Now that MTH's P5a boxcab is being delivered, who do I contact at MTH to see when they will be replacing the shells on their 20-5620-1 boxcab that is disintegrating due to zinc pest?
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Did MTH produce extras for this issue?
Me too Ron!?
Ron
Good luck. The Chinese factories are opposed to making spare parts of any sort. Most Chinese-built products are single use and are expected to be thrown out when they break and replaced with new products.
Getting them to make spare parts is exceptionally difficult, even if you are the paying customer. It's not in their nature.
I am not hopeful that the replacements will be made available, due in part to the MTH line being acquired by a new company. Here is why…
I collect 1/72 diecast aircraft models. I had purchased a particular Corgi Lancaster Bomber when the version I wanted was released. I had owned it for about four years before it started to disintegrate. It was a $160 model and the zinc pest problem was present in a few versions of the plane, but others were okay…much like the JLC GG1 with zinc rot truck frames.
Sometime during the past four years, Corgi was purchased by Hornby, a British Model railroad maker. I emailed Corgi, only to be told that the new owner(Hornby) was not liable nor would replace any defective planes sold before their takeover of Corgi.
I would be pleasantly surprised if the new MTH does in fact provide replacement shells as I do own one and it has numerous cracks and paint issues due to the zinc pest…
Tom
@RoyBoy posted:Good luck. The Chinese factories are opposed to making spare parts of any sort. Most Chinese-built products are single use and are expected to be thrown out when they break and replaced with new products.
Getting them to make spare parts is exceptionally difficult, even if you are the paying customer. It's not in their nature.
In this case, the "old" MTH promised replacements when the next run was done. It's up in the air if the "new" MTH will honor that commitment.
I hope they honor it. You know what's silly about it. It's probably trivially inexpensive for them to just cast a bunch of extras. I'm sure some people would be happy even with an undecorated one so they could at least have the option to repair it by painting themselves or hiring a pro.
My point was that, no matter who the customer is, no matter who is paying the bills, the Chinese factories are incredibly resistant to produce spare parts. No matter if there is an upfront agreement or not, they just will not do it.
And my point is, MTH must have thought they could get spare shells or they wouldn't have made the promise! Truthfully, I suspect the people actually dealing with the factory probably have a better handle on what can and cannot be done here.
I have a voicemail in to Rich at MTH and have not heard back yet. I have been on the "list " for 5 years. Midge emailed me before she retired and stated I am still up for a replacement, I too am hoping MTH makes good on their promise to replace the zinc pested shells. Not really a "new" MTH in my opinion but a drastically downsized one. My guess (hope) is MTH will make good on this. Would hate to have the rug pulled out from me after a 5 year wait.
I have been in contact with the New MTH Parts folks on this subject and this is the answer I got on the replacement shells for the P5a.
"The current ETA for the engines is late January as they are on the water: however the shells are coming 1-2 months later. I don't know why.
MTH Parts and Sales LLC
L"
That response is date 22 December 2021. I hope this helps as I get updates I have been emailing those updates to anyone who reaches out to me via the email in my profile. I have been doing this for about 2 years and have been in contact with Mike about this and he assures me that the New MTH is still standing behind the comment to replace those bad shells I got that from him shortly after the new parts site went up.
Sounds promising Rick. 
John: We will see not to be rude but talk is cheap so I will continue to have faith in the New MTH standing behind the commitment to replace those shells and will be looking forward to something mid to late March. Do you have one? A question in my mind is how will all of this work? As MTH no longer does any repair work and having one of their AST do the work and who pays? Will they just send a shell to anyone on the list and we replace them and what do we do with the old shell and what about all the detail parts? Will they be on the new shell or will we need to move them from the old to the new? A lot of question yet to be answered, my self I will be happy with the shell and doing the work myself but no everyone will feel that way.
Rick, I would imagine you're just going to get the shell in the mail. I'm guessing you're on your own getting it actually installed on the locomotive, but I could be wrong. Given the fact that MTH has no capability to do the work, that's the most likely scenario. No telling what state the shells will be in, if they have all the lighting, etc. installed, it should be simple. If it's a stripped shell, it'll be more work to get them installed.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Rick, I would imagine you're just going to get the shell in the mail. I'm guessing you're on your own getting it actually installed on the locomotive, but I could be wrong. Given the fact that MTH has no capability to do the work, that's the most likely scenario. No telling what state the shells will be in, if they have all the lighting, etc. installed, it should be simple. If it's a stripped shell, it'll be more work to get them installed.
I would be fine with swapping shells myself as long as everything is a simple plug connection. Dont forget my proto 2 has electrically operating pantos. I am not sure if lighting is all the same from proto 2 to proto3. I guess the new release has LEDs whereas my proto2 has incadescant. Will boards be different? I guess I will see. I too wonder how this will be handled.
They're certainly not going to send the pan actuators with the shell, so you'll have to move those over. I'm still guessing a bare painted shell.
Here's a few picks of my zinc pested shell. What a shame. Such a beauty before the pest.
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Images (6)
I would enjoy owning one of these - I note that the few showing up at auction are offered at a very high price. I wonder if they too are crumbling?
I've seen some on ebay sell for high dollari with cracking visible. I'm assuming the buyer weren't aware of the issues. I can't imagine how the shell fare in shipping.
@RJT posted:I have been in contact with the New MTH Parts folks on this subject and this is the answer I got on the replacement shells for the P5a.
"The current ETA for the engines is late January as they are on the water: however the shells are coming 1-2 months later. I don't know why.
MTH Parts and Sales LLC
L"
That response is date 22 December 2021. I hope this helps as I get updates I have been emailing those updates to anyone who reaches out to me via the email in my profile. I have been doing this for about 2 years and have been in contact with Mike about this and he assures me that the New MTH is still standing behind the comment to replace those bad shells I got that from him shortly after the new parts site went up.
Rick,
As I have one of these units, how best to get on "the list"?
Mark
@bob2 posted:I would enjoy owning one of these - I note that the few showing up at auction are offered at a very high price. I wonder if they too are crumbling?
They just released a new run of these. If interested I would suggest checking with one of the many advertisers on this forum to see what they have available. They seem to be selling out quick!
@Frank Mulligan posted:They just released a new run of these. If interested I would suggest checking with one of the many advertisers on this forum to see what they have available. They seem to be selling out quick!
Hopefully, they didn't get the shells from the same source! 
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Hopefully, they didn't get the shells from the same source!
We'll find out in a couple of years! 
@PRRrat posted:Rick,
As I have one of these units, how best to get on "the list"?
Mark
Guess I need to know that too. I have been complaining about this for a while, but not sure if I am on any list.
@PRRrat posted:Rick,
As I have one of these units, how best to get on "the list"?
Mark
Mark my email is in my profile reach out to me there.
@RJT posted:Mark my email is in my profile reach out to me there.
Will do - thanks!
I just got this today from MTRH as part of another inquiry I sent to the Parts Contact:
The P5a shells are built and we are just waiting for them to ship from Asia.
Any updates on this topic. I was on Midges list too.
@ibrewtoo posted:Any updates on this topic. I was on Midges list too.
I sent MTH an email back in April and never heard back from them.
@PRRrat posted:Rick,
As I have one of these units, how best to get on "the list"?
Mark
Yes, I need to get on this list as well….Inquiring minds wanna know.
@RoyBoy posted:Good luck. The Chinese factories are opposed to making spare parts of any sort. Most Chinese-built products are single use and are expected to be thrown out when they break and replaced with new products.
Getting them to make spare parts is exceptionally difficult, even if you are the paying customer. It's not in their nature.
I hear ya, but how do you know this? Do you deal with Chinese model railroad manufacturers on a regular basis?
We see this analysis of the situation quite frequently and as far as I can tell it's an urban legend that keeps getting spread without any fact checking.
Do you have a source?
Mike
@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:I hear ya, but how do you know this? Do you deal with Chinese model railroad manufacturers on a regular basis?
We see this analysis of the situation quite frequently and as far as I can tell it's an urban legend that keeps getting spread without any fact checking.
Do you have a source?
Mike
That was the story I got at Michigan headquarters when I was a Lionel employee in 2007. There were many boxes of the then new Hiawatha 4-4-2 locomotives that were being cannibalized for parts and the employees told me that they could not get spare parts even though they requested them at the time the locos were ordered, before being manufactured.
What is your "source" for determining that it is an urban legend? Have you checked the facts?
This is why I like brass trains.
Recently saw an advert on FB marketplace for an MTH boxcab that obviously had zinc pest to the shell. I commented about it and the seller asked what I was referring to.
