Landsteiner posted:The starting prices for the Bluetooth sets are at half or less ($200 and up) than these higher quality/capability MTH sets ($400 and up).
I would beg to differ on the quality. I have purchased a few of the $200 LC sets, and these things have less metal parts than the MPC (Mostly Plastic C***) era stuff that my dad bought. I think Lionel would make the motors and wheels out of plastic if they could.
My LC R-T-R sets are for kids to run, they crash and frequently get broke and glued back together. The MTH sets have more control features and I use these generally for kids age 6 and older so they can learn how to run the engine more responsibly. I have plenty of kids who never graduate past using an LC set.
MY LC sets are cheap, so cheap that I can tell Lionel didn't even think of quality or longevity when they designed them. When they break, I fix them to the extent of duck tape no longer being able to hold it together anymore, and then throw it away. IMO, the LC sets are a cheap way to flood the market with disposable trains, this fine if you like buying toys for kids who will never appreciate them.
Keep in mind I'm talking about LC only, LionChief PLUS is a completely different beast. LC+ is well engineered, and built with quality in mind. But now we're also talking about spending $350 on just an engine, no set, no track, no power source.
H1000
