How good is Primote?
That Big Boy is awful impressive. I haven’t heard any complaints with the Big Boy, as a matter of fact I have heard they are awesome, although I don’t have any personal experience with them. I think Precision Craft done good.
Here ya go…
I have not heard any complaints either, but I do not know anyone who purchased the model. I looked at the new Big Boy PCM model at Caboose Hobbies last month, and it was nice. I am not convinced it was any better than my Key or Overland models, but it is more expensive at today’s money. The Overland Big Boy is very good also and probably was the standard up to this time. The latest Samtech models are extremely good. I have several of their latest models and the Global Outlet SF 5011 class set new standards for my money. I managed to trade some older Overland brass for the new Global Outlet model and not pay the high price, but it would be worth the money. The Samtech company are employee’s that used to work for Samhongsa and started their own group after Samhongsa stopped production.
I had to think twice before I paid fifteen hundred several years ago for the previous Key model but now we are talking almost double that amount. Remember Challenger Models imported the small Union Pacific Challengers about four years ago and they are still on the dealers shelves at the list price of $2700. Time alone will tell how the Big Boy’s will fare at the almost $3000 price, but I don’t think they will be a sell out soon.
Cheers
The pricing is definately a bit much for me. Does the Overland models have the opening boiler, closable clam shells, and opening roof hatch? These kind of extra details is the only thing that I can think that makes the MSRP so high on the PCM Big Boys. I just am not sure if the Overland or Key models had the same sort of detailing.
The Keys have the opening hatches on the locomotive and tender, but the overland models do not have those features. The Classic Key also had the opening Smoke Box door, but the detail is not correct on the Key or the PCM. My Global Outlet 5011 Class SF engine has all of the features you mentioned also, but that is not the reason I traded for it. It has some of the best detail ever and that is why I got it. Let me describe how time consumming it can be on the Key to get all of the sand hatches back in place. I removed the first Challenger I purchased from the box and spent two days working on a solution to keeping the sand hatches in place. All of them have chains on them and they fall off the the sand boxes if you turn them sideways for any maintenance.
The working are hatches are nice, but I used some soft adhesive to hold the sand covers in place.
They are not that great of an asset if you are operating them… If you are showing off the engine for super details, then they are nice and impressive.
The Overland Cab Forward had opening water hatches and some of the special runs had certain hatches that opened, but skip the sand hatches with chains. Key has been doing this since the mid to late eighties on the Big Boys, Challengers and FEF-2’s and FEF-3’s. These I have from that era, but the problem with sand box covers and chains have been a pain until I found a way to fix them.
Cheers
&n
Ahh, so the smoke box door isn’t right. Almost $3000 is way to much for a model that has incorrect details.
Edit: I would love to see that G scale cab forward in person. That has to be impressive up close.
The picture I saw of the Big Boy does have the super heaters tubes, only the flue sheet. The Classic Keys are not correct either, just some detail like the flue sheet with hole and not flues or super heaters tubes.
The GO SF 5011 is the same way. I would prefer they just leave the smoke box closed.
Cheers