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Future g scale molds

15K views 53 replies 25 participants last post by  du-bousquetaire 
#1 ·
Here is the latest with MTH: they are going to see whether their new line of re-runs sells. If it sells well(they should know in 6-8 months) they plan on making a modern locomotive and a modern boxcar. What would you guys prefer: an SD70ACe or an ES44AC? MTH is slightly more biased toward the ES44 because of the charging lights on the GE demonstrators. I think the spinning roof fans on the ACe are just as cool and they did a better job with the sound file on the ACe and they could make a few more paint schemes. But I guess I am just an 800 pound gorilla.. What are you opinions of which one should be made.
 
#34 ·
Greg

Generally, I agree that reviving old posts is a waste of time. But in this case, I thought a little history, from my perspective, might be helpful.

There are reasons why we are where we are, hopefully, the more people understand how we got what we have, the better it might be. This is not an ideal world. Business decisions were made and our scales are a result of those decisions, for better or for worse.

Chuck
 
#35 · (Edited)
DBT, had there been more folks of your mindset in the mid-late 80s, we probably would not have seen 1:29 come about. Alas, that's not how history's hand played out. The early attempts at 1:32 in the garden fell woefully flat. You say the "Wow" factor is bunk, but it's there in black-and-white when you go back and look at the magazine ads over the decades. Great Trains, MDC/Roundhouse, Chicago Models (or something like that)... even Marklin tried their hand at 1:32 in the US. None of them ever gained an inch of traction, and faded very quickly.

I agree with you that many who are in 1:29 today are there because they're too heavily invested in it to switch to 1:32, even if we were suddenly inundated with new products. The same can be said for many in 1:22 and 1:24 with respect to changing to 1:20. It may look more "accurate" to calibrated eyeballs, but each modeler must balance that against the practical realities that surround them. I was able to change scales (from 1:24 to 1:20) because I only had two locos and a dozen or so cars when I moved to Colorado. It made sense to make a clean break and shift gears. Folks who have 30+ locos and 200+ 1:29 cars? Different story.

What 1:32 is missing is a champion for the scale. It's not MTH. MTH has displayed at the local TCS show out here in Denver for the past 2 or 3 years, which is an all-scales show attracting Bachmann, LGB, Piko, Lionel, and various small-scale manufacturers. I've not seen anything in 1:32 at their display. They're not on the vendor list for the National Garden Railway Convention this year. They have a mere 1/5 page ad in Garden Railways compared to other major manufacturers having full page ads. They don't appear (to me, at least) to be all that interested in promoting their own product line. Doesn't give me a lot of confidence about them or the viability of any effort to popularize the scale.

Without manufacturer support, we can wish all we want for greater interest in a more accurate scale; it ain't gonna happen. Folks are going to buy and run what's available, and that's 1:29. And the more 1:29 that's on the market, the less of a chance 1:32 is ever going to make a dent. Supporters of 1:32 need to find a leader. They don't have one right now.

Later,

K
 
#36 ·
Ridiculous and pointless. The real issue here isn’t about trying to prove who’s a leader and who isn’t, it’s about who’s LEFT? MTH doesn’t meet your criteria as ‘leader’ because you don’t want them to be seen as such. You have USA Trains and MTH left for mainline stuff. Accucraft makes some rolling stock and VERY expensive steam. Aristocraft’s owners closed up shop and started under a new company which wiped the slate clean of having to honor any warranty on all prior product sold. Talk about not very reassuring. And Bachmann’s refusal to produce anything other than Narrow Gauge leaves me with little confidence in their real commitment to supporting this scale as well.
 
#39 ·
" MTH doesn’t meet your criteria as ‘leader’ because you don’t want them to be seen as such."

Chuck, I would love to see MTH become a leader in 1:32. They dared to venture where others feared to tread. They've done very well, too, garnering a loyal following in the process. In my opinion, the only thing holding them back is them. The job's theirs for the taking; they just need to do it. They're simply not making themselves visible in that regard. They're not attending the large-scale shows (ECLSTS or NGRC). They don't seem to be bringing their 1:32 stuff to the shows they do attend. They're not banging the drum for their own product line. How is the large scale modeler supposed to know what they're offering if they're not advertising it? How can you be a "leader" when no one even knows you're in the game in the first place? If their goal is to make a dent in the 1:29 market, they've simply GOT to be visible.

Later,

K
 
#41 ·
"I confess, I have Thomas in 1:22.5 and 12 tanks of TAR."

Andrew;

Tar, that is what the folks to the south of me in North Carolina call the things they mount on their car wheels. As in "My rat (right) front tar is low on ahr!" I have lived in Roanoke long enough that I can speak Southern, but being the stubborn Pennsylvania Dutchman that I am, I choose not to.

Cheers,
David Meashey
 
#42 ·
They're not attending the large-scale shows (ECLSTS or NGRC).
Seems to me that they've never attended either one of those shows. As a matter of fact I haven't either esp. the NGRC even though it's been hosted many times in my backyard of Chicago. For $75-$85 admission fee you can count me out.

Let's bring up the matter of market leader in 1:32 scale...Seems to me that Accucraft has that pretty well covered esp. for a scale that is dead according to you.

Coming Soon 2015 - 4 out of 8 products 1:32 scale

In Production - 12 out of 13 products 1:32 scale

Models Under Consideration - 6 out of 10 products 1:32 scale

AML shows 3 products in 1:29

Seems as far as Accucraft is concerned 1:32 is out in the lead.

So Kevin just how many 1:32 products do you own? I thought you were only a EBT 1:20.3 scale narrow gauge operator?
 
#43 ·
I just looked at MTH trains under the G Scale heading and there are only 145 listings. And about half of those are actually O and HO scale items. So, for someone who prefers to purchase used items and save money, the pickings are pretty slim when it comes to MTH. My dad had LGB and two Bachmann steam engines I had bought him. So after he passed away, I inherited his trains.

My first purchase was an Aristo FA1 & FB1 diesel set. 1:29th scale. The fact that the gauge was not exact means nothing to me. I'm not a rivit counter. When I buy a train, I don't get the micrometer out and go over every last detail. As I see it, there is not a single manufacturer that has a product that sets on G gauge track that is absolutely 100% perfect to scale and authentic. So all you rivet counters may not want to admit it, but you're making exceptions somewhere like it or not.

For me, I'm in the group of buyers buying and running what I like. I run 1:29th scale. 1;24th and 1:32 scale locos and frt cars and I haven't lost a bit of sleep over that fact or the fact some of you want to look down on me for doing so.
 
#46 ·
Chuck, I'm at a loss to see where you think I believe 1:32 is "dead." It's historically been very much a minority scale. The high-end stuff has always survived through the decades. It's the lower-end stuff where success has been fleeting. You point to Accucraft as an example of 1:32's strength, and I'd agree. However, with their 1:32 locos running in the mid-to-upper 4-figures, they're catering to that historically-consistent high-end market. MTH is well suited to cater to the lower-price-point end of the spectrum--the end that is currently modeling 1:29.

How much 1:32 do I own? The same amount as 1:29 stuff--zero, so for me the "battle" between those two scales doesn't really register. It's all personal preference. I'm something of a purist, so I would imagine if I were to be tempted to model standard gauge, I'd look to 1:32 if the stuff I wanted was available in that scale. On the other hand, I see what folks like Paul Burch are able to do with 1:29, so seeing that, I think I might be able to compromise if the stuff I wanted to run was only available in 1:29. I will say that if MTH were to come out with an N&W J, I'm certain one would find my mantle pretty quickly. Accucraft's is far too rich for my blood.

That having been said, I do make a point to keep my fingers on the pulse of what's going on in large scale in general, not just on the specific scale I model. It's something of a necessity/occupational hazard for me.

"Seems to me that they've never attended either one of those shows."

And we ponder why they're having trouble gaining market share?

Later,

K
 
#49 ·
From my point of view, the problem with the 1:32 MTH offerings is that they are all over the place in terms of era. For example, this thread kicked off with the announcement of a couple of potential modern-era units, and their rolling stock has always been a bit of a mish-mash of steam era and modern. Being that there are so few other options in the 1:32 space, it becomes very difficult to put together a coherent roster of period-specific rolling stock when they spread themselves so thin. It seems to me that 1:29 dominates the modern era, and 1:32 has its most loyal following among the live steamers, so why not focus on steam era rolling stock that has a ready-made market, rather than try to fight an uphill battle in 1:29 territory?
 
#50 ·
The difference between a poor farmer and a rich one, is if they hit a great market in their first 3 years! I think that was a problem for MTH's 1/32 scale venture, the hit the backside of a market followed by a recession. With 1/29 having USAt, Aristo, LGB & AML (limited) a lot of the market was captured from 1/32. Also, detail was higher in three of those brands than early MTH releases which does not help those looking for scale fidelity. What a lot of G scalers don't realize is that China became a problem during the recession. They quit financing production, AKA you want said model you need to put cash up front. So new production more or less came to a halt. Piko is producing in Germany and I'm sure under more favorable financing. Accucraft is only producing when pre orders hit a production overhead number. I think we may all, mfg's & customers, have to realize the way we buy trains could be changing! I envision early deposit buyer with guaranteed lowest price and graduated increases for late orders when production starts, then higher still for those waiting for it to hit the stores (Full retail). If the run sells out and more production happens, the early deposit folks can get a credit on the next run or a coupon.
 
#51 ·
Very good analysis Esppe Pete, that is unfortunatly how the market is going. I fly the flag for 1/32 because in Europe it is standard and because it is the accurate scale-gauge ratio, and also because I run live steam. It is also because I started modeling American prototype late, and just didn't buy the 1/29th scale models. Sometimes it is a real heartbreaker for me: As I like FA1 and RS3 (Aristo) and I would just love to buy a whole Congressional set (USA trains), but I stick to it nevertheless.
Don't forget that when I joined up in 1975 the G1MRA it was entirely devoted to 10 millimeter to the foot scale, that comes out at pretty near 1/30th scale. Now after 45 years it is mostly 1/32 scale because that is the correct scale gauge ratio and because most new offerings are to that scale and ten mille is slowly phasing out. It could be that the same thing happens with G scale... It isn't just 1/29th scale that bothers me in many videos that I see it is modelers who run narrow gauge cars with standard gauge class one power, it is just weird. Mind you I am just as upset when I see a British engine hauling marklin German cars or a NYC hudson pulling a train of wagon lits... It's weird, I am a model railroader before I am a garden railroader or a live steam buff. I think people should make the effort to have accurate cars behind their engines. In narrow gauge this seems to be the case more often I often see photos of real good narrow gauge layouts, which dont present these weird mix ups. also with light scale size rail.
 
#52 · (Edited)
Living in the UK I looked at what was available for a garden railway here. There was th expensive, to me, LGB Euro models, expensive brass British outline and a lot of what looked very toy like stuff. Nothing appealed to me. Bachmann Big Hauler was cheap and readily available so I bought some. Then I found Aristo which was a reasonable price so I have bought a fair amount over the years. The majority of their stock sits very well on 8ft. dia curves that I have. Some Bachmann stock does not look out of place with Aristo as far as I am concerned - not all of it however, so that has been kitbashed or converted to a static model.
Classic Trains magazines, which portrays the time era I have chosen, does show that not all consists were of the same dimensions and a great variety of stock seems to have existed on the American railroads in the decade or so after WW2.

I know some folks have changed scales: on reflection if I had contemplated that I believe O scale would have been my choice. Available in the UK and smaller for the English back yards.

For those of us who have a few years under our belts might consider that when we were young stags only a few girls passed our scrutiny. As we got older so the number seems to increase.
 
#53 ·
Du-Boubsquetaire,
I, like you, am a model enthusiast foremost. I took on 1/29 scale when Aristo had the only affordable Mainline stock to run on G scale track. I also hold the fidelity on what I buy/run and I feel its adds to the realism given the handicap of my track not looking good if viewed from overhead. I also try to take away those perspectives from my layout. I have also found 1/32 cars, figures and building work well w/ 1/29 trains as it pushes the "impact of the trains" higher while maintaining a balance with the track. G scale, unlike most train scales brings, brings together a lot of different intrests. I hope it's future now will be held by all of us who have these great collections. We need to share that magic with others!
 
#54 · (Edited)
I understand that part of the problem stems from the fact that for many years all that was standard gauge that was available, except for high end stuff, was 1/29 scale. I am fortunate as I said in another post on this subject, in that I started modeling USA prototype in 2010 roughly. So enough in 1/32 scale was around thanks to MTH and Accucraft. I guess that people will have to mix both for quite some time because of that... What I find trully wrong as I said , is narrow gauge cars in another scale mixed in with standard gauge. The same problem has existed in other scales like 1/43 scale in O gauge and 1/48 scale and Q gauge... But no one put in the same train narrow gauge cars from another scale. imagine an O scale layout (say in 1/48 scale with 1/32 scale narrow gauge cars mixed in the consist). Whoowee, what a mix.
I do agree though with R Jenkins that MTH should stick to the steam era and first generation diesels, If they had come out with a classic tank car instead of a beer can I would have bought a few. And also as I observed in improving MTH cars in another thread, why did they bring out a nice steam era reefer with pug doors? why does their box car have a type of door for which I have never been able to find a prototype? why did they make their passenger cars 70 foot while representing a type of car that was 84 feet long? These mistakes are childish. I have talked to them about this and the sales they are missing in the live steam community because of this and they don't seem to care...
 
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