Manufacturer: Llagas Creek Railways, 2200 Llagas Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037. Price: 1:32 scale plastic tiestrip with code 215 nickel silver, aluminum, or steel rail to be determined. California residents please add 8.25-percent sales tax.

Llagas Creek sent us a pre-production test sample. The actual production run will have slightly shorter ties. But the exactly-to-scale size molded-on spikeheads and tieplates will remain the same. So will the understated, extraordinarily realistic woodgrain and the accurate shape and profile of each tie. The chocolate brown, UV resistant plastic ties scale 9 feet long by 8 inches wide by 7 inches high. In common with previous Llagas Creek products, a pair of thin splines runs along the base of the tie strip directly beneath the rails. Every other spline is separated from the next to allow you to curve the tiestrip.

Even though our sample is subject to modification, we feel safe in saying the quality and appearance of Llagas Creek Railways' flextrack are superb. When you ballast it, the appearance will be very close to that of handlaid track. If you model in 1:32 or 1:29 scales, you would be negligent in overlooking Llagas Creek's new flextrack.-RR