than printed using CYMK dots over white ink.

I have been watching their progress and have commented on that printing process back when the started using it for decorating the complete car sides.
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=28938.0

[asarge]

They got me for a few cars last month so I get a break this month.

I really wish they had done the bulkhead flat steel loads as a separate part. I could use a few of those.,

[pmpexpress]

I guess I wasn't clear enough. I was saying that the new run of those transparent cars will be made using their ink jet printing technology (which makes that type of decoration much easier for them).

And yes, they have upgraded their ink jet printing process at least 2 or 3 times already.  The meat reefers were rather crudely printed. They have made several improvements to the actually print resolution, ink thickness, and the actual printing techniques and finishing.  It is now miles ahead from the initial examples. But I'm still not sold on it when they use to decorate the entire side of a wooden reefer (specifically the entire yellow side).  I woudl still prefer the yellow background to be painted rather than printed using CYMK dots over white ink.

I have been watching their progress and have commented on that printing process back when the started using it for decorating the complete car sides.
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=28938.0

Given that Micro-Trains is taking pre-orders for only one of the two cars that were originally produced, it was the words "those cars" that had me thinking you were referring to the original set.

Not particularly happy with the print quality that was exhibited on the SP trailer, having thoroughly read your posts on the subject of ink jet printing models, I fully agreed that when some of the billboard series cars were released, the process might not yet have been ready for prime-time use.

Bearing this in mind, I am interested in seeing how far the MTL production capabilities have matured.

As was mentioned before, the special run NSC Impact Cars were a production nightmare.

Doubt there is a better MTL model to use to compare the results from the different printing processes.

Are any of the Chinese manufactured cars and locomotives printed using a method similar to the one that MTL uses?

[peteski]

Bearing this in mind, I am interested in seeing how far the MTL production capabilities have matured.

As was mentioned before, the special run NSC Impact Cars were a production nightmare.

Doubt there is a better MTL model to use to compare the results from the different printing processes.

Are any of the Chinese manufactured cars and locomotives printed using a method similar to the one that MTL uses?

I mentioned in my ink jet printing thread that Kato has been using this method of decoration on some Amtrak cars, Portram LRV sets and the Orient Express set.  I don't recall any N scale Chinese-made models with ink jet decoration, but I'm sure that this technology is already used by other manufacturers, and will become widely used in few more years. It is much cheaper to place a tray of cars on the printer bed and have them all decotated in a single operation than creating paint masks, multiple spray-painting operations, creating Tampo plates, mixing inks, and then pass the cars through multiple Tampo printing operations.   I also have a recent N scale Fleischmann model of European Diesel where some white areas clearly show that they were ink jet printed.