While shopping at Walmart tonight i discovered a new train related toy. Unfortunatly this toy represents a negative part of railroading. The toy im talking about is a series of railcars covered in graffiti, These cars are known as Enamalized. I felt that selling an item like this at Walmart is not a good idea and i brought it up to the Assistant store manager who told me she would pass the word onto her boss. I honestly hope that this toy is removed from the shelves.It represents a very dangerous and very illegal activity. Also i would think that a family oriented company like Walmart would not condone glorifying Graffiti, not to mention the possible lawsuit from a family if a child was injured or killed while trespassing in a trainyard after seeing it made to look “cool” to spaypaint on trains after getting this toy from Walmart. ok well im going to get off my soapbox! Here is a picture of this product.
Hmmm…CSX is as good about protecting its trademarks as UP, and, last I heard, the B&O capitol dome was one of them. Maybe somebody in CSX’s legal department would like to see this (The yellow cars are also inaccurate for C&O equipment, I think).
…Good luck alcodave…I hope you fnd someone in management there that knows what you are talking about. {May not be easy}…I agree graffiti is not a product to be selling {on a product}, to the masses…Legitimizing it.
Who produces this? I would get in contact with that company as well. Assuming, of course, that it’s not mass-produced in China by some mass-production company…
Actually, I think they are cool in a way. For those who wish to model the “real world” the way it is, this presents an oppotunity for real “realism”
No one has to buy it, if they themselves do not approve.
Anyone who is dependant upon the likes of Walmart to teach their children values, has missed the boat (IMO)
sheesh…do we get mad at the model train shops for selling Blair Line decals depicting graffiti for realistic modern models too?
Oops…just remembered, people already have. Oh well, I’m going to keep selling them anyway.
I kinda like the idea of being mad at Wal-Mart[;)], but really, where do you draw the line?
Hope this doesn’t cross the line of promoting my store, just trying to show another side to the story.
I have got to gets me one of these! Now on the other hand its been a while since I saw toy trains at wal-mart
Wal-MArt is selling railcars with grafitti on them? Isn’t that real life? Also - why would someone rely on Wal-MArt to tell kids what is right on wrong? I don’t think there is any harm in this. Let the police worry about those who break the law. I don’t think we need to rely on Wal-Mart to tell people what is legal and what isn’t. Wal-MArt is not a surrogate parent. I understand that some model railroad suppliers are now pre-weathering their products (graffiti included). Is that wrong too? Should we make model railroading a ‘rated pg’ hobby? I think this is a bit of an over-reaction.
I also seem to notice a distinct anti-Wal Mart strain in this thread. Would anyone care to elaborate?
I call BS…what kinda trucks are those and yellow on a B&O car? Realism and the real world my foot…
[:P]
I actually hate cars with graffitti on them, they look horrible, but unfortunately, that’s the state of affairs when it comes to trains. I think the point that is being made here is not so much using Wal Mart to teach values, but the glorification of the “ghetto culture”… But, it all boils down to teaching kids values, and etcetera. So, if Wal-Mart wants to sell the darn product… who cares?. Because if we are going to worry about the effect a toy is going to have on a kid, then we better remove the toy guns, sports cars, military vehicles, fighter planes, race cars, monster trucks, super hero costumes, and Star Wars light sabres, Barbies, Bratz Dolls, and Cabbage Patch kids from the toy shelves, lest a child get the wrong idea about morals, life, and right and wrong from one of those toys. As a parent, it is MY responsibility to teach my kid not to do things that are wrong, illegal, immoral, or otherwise stupid. If he grafitti’s a train car, then I will blame his stupidity, and him, long before I blame a toy train car…
Did you ever see the documentary that CNBC had on a year or two back? And to think, walmart used to have banners advertising “we buy american!” in their stores.
LOL.
They sell low quality products at rock bottom prices, don’t like 'em. Isn’t that where ‘joe dirt’ bought his wardrobe?
Well, I guess you “got me” there. That really wasn’t the debate I thought we were having [X-)] but oh well.
I believe these toys are a new version of Maisto’s “On-Track” trains, which are close to TT scale. I have lots of them, I was real excited when I finally saw TRAINS in Wal-Mart (besides the junky HO train sets during holiday time). Now, I know that graffiti is depresing (I guess), but it’s just real life. I think that having one of these cars on your train would make your consists look more realistic. After all, if you see a freight train go by, every single car is usually very dirty and most have some sort of graffiti art on them. You NEVER see a train where each car is spotless with no nicks or dirt or spots (yes, including passenger trains, too). I don’t think there’s anything real wrong with these cars; it’s just another try to promote this train series, which I think was a failure. Just as long as the graffiti doesn’t say anything bad, they have every right to put these cars out. Heck, I may even get a few for my OnTrack collection.
Yeah but that was a great movie!!![:D]
No I missed that one. What did CNBC have to say about it?
They talked about their buying practices.
went like this:
Walmart: “we will only buy those lamps if we can get them for 3 dollars a piece”
American Lamp Maker: “It costs me 4 dollars to make each one”
Walmart: : “So make them in China”
Also talked about stores oversees, activists aginst them, labor problems, the usual. It is kind of sickening to watch. I haven’t been to a Mal*Wart ever since.