This review is on Life-Like's Proto 2000 SD60 diesel, made before the line was sold to Walthers.
The SD60 is packed with the shell separate from the chassis (done to protect the detail from the weight of the chassis during shipping), so the final assembly must be done by the modeler. A number of prototype specific detail parts come with the model, and a couple of drilling guides are included to make drilling the small holes for the parts easier. You'll probably want to do all the work you want before assembling the shell to the chassis, since the fine plastic details are very delecate. The shell is held to the chassis by two screws behind the fuel tank and the coupler boxes, so it all holds together very well. Once the SD60 is assembled, it's a very good looking, well detailed, and smooth running model. All the major parts are are cast very smoothly and cleanly, and the only real noticable imperfection is the seam on the top of the cab. Most of the detail is already on the shell, like the grab irons, lift rings, handrails, pilot details, etc., so the only parts left to install are the snowplow(s), sunshades, various antennas, wind deflectors, winterization hatch, ditch lights, and a large or small rooftop beacon, depending on the prototype (a list of what parts to use is included in the instructions). Extended coupler cut levers are included, should you use the snowplows. The sunshades are noticably over-sized, and the tiny tabs holding them on break easily, so you may want to replace yours with better brass sunshades. A number of parts have see-through detail, like the steps, side dynamic brake vents, and rear Q-fan grills, which have fans visible inside. The top dynamic brake grill is part of the shell, and only looks alright compared to the rest of the detail. A separate grill would have been much better, in my opinion. The cab doesn't have an interior, but it does at least have a crew (which is black plastic and nearly invisible. I painted mine so they could be seen). Most of the windows are mounted flush with the shell, and the windshield wipers are molded and painted onto the windows. Most of the full pilot detail is very fine, but the MU hoses do look a little toy-like without the snowplow. The handrails are very fine and look great, but you do have to be careful because they're very brittle. Right out of the box, four of the right side stancions were broken on mine and had to be glued back together. The trucks are very well detailed, with all the basic details like brake cylinders and shock absorbers, and then separate flexible piping and sanding lines. All the truck parts are molded in black plastic. The fuel tank has as much separate detail as the rest of the model, and looks very good. It is only taped on, and the tape loses its stickiness after removing the fuel tank once or twice. I added a screw to it when the near 2lb. engine fell on my hand while lifting it upside-down once. The paint is all coated very smoothly, with clean color separation all around. The detailed walkways are painted the appropriate black color. The lettering and various small labels are all printed very clearly, although the lettering is a little shiny. The right side lettering on mine seems to come off easily, and I had to repaint a little of it. The lighting is directional, and the printed number boards also light up. The included P2K couplers didn't work for long, so I replaced them with Kadee #58s, which are a drop in fit.
The SD60 ran very smoothly and quietly right out of the box, but the mechanism was a little tight. Filing one side of the square worm bearings just enough to make them fit a little more loosely helped performance quite a bit. The maximum speed running free at 12 volts was 53 scale MPH, with a current draw of 0.23 amps (around 0.35 before the bearing modification). The minimum sustained speed was only 1.4 scale MPH, which is even better than my Stewart switcher! The maximum stall current was 1.3 amps at 12 volts. All of the wheels are driven and have electrical pickup. The wheels are blackened with nickel-silver plating and have RP-25 flanges, and they roll very quietly. The low speed gearing is meshed very well and makes no noise at all. The combonation of the metal frame, huge weight and all-wheel-drive give this model an incredible amount of pulling power, and just one of these can pull as many cars as two prototypes ever could together! The motor is an Athearn clone with a 5-pole skewed armature, and I'd say it runs a little better than the Athearn gold motor. The flywheels are well balanced and cause no vibrations. The PC board and DCC plug are kind of an odd design, so everything is wired to the plug and the board is the DC jumper. The lights are 1.5 volt, and have to be replaced with 12 volt or higher bulbs. It may be easier to just replace the whole thing than work with what Life-Like put in. With the huge weight filling the shell, there's no room for sound.
Life-Like did an overall fantastic job on their SD60. Aside from a few minor things, it's one of the best looking and smoothest running modern SDs on the market.
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I added sound to two of them this past weekend. I am pleased with the results but I did have to cut the weight down a bit.
I've got a couple of SD60Ms and SD50s that are next.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/