Really? I could not find them searching on the Mernard’s site (I did find one piece of construction equipment, a concrete breaker or “crusher”) and lots of O scale vehicles (in value packs even).
Where are the HO scale vehicles listed? I wouldn’t mind seeing what they have.
Go back to their web site, enter trains in the search box at the top, and when that opens, look on the left side, where you can search by catagory, select diecast.
Most of it is 1/50, or 1/43, close enough for O scale, but in the mix, (3 pages) they have HO scale also.
Mike.
[quote user=“mlehman”]
Well, every hobby has those who style themselves as superior in intention to others in it. To each their own, I’m not defined by what I will or won’t buy, preferring to welcome all, instead of looking down my nose at others, and to define myself by what I do.
People often decry the lack of access the public has to our hobby. I think Menards is doing us all a service by selling the lines of model RR items. I’ve watched this develop over the last 5 years or so, first with the O stuff that I didn’t need but which made some old-fashioned fun available to entice a new generation into fascination with the hobby and trains in general.
Then they started with HO scale offerings a year or so back. The first couple of buildings were quaint, but they’ve paid attention and improved things considerably. YMMV.
Dave has a good point here:
hon30critter
If Menards gets people started because of attractive pricing that will be a good thing IMHO. Look at how well the President’s Choice train sets sold in Canada. They must have sold well if a major grocery company was giving them that much shelf space and doing it year after year
Indeed, the American P&L sold out relatively quickly, as was discussed in a thread here earlier. They have a nice group of affordable diecast vehicles in HO that are similarly selling well. Whether some folks here will or won’t buy them, people are and I agree with what Lion sez:
BroadwayLion
It introduces a new market to the world of model railroading, and that is not bad at all.
Last month’s train show I was at in Chantilly, VA, there were some dealers with Menards O freight cars. I don’t know if it’s a sign of anything in the future or not.
Paul
OK, I see it now, searching for vehicles didn’t work as well.
What the search results for HO turned up looks like the old Boley beverage truck in several liveries, plus about 5 different pieces of “Kaidiwei” branded construction equipment (Kaidiwei is a manufacturer of diecast vehicles among other things - guess they couldn’t get official licensing).
And here I was getting all into the OP’s idea of packs of cheap HO container models for building container “mountains” at intermodal yards. Oh well.
No, but people sure make it seem that way… I know lots of folks who don’t visit here for the same reason.
Instead of picking personal gripes, contribute to the thread.
I think my thoughts on the initial post are accurate and time will tell us all the answer. I like seeing alternatives.
Some of us love the Accurail, Bowser, Trainman kits that are fun to build and look good. Nothing wrong with it. Same goes for the $40-50 cars, they sure look good, but I can’t justify $200 locos along
I’m really not sure of the point of this thread.
OK, Menards is selling some HO stuff made by third party manufacturers. Not really sure who manufacturers them, and they are built up structures, not kits. All well and good.
I really don’t think that Walthers is too worried about all of this? In fact, which manufacturer(s) would be worried…or should be worried? Menards is merely selling something made by someone else, so hardly a competitor moving in on Walthers.
Menards is going to drop a bomb on them? I hardly think so.
“Me? I’m going to sit back, crack a Pepsi open and laugh”.
I have read this statement more than a few times, and I have yet to figure out exactly who the OP is going to laugh at.
Menards? Or, the HO manufacturers?
[:^)][:^)][:^)]
Rich
Jeremy,
Your thread title was like a challange to the existing industry. I asure you they are not the least bit worried.
I like Accurail, Bowser, old Athearn, etc, as well. I’m not one who has to have only high detail recent RTR, in fact I still run Athearn and Varney metal cars from the 50’s.
But everyone in this hobby is in it for slightly different reasons, and has a different set of goals and standards for their modeling.
To think that a regional home improvement chain can have a few pieces made for them, and that they will have some big impact on this industry is a pipe dream.
There are $20 freight cars and $50 freight cars…take your pick, I buy my share of both…
Sheldon
Sheldon, we were writing our posts at the same time, but I totally agree with you.
Rich
That’s a very good point Lion (not the ones on your fangs!). It is probably for a market that is not the fine scale market.
BTW, I wouldn’t want the Woodland Scenics prebuilt structures either. Too many details that I would never choose to put on my buildings. And just as pricey.
Again I agree. All pre-built structures and kits are pretty pricey, IMO.
As an aside. I was at WGH not long ago and they had all of the Menards structures on display. I was curious. They actually looked better in person than in the photos. Some seemed more toylike and quaint than others, but we can say that about any manufacturers products.
LION, have you talked to our fellow forum member, Uncle_Bob about this? [(-D]
Rich
Most are O scale (or close to it) but they have 4 or 5 1:87 pieces right now. I believe these are the first HO offerings, so would expect more down the road.
FWIW, I doubt Menards is worrying folks in the HO marketplace right now. The pricing is reasonable, but doesn’t undercut other offerings substantially in HO at least. Don’t know about O. And it is a limited selection. I suspect they know there’s lots of other stuff there that people building a layout also buy (lumber, wire, switches, lighting, etc) and this is one way to appeal to them, too.
As for people not buying mail order/off the internet, Menards is in no worse a position there than most others selling to our hobby are if there’s no local store.
You’ve seen the MGM slogan “Ars Gratia Artis” (art for the sake of art)? This is Fuss Gratia Fussis - translation left to the student.
Andre
And now we just need to know what WGH is?
WGH = Worlds Greatest Hobby, a major train show.
.
Seriously, does Menard’s even carry model railroad supplies in their stores? I have been in three Menard’s, all in Indiana, and never found a model railroading section.
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-Kevin
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When you shop Menards [:O]
[quote user=“SeeYou190”]
ATLANTIC CENTRAL
And now we just need to know what WGH is?
Well thank you, never been, I can’t recall it ever being around here, and I surely did not know it by its acronym.
Sheldon
I hear a lot of “I wouldn’t buy it, so it shouldn;t exist.” We can build something from scratch, or buy a nice building from Walthers. Sure. Now imagine you are a young dad with a five year old kid. You go to Menards for a couple 2x4s and see the trains. 60 some years ago, my dad bought me a Lionel 027 set. He put a spare bedroom door on sawhorses, added a strip along one side to widen it. It was a panel door, with the raised cross parts and panels depressed inside. We had a basic squared oval with a siding. The door raised parts were “streets”. I had a couple shiny Plasticville structures. We had one of those Lionel self reversing “line cars”. The train was a steam loco, a caboose, and a few freight cars. I was in hog heaven, it was the coolest thing.
http://www.tandem-associates.com/lionel/lionel_trains_50_gang_car.htm
If we never had that, I likely would never have gone on to HO and followed the hobby. Not prototypical, not accurate, but fun. That young dad at Menards, he never heard of Walthers, has no idea what kitbashing might be, but knows his kid would like a train set. In 1954, I didn’t care about how that Plasticville stuff looked, and today, a 7 year old won;t care what Menards power plant looks like. It looks like a big factory…to him.
Why would someone buy these toys when they could buy an expensvie scale model? Why does anyone eat at McDonalds or Dennys when there are nice upscale restaurants selling chef food? There is a market for both.