SDS Tankers a quick review

It's been a bit quiet in the shed lately between work and family commitments and I have had a serious man Flu in the last week so sorry for the lack of posts. The following is my personal review of the SDS  fuel tankers.

I preordered and paid for my SDS tanker models. I have opted to purchase the “special offer” tankers from SDS models. This is my quick review of the models.
I put it on record, upfront, that I know one of the SDS guys through my local model railway club. This fellow has very modeling high standards, that this can be seen from his well known modeling efforts and I think explains the reason for the special offer.

The wagons come packaged in silver boxes decorated with the SDS models’ pin stripping. The models are well protected for transport via a clear plastic cover inside the box.

A real bonus is that the wagons come factory fitted with genuine Kadee scale head whisker couplers. The rp88 wheels look the part and the wagons roll freely. The bogie detail is exquisite, as is all the underframe details.

As shown in the photos the paint and decals are probably some of the best I have ever seen on a model. The lettering is very crisp and legible.

Now to the reason for the special offer. Some of the etched walkways and ladders have been installed poorly and as a result they can have a bit of flex to them. I personally think the guys at SDS have sold themselves a little short here. On the examples I received found this to be so minor it was barely noticeable.

I think this problem could be easily fixed by anyone with moderate modeling skills . This would be done removing the walkways and reaffixing them in place. This becomes tricky is because they have been glued in place so would require them to cut and re glued.

It just depends on how noticeable it is. I think in most cases with appropriate weathering you would barely notice. I have seen handrails on locos that look worse. Most of the guys at the club who viewed the  models had to shown what these issues were.

I think SDS should be commended for only wanting the highest standards in their models. My advice is if you have modeling skills (e.g. you can put a kit together) I would take advantage of the offer while it's available. Get some inexpensive but fantastic looking models that may or may not need a little work to bring them up to some of the highest standards anyone could hope for. I have included the link to the special offer order form below.


http://www.sdsmodels.com.au/xorder.htm


 cheers Jon