Wouldn't it have seemed a wise decision to release a C44-9W in UP with wings with the latest run of C44-9W? They would have sold alot better than the Santa Fe units.
Wellllll.....not necessarily. From my experiences working part-time in a hobby shop, anything Santa Fe, especially in the Warbonnet, is a hot seller that quickly outsells just about everything else (at least here on the West Coast). Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are plenty of UP fans that would love to get their hands on a winged C44-9W, but there are a lot of guys and gals out there that love ATSF, and would buy lots of just about anything in Warbonnet. Just give Kato some time; I'm sure they'll release a C44-9W with wings sooner or later. Don't forget, Kato does a lot for the European and Asian markets, and can't always fit everything into production allotments. If people lobby Kato to make winged units, or better yet, provide them with data and pics (you'd be amazed, sometimes the makers don't always get the info they need), the odds of them being made would increase even more. If not, well, there's always Accu+Paint and Microscale...
I agree the "Wings" will be a nice addition and can't wait tilll they eventually show up....but I also agree that the Warbonnet release was a good move by Kato as it allowed them to make some easy money that they can use to focus on making more new stuff for us!!! However, while we're on the topic of "What was Kato thinking?", I think we should lobby for them to fix the embarassment that was the BNSF H-II Dash 9 paint scheme and offer a trade-in for those of us suckers who ordered them sight unseen. Sorry, soapbox, but jeeez....
To me, the "no-brainer" would have been another release in Canadian National. They sold out quickly and are in high demand. C.G.
My vote would be for Kato to do an AC44, but if they must do more DC44's then update the trucks with the proper mark 3 truck instead of the originial mark 1 truck found on the ex CNW fleet and half of ATSF original order nos 600-650. Details make the difference.
Depends on where you're at. If you model CNW or UP, yes, it would make sense to have more UP or CNW units. If you're modeling BN, Santa Fe, or BNSF, then you'd be looking for locomotives in those paint scheme (yes I know, BN didn't have C44-9s, but work with me here..... ) I would suggest, as others have done, that you write and/or email Kato asking about the release of UP C44-9s. Or, do what Dangerboy did, and fire up the ol' Badger.....
