Well Steve, I started in on these kits and ive got to say that I am really quite dissapointed.
These kits were initially designed as On3 kits and all that was changed was the wheel sets and couplers. Now, in changing the coupler to a #5 Kadee the coupler pocket requires trimming away material. When you get the coupler into the pocket finally , you find that the cars detail cover that is supposed to fit over the couplers draft box sits too high because this car was not truly designed with this coupler in mind. This means you have to shim all the way around to take care of an unsightly gap of about a scale 6 inches.
When putting the trucks together i found that the trucks main frame members were set for On3 distance so the On30 wheel sets wouldnt seat properly. This requires trimming a scale 6" off these members, sanding smooth etc before putting the trucks together.(it was a good thing i checked this before gluing because it would not have worked and the trucks may have been destroyed trying to take them back apart.)
I also had a Kadee #5 spring that was damaged in the package(one wing was bent over and when trying to straighten it, of course it broke)
Jim King was contacted regarding this and he of course said it was a sealed package so not his fault.(i did buy the kit from him did i not? As a seller of a complete kit i would think that includes all of its component parts).
Before this In an Email i asked him if he had actually built any of these and what problems i should look out for. He said he had and only that which was in the instructions.
It was painfully obvious that while he may have built these kits in On3, that was not the case in On30 and the troubles I had were not addressed in the instructions.
This product should never have been marketed under the On30 scale without some actual testing and perhaps even some reworking of the moulds to deal with the coupler issue.
I am not very pleased and was so frustrated i have put them away for now and will deal with finishing the project when i am not so upset.
I can probobly make them work (the coupler height may be an issue and i wont know this till i get the trucks actually mounted)
As there is no way to deal with this other than to change wheel sizes or shim the entire truck mount , i dont even want to think about this at the present time.
My advice, dont waste your time or your money.
They may be a good kit for On3, but if you have trouble, dont count on Jim King from Smokey mountain doing anything about it!!
I contacted Kadee this morning , it will be interesting to see what they have to say. It may be i'll have to buy 10 springs and pay shipping to get the 1 i need. Or they may say hey, its on its way. Truly they are not responsible to me,as i purchased through Smokey Mountain.Had Jim replaced the part, I'm sure Kadee would have taken care of him being a dealer.
We shall see what Kadee has to say, i am hopeful as they have been in business a long time!!(perhaps much longer than smokey mountain will be!!
