I received my WBB GE 44-ton switcher last week, but didn't have time to see how it compares to my Sunset 44-tonner. Got a chance to take a few pictures at the club yesterday. When I got it, I took a quick glance, but didn't really have time to examine it. I'm a bit spoiled because I was lucky enough to snag a Sunset 2-rail GE 44-tonner about a year ago, so my initial expectations were that it was going to be more toy than model and I would have to add details. I was pleasantly surprised.
End-to-end
WBB did a very good job of capturing the proportions. It's a bit hard to see because of the stripes, but they got very close. It passes the 3-foot rule. One "complaint" about the WBB unit is that it's a bit light. The Sunset is heavier to prevent slipping. I'm pretty sure, based on Lee Willis' photos, that the locomotive can be ballasted using thin stick-on weights.
Side-by side
Here again, WBB did a pretty good job of capturing the 44-tonner. Note the missing side sun visors which are present on the Sunset model. I didn't have my calipers handy, but it appears the WBB cab is slightly wider and has a more pronounced roof curvature. They also added forward/rear visors which are molded on, as are the windshield wipers. Other items of note are the hand rails -- flexible plastic on the WBB; wire on the Sunset. I like the paint on the Sunset and plan to apply that to the WBB. Although hard to see on this photo, the railings on the WBB unit are nicely done. They even included coupler pin lift bars on the pilot. On the Sunset model, the pilot foot boards are separately applied and more detailed, but on the WBB model, they did a pretty good job molding them. By the way, the end of the hood on the Sunset model is not curved; it's an illusion created by the silver pinstripe.
One interesting little item is that on the WBB locomotive, there are vents molded into the hoods, where on the Sunset unit, they're covered. Having never seen a 44-tonner in person and not having and documentation, I'm not sure what to make of this. I know there were multiple phases of the GE 44-tonner and this may be a difference.
Pilot Close-Up
Here are the pilots close up. A couple of things I didn't expect, and was pleasantly surprised by, was the inclusion of the pilot grabs brake hose and poling pockets on the WBB model (yes I'm thinking it is well into model territory, now). Another notable point here is the THE PILOTS ARE FIXED! 
. It gets better, too, because the coupler is NOT mounted to the truck. I haven't removed it yet, so I don't know how involved replacing them with Kadees will be. Also note a very good job on the bolt detail.
The Drive
This is an apples to oranges comparison, but more of an info-only thing. The Sunset model uses a horizontal motor to gearboxes on the outer axles, with chains driving the inner axles. The WBB model uses a horizontal motor in each truck that drive only the inner axles, which have a traction tire on one wheel. Since this is a small switcher and would only be handling small cuts of cars this shouldn't upset anyone. WBB also put the pickup rollers out at the extreme ends to extend the reach and prevent stalling. I didn't get a chance to test this as yesterday was our business meeting and we don't normally run.
Summary
I "needed" another small switcher for 3-rail use. Although I was excited to hear about the MTH 44-ton offering, the fact that it wasn't going to be available with scale wheels and/or fixed pilots (especially with the nice job on an earlier GE switcher) was a deal breaker. I opted to spend half as much and deal with adding details and command control myself. The WBB 44-tonner was a very pleasant surprise.
WBB did a great job with this one. It's a unit that people have been clamoring for and it doesn't look like they took shortcuts to offer this unit at such a good price point . Putting Kadees on will be a bit tricky, but not insurmountable. Speed is an issue in conventional mode but should be easily remedied with installation of a command board. As Lee has already demonstrated, it also lends itself to modification. I'm betting that switching it over to 2-rail for someone so inclined would not be too difficult either.
By the way, I did get decent low speed operation at 8 volts on a Z4000. However, it did speed up when blowing the horn. This will be remedied when I install a cruise-commander. The sound was decent, especially for a locomotive this small.
It's a little tight, but I now know it all fits. 