Is it my imagination, or have Proto 1000 and 2000 product prices gone thru the roof since Walthers took over? Pretty much everybody agrees about good quality, but some of the prices just don’t seem justified for plastic engines. What do you think?
Dave Reale
I’ve noticed that too. They’ll come down, eventually…probably after they realize that nobody can afford them.
I am going to try and bottom feed on some of the newest offerings. I just won’t pay the price Proto is asking. If I get the units I am looking for fine, if not fine. Let the marketplace decide the price.
Proto 2000 engines have never been cheap. When their GP18 first came out, it was in the $89.00 MSRP range, and has gone up ever since. Walthers is just keeping the price structure that Life Like established in place.
The difference is that LL overproduced engines and then dumped them on the market. That’s why you ended up with street prices for the F3 in the $20-$30 range. Now that Walthers is in charge, the production numbers will go WAY down (less than 500 apiece), and there won’t be any dumping. Fewer models, equal demand, and fewer distyributors will mean that the days of $20 P2K engines is over. Heck, I was surprised to see P1K engines for less than $100.
I’m just glad that I’m pretty much done with my engine purchases. I may get an occasional BLI steamer, but I don’t need to start a fleet from scratch these days. I pity the newer modeler who does…
Proto 2000 engines have never been cheap. When their GP18 first came out, it was in the $89.00 MSRP range, and has gone up ever since. Walthers is just keeping the price structure that Life Like established in place.
The difference is that LL overproduced engines and then dumped them on the market. That’s why you ended up with street prices for the F3 in the $20-$30 range. Now that Walthers is in charge, the production numbers will go WAY down (less than 500 apiece), and there won’t be any dumping. Fewer models, equal demand, and fewer distyributors will mean that the days of $20 P2K engines is over. Heck, I was surprised to see P1K engines for less than $100.
I’m just glad that I’m pretty much done with my engine purchases. I may get an occasional BLI steamer, but I don’t need to start a fleet from scratch these days. I pity the newer modeler who does…
The way I see it, if something is worth $100, Walthers lists it for $125.00 so that the LHS’s of the world are not being competed with when they buy it from Walthers for $75.00.
Best part of it, the at train shows/swap meets they get dumped for even less.[:D]
The key here, young grasshopper, is patience.
Life Like Jacked their prices through the roof with each new release. They would keep producing teh same products with higher and higher prices. Walthers has not raised prices since they bought Life Like, neither have they lowered prices. They did drop many dealers who used to sell Proto as Walthers is limiting who they will sell to.
In any case, the prices are TOO HIGH and they items won’t sell very much. If they are cutting back production all the more so.
They don’t make anything I want anyway anymore.
Walthers did give their new prices for the Proto 1000 & 2000 locomotives a considerable oomph when they took over the LifeLike line. I’ve still seen considerable discounts from online businesses though. For example, the NEW Proto 2000 0-8-0 switcher: $350 MSRP; $225-$250 discounted. You just have to poke around a bit to find a better price.
Tom