Is it possible to get a couple of the new AZL cabooses undecorated? I would be interested in a couple.
AZL did not release the cabooses as undecs. They were released is SP, C&O, UP and Southern liveries. Additional cabooses are planned, but no undecs that I know of. Rob Kluz
I am not sure. It would be a natural release since many of the Southern bay window cabooses did end up in NS paint. I did a quick search and there are a few interesting NS bay window liveries that AZL could offer. Rob
Thank's Rob for your response, Now i have to wait and cross my fingers whispering " Yes, they are going to made it...Yes, they are going to made it..." Eltiti1
They can't if they are doing them through SDK. Internal policy is that they must be painted and packaged before they leave the building. They can get test shots, but for production, SDK will not provide Undecs. Trust me we tried. Sooooo glad we are out of that mess. There are a number of new mfgs over there that will do what you want and are happy to have the business. Joe MTL
Rob, Maybe Joe has a good idea, as undecs are a popular item with those that like to bash and crash. It certainly doesn't cost the company any more to provide undecs and it is actually cheaper to produce. As for the fear of losing any sales, that would not be the case. For those who really will only buy their favorite livery and have no supplier, the bashing and custom work is the only answer. Besides we need to help support Hein and Gerd )
Hi Joe, 1) SDK will do undecorated. You just have to know how to ask. 2) You're right - there are a lot of other factories over there - we do business with several of them, not just SDK. SDK is really good at some things, not so good at others. Other guys have their advantages and disadvanatages too. As you well know, you have to learn how to work the system. And once you do, they change the system on you! Undecorated models are on the agenda, but in the mean time, we are trying to help the bashers in other ways. One thing we have done is to get away from the old Korean "baked on" enamel type paint, so it is easier to strip a decorated model. Oh, and no, there is no real price advantage to an undecorated model. They may cost about 3% less, but thats really not a big deal. Its not just the paint on the model. We also have to produce separate packaging that says "undecorated" and then account for how many people will buy undecorated models. Most factories quote prices as decorated only. If you ask for undecorated, they will give it to you, but still charge for the paint job (not true with all, but quite a few work that way) and the undecorated discount is usually not a deciding factor when choosing a factory for production. Things like delivery times, over all price, quality, matter much more. I know it drives people nuts to stip a perfectly good model, but there are not *that* many people who want undecorated - Hein and Gerd would probably be two of our best customers! Anyway, Undecorated are comming - look for them first on the RDC (made by SDK!) Best, -Rob(A) AZL
Would it do any good to contact AZL directly and ask/beg them to do a production run of Canadian liveries. I'm sure there are enough of us across this country that would appreciate having some ready made Canadian cabeese available rather then have to resort to complicated kits. I myself could use a couple CN's and 6 CP's. If I could find someone to repaint some MTL cabeese in the CN and CP liveries I need, I'd gladly go that route as well. It would probably be less expensive too.
Rob, Thank you for the update and I stand corrected on the undec situation. That is good news all the way around. Keep pushing the envelope for Z. We're a hungry bunch.........
This question is directed specifically at Joe: Joe, would it be possible to get decals from MTL so that I could decorate my own cabeese to suite my needs? I'm thinking or the Canadian Pacific Packman logo and the Canadian National Maple Leaf. I see MTL has just released some boxcars with the old CN logo on them. If these are dry application or even regular decals, I could use a sheet or two of them. Road numbers are not that important. What do you think?
Guys, We really appreciate our Canadian customers, you guys are great, and very loyal. Thank you! Truth of the matter is that we have chosen more than one body style because of its use by Canadian roads, and we knew of the interest from Canadian enthusiasts. Hans is working on the Caboose project. I'm sure there will be some Canadian releases in the future. Best, -Rob(A) AZL
Newtoscale (who's name eludes me because it's never on the signature of the page): MTL does not do decals, they are mass produced and use pad printing (sorta like rubber stamps from the good ol' days). No decals ! You will need to find a source of them or ait until AZL (or whomever) does produce CP cabeese. .
Well if they do, and someone has advanced knowledge of this, I need to reserve at least 2 and possibly 4.
Rob A; I know that this might seem like a pipe dream but have you boys at AZL ever considered opening a small facility up here. There is lots of empty industrial space right here in Calgary and I myself would gladly come out of retirement to manage the place for ya and I'm quite sure you'd have no difficulty getting workers, skilled or otherwise to do the work. Just a thought. Ken
