If theres one thing you would add or change in the Z empire what would it be and why?

MrCONRAIL&BNSF Mar 12, 2010

  1. MrCONRAIL&BNSF

    MrCONRAIL&BNSF TrainBoard Member

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    Want to get some ideas from the people who've been doing it the longest and are the best at it.

    I'm writing a journal of everyone's thoughts. I will be having someone write down all of your ideas throughout the next month, in hopes to making Z's dream company!

    Heres mine
    More construction vehicles (American style)
    More realistic cars like N's selection of fords and others. Not the cheap Japanese poorly painted models, when they ship 100, 25 of them are defected.
    More Box trucks and 18 wheelers.
    More house styles other then Micro structure kits.
    More bridges and stone and concrete abrupments for Z along with stone and wood tunnel walls!

    The list goes on!

    SHOOT AWAY! THANKS GUYS! :tb-biggrin:
     
  2. Stourbridge Lion

    Stourbridge Lion TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well, being a D&H railfan, I would love to see Z Scale have more Fallen Flags options at a price that more could afford. Right now my "Z Scale" collection has four cars and that's it...

    :tb-cool: :tb-cool: :tb-cool: :tb-cool:
     
  3. Loren

    Loren TrainBoard Supporter

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    Matt,
    If you really want to invest some serious money and make many people happy, then you need to go to injection casting. That results in the best quality rolling stock, loco shells, structures, vehicles, etc.

    Z is ready for anything that you will find in N and HO scale.
    Z isn't cheap and to do it right will cost dollars.

    Each new line helps to garner new interest in this scale. Many of us wish we had the dollars to really get serious with new products, but unfortunately that is not the case. It does take those with both vision, talent, ideas, and of course money to make this hobby grow.

    Not to beat a dead horse, but it takes a lot of money so if you want to help out the Z community, then investigate outsourcing some new body styles of rolling stock.

    This isn't a kid's game, I am serious. You will need to do some very serious R&D and thoroughly know the direction you want to go before you bite off a chunk. To do it wrong will not bring you any satisfaction nor help the Z community.

    One step at a time, baby steps, well thought out projects, and delivering what you promise. That's the way to bring smiles to hundreds of faces and also to make this hobby scale grow.

    If you want to liken this scale to a baseball game, I'd say that Z just hit the ball and is heading for first base and the ball looks like no one is going to catch it. We have a long long way to go and we're off to a great start with AZL and MTL leading the way with many cottage industries adding to the list.

    If you are serious, do your research and do spend some serious change and you'll have recognition and the thanks from many.

    Your move.
     
  4. bobfage

    bobfage New Member

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    I hear what Loren says, do it well and expect to spend some real money on R&D. From this side of the pond we welcome anything in vehicles or buildings as the source in the Uk and most of Europe for that matter there is little. I have have purchased the good, bad and in some cases the ugly. But compared to when I had to make all my own buildings (do still make them from time to time) I find there is a vast wealth now available from the US of A. That does not mean there is enough. What it means more are made (thankfully). I hope people will still make even more. But as for vehicles I agree not enough. Those produced can be poor, or very expensive. When you need a lot for a layout that then makes it hard to toss up between a new loco or some buildings or vehicles. But I echo Loren's remarks do it well and then people will buy the item (subject to funds and the exchange rates). But I am greatful for some of the new items that have come out in recent times... Just want a yard switcher loco.... well dreaming as always.

    Bob Fage in the United Kingdom... where it is very cold still
     
  5. sumgai

    sumgai TrainBoard Member

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    When I was in large scale, the joke was most LGB collectors never took their traincars out of the Big Red Box, might as well just put wheelsets/couplers on the big red box and run it around the track behind the loco.

    Moving down to Z scale, I am amazed at the realistic visual effects that are now being printed on cardboard, oops cardstock, today. But little cardstock art and structure is trickling down to the rolling stock.

    For Z rolling stock I would like to see a standardized frame, couplers and wheelset (metal wheels please) sold with interchangeable cardstock bodies.

    I don't need for my railroad stuff to outlast me, so don't need brass or nickle-silver cars; petroleum/resin cars have gone (at least from the early MTL boxes I've seen) from $9.99 a decade ago to over $30 for some cars now (and will continue to increase as ever increasing petroleum prices make their way through the plastic feedstock pipeline.)

    So the cheapest materials possible for the rolling stock car body, to reduce the cost of the cars to the lowest price possible, with the bonus of changing out roadnames or colors just by replacing the cardstock body on the interchangeable frame would be an ideal product to keep the price of our hobby constant in a period of ever-increasing prices. And I could buy sheets of cardstock bodies printed with new roadnames etc whenever I wanted a change, vice having to buy the whole car!

    Just think how cheaply a mountain of cardstock containers could be had!
     
  6. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    The bottom line is we want what the HO and N guys have, just shrunk to Z! :D

    I really like the Classic Model Works line of die cast cars in HO and N, those shrunk to Z would be too cool, with their great paint jobs and all. Hire them to produce that line"
    http://www.classicmetalworks.com/showroom.asp

    For construction vehicles, hire this company to produce your line:
    http://www.norscot.com/diecast/

    These people make great structures in HO and N, and a shrink yo Z would look cool:
    http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/category/Buildings
     
  7. jlundy46

    jlundy46 TrainBoard Supporter

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    I agree with Robert. It seems to me if you are already producing nice items in another scale, it would be easier and cheaper to scale some of those items down than starting from scratch. But then again, I know nothing about the processes required to produce these models ;>)

    John
     
  8. Fred Ladd

    Fred Ladd TrainBoard Member

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    I agree with Sumgai-- Imagine a non decorated box car that had flat sides- able to recieve all the beautiful billboard reefers, beer cars etc. I have made a whole gagle of them, and from the two foot rule, they look great.
    I also would like a imbossed- even injected molded sheets of container ends and sides- 40' so we can make a marshaling yard with stacked containers, where the container sheets would be laminated to a box- whatever- and LOOK like they are all containers. I 'd buy a bunch as I'm working on a large container vessel.
    One thought you might consider Matt: there are several extremely talented modeler/craftsmen in Z.. They are doing exquisite work on thier own layouts and have mini production for others. One comes to mind- He is working on a Civil War General in Z and also a MOW railroad track inspection vehical- read a truck able to run on rails. Both projects I'm very interested in. Others are working on Shays, Z buildings and portals.
    These craftsmen may not have the best tooling available and this may disuade them from making certain items. I know some are having trouble with making decals as certain cartridges are out of stock- and they may not have the funds to upgrade to newer equipment. These artisans have been in Z for several years and are quite trustworthy.
    I'm not sure any of them would ever ask for assistance, but it might be worth a try. They have done a lot of research and developement already. This is just my opinion, having been in Z for many years and welcoming all the new Z stuff coming down the tracks.
    Fred
     
  9. Stourbridge Lion

    Stourbridge Lion TrainBoard Supporter

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    Another important thing you must also keep in mind is "Copyright" laws; make sure you have permission to use the various company Names/Logo in your products. Most of the RR companies take usage of their Names, Logo's, etc. very seriously and will take legal action against you if you have not gotten proper approvals first.

    :we2-policeman: :we2-policeman: :we2-policeman: :we2-policeman:​
     
  10. animek

    animek TrainBoard Member

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    Very true, some of us (small manufacturers) build and distribute kits at so low quantities that it permits us to create some nice unlicensed models, like most garage manufacturers. But once you become global and in huge quantities, licenses needs to be purchases. CSX for instance, is very protective of their logo.

    Ben
     
  11. minzemaennchen

    minzemaennchen TrainBoard Member

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    Matt,
    from my point of view the starting point is doing your own research, and take your time, it's good the see that you are so enthusiastic about Z, but I think the "homework" is the most important thing. Asking the people what they want will not necessarily give you the REAL demand, because in those threads you only get few voices of a very small number of Zetties. Researach all the forums, articles, threads and groups to find out what people really want and what's going on. The "under-laying" opinion is the better one. Nothing worth then starting a project and somebody else is already doing the same or will do the same. We don't need double developments....Than I would gather knowledge from those that are known and well established in the scene and even better have small businesses, as they have already done their bits. So I would rather team-up then starting something from scratch. Your sufficient funds will help, no doubt, but you can't buy success and satisfaction...
     
  12. JoeS

    JoeS TrainBoard Member

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    I'll say it again, steam with kato style tender pickups would be a home run. Especially small steam.
     
  13. Joe D'Amato

    Joe D'Amato TrainBoard Member

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    A Z Mike or Pacific would make some serious movement in the scale. AZL has done them in the past, but in brass, and pricey making them somewhat exclusive to collectors and those of us who've won the lottery:eek:) A good injection model at a reasonable price might pull a lot of N scalers down to Z and beef up our ranks.

    Joe
    MTL
     
  14. Chris333

    Chris333 TrainBoard Supporter

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    I'm still waiting for some ABBA F3's...
     
  15. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    Yes! F3's! FT's, F7's, and F9's. Mikado's, Pacific's, 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 switchers too! Well, let's face it... Z Scale is WIDE OPEN.

    And sound? How about sound? I would shure like to have sound, the N and HO guys have it. That's why I'm getting back into N Scale, because I have gone too long without! :D
     
  16. kimvellore

    kimvellore TrainBoard Member

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    Rob,
    Did I read right, you are getting back to N? :pray:... you must be kidding...
    Kim
     
  17. zscaler

    zscaler TrainBoard Member

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    Don't go back to the dark side Robert!;)
     
  18. JoeS

    JoeS TrainBoard Member

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    Robert is not getting back into N as I understand it. He is kinda like me, using N to fill a void that Z doesn't have. When kato came out with the GS4...for about 120 bucks...and it runs like a dream...with tender pickup...well...that is why I kept my N. You need that fix of things you can't have/do in Z. Would I call myself an N scaler? Sure...I have all sorts of projects. But, if I had to choose one, of course I'd be in Z. I think Robert is like that.
     
  19. Garth-H

    Garth-H TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well I am another N scaler with now mostly Z interests or at least 6.5mm track interests. I also do Nn3 and that is what lead me to Z and meeting MR Dave at the Z-Scale convention in Columbus and getting his layout going in Cincinnati at the NMRA National Train Show. It was the skills gained from Nn3 that allowed me to power the PA from Hallmark Christmas Ornaments and modifying the GP chassis to fit an F7B shell and to create the FP7A. Primarily I am a steam fan and in N I used Japanese steam to make better running N-scale engines for my Canadian RR the Athabaska Northern, when what we had in the early days of N was not very good. I am in my 3rd year of selling off my extensive collection of N diesels and rolling stock with no regrets and adding to my Z assets.

    cheerz Garth
     
  20. ztrack

    ztrack TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    Just remember guys, Z is simply N on it's side...

    :)

    Rob
     

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