MTH GREATEST LAYOUTS II
Should I review the video and quality thereof or the content? Quite a dilemma I got myself into. Actually the video quality is without equal. It will be difficult to cover all aspects in this short review. I had the privilege of reviewing the first MTH Video done by TM Books namely Tom McComas and Joe Stachler. These gentlemen are without a doubt the foremost videographers in the model train industry. Having worked in Hollywood in the technical end of sound and video I feel I am qualified to make a comment or two on the technical aspects of this video.
The lighting, which affects everything from accurate color rendition to good depth of field is Oscar class. My color monitor has been calibrated for true color display. The color rendition is superb. I was able to color match objects on the screen with items, (boxcars), I held in my hand. The detail and focus are sharp and clear from the opening scene to the closing credits.
One minor flaw (and it could have been my VCR), was in the scene showing John Shankland without gray or white in either his hair or beard. Now John is nearly my age and most of you have seen my photo on my website and various other publications. Lot’s of gray and white. Come on John, fess up, it couldn’t be my VCR. John is widely known in Hi Rail circles and we applaud him for his expertise.
The layouts that are the subject of this video are definitely in the “Master Modeler” class.
The video opens with a Burlington F3 Diesel coming straight towards you as another Burlington E3 roars past using what sounds like the Doppler effect of the MTH DCS system. It is a quite spectacular opening scene.
Take note of John Shankland’s scratch built signal bridge. When you build them yourself, you can design them to any height needed for your consists or terrain.
It is important to note here the narrators’ short but pointed dissertation on “running trains mindlessly about with no thoug