BLI SD40-2

[wes_sutton]

Oh, there is one Walthers lever mistake I see in the photo that will kill sales- the sight glass appears to be just molded as a raised line with no clear insert. It's better than the little painted on black spot Walthers did on their GP38-2, but not by much.

Thankfully 99.99% of people don't care - it's really just a Railwire thing.

How many times when a 1:1 scale loco passes them do they check out the sight glass?

[Bendtracker1]

The cab window, is it missing the center vertical mullion?
The rear intake grilles look a little thick as well.

[wazzou]

Thankfully 99.99% of people don't care - it's really just a Railwire thing.

You should ask yourself why you are still a member because generally you just post to point out what a $hitshow this place and it's members are.

[soo]

I was trying to be somewhat forgiving....naa.
It is messed up like a soup sandwich.
Sight glass
Mullion
Over sized holes for grab irons.

Now the sight glass..that is HUGE issue..really???!!!??

To BLI:
Take yo butt back to engineer school or to design school.
Or better yet apologize to your parents for wasting their money. Then apologize to the college faculty for wasting their time...because it is crystal clear you did not pay one bit of attention.
"PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL"

While on my soap box, I was applying the knife hand while directing my comments to BLI

I am Wyatt and I approve this message

[jagged ben]

Ditchlights!  Er... huge ditchlight housings.

[jagged ben]

Looks mostly ok, fans and grabs look good, the step wells look odd but I can't put my finger on why, hopefully the gaps around the dynamic brake hatch are just pre production rough edges...

It seems like they added material for where the handrails press in, in places were no such thing exists on the proto.  There's round nubs sticking out.  That is actually pretty awful, I think.

[nkalanaga]

Is there anything to see through the prototype sight glass, when standing trackside watching it go by, or is it just a "black spot"?  Unless there's a light behind it, I'd think it would be dark.

[wes_sutton]

You should ask yourself why you are still a member because generally you just post to point out what a $hitshow this place and it's members are.

I frequently do ask myself that question.

There is much to find of value on the RW, but the constant elitist whingeing and sniping at selected manufacturers, which only seems to be getting worse, is a real turn off these days.

If the truth hurts, then so be it.

[Ike the BN Freak]

Thankfully 99.99% of people don't care - it's really just a Railwire thing.

How many times when a 1:1 scale loco passes them do they check out the sight glass?

being the sight glass is a major -2 spotting feature, I doubt only .01% of the population cared...pretty sure the number was much higher, as I recall complaints of it from all of the forums I frequent, not just here

[John]

keep this civil please ..

[wazzou]

...but the constant elitist whingeing and sniping at selected manufacturers, which only seems to be getting worse, is a real turn off these days.

"Elitist" is just simply throwing stones. 
It could be argued that having commentary amongst members about a model's perceived shortcomings is basic to "one" part of what should be inclusive in forums.

[learmoia]

Oh, there is one Walthers lever mistake I see in the photo that will kill sales- the sight glass appears to be just molded as a raised line with no clear insert. It's better than the little painted on black spot Walthers did on their GP38-2, but not by much.

They had to preserve the speaker enclosure 

[tehachapifan]

Well, I gotta say I like what I see from the pic. Yes, I did spot the gap around the DB blister and the (current) lack of center post(s) in the side window (the latter I'm assuming may be addressed in production via perhaps paint), but the relief detail appears to look good and at least the side handrails are a good thickness and look really, really straight (handrail and/or stanchion straightness being something that seems to elude every manufacturer at times). I don't mind the ditchlight housings as I understand that you need room to properly bend light tubes if they're going to actually transmit decent light. I also don't notice any warping of the shell or walkway. I guess the site glass might be a tad on the large size, but I get not opening it through the shell as then you then don't have anything the represent the glass surface unless the modeler adds something like Krystal Klear.

[MRLX1020]

No tread detail on the walkways!  Slip and fall hazard for our N scale workforce...

[Rossford Yard]

Also noticed the step alterations.  Why is it that every mfg can get those in the normal width of front sill and or steps without doing that?  Is that a bell also molded on the right side short hood?  Also looks way off.

To me, it looks like they are using a new factory, who took some liberties with the design.  We can only hope.  I also hope they rushed the test shot to the show and know corrections must be made.  Maybe they saved some money on QC, knowing the eagle eyes on Railwire would catch the flaws?  Hey, if our participation lowers the cost a few bucks, it is worth our while!

Seriously, being the third SD40-2 to market (excluding the old Bachmann's) and maybe the third out of four, they need to do everything exceptionally well to succeed with this model.  After years of complaining, who would have ever thought we might have too many SD40-2?