Gettysburgh E 1-1
I received a Gettysburg E 1-1 and it appeared to be very well done and then the comments about problems started and would not end. I checked the license plate and mine is on correct. I then went to the Gettysburg website and started looking at each side for inaccuracies and there were many - too damned many - for a model that was supposedly reviewed by the Gettysburg people and by several other persons of high repute. So - what happened? There are two orange lights on the front panel just above the bumper that are not in any of the photos. The front bumper is incorrect - there is no intake suction in the front bumper. The light bar on the cab roof is obviously incorrect. The Mattydale hose load behind the cab is incorrect. The items stored in the area around the deluge are not correct. The left side rear compartment has a large decal "Engine 1" that is not even on the real engine. The main hose load dividers and hose is not correct. The rear folding steps to the top are not the same steps used in the model. The two lengths of suction hose are not mounted correctly and the metal connections are not finished correctly. The rear red lights on the posts are not the same as shown in the photos. The decal on the right rear roll-up again is not correct. The right pump panel and the left pump panel have inaccuracies. I have to ask why so many problems that could have been corrected without some major tooling work? Why could a more accurate replica not be produced and released for the collectors to checkout and give nods of approval. This is just poor work for a company that touts itself in its publications and advertisements as the best. The new Chicago engine is just another repaint with no corrections to the cab that has already been labeled as highly incorrect in its last versions. I hope that we are not going to get stuck with the same cab on the FDNY 900 Series TDA.
I have to tell you that this is just unacceptable. I will put some of my model money away and get one of the new TWH engines and aerials. The scale may be different but the quality of workmanship is a very big step above what Code 3 is producing in the past 3-4 years. If the people that make the decisions and commit the resources do not want to loose it all they better wake up and improve the quality of what they are doing. Even 'repaints' should not look like Earl Scheib paint jobs. You want us to buy what you produce then you better turn out better product.
