NEW ATLAS HO TRAINMAN GP38-2

Atlas has just announced production of GP38-2 in their Trainman series which seems to be a basic plain jane version of their Master Series. There will be two road #'s, 463 and 476 and they will retail for $89.95. I personally have no experience with this line so input from others is welcome. By reading the literature and studying the downloadable PDF on Atlas's website, it looks like the good things are that the locomotives imploy the same drive train as the Master Series models and have an 8 pin NMRA plug. Except for handrails, there are no details (grabirons, lift rings, coupler lift bars, etc.) installed, just dimples where they should go. Having said all of that, my big question to the group is are the handrails the same size as on the Master Series or heavier? Also, the picture (actually artist's rendering) shows them being solid orange, but that too can be corrected. My biggest concern would be the size (diameter) of the handrails as that would be more difficult to correct.

Bob Hoover
FriscoFriend

 

As an update to the original post for future reference on this model two fellow Frisco modelers have weighed in on this model on another loop so I am posting their findings here.
(1) Bob Wintle researched the handrail issue and has determined that these are not the same parts # as used in the Master Series GP38AC.
(2) Nick Molo noticed that in researching the photos of the pilot model on the Atlas website that to him the handrails seem to be oversized and do not mount prototypically on the sill and step wells. He goes on to point out that the Frisco late GP38-2's do have the wafer style radiators like the model but did not have anticlimbers which the model does on the front but not on the back. He trhinks the model is a very late version possibly from the eighties. Lastly he points out that Atlas did select the correct road numbers for the radiator grills.
By what they have pointed out, to me the biggest drawback on this model are the size of the handrails and the front anticlimber.
Thanks to both of you for your observations.
Bob Hoovr
FriscoFriend

 

To further update my post, it has now been pointed out to me that this model has the 61" nose which the Frisco of course didn't. This combined with the front anticlimber make this a hard if not impossible model to correct.
Having said that, I still think that this is a move in the positive direction as it exposes the roadname to first time modelers.
Bob Hoover
FriscoFriend