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IMO, I think MTH is in the best position to make an MP36, since they already have the Bombardier car tooling. 

VRE, Sounder, West Coast Express, Northstar, RailRunner, Metra, Metra Rock Island, Metra Milwaukee Road, Utah FrontRunner, MBTA, MARC, Metrolink, Caltrain, Tri-Rail (Brookville BL36PH is similar, and if MTH is willing to do a Northstar F59PHI they'll do a Tri-rail MP36PH), GO Transit dark green, GO Transit light green...

That's at least 16 different paint variations for MTH to play with, plus I wouldn't put it past them to do close matches like SunRail (MP32PH-3Q), Trinity Rail Express (F59PH) and fantasy schemes like PRR (as Kato has done in N). Even with the 16-variation minimum, that means that MTH has to produce 63 units in each paint scheme to justify the mold. Over an arbitrary minimum of 3 production runs with at least two cab numbers per road name, this sounds manageable to me (as an outsider to the manufacturing process). 

That said, I would order an F59PH before I would order an MP36PH, just based on personal preference. 

pittsburghrailfan posted:

IMO, I think MTH is in the best position to make an MP36, since they already have the Bombardier car tooling. 

VRE, Sounder, West Coast Express, Northstar, RailRunner, Metra, Metra Rock Island, Metra Milwaukee Road, Utah FrontRunner, MBTA, MARC, Metrolink, Caltrain, Tri-Rail (Brookville BL36PH is similar, and if MTH is willing to do a Northstar F59PHI they'll do a Tri-rail MP36PH), GO Transit dark green, GO Transit light green...

That's at least 16 different paint variations for MTH to play with, plus I wouldn't put it past them to do close matches like SunRail (MP32PH-3Q), Trinity Rail Express (F59PH) and fantasy schemes like PRR (as Kato has done in N). Even with the 16-variation minimum, that means that MTH has to produce 63 units in each paint scheme to justify the mold. Over an arbitrary minimum of 3 production runs with at least two cab numbers per road name, this sounds manageable to me (as an outsider to the manufacturing process). 

That said, I would order an F59PH before I would order an MP36PH, just based on personal preference. 

You misunderstood. MTH would want sales if 1,000 units for each paint scheme, not 1,000 total models from the tooling, which should last for many runs.

Creating the paint masks is also a major cost. With so many variations, it would be a tremendous cost upfront. 

No manufacturer, not even 3rd Rail, produces runs of 63 units in one paint scheme. Even custom runs of freight cars for clubs and hobby shops has minimum runs of several hundred pieces.

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