I have four of the first release Big Boys (4005, 4006, 4014, 4017) and Challenger 3985. Still on the hunt for 4012. I've always been happy with them and never felt I paid too much... although I won't admit how much 3985 cost me. To my eyes, they look great. To my ears, they sound far better than Tsunami. I'm not a DCC fanatic who feels it necessary to reprogram every single CV, so for me, they perform flawlessly in a DCC environment. All that being said, I was eager to order a couple new ones when they were announced in 2010 (4005 and 4013). Three agonizingly long years later, my 4005 arrived last week. What a complete 180! Lots of changes (mostly in production) resulting in lots of disappointment as a consumer. First, the new Big Boy releases just don't snap like the old ones fresh out of the box. The black finish has more of a dull matte-like appearance than the older ones. If you argue that prototypical UP steam isn't shiny in the first place, then you have never seen 844 or 3985 in person. Looking closely, the actual paint itself seems cheap on the new Big Boy. It looks and feels like it was applied using a can of Krylon spray paint. There were several small pieces of piping where the paint had already flaked off near corners and bends thus exposing bare metal. Cheap. The brass pieces along the top of the boiler, such as the whistle, are not finished in a bright, shiny, polished brass paint. Mine were a dull yellowish color as if painted as an afterthought. Same for the bell. The inside of the bell was not painted red, either. An important, but missed detail. As for the piping and grab irons, most were bent or otherwise misshapen. Not a big deal as this is not uncommon during shipping and I was able to bend most parts back into shape. The deck plate was detached and floating loose in the box. Easily reattached, though. The couplers are already installed on the tender and locomotive and my 4005 did not come with a dummy prototype coupler for the front of the loco. The product description on their web site says the Big Boys come with two prototype couplers, but mine had none at all. After feeling disappointed by the overall appearance of the Big boy straight out of the box, it was time for redemption... run it on the layout. First thing to note, MTH has changed the drawbar assembly. Nothing like the previous release. It's basically a flimsy piece of plastic with three-pin connections on each end. The only way to firmly seat the connection to the tender is turn the loco and tender on their side (off track) and connect the pieces. I tried with the loco and tender on the track, but I could not get the fittings to connect securely. I thought it was much easier and much cleaner in appearance the old way. The previous releases also allowed for choosing between long or short draw bar on the same bar. Now, the long draw bar is pre-installed. A short drawbar is included in the packaging. Some disassembly/reassembly is required to switch. The upside is that on the loco end, the wiring connects to the draw bar via three-pin fittings. Much better than the old solder method which was prone to disconnecting in a slight breeze. Once assembled, I applied track power. Nothing. I removed the loco and tender and did a quick troubleshoot on the layout. Clean. No shorts. 12.4 volts. Other MTH locos and Athearn locos ran just fine. New Big Boy back on the layout. Nothing. I'm no stranger to MTH. Yes. I tried everything I could think of and everything that MTH suggests. Nothing. I removed the boiler and tested the boiler board. Dead. Needless to say, at this point I was already beyond aggravated. I contacted my dealer and he agreed to take it back, no questions. I asked him if someone had messed with the loco before he shipped it. He assured me it went straight from his crate into the box he shipped to me. He has offered to send me a replacement, but agreed to take it back as well if it turns out to be the same disappointment. Seems to me that MTH has made some fatal production changes. Despite the significantly higher price point, the quality has suffered. Aesthetically, the Big Boys, at least the 4005 I received, are not the same impressive beasts they were as with the first release. Even after a three-year wait, the damned thing looked like it was rushed through the line using inferior parts and finishes. Oh, and they no longer provide a comprehensive Owner's Manual/Engineer's Manual or a warranty card. You get only a condensed, general quick start guide to MTH steam and a large, foldout advertisement for DCS. If you want a complete manual or a warranty card, you have to go to the web site and print it off yourself. Cheap. I'm all for product loyalty, but this experience has soured me.
All that said, after 4005 was on its way back to the dealer, my other MTH Big Boys returned to service and I had a pleasant operating session with no problems at all. Done ranting now. Jason in Colorado
