Model Railroading > Big Dawg shells

I want to purchase a ATSF angled cab GP9 from Big Dawg.   Does anyone have any thoughts on this?  Are they good?  Bad?  Let me know.  Thanks

I just got a shell last week, and I am happy with it,

Edit, After reading the following inputs on this thread and the previous thread Bruce referred to, I'll withhold any more dealings with them,

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/17 19:43 by calsubd.

I've got exactly one shell from them and the walkway was awfully warped on it.  In addition, I have moral objections to profiting off of others' work, but to each their own, I guess.  I'd just rather build it myself.

- Jeff Carlson

Dear ?

I have seen his shells and they are of poor quality and he is a copying others work. See thread.  Bruce

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,3908472


 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/17 13:49 by brfriedm.

Thoughts on this? What I have seen is crude at best and I can’t believe people pay money for such, his customer base must have really poor eyesight.......
 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/17 14:59 by ESPEE5318.

I got an eBay hit the other day from a search I had followed for a month. I was waiting for some Athearn All weather windows but this hit was not by athearn--it was Big Dawg.

Posted from Android

I'm pretty sure Athearn is doing rebuilt Santa Fe geeps. You could just wait until they are out.

Alec

^^^^
THIS
vvvv

dh1205 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm pretty sure Athearn is doing rebuilt Santa Fe
> geeps. You could just wait until they are out.
>
> Alec

I had interest in their GP9 until I spoke to a friend who purchased one as a test bed. My understanding runs parallel, tons of flash, warped, poor overall quality.  

JW

brfriedm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dear ?
>
> I have seen his shells and they are of poor
> quality and he is a copying others work. See
> thread.  Bruce
>
> http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,3
> 908472
>
>
>  

Or if you can't waint, buy an undec and start your own. 

MrMRL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ^^^^
> THIS
> vvvv
>
> dh1205 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I'm pretty sure Athearn is doing rebuilt Santa
> Fe
> > geeps. You could just wait until they are out.
> >
> > Alec

I have bought a couple of his shells. - I saw them on a stand at the Portland Convention and could see wjay quality they were.  Both were good (B30-7A B unit; C36-7). They clear;ly used original parts by Atlas but with the extra detail added by presumably the owner of Big Dawg to create a master.  I have a clear conscience on this as I bought both a complete Atlas C30-7 and a B23-7 to provide the mechanism - the Atlas bodies will go in my spares box.  His SD45-2B was not great on close inspection.  Cannot comment on others as I did not look to buy any beyond the above. 

Had a GP30B briefly. Had tool marks on the customized parts -- would have been smarter to clean up these scrapes and gouges before making the master. Added rooftop short nose details were poor. Remainder of the shell was a re-mold of the Lionel-Bachmann-BevBel shell that has been around forever. Molding quality was so-so and it would have taken quite a bit of work to get the shell to sit straight and level on a frame. Came to the conclusion I could do better on my own.

I have seen other shells and cabs from BigDawg.  3 to be exact.   1 was an SD45-2B hammerhead, and 2 were GP7 cabs.   All of which were warped or curved/bent.   For some reason, I decided to buy a C36-7 to try for myself.   So far, I don't see too much off about it, and luckily it doesn't seemed warped.  It is definitely an Atlas shell with other parts added and then molded to sell in mass.   I will post pics of my progress on it later....

To the " haters " who have had a problem with a Big Dawg Shell why did you not contact me and tell me so I could replace it or refund your money. Can not fix it if I do not know and telling people here does not fix the problem or is there another agenda. There are plenty of people who like what I do and some of them are the big manufacturers who I have spoken with and are aware of what I do. It 's the spineless people who do not sign their names to their slanderous comments that I guess you take with a grain of salt . I think if I was doing something wrong I would have been served by now. I think with some of you it's awful hypocritical what you guys are saying.

www.bigdawgoriginals.com  or http://www.ebay.com/sch/bigdawgoriginals/m.html?_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1  for those to check out some Big dawg Shells



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/17 10:28 by BigDawg.

Dear ??????,

Your post tells us all we need to know about your business. Thanks for responding. I have had over 20 of your shells in my hands over the years and 100% had major flaws. Also please name the "Big" manufacturers that are supporters. Would love to know. and please sign your real name.  Thanks Bruce 

BigDawg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> To the " haters " who have had a problem with a
> Big Dawg Shell why did you not contact me and tell
> me so I could replace it or refund your money. Can
> not fix it if I do not know and telling people
> here does not fix the problem or is there another
> agenda. There are plenty of people who like what I
> do and some of them are the big manufacturers who
> I have spoken with and are aware of what I do. It
> 's the spineless people who do not sign their
> names to their slanderous comments that I guess
> you take with a grain of salt . I think if I was
> doing something wrong I would have been served by
> now. I think with some of you it's awful
> hypocritical what you guys are saying.
>
> www.bigdawgoriginals.com  or
> http://www.ebay.com/sch/bigdawgoriginals/m.html?_i
> pg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1  for those to check out some
> Big dawg Shells

I just saw on another forum that the Anthracite Railroads Historical Society just posted this on their Facebook page. 

March 30, 2017

Dear ARHS Members and Friends,
 
Back in 2007-2008, as a fundraiser for the society, ARHS invested substantial time and resources in the development of an HO-Scale Baldwin DR-4-4-1500 “Babyface” model shell that could fit on a Life-Like Proto 2000 FA2 chassis.  This involved researching the Babyface designs at the PA state archives in Harrisburg, PA, working with CAD designers to appropriately scale the shells, working with resin mold casters to alter the shells to “lock” on to a FA2 chassis, and procuring the necessary detail parts to accompany the shells (windshields, steps, horns, etc.)  All of this time was invested by the Society to further our mission of historical preservation and to support the Society financially through sales of this model.
 
In January 2017, the ARHS was contacted by Mr. Bruce Gavin of Big Dawg Originals (BDO) (https://www.bigdawgoriginals.com/).  Mr. Gavin informed the ARHS he was selling copies of the shells which he had made from a mold he had taken of one of our shells.  To justify this piracy of our design, he alleged correctly that the design of the original locomotive was in the public domain, but incorrectly that the design of our HO scale model was also in the public domain. It is not.  Mr. Gavin is presently promoting his pirated copies on BDO’s website (link above), via eBay, and via Facebook.  Apparently sales have been substantial enough to justify a second run per BDO’s Facebook and web pages.
 
The ARHS takes the position that Mr. Gavin's actions constitute theft of our design.  Apparently this is not the first time that Mr.Gavin has attempted to pirate someone else's work.  Our claims of theft are echoed by reputable manufacturers (Athearn, Rapido, etc.), and have been posted or quoted in reputable online forums (i.e. Model Railroader )
 
So where does that leave us?  The ARHS has contacted Bruce Gavin of BDO directly stating our position and requesting he and his company cease from these illegal activities.  

We are also asking for your help and cooperation by not patronizing this illegal activity, and spreading the word to other modelers of BDO's questionable reputation. Companies like BDO only have a market for their product if there are customers out there who support them.  Margins in the model railroading industry have shrunk so much in recent years that the only manufacturers left are those that would not be in it except that they enjoy the hobby as much as the modeler does.  As if the financial pressure on the industry from overseas manufacturing wasn’t enough, now we have issues from companies like BDO on the home front to deal with.  Specific to the ARHS, it was our hope that the investment we had in the Babyface models years ago could be used to benefit the Society down the road with additional HO models, including double-enders, and possibly runs of the Babyface shells in additional scales.  The actions of BDO have put these future opportunities at risk for the ARHS.
 
The ARHS board of directors requests your support in not patronizing companies such as BDO and encouraging your friends and family to do the same.  There is nothing original about BDO.  Their work is theft of another’s investment, design, and hard-earned ideas, plain and simple.
 
Warmest Regards,
 
The ARHS Board of Directors

brfriedm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dear ??????,
>
> Your post tells us all we need to know about your
> business.

Yep.

EO

BigDawg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> To the " haters " who have had a problem with a
> Big Dawg Shell why did you not contact me and tell
> me so I could replace it or refund your money. Can
> not fix it if I do not know and telling people
> here does not fix the problem or is there another
> agenda. There are plenty of people who like what I
> do and some of them are the big manufacturers who
> I have spoken with and are aware of what I do. It
> 's the spineless people who do not sign their
> names to their slanderous comments that I guess
> you take with a grain of salt . I think if I was
> doing something wrong I would have been served by
> now. I think with some of you it's awful
> hypocritical what you guys are saying.

You seriously should have stopped at offering a refund or replacement, and nothing more.  The rest of your post does nothing but damage your own image, and that of your company.

BigDawg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> To the " haters " who have had a problem with a
> Big Dawg Shell why did you not contact me and tell
> me so I could replace it or refund your money. Can
> not fix it if I do not know and telling people
> here does not fix the problem or is there another
> agenda. There are plenty of people who like what I
> do and some of them are the big manufacturers who
> I have spoken with and are aware of what I do. It
> 's the spineless people who do not sign their
> names to their slanderous comments that I guess
> you take with a grain of salt . I think if I was
> doing something wrong I would have been served by
> now. I think with some of you it's awful
> hypocritical what you guys are saying.
>
> www.bigdawgoriginals.com  or
> http://www.ebay.com/sch/bigdawgoriginals/m.html?_i
> pg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1  for those to check out some
> Big dawg Shells

First off, as someone who works with most of the major manufacturers as a field researcher, your company name has been mentioned, and it is usually not in a good way.

Second, "It 's the spineless people who do not sign their names..." Pot - meet - kettle! And I do have a problem with what you are doing and you will not ever get any of my business.

Russ Goodwin
Oakwood, GA

Their product is garbage. Hate to be so blunt but there really is no other way to describe them. Would rather buy from Tyco.