Starting with June 2007 production, Athearn Blue Box kits will have metal wheels, AND new road numbers. The kits should start arriving in stores in early July. You can recognize them by the 60th Anniversary logo printed on the front of the box.
2007 marks 60 years of Athearn products. We are going to celebrate the second half of the year with several very exciting items.
We’ll have some rolling stock decorated with special paint (to be announced in July), and we’re also planning to have a prototype car decorated in a special livery (details on this will come as soon as everything is completely finalized).
Well it appears we are going to have to continue to feed the dragon. And it is our fault for exporting our stuff, jobs and work overseas for cheap profits. We deserved it too.
I started off with these box kits and they are still good after 30 years.
Nor am I since 90% of the models I own been made in China including my Atlas engines and cars.
We can’t over look the cold facts that Walthers cars and P1K,P2K locomotives are made in China as well.
I am also cautious about BB kits being made in China statement…I have NOT seen or read any proof of this and feel it may be no more then another Athearn Internet myth much like the old worn out “Athearn stop making BB kits” cry which still surfaces from time to time.
Well that’s good. Will this affect the cost at all? Also, do you know if Athearn is still going to make there RTR SD45? I sent them an Email but they haven’t replyed yet. One of the fourms memebers said they where but just wanted to make sure.
You are right about the rumors, there have been plenty. But, you couldnt argue with “we” saw. (We being the employee and I) They had recieved 2 kits, they were reefers cars with the painted “snow” on top. They had them in display mode, lid turned upside down, and wrapped in plastic so you could see the contents. But, plain as day in the end of the box, written in white ink, “MADE IN CHINA”. We stared at that for awhile. Just didnt look right.
Now, I will not say that the whole line will be, but logic says, probably is. But I can say for sure that these 2 were.
I for one choose not to pick on China when it comes to Athearn. I believe that the company is part of the USA. There may have been some tooling or perhaps a few parts from China but looking back into the Blue Box kits of 20+ years ago I dont see it.
There’s the rub…BB RTR and new release RTR China…BB kits" Made in USA with flag logo" so says the box lid on the last 3 BB car kits I bought 2 months ago…
I have not seen the new kits yet…Big John reports the BB kits are made in China…
Scratching head here…How about the new production site in Carson Ca? Remember when Athearn moved to Carson in 2004?
i went to my local hobby shop and i seen the bb kits and from what i got from it was the wheels and couplers were made in china i could be wrong though. but, most stuff is made overseas it’s a shame i cut my teeth on these kits. i buy others but i have a soft spot for the old bb’s and from what i gather they don’t make that many of them anymore. as far as somebody said about stewarts the wheels and couplers are made in china i ordered 13 kits and i asked before i placed the order.
I try to buy American made products. As an example, my entire Center-flow fleet consists of Athearn Blue Box and Accurail. There are no Athearn RTR, Intermountain, or Atlas (unless you want to count Pressureaide hoppers), even though they have more detail.
I sent an e-mail to Athearn asking where they make their Blue Box kits. Hopefully, I will get a reply.
The “Made in China” could be correct. That seems to be the norm these days. However, that statement could be misleading also. A good example is Intermountains RTR cars and diesels. The parts are made in Colorado and sent to China, where they are assembled and packaged in boxes that are marked “Made in China” and sent back to Colorado.