Being a big fan of big power, I hope that Tower 55 offers the UP Turbine at a somewhat reasonable price! I know their detailing will surpass Lionel if they follow their brass quality!
The more competition, THE MERRIER!
Guys, and you Naysayers…Come on! [;)] Relax! Some of you talk like you drank vinegar!
To those of you worried about prices and available quantities, haven’t you noticed the pattern since the late 1980s? Model locomotive manufacturers post grand announcements of new, sensational models, gotta-have-it locomotives. The models look super…but the prices are high for most of us. Yet, the advertisment attempts to pressure you to order them right away as they are Limited Editions and won’t be produced again for a long time!
O.K, so then what happens?
About 1 1/2 years later there’s a HUGE LOAD of them on Ebay and discount online stores! Most of you have seen the loads of P2K, Atlas, and Kato “LIMITED RUN” locomotives on the web. So much for “won’t be available again!” marketing tactics. I’ve gotten several brand new locomotives at 1/3 the original “Big Hoopla—come-and-get-it-or-it-will-be-gone-” price! Patience does work, especially if you’re on a tight budget.
I didnt’ believe it when I was younger, buy wisom does come with age!
So, while customers rush in with their orders and $100 bills…I’ll wait, just like a jungle cat that sits patiently waiting on his prey for a long period, and is eventually successful!
(Would be nice if they did a U36B!)
High Greens, amigos!
Antonio
That works, if you either don’t care about what road name you get, or model one of the less popular roads that they finally get around to doing. Or model a road in a part of the country where it isn’t popular - typically manufacturers won’t let a dealer cherry pick road names, so guys on the West Coast get road names they can’t move in a month of Sundays, and likewise guys on the East Coast. Sure my LHS has a good supply of supposedly ‘limited’ Proto locos - but all in roads no one around here buys, so he’ll likely have them for a LONG time. The local roads were almos gone before the shipment arrived. eBay helps a little in this regard, but even so, I don’t see too much stuff I’m interested in. My road generates maybe 2 pages worth of eBay hits on a typical day. And over half that is the junk that is completely incorrect (but someone buys it - I sold mine!). Pick another road, like B&O, and you better narrow the search down, or be prepared to spend a long time wading through things. I think there are several factors in this. One is, they don’t make much Reading stuff. Another is the Reading guys, once we get a piece we needed, don’t part with it. And a third is, they make WAY too much of these other roads - the “put Santa Fe on it, it’ll sell” mentality.
So, if you have no real prefrence, by al means wait til the hoopla dies down, and you’ll likely get a better bargain. But when a specific item is needed, the wait can be deadly. Like the new PCM Reading T-1. As soon as my LHS gets info, I’ll be reserving one with a deposit, as they will NOT be available long. I am NOT going to miss the opportunity to own one of these without having to pay $600+ for a brass model plus another coulpe of hundred to have it painted.
–Randy
I don’t have a problem placing a deposit for a known entity … say Proto 2K for example. As Tower 55 has yet to even produce a pilot model in plastic, I will hold off jumping on the bandwagon for now.
Regards,
Burlington John
The OMI E Units I have seen are gorgeous! Will the plastic be the same way? Hope so. Will I buy them? No! Way to much money. The prices I saw on the T55 units on one site were claiming $299. Just another Ferrari maker in the land of Kia drivers. Sure they’ll a few but not what I’m buying or looking for.
RMax1
Can’t say I’m over joyed about the Tower 55 line either. I read that the UP 3 unit Gas Turbine they’re doing will have sound[:)]. But MSRP is $500[V]. Might as well be brass…
Yes that’s steep, but then again, look at how much a painted brass Turbine costs - more than DOUBLE that, with no sound. For such a large model, and unless Overland pulls a real bonehead move and builds something entirely lacking in detail, which is NOT likely, $500 isn’t really all that steep for what it is.
–Randy
I’m with Randy, as my first post should make clear. Overland has a track record, and it has withstood the test of time and a rapidly evolving market. If they want a committment from their prospective customers to ensure that there is a market demand for an introductory line, that is a small price to pay for what will certainly be an outstanding, if plastic, loco.
Now, if they’d just announce that they intend to produce some steam…!
I’ll just look for now, as they aren’t doing anything I’m interested in. Steam, or early diesels, I’d be into that. So for now I just look at the nice engines and save my pennies for the PCM T-1.
–Randy
Kato has been doing the pre-order for years as well as most of the hobby stores I search on the web. Which brings me to the question, If some one buys a new house yet to be built, do you want to hold it? You have already purchased the contract on it but you can’t see it except on blueprints. In all the dealings I’ve had with OMI, they’re detail and craftsmanship is unparalleled to anyone i’ve HELD in my hands. At least give them a chance before we BA***he product. In other facts, some people can’t afford a brass model so maybe this will be there closest thing to perfection they can get.