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Post by ciccino on Jan 14, 2019 14:56:57 GMT -5
To rekindle the AZL world, while waiting for a new manufacturer to be found, wouldn't it be a good idea to sell part of existing stock as weathered and/or graffitied stuff?
I am taking inspiration from old US brass trains importers, who commissioned factory pro colouring of otherwise unpainted models. They sold stuff as "factory painted", but as a matter of fact they just imported raw models and had them painted by pros, before putting them into the market.
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Post by markm on Jan 14, 2019 15:26:10 GMT -5
I won't call myself a pro, but if I leave everything to the manufacturers, my trains will look like everyone else's. Where's the fun in that? Besides, realistic weathering isn't that hard. If you look at MTL's cars real carefully, their weathered and graffiti stuff appears to be done with some sort of paint-jet system and not added on over an existing paint job. I believe from an image RobA posted a while back, AZL has looked into the process.  Mark |
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Post by ciccino on Jan 14, 2019 16:37:42 GMT -5
Even though I am a huge fan of factory weathered cars (I own several ones by MTL), in this case I am thinking more of a way to support AZL in this difficult period. Buying a limited run of selected cars or even sets of cars plus locos, would be a fine way for the customer base to show AZL guys our support and recognition for everything they did in the past years. We could get something very collectible and AZL could clear some of the oldest stock :-)
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Post by DAZed on Jan 16, 2019 22:40:26 GMT -5
I voted yes, but I will confess to being “on the fence” about this.
Like others, I prefer to do a lot of this myself. Yet, I don’t often have time for every project I would like to do. So again, like others, I do augment my collection with some of the MTL cars. And I would probably buy some pre-weathered AZL if the car fit my needs.
MTL does some GREAT work. Especially in N-scale they have really stepped up their game. But a lot of their early N/Z and current Z and even some current N represents ultra modern and ultra garish graffiti and weathering that typically exceeds what is my desired level of decay/abuse. And even when they hit a “home run” in my book, it may not be on a car that fits my era/locale.
So with that, it is tough to come up with the right mix and appropriate decoration and MTL is only now starting to get that right more often than not after having their weathered/graf products on the market for a decade or more now. While I would love to see what AZL could do with this type of offering, it may not be the slam dunk they need. I’m not one to go overboard with artificially supporting a company by buying items I don’t really need. It’s tough enough to wrangle hobby dollars away from the budget as it is....if I buy something solely to support the cause now, it likely means I do without something I really want and that doesn’t help AZL either.
What I want to see manufacturers do is to release “very lightly weathered” cars, using lightly faded paint, rusted wheels, weathered wheel sets, and dusted undercarriages. Perhaps a mild thinned rust coat, and possibly a light wash on the roof and sides. The fade paint is the most imporant piece, as it is harder to do after the fact and really creates the look that most cars have after only 6 months or a year of use. A “factory fresh” paint job is almost as unusual as a heavily-weathered, heavily -graffitied car in the real world.
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