Brendan posted:I think their re-entry into HO is a sign that they see money in lower cost starter sets. They don't seem to be targeting the scale crowd in that arena.
Brendan
I'm not sure what's happening with Lionel HO. The HO Polar Express landed with a thud. They've cataloged three similar HOChief (along with a new PE) sets with (incompatible magnetic) track, power and controller, but none have hit the streets yet. They MSRP out at $360, which doesn't seem "low cost" to my wallet and also costs more than some of the typical O gauge FlyerChief sets. As to Lionel acquiring Mantua, nobody knows what that will bring. It wasn't exactly going gangbusters under MRC. I'm sure Lionel would like to cram the HOChief electronics into the Mantua stuff, which may prove difficult in current its form.
Francine posted:I think I was misunderstood, by low end, they mean entry level train sets like in the late 60s. Flyer chief would be mid range with legacy being hi end.
I also said this should be a great time for manufacturers to expand S, but they are risk averse, so S is close to foundering.
I dunno, the FlyerChief docksider set MSRP'd for $330. I don't see how you'd get much lower than that unless things were cheapened considerably like molded in color cars, plastic trucks and minimal decorations. (Similar to the old Pikemaster line, and that didn't save Gilbert.) Yanking out the F/C could save a couple of bucks, but Lionel likes to push their technology.
Rusty
