Subject:
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Review of MTW-3001-rw Custom "PCC" Streetcar
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lugnet.reviews
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Date:
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Fri, 1 Feb 2002 07:40:56 GMT
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MTW-3001-rw Custom “PCC” Streetcar
Milton Train Works(tm)/Custom 9-V train kit
Release date: Oct 2001, 2nd release
Rating date: Jan 15, 2002
Rated by: Arnold Chang
Ages: not specific but likely aiming for adult collectors, around 430 pieces.
20-page manual (6 subassemblies, 1 final assembly) and 4-page part list
Price Range: US$180
RATINGS (Scale: Must-Have Excellent Very-Good Good Fair Poor)
Set: Not applicable / Model: Excellent / Playability: Good
DECALS: None
PICTURES
Check http://www.miltontrainworks.com
SPECIAL FEATURES/COMPATIBILITY
One 9-V Train Motor
SET DESCRIPTION
This model is designed to model a mid 20th century US prototype streetcar.
Please visit http://www.miltontrainsworks.com for more details.
SPECIAL ELEMENTS
As a new comer to LEGO since my childhood, I am no expert in evaluating LEGO
elements. But thanks to the information-rich Internet, I am getting up to
speed. From what I know, this kit uses mostly common parts and none of
the parts really fall into the “hard to find” category. MTW claims that the
town windows and doors set used in this kit are no longer available; this
information is probably outdated as they can now be found at LEGO shop@home.
IMPRESSION
As a custom kit, it’s worthwhile to talk about the package first. This kit
by Milton Train Works (MTW) comes in a proper size and sturdy cardboard. A
letter-size B/W LDraw rendering print of the model is glued on the box’s
cover. The box is sealed by a small piece of paper endorsed by the
builder’s initials and the collection #. A nice touch. In my case, I am
reviewing model #3 out of production run #2. Everything is packed nicely
inside. The contents includes a bound instruction booklet, a Milton Train
Works train catalog, a purchase notes and a number of plastic bags
containing the new LEGO pieces. Since I won this kit on Ebay so I also
received my Ebay auction records. It is worthwhile to mention that MTW is
re-using LEGO bags, the type with lot of little “air holes”, to pack all the
pieces. Efficient yet look great, I think they are a great alternative to
Ziploc bags. Each bag contains all the pieces for one subassembly and a
small picture is included for easy location. The booklet is nicely
prepared. It contains a color cover of the model, a certificate of
authenticity, a congratulation letter, errata for any last-minute design
changes, an introduction page, the actual B/W instructions and a part list.
MLCad produces the latter two so they look very good. All pages are
enclosed in sheet protectors for ultimate protection. The whole package is
very well done. I just wish it may come with a fancier box (e.g. color
cover, plastic box), as I like to use it to keep all the documents.
I took about 3.5 hours to build the kit at a leisurely pace. There was no
point to rush, as I wanted to savior the build experience. The build
process was rather straight forward as MTW broke it down into numerous
subassemblies. Following the easy-to-understand instructions, I opened one
bag and built one subassembly at a time. Some parts were actually built
twice due to the symmetrical design of the model. Since I only had a
handful of elements on-hand at any one time, there was very little chance
for errors. The B/W instructions did prone to cause some confusion in
choosing the right color occasionally. That’s when the part list came in
handy. The list detailed all the specific elements to be used in each step.
MTW does offer color instructions at an additional US$10. If you don’t like
to cross reference to the part list, you may opt for this option. There
were other times that I were paused briefly as the diagram didn’t match the
available elements. Those were the cases where MTW had made some
adjustments and a quick visit to the errata should clarify any doubts.
Overall, this has been a fun and very smooth process. At the end of the
day, I found I was just missing two trans-yellow 1x1 plate and noticed one
black OEM 1x2 brick. The quality control was close to perfect.
Model: Excellent
I don’t know about its accuracy to a real life counterpart, it certainly
looks plausible and unique. And most importantly, it doesn’t feel like a
junior model. That is one aspect that seems to be associated with all LEGO
train products these days. One big reason is that this car is built mainly
by the common and basic elements, not by the chunky specialty elements. The
fact that it is not built upon on standard LEGO train base plates certainly
helps too. This model is made up of over 430 elements so it is jammed with
details in both exterior and interior. It appears to use many unique pieces
but I don’t know the actual figure because an inventory list is not
provided. Is it an oversight from MTW? I think most collectors would LOVE
to have an access to an inventory list. It gives a quick snapshot of the
model and may provide some interesting statistics such as if this streetcar
eats certain kind of elements for breakfasts…etc
The model is well built. All subassemblies interlock tightly with the final
assembly pieces. It remains rock solid after many runs on my nine feet oval
track. (Please bear with me as I got suck back to LEGO not long ago after I
curiously picked up a box of 4561 Express Railway at a discount price.)
Color scheme is very pleasant and consistent in each layer. I particular
like the pilot. The use of 1x2 dark-grey grilles really adds a lot of
characters to this car. Some designs look simple yet surprisingly pleasing
such as the fare collection boxes and the bench seats. And the 1x4 hinge
plates above the doors serves nicely as a spot for someone to grab on. I
only have two minor complains in the design department. The collision of
the 2x4x2 slope windscreens with the small white windows on the sides seem
to disturb a little bit from otherwise a “clean look” of this car. And the
operator area is too crowd with all the surrounding control panels that I
have a hard time to position a mini-fig operator properly.
Playability: Good
With its massive and beefy look, it’s fun to watch this streetcar move on
the tracks. But its dimension (6 studs W x 38 studs L x 9 bricks H) also
limits its curve handling ability. At full speed, the streetcar will derail
and may flip sideway when it is cutting into the tight LEGO radius. From my
experiment, it is able to handle up to two-third power provided by the speed
regulator. This speed limitation is okay with me as it runs too
unrealistically fast at full throttle anyway. Just keep it away from the
kids. When the train is not moving, there are other things you can do. You
can design your favorite advertising decals on the 2x2 or 1x4 tiles or pose
mini-figs inside the cabin by removing the detachable rooftop. The roof is
easy to be taken out but I can’t say the same the other way. In fact, MTW
includes a suggested technique in the booklet but I still find it a bit
tricky to do it right. Perhaps a better mechanism should be in place.
Especially at the moment, the operator is next to impossible to pose without
removing the permanent rooftop section. I also notice the door handles
(technic tubing) can be left out with some scratch marks if they are hold by
the mini-figs. Don’t hold them..
CONCLUSION
I am very satisfied with this custom kit. It has provided me a very good
building experience and most importantly, it is a great collective
model---something that’s worth to keep as is, not to be re-cycle for parts.
At first glaze, it may carry an expensive price tag, but when you start to
factor out all the parts cost, time and labor involved to prepare this kit,
I don’t think it’s really that expensive. Train parts and suitable elements
are hard to come by through the retailed channels, especially in Canada.
Most off-the-shelf LEGO kits contain too many specialty parts and too few
common parts that are essential to build a good train. I can tell you that
because I enjoy this model so much that I have decided to create a green
variant incorporating with some of my own ideas. My first rough estimate is
that it will run me over US$100 to collect all the elements from LEGO
shop@home, BrickBay and the likes.
As far as a custom train kit goes, this probably represents one of the
better ones on the market. If you’re on the market to buy or build a
realistic LEGO train, it is certainly a worthy candidate.
REVIEWER INFORMATION
Review Written: Jan 15, 2002
By: Arnold Chang
Age: 34 LEGO Train Collector
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