Gents,
PICTURE OF SF F7 at the Sacramento RR Museum. I know, F7 and E8 are different animals. But they did follow the SF Painting and Lettering rules.
As a manufacturer, or more accurately a project manager of these models, I rely on expert opinion from many different model enthusiasts, none of which have the same opinion as to what is correct or acceptable for a model of this era or that era. To guess and choose what features are important or not when building these models is huge undertaking, which Jonathan has done for my productions for 7 years or more for much less compensation than the effort has taken. No fault to Jonathan, he gave me his honest answers on 29 different road names, and followed the design of each from a detailed matrix the stretched out to 20 separate detailed items in this run. Everything from Single, Double or No Steam Generators, Freight or Passenger Pilots, 4 different nose grab configurations, and countless color configurations. We went through 2 or 3 iterations of decals at the factory to match the paint on each version, as decals change color depending on what the base color is, to the weatherization hatches on UP and Demos, to the sizes and configuration of the Dynamic brakes, Horizontal or Vertical grills, cab angle iron steps, single or double headlight, two versions of number boards. We also changed the design of the skirts to be a separate part installed with two small screws so customers can remove them if they wish. We updated the designs of the fans to be more prototypical, we made the steam generator hatch removable in 3 Rail with the battery accessible. Countless other requests from customers from previous projects were added and followed through production. We only get one shot at production, so you have to be there to catch things. There are no stages to get it right.
Even with all these configuration changes there were difficulties at the factory that required my production manager to stay at the factory for a whole month, as I did to. I wanted to see a finished sample of each road name, check it against Jonathan's drawing before I could leave China. It was one of the biggest efforts by all involved, and we are all proud of our accomplishment, and all intend to please the very customers that finance this effort.
A lot of these detail differences I never would have been able to navigate without Jonathan's constant help and guidance. SO GET OFF HIS BACK.
I am really sorry if some of you find the yellow hand rails detracting on the AT&SF E8s. They do jump out at you in the photos, but are much more pleasing in person, but I thought customers in general want lots of details to jump out at you and not fade into the background of all the busy detail on these models. You can never please everyone, and I know once our customers run these models they will notice the 1000s of hours of work that went into planning, designing and producing a project like this. They are not like anything else ever made before by us or anyone else. The ball bearings in each axle really make a big difference to performance. And over time if owners of these models wanted the handrails red, you get out your brush because they are modelers and modelers customize models to what era and features they want. The SF Red color we use matches Tru-Color Paint http://trucolorpaint.com/ (TCP-022)
Are these models "PERFECT"? No. Nothing is. If your lurking around waiting for people to make mistakes, you will have your chance with every project, I guarantee it. Look close enough and you will find your rant. Everyone makes mistakes. But in this case, I stand by Jonathan's decision and the hand rails remain yellow. If you don't like them, you can touch them up. No one is holding you hostage here.
Once an "Expert" starts to exert his opinion on a product, others customers who read but don't post, begin to focus on the "Mistake". Previously they had no idea of a detail correctness or not, and were perfectly happy until someone points out the "glaring" error. So what's the point of that? Seems like a negative for both the buying public and the manufacturer. Did I learn a lesson by getting cancellations? No, because we did our best, and you can't do more than that. Is it constructive? NO. Will we make the same mistake twice? Probably not. But even if we don't make this mistake on the next model, there will be 100 other opportunities to make different mistakes on the next project that weren't on this project. Each project has different challenges that you don't find until you start making them.
For the rest of you who appreciate what these models represent, I will continue to try to give you at least what you expect if not more.
Jonathan, don't think for a second that your contribution to this is nothing less than outstanding. THANK YOU. And stop wasting your time on the forum, we have a lot of work to do on the PAs, they are cutting the tools this month.
Cheers, now go enjoy your hobby, everyone OR ELSE. 
Scott Mann
