Heresy I say!

The morning E-mail session has been interesting today. The back and forward has centered around the recent discussions (again) on the NZ120 list, and around the whole RP thing. Basically I think it boils down to a series of factions.
-The experienced/old hands, who have a good/excellent grasp of what it takes to make and sell kits (not necessarily in NZ120).
-The up and comers (and I'll lump idealists in here as well), who seem to quite happily propose grad schemes abut how the future should look, and the cost gets fudged a bit to make it all seen better.
-The rest, who would just like to see someone making models for sale again.

It appears another faction may have congealed this morning. A level of dismay about the estimated cost of the whole RPing process (and the fact that despite the months of discussions, we still have yet to see anything) has lead to some interesting questions being asked, and a possible step back to the good old days.
The smart money at the moment is that a RPed 4 wheeled wagon with couplers etc will set the average Joe back about NZ$20-25. Now this is fine for those of us that want a small shunting layout made popular by the English who seem to be quite happy living in shoe boxes, but if one wants to model a set of 20-25 La's (like the 'stone train' from Otago in the 1980's) it will set you back NZ$400-600. That's a fair chunk of change even for the jet set train photographers from Long Island. Now this contrasts with the good old days where dinosaurs roamed Otaki and wagons were mass produced in basements all over Dunedin and Wellington. I'm informed that peco wagon chassis are NZ$5-7 each (I'd love to know where). For a long rake of wagons that's going to run as a set, the bulky rapido couplers can be glued and modified, and all that's needed are some decent couplers at each end of the set. Now the PECO underframe is not perfect for NZR, but by golly its close enough from 2'. To finish up a cheap top that might not have all the rivets but does look the part, and add in some rudimentary brake gear and you get something like this, for maybe 1/2 the price.
All With cheap resin cast tops by yours truely.


From a mould by the late John Rappard

Not that its not going to be good enough for some, but the rest of us....
(And that was really what the scale was about in the 80's trains dwarfed by the scenery, not as teh main focus of the whole thing. If you are keen on that, then go check out 9mm)
Here's your big chance to actually leave some comments about what the unwashed masses think (well and the washed ones too I suppose). also don't forget I'm still waiting for anyone to send in photo's of their NZ120 models.

I'm carefully locking the doors tonight, as I'm now awaiting a visit from the fine scale inquisition. Slow torture by being forced to make scale sized rivets at the correct scale on a large sheet of brass. Thumbs slowly crushed by micrometers. Maybe even dipped into a vat of low melt solder. hell may well be like that. I just hope that they serve beer.