Anyone bsides me taken the MT Consumer Survey

[Nato]

   It is possible to take the NT survey as many times as we want, therefore if enough of us got together and really decided what car or cars we really wanted say for example a Burlington or Wabash streamlined caboose, we might take the survey as many times as we could changing all the details each time like what dealer we used so it looked like different modelers ,but all request the same car or cars. Hopefully MT would not catch on and if we generated several hundred requests before the survey closed, maybe they would make that car, then again Nah ! They would be more likely to respond to athousand requests for Hana Montana on the Farm cars licenced by Disney.                                                                    Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah .

[Mr. G]

Ummm...what killed Detroit is that they AREN'T building BIG 122" wheelbase 400+ HP cars. In Oklahoma, you can't FIND an SUV for sale new or used. The Caddy dealer has a 6-12 week waiting list for Escalades, no hybrids wanted, and they are adding up to $12,000 to the full sticker price. But MT has their market, just like Kato. MT isn't perfect, and I don't buy everything they've ever made. The "theme cars" are a major money maker for MT. No R&D, no new dies, just the extra cost of the special printing and the "design work".

Then are you sure they shipped them to Oklahoma?  My local GM dealer here in Oakland has a massive back lot full of SUVs.  Even the Audi dealer here is sitting on a grip of those Q7s.  Maybe the dealers could work out some sort trade.  In exchange for a grip of those rides we'll teach you how to ghost ride the whip.

Veering back onto the topic, while I agree that the survey was poorly done, I fear that it points to the fundamental flaws in MTs planning and strategy, at least in so far as they relate to what we want.  MT wants to make lots of money for few cars that take little work.  No surprise.  But we want runner packs of quality, accurate, useful cars.  The survey wanted to know about theme cars and what details we'd pay more for.  While I answered yes, I'd pay more for the extra details, I don't know if that's entirely true.  So would a $24 box car now cost $30 with some etched bits?  How much more would it cost to be accurate and a smaller run than the Battle of Midway cars?  Would that take it to $35 or $40?  Where would we stop buying them?

[lock4244]

FVM makes great boxcars, Bluford makes great 86' AP boxes, IM makes great covered hoppers, Atlas makes great covered hoppers, gons, tankcars, boxcars and engines, Red Caboose makes great autoracks and centre beams. Who really cares about MT's relevance anymore? I started in N in 1984, and MT's were the gems back then. Thing is, they've not really advanced since that time in terms of accuracy. IM has been using etched walkways for what, 15 years? MT is just considering that now?

I buy the odd MT car, like the 60' hi-cubes and 89' flats, but pretty much ignore everything bacause usually someone else produces something the same or similar, something more accurate, something with multiple road numbers, and usually at a better price point. All I asked them for was an accurate 100 ton truck, but if they don't want to do that, I can experiment with Accumates since they are supposedly more reliable now and they look better and correctly proportioned. Seems to me that times changed and MT hasn't... not that uncommon in business.

[3rdrail]

FVM makes great boxcars, Bluford makes great 86' AP boxes, IM makes great covered hoppers, Atlas makes great covered hoppers, gons, tankcars, boxcars and engines, Red Caboose makes great autoracks and centre beams. Who really cares about MT's relevance anymore? I started in N in 1984, and MT's were the gems back then. Thing is, they've not really advanced since that time in terms of accuracy. IM has been using etched walkways for what, 15 years? MT is just considering that now?

I buy the odd MT car, like the 60' hi-cubes and 89' flats, but pretty much ignore everything bacause usually someone else produces something the same or similar, something more accurate, something with multiple road numbers, and usually at a better price point. All I asked them for was an accurate 100 ton truck, but if they don't want to do that, I can experiment with Accumates since they are supposedly more reliable now and they look better and correctly proportioned. Seems to me that thimes changed and MT hasn't... not that uncommon in business.

I disagree, MTL makes lots of cars no one else makes. Maybe you as a modern modeler do not care about them, but I, as a steam era modeler, do. Who else makes steel end and roof but single and double sheathed wood sided boxcars? How about a wood reefer with working ice hatches? I could go on and on and on. Red Caboose seems to have abandoned the 40 footers, Athearn rarely produces any MDC cars, so I'm left with Atlas and MTL, which both make great stuff.

[wcfn100]

"Who else makes steel end and roof but single and double sheathed wood sided boxcars?"


Doesn't Atlas make both of those cars (with two different steel ends)?  And also a wood reefer with operating hatches?


Jason

[Sokramiketes]

Concor also on the boxcar...  definitely yes on those operating hatches on the Atlas wood reefers. 

But c'mon, no one but MTL has an operating boxcar door that you can see daylight through the large gaps...

[wcfn100]

Concor also on the boxcar...  definitely yes on those operating hatches on the Atlas wood reefers. 

But c'mon, no one but MTL has an operating boxcar door that you can see daylight through the large gaps...

And me, like a moron, designed my Pullman door to fit the same way. :-[


Jason

[3rdrail]

"Who else makes steel end and roof but single and double sheathed wood sided boxcars?"


Doesn't Atlas make both of those cars (with two different steel ends)?  And also a wood reefer with operating hatches?


Jason

Yeah, and I've got some, but Atlas has yet to make door and a half or double door cars of that era.

I have given up being prototypically accurate. PRR scrapped all its Moguls by 1926, H3's were all gone before then. So what? I like 'em and the MDC's run well, so I'll run steam era cars from the 1930's or even WW II behind 'em. Looks fine to me...

[John]

  Where would we stop buying them?

I stopped buying regularly a long time ago, with only the occasional box car if it really interests me

[wcfn100]

"so I'll run steam era cars from the 1930's or even WW II behind 'em. Looks fine to me... "


And cars from 1963. 




Jason

[SkipGear]

There seems to be a split on opinions between the modern and the steam era modelers over MT. I am a steam modeler with one modern consists that I built for my son to run at NTrak shows. The modern is just to represent what he sees, the I&O that runs through town down the street from us. Everything else I have is 40's - 50's era and much of it is MT. If you model B&O, especially coal hauling, MT and MDC was about it until Atlas came out with the offset side hoppers last year. The Atlas 55T hoppers represent a car that only accounts for about 5% of the fleet yet it seems like more of them have been produced than any other B&O hopper to date. My wooden box cars and reefers are split about 50/50 between Atlas and MT with a few Athearn/MDC's in the mix.

I will admit in the modern train the primary MT only accounts for about 20% of the 75 or so cars (a couple center beams, some 60' waffles boxes, and various covered hoppers). The branding is more evenly split Between MT, Red Caboose, Athearn/MDC, Atlas, and Fox Valley.

There would be quite a few big holes without MT.

[Mark5]

I saw this ridiculously long thread so I took the survey ... 

They asked what themes I'd be interested in - I told them flatly I'm not interested in themes. :

I asked for another coal hopper style.

[Ryan87]

What about themes that are "prototypical"? (even if they might be foobies) The BN "Cities" Trailers comes to mind....

I suggested as a "theme" the Farmers co-op hoppers so common to their Evans hoppers... colourful enough for the collectors!

http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=48827
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/uslx/uslx26709agd.jpg
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/uslx/uslx26747b.jpg
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/uslx/uslx26726ads.jpg

[oakcreekco]

It's really just "toys", and at least a "toy company" is asking "opinions". What the heck is wrong with that.

Instead of the same old "banging", how about listing all the other "toy companies" that have had a survey asking our "opinions".

Just a thought as I read through this thread

[GonzoCRFan]

The "theme cars" are a major money maker for MT. No R&D, no new dies, just the extra cost of the special printing and the "design work".

So if they can make a lot of money on offering a car that will sell a lot without any new dies or much R&D, why won't they throw a bone to all the people who have been screaming for 89' TTX flatcars for the past decade and a half?