@NYC Fan posted:Because of "Build To Order" those of us who want a particular item are forced to preorder to make sure we get one. I know some distributors order more and you can sometimes find these items for sale after they've been delivered. But not always. The more popular road names may be gone by the time they come out. But preordering should not and need not be a crap shoot if Lionel would pay attention to what is being manufactured and insure that the production model is faithful to the catalog representation.
I'd love to hear everyones thoughts.
My thoughts exactly. I have a few items that I am interested in ordering if they are in upcoming catalogs, but I do not want to bet on the "Quality Control aspects" with my wallet.
I really wanted to get one of the latest N&W J's (my local dealer always orders extra) until I saw the bright orange paint.
The PRR H10's looked HORRIBLE or I would have bought one. From the silver smokebox to the yellow whistle, bell, and pop valves (they should be gold). The tender deck and cab roof were also not the (IMO) the correct shade of red. I know there's an entire thread on this alone... but I think all colors on the PRR engines should match the colors currently found on the engines at RRMPA as they are (truly) the experts.
