I must admit to liking my locos in an ex paint shop condition...why do the manufacturers insist on pre weathering locos..it just prevents buyers like me from purchasing different loco variants..I fully understand some like to customise their locos and weather to make them unique so factory weathering seems pointless to me??
Because some people (most ?) aren't happy with either trying it themselves, or sending off to a 3rd-party at however much they will charge ?
And maybe the mfrs see a gap where if they provide a weathered item they may be able to surcharge it ? I don't buy weathered ones myself, don't know if they're the same price or not.
I like to have my locos lightly weathered so am happy to have the option of buying them in this state.
However, I have noticed that "factory weathering" isn't necessarily very permanent. My factory weathered 08 seems to be getting cleaner !
IIRC (I could be wrong), in the 14-15 Farish catalogue, all the Peaks, Class 37s and Warships on offer come weathered and there isn't a "pristine" option. Which is a pity, since I too will not be buying any of the new variants so weathered.
Not only do I not like them, the weathered versions come with a price premium - see the new Farish 25 where the weather ones are about 10 quid more than the pristine ones.
Given that the whole model railway concept is really a make believe fiction of "real life," I like to carry that fiction to the condition of my stock. So on my railway, everything is always kept washed, clean and shiny!
Matt
Its not the price its just that if a model is only available weathered than those that don't like these locos are immediately precluded from buying..whereas if you like the weathered look then get that air brush out !
FWIW:
It would seem that manufacturers have indeed found a 'niche' and are exploiting it, prompted no doubt by the (at times numerous) 'letters of complaint; which appear in the model press when a new locomotive is released into the public domain. With the writers of such letters opining for a 'weathered' locomotive to make it look 'more realistic', and a 'sympathetic' model press which advocates the same thing, it is little wonder that 'pre-weathered' has become almost the norm / standard for such items.
The people have spoken, the industry has responded, and yet.....
One is tempted to paraphrase Lincoln's dictum about '...All of the people all of the time'
As I said, FWIW.
Sorry, but this sounds like a rather selfish whinge to me...
You are effectively saying "I don't like it so no one else should be able to have it..." There will also be others who I'm sure would prefer all models factory weathered.
I don't know of any model that has ever been released 'weathered only' so there has always been an option for those of you who don't like it so what is the problem?
As for a £10 premium for the weathered version being too expensive - it is an absolute bargain, even a mediocre 'professional' job will cost you 4 - 5 times that!
Bachmann are reasonably clear that they are meeting market demand...some factory weathering is better than others. For example the Dapol weathered BR blue Western almost had me reaching for my wallet - it looks great.
I disagree that a model railway is necessarily a make believe fiction - of course it can be, but it isn't the case for everyone...
Cheers, Mike
Just my four penny'th.
For my own part I can understand the need of those who would like the weathered versions of locomotives, rolling stock etc.
From another point of view the pristine item is just as important.
I do feel though that any manufacturer who offers ONLY weathered versions is taking a risk in losing sales and potential future custom.
For my own part, IF (a big if) I wanted one of my locomotives weathered then I do feel that it is MY Choice and I should be given the opportunity to purchase pristine if I so desire!
As long as the manufacturers keep supplying both then there should not be a concern?
Regards, Peter.
Quote from: Only Me on September 30, 2014, 06:25:25 PM
There is an ebay seller in Taiwan who sells the un weathered new releases for about £70 .... I got a few this way as I like to weather them myself
New farish as yet unreleased 37, in ex factory pristine condition...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261608321114?redirect=mobile (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261608321114?redirect=mobile)
I saw your other recent posts elsewhere on this board about the unweathered green 37s and I have been waiting and checking to see if this seller would list another, but I haven't checked in several days. So thank you for the link to the one he most recently listed as I just purchased it - for only £63!
As for modeling being make believe fiction, by definition modeling is a re-creation of something in real life. Some like to mimic reality as closely as possible while others choose not to. Either is correct, but both are still fictions.
Matt
Just take the current farish diesels..if I want a disc code 20..sorry no...if I want any form of blue peak then again no.. Why not offer both versions of liveries as an option...so at least we can all choose..if the bulk of the sales of a loco type is expected to be in the weathered condition then I would be happy to pay extra for non weathered or if the reverse were true then pay less for the non weathered.. This is not about being selfish or in anyway about the cost...its about providing we the consumers with choice...the dapol westerns give you a broad choice of both colours and weathering to suit what you personally prefer..why can't this be standard for not just locos but rolling stock as well?
Interesting post.
Personally, I wold like mine pre weathered HOWEVER
dapol do a brillian weathering job now, which no one can argue about in my opinion :bounce:
But
Farish weathering in my opinion is very poor - it is just a quick spray, whereas dapol have much better weathering with faded paying in areas.
If I was buying dapol, it would be weathered, and if I was buying farish, it would need to become much better, as they are charging £10!plus for something a child could do. :no:
Thanks
Maybe the manufacturers want the pristine punters to try the weathered version, one thing I do know that this pristine punter will stick with what I like.
Hello all,
The manufacturers respond to market demand. There is clearly a demand for weathered models, so they're supplying them. I also think Farish's weathering is improving with practise!
As far as I'm aware, there aren't any types that have been released only as weathered versions, though some particular identities have only been available weathered.
Having said that, isn't it easier just to re number a model than to weather it anyway?
Cheers
Ben A.
Sometimes I buy a weathered model, sometimes a clean one. Depends on if I like what I see. I'm quite happy running both together on my layout.
I like my stock to run dirty. :) So I usually weather my wagons and coaches myself.
However I'm not sure my skills are up to making a good enough job of weathering a loco. So being able to buy one, pre-weathered at the factory is good for me. I don't mind the premium.
It's a matter of preference, I prefer pristine examples, some people like
heavy weathering etc.
In the "Show your latest locos " section there are German and Swiss locos
which are straight from the paint shop.Do Fleischmann, Minitrix and
Arnold etc produce weathered models ? I don't recall seeing many,
if any.
I'm one of the 'scared to weather a loco in case I bug mess it up' types so therefore I tend to buy the weathered version of any release I want/need and am happy to shell out the extra tenner. If I then get fed up with said loco it can go back in its box and be sold as it was manufactured.
On the other hand I don't like pristine wagons at all so will attempt to weather some at some point. However, while there are experts like MK1gtstu who are prepared to sell a whole rake of extremely well done trucks I can rest easy :D
I tend to agree. I have not seen any products made which are weathered-only.
The worst that can be said is that there are some items which are currently sold out in pristine and only available in weathered at the moment.
Whilst this is annoying, I don't think it is fair to blame the manufacturers for offering more choice to the modeller. It is no different from the item you want bing out of stock in the livery you want. You have the option of waiting for the next production run or hunting around for a pristine one second hand.
P.S. I agree that Dapol weathering seems to be better however it seems mostly restricted to locos and a certain freight items. Farish are ahead in offering weathering on a wider range of passenger stock. However I don't think the weathered Mk1s are particularly well done as it goes up the sides. If you look at photos, the sides of coaching stock were normally kept fairly clean (even if the locos were filthy) as that is where the passengers got on and off.
(https://hattonsimages.blob.core.windows.net/products/374-012C_1530302_Qty1_1.jpg)
(http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/claverdon/gwrc2261.jpg)
(http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/lnwr/rugby/station/lnwrrm723.jpg)
(http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/hattonbank/gwrhb1464.jpg)
In terms of locomotives, I'd quite happily take a weathered example, they're not THAT bad. If nothing else, it serves as a reasonable base to improve the weathering on.
That said, like has just been mentioned, I'm not convinced about the coaches and for that reason I'm going to have to wait for the next batch of pristine MK1s. Which isn't so bad, as I need just south of a hundred of them and gives me time to replenish the funds!
Weathered locos & rolling stock for me! :D I do have some manufacturer weathered stuff although I prefer to do my own as some of the weathering on their models are a bit overdone for my liking. Saying that the weathered Dapol Westerns look spot on to me.
cheers, Stu.
Quote from: Karhedron on October 01, 2014, 04:21:23 PM
However I don't think the weathered Mk1s are particularly well done as it goes up the sides. If you look at photos, the sides of coaching stock were normally kept fairly clean
From my limited experiences I'd beg to differ. In the 1980's I had to travel from Northampton to Euston every day for a week whilst I attended a course and the windows of the loco hauled coaches were so filthy I couldn't even see out of them. ::)
That middle pic reminds me of a Triang trainset.... 3 coaches hauled by a Pacific and called an express train!!!
Quote from: Bealman on October 01, 2014, 08:30:53 PM
That middle pic reminds me of a Triang trainset.... 3 coaches hauled by a Pacific and called an express train!!!
Prototype for everything. :thumbsup:
A very good topic me thinks, here is my take on things...
Personally I prefer to buy locos pristine and then have the option to get it weathered if I wish. I can fully understand where people are coming from regarding certain models only being available in weathered finish e.g blue disc class 20. But then it means less of a hit on the old wallet! I noticed a few comments about daily offering more options regarding weathering but let's not forget their production runs are a lot smaller than farish.
Cheers,
Ollie
:NGaugersRule:
I am not either for or against weathering but I personally like Pristine models best.
Another 'hot potato' subject me thinks..... :hmmm:
I have bought weathered locos in the past, but they were on sale... I personally prefer the pristine look and weather them if I want to. For me the overiding concern is the price, weathering a loco isn't difficult with a little practice and i'd rather do it myself than spend the extra !
To answer the original question, I feel that 'yes' is the correct answer - I know many people have turned down a weathered loco (or other stock) saying that they'd rather wait for the 'clean' version. You often find weathered loco's on sale, this is usually a sign of a slow seller which means retailers are less likely to order them in the future...
Of course there are exceptions and Dapol's Western in BR blue is a great example - in this case the weathering is top class and they've sold loads.
I wonder why farish don't copy dapol's style of weathering?
I think really all the manufacturers are still developing weathering techniques as well as finding out what sells. I saw a recent review of some bachmann coaches that had peeling mouldy roofs which looked good.
Tim
yes, the Bachmann 00 Mk1 coaches with peeling roof surfaces look superb, shame they are too bog for my railway cos tis in N!!
I personally am very choosy either way, I do like the Dapol weathered items but am not keen of Farish attempts so far so go for their pristene to weather myself. The recent class 25 was a good example, the weathering on the roof was rather odd with very heavy dirt around the fan grill as well as the exhaust port.
My other weathered Dapol stuff has all been superb, the china clay silvers bullets must get a special mention. It must be also mentioned that Mercig have had an input into the wetehrign Dapol have been doing so the does explain a lot.
The most important thing is for us all to remember that this is a hobby which should be for everyone and whether you prefer pristene ex works models, or extra hevily weathered rust buckets, there must be space for us all, something that the rtr manufacturers seem to be trying to do, although only releasing weathered models does seem to limit part of their market. I am sure un weathered alternatives will be along soon enough though.
Best wishes
Simon