Athearn's Latest Price Increases: Im out...

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Nobody is trying to convince you to do anything. This discussion is about Athearn's RTR prices and where they are going. And is it gouging or is it legitimate costs? it isn't and never was about what you want. Help yourself to all the cheap kits you can carry home. Nobody is saying you have to buy anything...or did I miss something somewhere? ;)
 
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There is a great satisfaction in starting with a box of pieces and making it into something besides it gives a person a sense of pride. I will build versus buy any time I can.
 
Espeefan said:
Nobody is trying to convinve you to do anything. This discussion is about Athearn's RTR prices and where they are going. And is it gouging or is it legitimate costs? it isn't and never was about what you want. Help yourself to all the cheap kits you can carry home. Nobody is saying you have to buy anything...or did I miss something somewhere? ;)
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Look, I came into this discussion with a suggestion on how people could stop paying high prices and save some money by buying and building kits,
that the process of building kits; or, even from scratch, is a a very fun and interesting process. So, are you telling me this isn't a legitimate point of view, not germain to the subject and I need to take this opinion and what I have to say, else where?

Here's what you missed: Paying $35-$40.00 for an HO freight car is stuipid!
 
NP2626 said:
The cost is part of it. However, mostly, I like building kits!
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thats, fine. I was only mentioning it cause they are about the same cost as a kit, and the come in a lot of different names and numbers you don't normally find in kit form,but if you like building kits, then I guess you should buy mostly kits :p.

(Im not trying to be rude)
 
NP2626 said:
Look, I came into this discussion with a suggestion on how people could stop paying high prices and save some money by buying and building kits,
that the process of building kits; or, even from scratch, is a a very fun and interesting process. So, are you telling me this isn't a legitimate point of view, not germain to the subject and I need to take this opinion and what I have to say, else where?

Here's what you missed: Paying $35-$40.00 for an HO freight car is stuipid!
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Not at all, I beleive I told you that building kits is fine and that I do it myself (did you miss that?), but the thread is about Athearn's prices. See the title?

Paying $30-40.00 is stupid? Well that's where the market is, whether we like it or not. Tangent, Exactrail, Intermountain, some Athearn, Atlas and Walthers are all at or near there, or higher and all of them are selling equipment. If you want to build your kits or buy blue box, by all means do so. Some of us have to if we want to be in the hobby. Nobody ever said you shouldn't. But that really doesn't have much to do with where the market prices are going, and calling everybody who does want the new models and chooses to pay for them stupid..well, that's maybe a little arrogant on your part, don't you think :rolleyes:

If $30-40.00 is your price break, OK. It isn't everyone's. You can spend more than that for a freight car kit if you want to.

I came into this dicsussion because I believe that the trend we're seeing on pricing is legitimate. I don't believe manufacturers are purposely gouging us, where some who have posted here do. They do have to make a profit, and as prices rise, so does that profit, but that's a percentage thing. That's been most of the discussion. Your point...that we don't have to buy the stuff...kind of goes without saying.

I'm wondering how much higher things will go (I don't beleive we've topped out yet). I think that there must be plenty of modelers who maybe don't like how expensive things are getting, but are still willing to pay. Otherwise all this stuff would be sitting on the shelves. It isn't. Must be lots of stupid people out there with disposable income I guess;). That's called Capitalism. I hope the hobby can survive it!
 


If building miniatures and the scenes they reside in is an art form, and I do think it is, inspiration should never be based on where the market is but rather on the voice inside you that makes you happy creating those illusions.

Threads of discussions wander. Let them.
 
Burlington Bob said:
Which now leads us to the ultimate in modeling..............scratch building!!!:)
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Well, I agree with that sentiment on as much of my scenery work as possible. Windows are really hard and I still rely on Grandt lines but I have been using some phenomenally inexpensive bass and balsa off the internet and I love that challenge. I do kits too. I find that the kits need embellishing or bashing, or something so everyone's stuff doesn't look like everyone else's stuff. They also really need weathering as do ready to roll shiney clean stuff. We're creating a mood here. it's fantasy and fantasy in art is hard work.
 
Espeefan said:
Not at all, I beleive I told you that building kits is fine and that I do it myself (did you miss that?), but the thread is about Athearn's prices. See the title?

Paying $30-40.00 is stupid? Well that's where the market is, whether we like it or not. Tangent, Exactrail, Intermountain, some Athearn, Atlas and Walthers are all at or near there, or higher and all of them are selling equipment. If you want to build your kits or buy blue box, by all means do so. Some of us have to if we want to be in the hobby. Nobody ever said you shouldn't. But that really doesn't have much to do with where the market prices are going, and calling everybody who does want the new models and chooses to pay for them stupid..well, that's maybe a little arrogant on your part, don't you think :rolleyes:

If $30-40.00 is your price break, OK. It isn't everyone's. You can spend more than that for a freight car kit if you want to.

I came into this dicsussion because I believe that the trend we're seeing on pricing is legitimate. I don't believe manufacturers are purposely gouging us, where some who have posted here do. They do have to make a profit, and as prices rise, so does that profit, but that's a percentage thing. That's been most of the discussion. Your point...that we don't have to buy the stuff...kind of goes without saying.

I'm wondering how much higher things will go (I don't beleive we've topped out yet). I think that there must be plenty of modelers who maybe don't like how expensive things are getting, but are still willing to pay. Otherwise all this stuff would be sitting on the shelves. It isn't. Must be lots of stupid people out there with disposable income I guess;). That's called Capitalism. I hope the hobby can survive it!
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Alan, I have to agree with NP because paying $30-$40 (and I'm increasingly seeing $50 turning up) IS stupid. If one plots HO locomotive and freight car prices on a graph spanning several decades it immediately becomes apparent that the prices have skyrocketed unrealistically and unjustifiably in just the last decade, or so. The same situation is definitely not reflected in the pricing seen in some of the other hobbies that I participate in that, even though involving far, far more technical mechanics, advanced electronics, precision optics and likewise manufactured in the orient. And, yes, those markets are no bigger than our own.

Alan, you express that you think prices have yet to reach their zenith and there I believe that you are quite correct. I, too, see prices continuing to rise annually until there remains only a very small faction of so-called hobbyists left to do the buying, probably on a pre-order basis only. This is precisely the road brass took over the years and you can see that the approach essentially killed that part of the hobby. In time it will likely do the same for our segment of the hobby. You can see the signs of this currently as more and more hobbyists on every forum express that they are being priced out of model railroading's new marketplace.

NYW&B
 
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NP2626 said:
Here's what you missed: Paying $35-$40.00 for an HO freight car is stuipid!
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Atlas Trainman series Rolling Stock are 18$ at most. That could help you save money too.

Sorry to do this to you, but you obviously haven't done your research.
 
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Burlington Bob said:
Which now leads us to the ultimate in modeling..............scratch building!!!:)
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I've been reading the book, "Railroading with John Allen" for inspiration, and he scratchbuilt everything... and I do mean everything... out of cheap common materials. He used his incredible creativity to adapt whatever he was using to unintended purposes... and the effects he produced were astounding.

I highly recommend the book... John was one of the greatest train modellers who ever lived. He's where I got the inspiration to dig out a basement under my house for a workshop/train room... because he dug his own basement, too. :p
 
Pete V said:
If building miniatures and the scenes they reside in is an art form, and I do think it is, inspiration should never be based on where the market is but rather on the voice inside you that makes you happy creating those illusions.

Threads of discussions wander. Let them.
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Absolutely. We all have to choose how we will enjoy the hobby. If we all did it the same way there wouldn't be anything to talk about in here :D

Still how much things cost is something that will effect us all. Will prices continue to rise until the breasking point is reached? One product guy at Walthers voiced that concern over a year ago. You see, WE are the market, and it seems most of us want this expensive RTR stuff. The manufacturers are just following the money. I'm not saying that I like it. Who wouldn't rather have less expensive models? But I do understand what is happening. I've also adjusted my own buying habits, and I am building kits, but those are creeping up there too.
 
tooter said:
I've been reading the book, "Railroading with John Allen" for inspiration, and he scratchbuilt everything... and I do mean everything... out of cheap common materials. He used his incredible creativity to adapt whatever he was using to unintended purposes... and the effects he produced were astounding.

I highly recommend the book... John was one of the greatest train modellers who ever lived. He's where I got the inspiration to dig out a basement under my house for a workshop/train room... because he dug his own basement, too. :p
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I have a copy of that one. He even made his own HO figures. Wax on wire armatures. Of course he had an advantage. He was wealthy enough to be able to be a full time modeler. He had plenty of what many of us struggle for. Time!
 


dispatcher812 said:
I delt with an online shop based out west and ger regualer emails from them about deals. Well one came in today that floored me. It was some new Athearn Gp-38s, I believe dash 2s, no dcc nothing special. I did not see if they were RTR but they were $99. http://www.pwrs.ca/announcements/view.php?ID=5778

I miss the days of $25 BB.
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At that price point it's an RTR. The Genesis models without sound or DCC start higher, and are usually discounted down to around $139.99 or so (Recent GP-9 purchase).

I miss $25.00 BB too, though my BB SW-1500's were more like $40.00 or so. Most of my locos are bought DCC ready and I add sound (if I decide that model will get it) later.

Working on an older BB GP-38-2 undec now. Superdetail & custom paint. I snagged it for around $40.00 at a train show. There's plenty of BB still out there!
 
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