Globalization isn’t the problem. Tiny market for obscure, low demand products is the issue.
Paul,
So, painting and detailing an undecorated Atlas HH600/660 wouldn’t work for a HH600 for NH fans? The NYC only had HH600s and the HH660 exteriors were virtually identical.
Tom
Ed:But being Walthers “Mainline”, it worries me that the detailing may be clunky. And/or cast on.
Ed,As I mention for $99.00 I have no high hopes for a mast improved SW1… I suspect it will have the same body but,with the improvements Walthers mention in their description.
Ed:On t’uther hand, it could be an opening salvo against Bachmann’s recent release of some VERY nicely done affordable locos.
I suspect we will see more Atlas( Trainman) locomotives and more reasonable price Athearn RTR locomotives to counter Bachmann offererings…
How do you expect them to post pictures of a model that isn’t even produced yet? No it is not normally customary to post pictures of newly announced models. The pictures come later when the tooling gets worked out. Its been that way for years 90% of the time. Very seldom do you get to see pictures of a new model when it is announced unless it is a repaint of something that has been built already. [*-)]
Tom,
While it is true that late-production HH600’s and regular HH660’s used the same body, the 10 NH HH600’s (largest of any HH600 owner) were of the earlier production run of HH600’s. These earlier HH600’s had large single louvers under the hood doors and a squared off hood top corner where it met the nose.
HH660’s, OTOH, had regular louvers on the doors themselves and a rounded off nose after being modified by Otto Kuhler.
HH600 (early):
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1480086
HH660:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=252072&nseq=1
Paul A. Cutler III
Why, by showing test shots, as Athearn frequently does.
But that’s not the point, I think. The problem is in expecting people to ORDER models before they have an idea of what they’re committing to buy.
See comments above.
Again, it’s not that they’re ANNOUNCING that they’re going to make something–it’s that they expect us to ORDER it before they can properly describe it.
Ed
Thanks for the explanation, Paul. From the Yard Limit web site, the ten (10) NH 600s were manufactured in April '37/May '38. The eleven NYC/B&A 600s were all manufactured in '39.
I looked at a picture of NYC #677 and it appears to have the rounded nose. They must have changed the nose/louver design sometime after May '38.
Tom
[quote user=“UP 4-12-2”]
I must confess to being a little bit frustrated.
Many of us are over this very issue.
When a manufacturer, in this case BLI, sends out a information regarding a new product they plan to deliver, it is normally customary to have photos or at least some good quality illustration of the item they intend to produce.
Yes, one would think so. But they only tentatively draw/plan these out perhaps.
I find a single old black and white image of only the B&O version to be totally, completely unacceptable if the manufacturer thinks that image will actually get me to place a pre-order.
Hey, it saves on pre-produciton costs {[}:)] advocate}
To add further insult to injury, the ads in today’s emails (the pre-order deadline for the USRA light pacific is today) clearly state “built to order” thus implying no extra production for stock (at any level of the supply chain whatsoever).
Yep> that is in hopes you will urgently place your order,to light a fire under you to do so. But TOTALLY leaves out the possiblity you might actually LIKE the product enough to buy ANOTHER ONE, or get one to replace a defective one should you need to return yours.
Sorry, but based upon the crummy information–or utter lack thereof–provided, I am unable to place a pre-order.
SO are amany others, but the Manufacturers don’t seem to get that. You will play “by their rules” and “buy their rules”, or you simply won’t get one!
In this case Broadway Limited failed to provide some of the most basic information necessary to make an informed decision. There is no sketch illustrating the paint scheme to be applied, when even during the steam era there were considerable variations for some Ne
Paul, what you say is true somewhat, assuming one knows that one needs that particular locomotive and has the cash available at whatever random time that locomotive is released.
It’s not a question of whether I can find locomotive X painted and detailed for the ABC railroad in their 19YY scheme. It’s a question of being able to find locomotive X, period, regardless of paint or details for a reasonable price. In those “good ol days” that you disparage, I could walk into any local hobby shop and walk out with a couple or three product. I might have to paint and detail them, but they where available. To look, to touch, to buy. Now days when I walk in a hobby shop, I often walk out empty handed. I might be able to order it, if it’s even going to be produced, and maybe get it sometime in the next several years. Tried that once. Walters took my credit card, placed the order and waited. Eventually got this really nice “we’re sorry, but there were more orders than models produced.” I’ll take availability, even with work required, over vapor ware any day.
And even those European plastic kits (which BTW, were not the full extent of the Walters catalog – there was Suydam, Campbell, SSLTD, Dyna, and a host of others as well) were also available and useful for parts even if not like shown on the package.
Some folks may have a few thousand sitting around waiting to drop on orders for locomotives they might need, someday, on some future railroad, but I don’t. We can make a lot of Harvard MBA arguments for the current manufacturing process but I’m a firm believer in the self fullfilling prophecy. You can’t sell what’s not on the shelves. The current model is selling to a dwindling crowd of in the know buyers, not generating new ones.
While in most cases reputable dealers will not require a deposit for pre-orders, there are some out there that do, so yes, pre-orders could tie up some amount of cash (especially if you are the type that insists on having the full amount set aside in savings–which is simply wonderful if one has the money to enable that–I wish I did but I do not).
I agree–the current model of not producing any leftover stock at all (rumor has it that at least one manufacturer is now doing just that)–desiring the immediate complete sellout upon delivery to the U.S.–results in an ever dwindling crowd of buyers.
John
Please correct me if I’m wrong.
I think certain retailers also preorder so as to have stock to sell to those of us who haven’t preordered.
Bob
My reasons for having the amount of pre-orders in reserved savings have nothing to do with having lots of money - I don’t. Rather I reserve the pre-order in my hobby savings account for these reasons:
- prevents me from commiting future income more than once - a nasty practice of mine in the past.
- throttles my hobby spending to a sustainable level ($40/month budget). I have to prioritize my hobby spending to stay within budget. I can’t be a collector of “nice-to-haves”. Big ticket pre-orders have to wait until I have saved enough surplus from my monthly budget.
- shows the wife/family I am not taking funds from other areas for the big-ticket items ($300 locomotives or a DCC system). This is important to her while we are helping the kids get through college.
- If an order gets cancelled or severely delayed, I can immediately shift to another opportunity or priority.
I dare say that having the money in advance for pre-orders cuts down the amount of pre-orders even for the big spenders among us.
Pre-orders definitely tie up LHS inventory funds. While most dealers do not require a deposit on pre-orders from their customers, the manufacturers that use dealers frequently require dealers to put down deposits on their orders.
The practice that has ticked me off the most is the use of deposits to jump the line. I have one semi-custom loco builder who just announced a delay in production, but those were willing to front the money immediately could jump to the top of the
Some manufacturers, for example Bowser, make a number of models over and above the pre-order quantity. The only thing is that unprecedented demand for some new items from Bowser actually wiped out the extra percentage, which was pretty large, before they ever got to the U.S., so the run was still a complete sellout within 2 weeks of arrival in the U.S. (2011 production runs of C628/C630’s).
Rumor has it that another manufacturer has been directed by the distributor who now owns them to drop the over pre-order amount to as little as 2% on recent offerings.
That is essentially now a “build to order” business model.
Yes, some shops pre-order for stock purposes, so they have stock, but if the item is hot (few people have an accurate crystal ball to accurately forecast that–there are always winners and losers when you try) they will sell out quickly with no hope of re-stock–sometimes even before arrival in the U.S.
That will be the order of the day in the future, as build quantity above pre-order is getting slashed to nothing.
I also wasn’t making fun of anyone who has the foresight and ability to put aside cash to cover all or most of what they wish to pre-order. I just wish I could. Usually I have to sell something I don’t need to offset the cost of new big ticket purchases…
John