from my understanding, this is all new tooling. Judging by the footage of Athearn Booth, it looks to be a whole new shell, which makes me wonder. Is Athearn finally killing off the Globe F7 from like Fifty Years ago?
With this new beginner F7 coming soon, is Athearn going to end production of the Globe F7? The tooling is really outdated and probably at the end of its life. So I imagine that this new F7 means that the Globe tooling is being retired.
Yes, Jim Wiggin has talked about the ‘new’ F7s in Athearn’s “Train Tuesday” YouTube shows, most recently 4-25. He stated that the old F was worn out and going forward only the new version(s) would be produced.
I’ve heard talk over the years that the window frames and nose curvatures for the old F unit shells were out of whack. Are these being addressed?
Will the new shells be interchangeable with the old ones (in terms of fit and attachments to an old chassis?
If so, is Athearn anticipating offering an additional run of shells-only, as replacements (whether painted or undecorated)? I suspect that they could sell quite a few of them (particularly if painted) as there are lots of upgrades out there on layouts (remotored or now with decoders) whose owners could easily raise their locos another level or two. I have five that would get the treatment and might be willing to spend up to twenty bucks for a better body. (Alright, having put it that way, send in your wisecracks! [:-^] [(-D]
According to the article, the chassis and body are all new and have a different method of fitting, allowing someone to change them to a de-skirted appearance. I’d say that means new shells won’t easily fit the old chassis.
Considering the Globe tooling is now almost 70 years old, it really lasted a long time! No other plastic model in HO that I know of has had such a long run!
Thanks, Darth. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Certainly for me. But perhaps also for Athearn. I really wonder just how many updated shells they might be able to sell for that old but otherwise very reliable chassis. The old “superweights” made it even better.
Don’t know the answer to this, other than to say that I don’t think that there has been an E or F unit made where someone hasn’t seen fit to criticize something about nose or windows.
I can pretty confidently say that the Bluebox F7 is really off, the nose isn’t that great but the windshields are really bad. They are extremely boxy and way too large, it’s a very noticeable aspect of the Globe F7 and for me at least, is the main spotting feature.
True, but you couldn’t get better one in plastic until the Stewart F units came out almost 30 years later (not counting the Atlas/Roco one since it was an FP7). The Varney F3 shell was based on the old out of scale metal body, the Marx F2 was the picture of awful, the Mantua/Tyco F7 was a near carbon copy of the Globe shell, the late Penn Line/Life-Like F7 had a very toy-like windshield and the headlights were way off, and the Bachmann F9 wasn’t even trying to be well scaled (also, which came first, the Bachmann shell or the Gem brass shell?).
An additional informational detail is that Athearn will be offering Undecorated versions. This means southeastern modelers can, thankfully, skip the step of purchasing a painted model and chemically paint stripping it. I regretted not purchasing the SCL F7’s that Athearn produced in their Genesis line years back. Currently the ones that pop up on ebay fetch some wallet crunching prices.
Of course once the new F’s hit the market, modelers will immediately compare them with the Highliner shells. But from what iis shown on the YouTube vid, the new shell is a beauty and will, hopefully, be affordable.
Only question I have is if any versions will be produced without the pointed roof overhang.
I have an A-B-B-A set of Highliner shell kits. The original intention was to build a set of F2s with them.
If Athearn owners really wanted a shell upgrade, these would have sold one hundred times more than they did.
I have something like a dozen Stewart/Kato F3s and F7s now. For my needs, these are the perfect locomotive.
I also have a set of Hallmark brass FTA/FTB. These were rebuilt by the previous owner with can motor drive, and they run as good as the Stewart/Kato models.
Been a long time modeler. I won’t miss the classic 1960’s-70’s “global” F-unit shell. They won’t become extinct anytime soon since there are literally hundreds of them (if not thousands) collectiveily for sale on the secondary market and in private hands operating on layouts. I’m not criticizing the current / past owners but the huge “Baldwin Centipede” style windshields bothered me.
Kevin, you mentioned the 1990’s-early 2000’s production Kato powered F7’s which are excellent runners. You are fortunate in your situation in having made the smart move in buying them instead of procrastinating…like I did. I was considering buying a couple of “Stewart-Kays” to repaint & decal them into the SCL scheme, but will now wait for the new Athearn Undecorated versions.
Yes, Athearn Genesis F units are Highliner shells. Always have been. The guy who started the Highliner F unit shell project did the B unit first, could not afford to do the A unit. Athearn paid for the A unit tooling and made a deal with him allowing him to sell the shell kits and they got to use the shell for the Genesis line.
No surprise if he has closed up shop selling the shell kits.
It has become a RTR hobby apparently.
I model the 50’s, I have a fair number of EMD F units. Most are Genesis and Intermountain.
But I do have one old ABA set of the Globe shells on remotored Athearn BB drives, with diesel dress up kits, GSB cab interiors, American Limited close coupling and diaphragms, and a number of other extra details.
While not completed, I also have an AB set with an FP7 kitbashed from two Athearn shells. And all the parts to complete them like the ABA set.
I kinda procrastinated on the Steweys myself, but for entirely different reasons. Though the outcome is the same… I regret not having bought more. Same goes for the Atlas FP7-A.
As I said, most of my F units are Genesis and Intermountain.
I don’t have pictures of all of them.
In addition to the in progress Athearn BB FP7, I have two ABB sets of FP7’s from Intermouintain, which is really the only “modern production” undecorated FP7 that has ever been readily available in high detail plastic.
My fleet of EMD F units, assembled or not:
B&O - ABA F7 - Intermountain
B&O - ABBA F3 - Intermountain
ACR - ABB FP7 (x2) - Intermoutain
ACR - ABBA F3 - Genesis
ACR - ABA F7 - Athearn BB rebuilt/detailed
ACR - AB FP7 - Athearn BB kitbashed/rebuilt/detailed
WM - ABA F7 - Genesis
C&O - ABA F7 - Proto2000
At this point, low price and perfect choice would be required to prompt me to buy any more F units. Especally considering the roster also includes a number of ALCO FA’s.
