Does factory weathering of new locos prevent further sales?

[gdandridge]

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.

[Agrippa]

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.

[Newportnobby]

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

[Karhedron]

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.

[ScottyStitch]

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!

[mk1gtstu]

Weathered locos & rolling stock for me! 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.

[Newportnobby]

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.

[Bealman]

That middle pic reminds me of a Triang  trainset.... 3 coaches hauled by a Pacific and called an express train!!!

[Karhedron]

That middle pic reminds me of a Triang  trainset.... 3 coaches hauled by a Pacific and called an express train!!!

Prototype for everything. 

[Ollie3440]

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

[Ditape]

I am not either for or against weathering but I personally like Pristine models best.

[4x2]

Another 'hot potato' subject me thinks.....

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.

[bluedepot]

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

[bridgiesimon]

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