What a Disappointment (Doors Painted pictures)

DOC,

 

Just checked all the pictures I have of the American Freedom Train and I see no silver doors.  I'm really disappointed in MTH's response to your enquiry.  While these cars were not made to match the real AFT, I'm also disappointed they did not take the stripes across the doors.

 

I really like your idea of using this car as a stand in for the concessions' storage cars used on the AFT.  While MTH's cars are a bit shorter than K-Line's, it would look good with K-Line's AFT set.  Too bad you have to buy the coach with it.

 

Are you going to keep it or send it back?

Thom,

Fortunately you are really handy with decals and painting.  Other than that,what a bunch of baloney from MTH.  Why couldn't they get it right for the $$$$ that you spent?

 

Norm

So return them.

Please do not misunderstand this post. It is not a criticism of your desire for realism but rather an enlightenment on my part of the extent that realism is desired in a model. I am in this hobby all my life and went from Christmas rug running to impeccably perfection as a toy train collector, to permanent electronic operator and finally to as scale as possible.

Never became a rivet counter so this preciseness in your case I find very interesting. What are you going to do as a result?

Well I took it apart and I am painting the doors white. Not going to strip them. I figure a all white door should look OK.  Would of really like to of had it done right the way it should have been done. I am selling the coach.   They just don't get and they just don't care.  I hope they get stuck with sets of these because they are NOT DONE RIGHT. Really wish Kline was still around.

Well you only have 2 choices

 

Wanting a properly painted and matching product is not about counting rivets Hugh, especially when previous versions were painted correctly. MTH cut some production steps to save on costs.

Hugh Far from a rivet counter. Just when they are pictured correct in the catalog and are delivered wrong then handed a line of CRAP.   They don't care.

First off, I believe that MTH clearly screwed these up from all the descriptions, let's get that out of the way.

 

Since you're going to the trouble of painting the doors white to match, is it really that difficult to mask off the sections and spray the two stripes?  I know you shouldn't have to do that, but you're already going halfway with the white paint, might as well have what you really wanted.

 

Paint them white then add pin stripping.

I do a lot of custom work Stripping is not easy and to match the red and blue would also be a issue. I have done 5 paint samples to try and match the white. The one I choose does not match perfect.

Hi DOC!

Welcome to real life its full of disappointment! Return them, fix them, or use as is. Move on.

In real life, the paint on different parts don't necessarily match perfectly.

They do on my Van, Jeep and Corvette

Here is a picture of the AFT baggage car door... yeah silver is just wrong...

 

 

 

MTH got it right in the catalog:

 

 

 

They or the factory screwed up and apparently they can't admit it.

 

Andy

  AFT car #100 --- The Entrance Car

 

 

   AFT car #101 ---- The Beginnings

 

       The next 9 baggage cars #102 thru #111 looked similar to #101

The American Freedom Train began its journey without this car, but it was soon added. It was intended to be a tool car for the T-1 locomotive crew, but concessions took over and it served to provide storage and laundry facilities for the concessions people who toured with the train.

 

 

+1

Forget about painting it Red, White or Blue, paint that car Black & Gold and put it on the Steelers Train!!! Go Stillers !!!

Well when you drop 30-80k on a mth set like your real cars i guess you can hold them to the same standards, for now be happy they actually made them and the fun part of this hobby is they make paint, fix them like the prototype and you will have something different than the norm. The amount of time you complain about it, you could be half done fixing them.



       

2railguy - so you are saying it is OK that they did not make them right and I should not say anything?? 

 I am painting the doors white and will be satisfied with them that way but they should of been done right.

I will post a picture when the car is finished.

I have fun with this Hobby for over 50 years and am very happy with what has been made, also I have many items that are different than the norm.

I think I do a pretty good job custom painting and building things.

Originally Posted by CTA:

Note the doors on this one. The MTH car, paint notwithstanding, has the wrong types of doors anyway. Most of the doors on the AFT didn't have windows, for security and lighting issues (anyone who was lucky enough to see the train's display in 75-76 knows it was pretty dark inside there).

Only the tool car, concession car, control/entrance car and the 'pie' car had windows on roll doors.

Nitpicking, the model in question is incorrect to start with, being a standard baggage car as the train never had one in that configuration. This is ironic as most of the cars on the train (and all the display cars) were former NYC baggage cars but their doors were covered with display cases.

On an side, a neat 'should have been' model would be the former SP triple-unit diner that was bought and partially painted for the Freedom Train (they only got white sides and silver roofs) but was never used.

Even if its the wrong door it should be white with red and blue stripe. No Silver.

Doc,

I can truly understand your frustration level. That is why I changed my tag line. Just because it fits.

Maybe the illustration is photo-shopped.  There is usually a caveat that warns buyers not always to expect the final product to match the catalog description.

Yep, no question there, especially when the catalog showed it like that.

And if MTH said the real train had it like that... LIES!

Arther P. Bloom- It's not even close.

Personally speaking, if the model is scale and based off a prototype, it should visually represent the prototype as closely as possible, INCLUDING window/door configurations, especially for a special distinctive train like the AFT.  Even if the paint and striping were correct, I still would not buy it because of the other incorrect details.

 

To each their own, of course. 

Your 100% right if you were buying a accurate scale model then you could expect it to be right, while they are at it should have been made the accurate length and scale wheels and couplers, but i hate to be the one to break it to you, but my friend its a toy. If you were looking for accurate you should have waited for scott from 3rd rail to bring them out. Yea your a good modeler, so someone like you can knock it out quickly.



       

John I would think by now you would realize MTH passenger cars are not "scale"

Doc

You are bashing MTH about a paint scheme stripping that you imagine is on all the baggage cars.

 

Take a look at this video and you will notice only one or two cars  have baggage  doors that are painted with the red and blue stripes.

 

But none of those doors are painted silver like the roofs of the cars were...

CTA,

 

Looking at my pictures of all the cars, only one baggage car did not have striping on the doors and that was the Entrance Car #100.  I believe when the train was set up for viewing that door was where the public entered the car so maybe they didn't think it needed to be painted (guess).  The other cars in the video you posted had their doors open.

 

 

 

Keep in mind this MTH baggage car came from a 8- or 9-car AFT set made up of their standard streamlined passenger car sets. The whole MTH AFT train is fantasy with the only connection to the real AFT being the paint scheme, and even that isn't correct for the concession storage cars because of where the "AMERICAN FREEDOM TRAIN" is located on the car.  MTH built this set because it needed cars their excellent AFT steamers could pull.  I have the complete first set by MTH that I pull with MTH's fantasy AFT PA ABA and fantasy PRR Bicentennial GG1 at our shows.  A pretty train that is a crowd pleaser, but pure fantasy.

My Freedom Train I all 18 Kline cares. I have the Kline GS4.

 Like before I have the MTH T1 and GS4 in Freedom Train colors. This baggage is the only MTH Freedom Train car I have.  I know it is NOT 100 % correct but that is OK with me. I am not a True Scale modeler.  Close is good Silver is NOT. White is now OK.

Good article in the OGR April/May 2012 issue on the Kline Freedom Train.

I know one thing when I take it to shows and run it on the Modular layout the people love it amIglad I have a place to run this 30 +feet train. It is the longest model train set ever made.  Now there will be 19 cars.

Again MTH shouldhave done it right.

Still looking for the MTH Freedom Train water tender.

A nice picture of Abe and perhaps Washington on those doors would be just the ticket.

 

I think I will leave them just like they are.

Nice  It will fit in nicely with the K-line cars. 

Doc

How close are the cars in the K line set to the actual AFT cars?

 

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsList.aspx?id=AFT

 

Pictures of the actual AFT cars are provided in the above reference.

 

 

Well the doors do look better painted white.