Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: For Model Railroaders to DROOL over!

This is topic For Model Railroaders to DROOL over! in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 04-19-2004, 09:47 PM:

Check out E-Bay #3188425783

This is advertised as the 1994 production run. But this info may be incorrect. The last PFM-Tenshodo run was a lot of 50--each one being individualized, and was imported around 1999. Don Drew @ PFM should be able to provide info about this model. I do have a copy of the origonal advertisement from the 1999 run.

According to Don Drew, Tenshodo will never again build another Challenger model...their production began in the late 1950s and there is the very famous set articles that are still popular by Bob Darwin in Model Railroader Magazine on the "Art of Superdetailing", in which he tackled the early PFM/Tenshodo Challengers and Big Boys. Many of the investment patterns he created became part of the Cal-Scale line, and can still be purchased today. And yes, PFM helped found Cal-Scale.

With the blessing of Mr. Drew, I wrote Tenshodo and inquired about the fate of the tooling for these models, as I was interested in saving it from the possible scrap heap. I in turn received a very nice letter from Tenshodo, stating that the Challenger was very special to them, and that the tooling is being preserved in their archives.

This model is selling for way below origonal list price, and I would definately buy it, but am now a poor suffering college student.

At $1700.00, there are currently no bidders.

The detail on this run of models is par-none!

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 04-22-2004, 12:57 PM:

Another model that has shown up on E-Bay

One of the legendary On3 PFM/Kodama K-27s...which is acknowledged as one of the best models ever produced!