Athearn Brain Deadness

[ljudice]

I hear the new weathered cars are not too bad...

TOO BAD THEY USED THE SAME ROAD NUMBERS AS THE PREVIOUS RELEASE!!!!

Amazing!!!

[Mark5]

Now that's funny!  ;D

But think of the money they saved using the old artwork ...

[3rdrail]

IMHO, they just took the unsold inventory back and weathered it...

[Denver Road Doug]

I read somewhere that's exactly what they did.  Took unpurchased stock and weathered themselves.

[Chulvis]

I read somewhere that's exactly what they did.  Took unpurchased stock and weathered themselves.

That would be correct, Doug.

[GonzoCRFan]

That company has some problems, and I just don't think their N scale department employs the sharpest tools in the shed...but they certainly are tools. A few months ago, I bought some stuff at a shop when I was about an hour away. I also used my debit card, so I could only get store credit for returns. This becomes significant when you buy a 5-pack of Athearn CR coalporters, and discover a while down the line that one of them was missing the white stripe that runs along the bathtub on one side. Conveniently, this side of the car was placed down into the packaging...so instead of their QC pulling the misprinted car and putting in a good one, they just packed it so the consumer wouldn't see the defect until they got home and played with them. I also picked up one of their SIECO boxcars that had the misprinted Milwaukee Road slogan on it...thought all of those had been taken care of, but not in my world...

So, I e-mail Athearn, tell them I have these cars that have printing defects and want to see how I can obtain replacements. Explain to them that the shop is an hours drive, I can only get store credit, and they didn't have any duplicated of the items for an exchange, so returning them isn't a very helpful option.

I get a reply:

We no longer have either car available. There are no plans to make them
anytime soon. You will need to return them to where you bought them at.

Which, to me, translates to "go pound sand". So my opinion of Athearn has sunk even lower than it previously was. I just re-opened the issue by e-mailing a different department at Athearn, so I will see if they feel like being the least bit helpful.

[One of One-Sixty]

They lost me when they came out with the Bomb coaches, while they was great, not producing replacement parts and having to send a car back to China has kept me from giving them my business.

[nscalesteve]

...I wouldn't buy any more Athearn products even if they would release an SD70ACe and proper iron-ore cars tomorrow !

after some Carrera F59PHi and no spare parts for them and a very crappy "SD70 what ever", not to mention freight cars with 1mm of paint on it I am healed... ! (same with IM hood units but that is another story !)

[John]

I picked up one of the SD70Ms .. if you compare it to a Kato, you can see significant differences in the long hood .. not to say that the Kato is spot on .. but the overall length is different ..

[Mark5]

Athearn:

Likes:
N Scale Vehicles
Some Rolling stock (Caveat Emptor)

Dislikes:
Disposable Loco Policy (what are parts?)
Camping on tooling (I have given up on Athearn releasing the MDC peaked end rib side hoppers)
Current focus on UP steam seemingly at the exclusion of all else.

I don't see myself buying any locos from them anytime soon.

[sirenwerks]

I picked up one of their SIECO's yesterday and, after getting it out of the box at home, found that someone dropped the car and a corner of the roof molding is broken off. Considering those stupid paper boxes can't be re-packaged and sealed without it showing, I can only assume this was done at the factory.

[Mark5]

Oh yeah, the rolling stock boxes suck.

[SecretWeapon]

They make tractor trailers that can't hook up. Little hole on the 5th wheel & BIG pin on the trailer : . What's wrong with this picture? Then,make Overnight trailer & nothing to pull them >

[ljudice]

At least the COORS hopper cars are still on time!

[POVC]

Oh yeah, the rolling stock boxes suck.

According to the Athearn rep at the NSC Convention in Hartford, Athearn has heard the complaints from the N-scales masses and will be going to jewel cases like the other manufacturers in the near future.  Of course he didn't say exactly when....

Tim