Today I photographed my Bachmann and Kato Amtubes. Both are great models and essentuial for modern modelers. Anyone holding on to those old Bachmann Amtubes of the 1970's, take a look and see what you are missing. Bachmann cars in PIII paint, Kato in PIV. Cafe: Both models look good. Kato's paint is clearly superior, but Bachmann's isn't bad. The bachmann cars feature detailed end vents and the food service duct is a seperate part. I like the ends of the bachmann car better for two reasons. The ends are fully detailed thanks to the body mount couplers, and the diaphrams work. Both models feature class lights. Kato has better underbody detail, but lacks body mounted couplers. The Kato cars weigh only 2/3 of the Bachmann cars. I modified my Bachmann truck to roll as well as the Kato trucks, but look how much grease Kato used to get them to roll! Kato's Amfleet II cars have larger windows than Bachmann's Amfleet I as per prototype. Both cars have full interior detail in a light tan color. Both cars feature very nice window glass.
I feel like the paint on the Bachman's is awful... no matter which phase. It is very crisp, but the letters/stripes are disproportional. For example (on the phase III pictured above), "Cafe" should be well with-in the white stripe, not spilling over into the red/blue. Also, it really frustrates me that they have rapido couplers and they are hard to convert. Other than that, the Bachman's are nice... I redecaled all mine and tinted the windows though! I still need to do the couplers.
Here's mine. Both Amfleets are Phase IVb/VI in order to compare paint schemes. Kato in back, Bachmann up front. Bachmann has lettering that is too large as already noted. The blue on the Bachmann looks purple in person. Bachmann also uses the Phase IV Amtrak logo instead of the phase IVb/VI "flag" logo. Red lines on the Bachmann are noticeably thick.
I also went ahead and snapped a few shots of the Viewliners. Kato on the left, Con-Cor on the right. And yes, the Con-Cor is the factory paint and printing.
Wow thanks. Though I think it's kind of inaccurate to say the Bachmann cars have "body-mounted" couplers -- their swing is directly correlated to the truck's swing and are not static like real body-mounted couplers are. But yeah. Kato's is clearly better. After seeing the Phase IV striping comparison, I'm suddenly embarrassed to have Bachmann Amfleets. The Con-Cor/Kato Viewliner difference is even bigger. I literally laughed when I saw the Con-Cor picture.
The Bachmann cars ARE body mounted. The couplers do not swing with the trucks. They just share the same pivot point (the truck screw). You can turn the trucks without moving the coupler. The reason for the pivot point so far back is to allow closer coupling and negoshiate tight curves. In this image you can clearly see the truck off center while the coupler lines up straght under the end. On the note of "clearly better" keep in mind the Bachmann cars retail for about half what the Kato cars go for ($16 on many websites compaired to about $30 for the Kato). Since no two manufactuers have ever managed to agree on Amtraks stripes, I was expecting some differences. I think I will keep my Katos with PIV paint and the Bachmanns with PIII, that way no one can make a direct comparison of the paint.
Actually the Bachman MSRP is $40.00, Kato MAP price of $25. So you can find them for about the same prices. The Bachman loss the fight as soon as Kato annouced they were doing the Amfleets. Is like the bachman brought a razor blade and the Kato brought a Haturi Hanzu sword.
MY only question is the window on the vesitbule door. Did Bachmann just use the Metroliner as a basis of the mold? It's the only really glaring difference I see in terms of the molds for the two. Paint being the other one. I think the Bachmann models are very passable, and with some work would be fine models. If they'd only roll better....
^ I was more interested in the placement of the windows: One is mid door, while the other is toward the top.
"I was more interested in the placement of the windows:" Prototypical. Original Amfleet had the centered window while Amfleet two has the window in a more typical placement. Even newly rebuilt cars have this... but why are the windows wrong... I know... do you? http://rrpicturearchives.net/rspicture.aspx?id=615046 http://rrpicturearchives.net/rspicture.aspx?id=554571
Matt, The differences between the windows is accurate. The Amfleet IIs (Kato) have bigger door windows than the Amfleet I's (Bachman). Chris
I took out the electrical pick-ups and they roll great! I don't like my cars lighted though and I tint my windows. Chris
Chris, what do you tint them with? I would like to have a smoke finish but still see the interior when the car is powered at night.
Thanks guys. I never took a real look at the differences, as the Hiawatha is mostly Horizon cars (hello, someone please make these), with a Amtube here and there. Jerry, did you pick the Looney Tunes car for a reason?
I black out the backs of the windows (but I don't care about the insides)... but you can also lightly spray them with a spray can or airbrush.
You could try an old trick we use in the auto industry to tint tail lights. If you take some clear coat and add a small amount of black paint, it should give you a smoked glass look. I would strongly suggest to try this on a scrap piece of clear styrene first though.