Is this eBay seller serious?

[Anonymous]

http://cgi.ebay.com/CUSTOM-DETAILED-WEATHERED-HO-SD40-2-SANTA-FE-ENGINE-MIB_W0QQitemZ6049094108QQcategoryZ484QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I am not going to make any comments on the locomotive, but what I will say that this is not the older SD40-2 snoot nose loco, it is the recently made new version. It does not have the molded on grab irons...

And what the seller says about the chalk weathering is totally wrong... I have seen some modelers here do a weathering job a billion, no wait, infinity times better. Also they mention custom details, but I don't see any details besides what Athearn provided and that they only replaced the plastic hand rail with the metal ones (personally I hate the metal ones, not that detailed, stanchions move around a lot).

If I bought it, I would wash off the weathering and restore the model to it's former glory!

[canazar]

Well, atleast he was kind enough to post lots of pics so you know excatly what you are getting....

[Anonymous]

He ruined a perfectly good Santa Fe locomotive.

The wheathering job might pass fair for an SP unit. But it looks like a lot of dirt and grime randomly slathered on. No attention at all to where and how locomotives develop wear and tear and get dirty.

Fortunatly the price is cheap eneugh you can strip and repaint.

James

[Anonymous]

lol yeah really ruined it there. It looks to me like water color just splattered with a paintbrush [:p]

[Anonymous]

There is weathering and sloping .........uh stuff on randomly. that is just slopping stuff oall over it. he ruiened the loco.

[simon1966]

The weathering is awful, but yet it is presented in the best possible way. With the backdrop and the number of photos it looks as good as it is ever going to look. I wi***hat other acutions were as well documented.

[Morpar]

No guys, let's be realistic here. It says that the loco has been custom detailed to enhance it's appearance, and the guy who did the work is a modeler/artist, so it MUST be right! Obviously this particular Santa Fe SD40-2 was not built with cab A/C, M.U. hoses, grab irons, or any of the other standard Santa Fe details we are accostomed to, special order I guess. It probably has an new style invisible radio antenna also, that's why we can't see it. They must not have used lighted number boards with numbers on them on this loco either.

It appears this loco was also caught in one of the rare California "brown paintbrush glob storms" that seem to come down rather splotchy, not even like normal rain. This guy did a fantastic job of simulating this effect on this model. Truly way above the caliber of the "chalk and hairspray guys" that are refered to in the seller's description. I really wi***hat I had about $200 that I could spare right now just to get the bidding started, but I had to buy licence plates with my last paycheck and things are tight until April 14. NUTS!!! I probably couldn't have gotten it for that anyway, since it is such a well done, customized, scale replica of an actual locomotive.

Maybe the seller is branching out to a new field, fictional story writer! He seems to have a pretty good start with this item description. I will have to watch this one to see how high the bidding goes and what the reserve is! I did enjoy that the number boards could be numbered if the buyer really wants it done. I wonder how much that would add to the price?

[AggroJones]

"This is a very life-like, albeit grungy-looking custom locomotive. A fair amount of time and attention to detail went in to its production"

STRAIGHT BS! Looks like a few-minutes crappy job. But Ebay is full of so-called custom weathered guys with over hyped junk, hoping someone falls for it. I think it's hilarious.

I wonder what Jerry Jackson would have to say about this.....

[Anonymous]

Gross. My son did better work when he was 10.[:(!]

[wairoa]

***, to think I just bought to uncustomed engines brand new when I could have bought this little beauty. I wonder if Tee-usa will take returns? Boy I would love to show this engine off at the local club. I would get all the attention.:)

[Anonymous]

A while ago I watched a few eBay auctions by a different seller who was offering so-called weathered structures. They were just cheap plastic models and had a similar slopped on blotches of a dark color. His magnificent creations were priced in the hundreds! Never did see any sell, I wonder why?

It would be interesting to see if this crud sells. As everyone knows, there is a sucker born every minute!

Bob Boudreau

[Medina1128]

I wonder if that's what living in Southern California does to paint jobs. No wonder people are leaving there in droves. Hate to see what it does to one's car...

[mononguy63]

Yeah, I remember when I also once spilled a bottle of paint on a locomotive shell...

[ProtoWeathering]

Both the eBay poster and the so called "artist" should be prosecuted.

There is so much "weathered" crap on eBay right now, it makes you wonder.

[beegle55]

LOL It looks like he acedientally spilled brown paint on to it and didn't attempt to clean it off. If it was a little bit cheaper, you could buy it and repaint it, but it sucks as it is now!

[Anonymous]

If my cat jumped up on the layout and found that, he'd try to bury it.[|(]

[beegle55]

Funny Gray[:o)]

[CraigN]

Well there is a sucker born every day. It actually has 1 bid on it already.

I would hate to see what else the "pro" has painted.

Now if the guy had said that his 5 year-old did his first weathering job, I would say hey, that's pretty good. And it would be more believable too.

[Anonymous]

Note in his eBay "me" section it starts out with

"I am a 100% honest person/eBay seller"!

And in the description of the loco it says "this one comes with NMRA-standard couplers at each end (Kadees or McHenrys)."

Since when have Kadees or McHenrys become NMRA-Standard?

Note there is a bid for the minimum amount of $9.99, but the seller says he's placed a hefty reserve to protect the investment. Maybe the reserve is $12.00 - to cover the cost of a diluted bottle of paint that was spashed all over the model.

Notice in the photos the engine isn't even on the track in many photos. Probably his "attention to detail" at work!

Bob Boudreau

[bogp40]

It definitely was caught in one of those California creosote storms......

[Anonymous]

I have another ebay joke for you!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6046710996&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1


There is a conversation about that on the weatherers network, a great group of guys who take weathering as a labor of love. I have learned so much from them.
http://www.modeltrainsweathered.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=853

[sleeper33]

we have worked out how he weathered that loco

he spilt coffee on it and let it dry [:D][:D][:D][2c]

[AggroJones]

"Unlike many so-called, 'customized' models you see on ebay which were 'weathered' with chalk and chimney soot to hide their pathetic and abused state of existence... this was INTENTIONALLY customized to ENHANCE its appearance and realism."

[(-D] [(-D] [(-D] [(-D] [(-D]

[emdgp92]

Geez, apparently when you weather an L&N engine, it blurs itself in photos.

Seriously though, I'd like to know what the "builder" of the Santa Fe engine was smoking. He has to be on something if he thinks that weathering job looks good. It does look like he simply poured a bottle of dirty thinner on it.

[Anonymous]

Both of these are really good examples of why I don't do weathering..... Mine would be worse off!!! At least I know when NOT to do something...

[ereimer]

i've never weathered anything and i bet i could have done a better job than this

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by stripes2

I have another ebay joke for you!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6046710996&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1


There is a conversation about that on the weatherers network, a great group of guys who take weathering as a labor of love. I have learned so much from them.
http://www.modeltrainsweathered.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=853

$120 for that?? I'd rather use the money to fix my eye sight that the blurry pics ruined. Seriously I don't see a point of somebody posting crappy photos like that, unless they want to hide their crappy models.

[Anonymous]

It seems that people are finding out that well weathered models - some are masterpieces - are selling for big bucks on eBay. So many are trying to cash in on this phase by offering such poorly done models that should not be considered for anything but the scrap pile.

Also do an eBay search on "FSM" - which are the initials of Fine Scale Miniatures line of fine craftsman kits. Seems many eBay sellers are just adding the intials FSM in their auction titles so searches will show up their auctions.

One fellow was offering HO scale small scenes and vehicles that he described something like the diesels that are offered in this thread - finely weathered, details added, etc. The same thing here - mostly plain simple models that have had a wash of some brown slop and declared to be "weathered". I just pity the poor suckers who get taken in by these scams, and it can hurt the legitimate modelers who do offer quality work.

Bob Boudreau

[mustanggt]

QUOTE: Posted: 04 Apr 2006, 23:10:26
http://cgi.ebay.com/CUSTOM-DETAILED-WEATHERED-HO-SD40-2-SANTA-FE-ENGINE-MIB_W0QQitemZ6049094108QQcategoryZ484QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I am not going to make any comments on the locomotive, but what I will say that this is not the older SD40-2 snoot nose loco, it is the recently made new version. It does not have the molded on grab irons...

And what the seller says about the chalk weathering is totally wrong... I have seen some modelers here do a weathering job a billion, no wait, infinity times better. Also they mention custom details, but I don't see any details besides what Athearn provided and that they only replaced the plastic hand rail with the metal ones (personally I hate the metal ones, not that detailed, stanchions move around a lot).

If I bought it, I would wash off the weathering and restore the model to it's former glory!

That thing looks like it had a collision with a septic tank service truck.........

[Anonymous]

Hi guys~

Yes I am Mark, the guy who was selling the SD40-2 that you're all having such a fun time bashing on this board...

My friend is an awesome modeller and artist but this muddy snoot was his first go at train weathering.

Wheras, I am a little embarassed, I do retan my dignity and not because I ended tbe auction (which was a relist and had no reserve by the way...) but because I know how I do business and that I care about fellow collectors as much or more than customers and money.

I know Chris is capable of turning out quality trains but will need to do a lot of research on prototypes to get more accurate in his weathering.

I got an email from someone and maybe he was just being a smart-*** but I'd like to think that he was being a decent. fellow.

At any rate, it would be nice if you would have the balls and/or the human decency to talk to my face or at least my email next time, rather than ranting and raving behind my back on a board somewhere.

George Carlin, your 5 year old, and even your scat-burying cat... would ALL agree~

Thanks
Mark Lynn