is it fair for the manufacturer to sell a train and post the prototype photo
your not getting the prototype
what gives
K
Fair?
I don’t see the photos of models being all that useful regarding whether I want to buy it or not, anyway.
- unless MASSIVE photos, won’t see all the details one might want to see to decide upon whether it’s sufficient anyway.
- can’t tell anything about the mechanics of the model- mechanism, how DCC and/or speakers will be installed, whether couplers are Kadee or other, etc.
Is there something you specifically wanted to see in the model photo?
Brian Pickering
no nothing inpeticular
just seems like cheating
K
usually this is done because they’re trying to sell the first production run of the model even before they have the pre-production masters finished . it’s all about covering your expenses as soon as possible , and in some cases they might not even produce the model if early orders aren’t enough to cover costs
is it fair ? not to you or me perhaps , but remember that a lot of the hobby manufacturers are very small companies and losing even $10,000 because a model doesn’t sell as well as expected can mean the end of the company
I know what you’re saying Budliner. I’ve bought a few items myself that didn’t resemble the prototype like they should have. Oh well. I just try and overlook it and have fun anyhow…
Tracklayer
If that’s not fair, what about USA (G scale maker) using HO models to show what their G scale S-4, SD70MAC, and I believe initially their tank car were going to look like?
I think it’s fine to use a picture of what they will be modeling if no preproduction model is out yet. Gives some of those that have no idea what the prototype even looks like a chance to see what the model may look like. Although I think it should also be posted under the picture or somewhere on the ad, or page, that the photo is a prototype photo and not the model (so far this seems to be how it’s done).
chief
I think I seen the ho kato used on charles ro website
K
If they have no pre-production model, but want to be sure that the interested purchaser knows exactly which prototype is to be modelled, it seems perfectly reasonable to post, not a drawing or facsimile, but a photo of the real thing. Of course it won’t look exactly the same, unless they were offering it in brass for $2500.
I think it is a reasonable practise. It the potential buyer believes that he will get a $200 model looking like the photo, that is not the manufacturer’s problem.
Yep, it sure looked like a Kato loco. Check out how awesome the true G scale USA (Charels Ro) SD70MAC looks like now (top pic) as compared to the Kato HO loco (bottom pic)
And here is a link to the other roadnames:
http://www.usatrains.com/usatrainslocosd70.html
wow I did not think it could have been better
who air brushed the smoke in there
hey
BLI has done that also. I wanted to say what their F7 actually looks like instead of that prototype shot… I really would prefer to wait for a pre-production model photo.
It’s all marketing. Looks like the manufacturers want to stir up the interest. Even though a lot us aren’t too crazy about the ploy…it does work, though.
Peace.
I, for one, don’t mind the photo swapping, as long as a caption tells us what the photo is. If it’s a prototype photo, tell us. If it’s a pre-production pilot model, tell us. If it’s a different scale model from another manufacturer, tell us. You get the idea. I don’t even mind seeing technical drawings/artwork of models, but I would prefer photos.
Of course, I know what I model and the era I model, as well as equipment that ran in that era, so I can easily narrow down my selection to things suitable for what I’m doing. If BLI releases an SD70MAC, or a GE anything, or a Big Boy, I already know I can pass it up. But if/when Athearn releases the RS3’s in Southern Railway green paint scheme, well, I gotta snag 'em. Same goes for F units. Steam is OK if it’s smaller stuff, but seeing big articulateds on a small branchline just seems strange. Something smaller such as Consolidations, Decapods, and maybe even Mikados would work well.
Brad
If the model looks good and is close to the prototype, it’s good enough for me.
As long as it runs good and didn’t cost too much, I can always do the detail work on it myself.[2c]
this is the object that got me thinking
show me a juicy locomotive like a sd70 with all the detail
no way can it look that way
just seems like a trick to get me looking at the kato model
when everyone shows you the actual model
is it honorable to tease me with the real macoy
K
I’ve found there’s not much honor among salesman.[V]
just show us the real model
I think I will send kato a letter
K
i would much rather a box that says union pacific and runs well than a higly detaled loco
Personally I see nothing wrong with it so long as they tell you those are prototype photos. Even some photos of models are merely pre-production photos and the model you receive may have different road numbers or deecorations so your same case could be made against that as well.
its a con job
you dont look at a castle when you get a house
K