@D500 posted:These models were made by different people at different companies at different factories at different times. Paint fades; colors are approximated; paint formulas differ; lighting varies. (This can apply to real locos, too.) And, they are models.
I would have been flabbergasted if the MTH and Lionel pieces had "matched".
D500,
Thanks for your input. I agree with you, but I'm amazed how much Lionel and MTH's colors differ. Not even close. Comparably speaking, they look like red versus pink.