quote:Originally posted by Rusty Traque:
I really can't disagree with you Troy, you make several valid points.
I actually gave up on Lionel/Flyer back in the 1990's. While the stuff looked nice, very few pieces ran as well (EP5's for some reason) as an AM or SHS product.
It wasn't until the new, detailed Mikado's and Pacific's came out did I take a chance again.
Things were looking up since then and I have(had) high hopes for this new stuff. I'm still somewhat anxious to see what's in the next catalog. If something tickles my fancy, I'm willing to give Lionel one more shot. If I run into similar issuses myself and other are experiencing, well... Third time will not be a charm.
All the fancy electronics in the world won't help something that runs poorly, is missing or has poorly secured parts or has other serious cosmetic issues. S is a small market and it's Lionel's to loose.
Once AM, SHS and SSA get back up and running, Lionel will have to compete again.
Rusty
Rusty, I too am eager to see AM, SHS and SSA be in a position to offer new product. I also welcome Lionel's presence in S as well. My disapointment comes from the fact that what we are seeing with the Challengers and U33C's is precisely what I saw with Lionel over the last 15 years in 3 rail. One other point for discussion about advanced train electronics: even though I used TMCC, Legacy and DCS while I was in 3 rail O, I never operated my trains much beyond runnning in loops or simple yard operations. As I get older, I'm finally asking myself if this is how I run trains, do I really need command control at all? Personally, I'm at the point that I will not accept the quality issues of the Challengers and U33C's to get it. I still like command systems and really like sounds,and if I had a complex or very large layout with multiple operators on different jobs running over a single track main, my system of choice would be TMCC/Legacy. But IMO, about 95% of most guys just run loops or do simple yard switching and these systems are overkill. IMHO,they have become nothing more than marketing plans designed to capture market share and sell more trains at higher prices. When I had my last 3 rail layout, it was 32' x 10' with a double main. It took 4-5 times around to ge the most out of the momentum and train handeling features on my Legacy FEF. If I was at a scale 50 MPH and wanted to use full momentum for a really slow stop at a station, I passed it 4 times around before I came to a stop
. What impressed me the most about Legacy engines (I had 4) in O was their low speed performance, yet as far as I can see this is not true for Lionels latest S scale offerings. I have been fortunate enough to get a set of SHS F3's and some River Rasin steamers and they are some of the best models I have seen in any scale. As a consumer we get to choose where we spend our money and I hope we as a scale, can demonstrate this to Lionel in a way that can allow for new product and have high quality. It really comes down to the expectations of the consumers and how close the manufacturer is WILLING to watch its Asian builder. I would think that if smaller companies like River Rasin and SHS can do this, then a flagship firm like Lionel should be able to do this as well.