I haven't seen this mentioned on this board before but Intermountain has announced a "new release" of the Tichy USRA 2-bay hopper with rebuilt side-panels in a Frisco paint scheme. The model is ready-to-run, available in 6 road numbers and retails for $32.95. http://www.imrcmodels.com/distrib/tichy/html/T452915.htm If you want one or more of these, I would suggest ordering them, as Intermountain has been known to drop proposed models if they don't get enough orders. Rich
I reserved mine a few months back, and they talked like these would definitely be run, however Rich is right in that they can change their mind at a moments notice. Not just that, but typically they don't bring in anymore than whats reserved, kind a like brass so if your interested speak up. The price may seem a bit steep, but when you consider the kit itself is around $15 and you have to assemble, paint and decal thats not to bad a price. Although the kits are fun to assemble they take some time, and by no means are they shake the box. I hope they do well enough to justify other Frisco projects. Brad
The Tichy kit was a craftsman syle kit with many tiny parts. I bought one about 10 years ago and managed to gunk it up so bad that I ended up throwing it away. Not everyone has the talent and patience to be a Master Model Maker! That being said, if they include all the detail parts that were in the kit, it will be one of the most detailed models out there. Rich
I bought three Accurail models painted black with the same number. I ordered the renumbering set offered in each Accurail car, and last night I changed the number on two of the cars. I must say I was very impressed with how the renumbering sets covered the existing numbers. Looking through my magnifying glasses, I could barely see the sides of the decals. Looking without those glasses, the cars looked like the numbers were original. Obviously, the Accurail kits are not as detailed as the IRC kit will be if it is available, but they are not bad. When I bought them, I didn't know that the Frisco had any of the black two bay hoppers, as I never saw any after I hired out in 1971. I was certainly glad to learn that the color was prototypical. Terry
A couple of days ago I received my order of the Tichy/intermountain hoppers. Though over all it is a good model, it does get demerits for a couple of aspects that I found. The detail is excellent. It has separately applied grab irons which give the ends a lacy look. The inside of the hopper has rivet detail and even the inside of the bulging panels are modeled. There are two bars connecting the sides which I've never seen modeled before. Unfortunately, there's 4 oval shaped casting marks on the slope sheets which mar the realism. One one car, there was a speck of dirt in the paint. There is no brake rigging underneath; something I would expect for a car with a list price of over $30. It does have blackened metal wheelsets and the standard-for-Intermountain Kadee #5 couplers. The hopper is reasonably free rolling, but seems underweight; my scale reads 1.5 ounces. One could increase the weight by adding a coal or other load, but it would have to be modified to clear the interior bracing. Compared with the Accurail version of this car, it's a step up. However, one would expect that with a car that costs over twice as much. I've seen the car offered in the mid $20 range. If you want a long string of these cars and are on a budget, I'd go with the Accurail car and change the numbers. Rich
