Classic Metal Works Blog - Poll

[jmlaboda - RIP]

89% at very likely... but there is still time to vote!!!

As always, vote early, vote often.  Vote

[SkipGear]

200 votes since I posted this Sunday morning. I placed the first vote after I read the blog. Pretty impressive response in just over 36 hours over a holiday weekend.

The more I think about it, the more I like it. The HO guys should have no complaints, they are used to buying Herpa, Busch and Wiking cars which nine times out of ten come as a kit in the box, intended or not.

[Nato]

       I too voted "Likely",lets bring back 'Kits". Anyone besides myself ever purchase or see the Atlas Freight Car Kits. They were quite simple affairs, the Rio Grande Box Car I built came with the body, seperate underframe, metal weight to be put over posts and the posts melted down,trucks with couplers,and the roof walk (thick kind) and brake wheel to be attached. Maybe someone on the A Board should start asking for loco and car kits.                                            Nate Goodman (Nato).

[MichaelWinicki]

       I too voted "Likely",lets bring back 'Kits". Anyone besides myself ever purchase or see the Atlas Freight Car Kits. They were quite simple affairs, the Rio Grande Box Car I built came with the body, seperate underframe, metal weight to be put over posts and the posts melted down,trucks with couplers,and the roof walk (thick kind) and brake wheel to be attached. Maybe someone on the A Board should start asking for loco and car kits.                                            Nate Goodman (Nato).

From a manufacturer's perspective unless the kit form offered some kind of big savings to the end-user, I don't think you're going to see the kit thing happen.  Atlas no doubt has run the numbers on kits and there probably wouldn't be a big difference in price from the fully assembled products– thus the kit form won't see the light of day unless the numbers change.

[SkipGear]

From the way things are going, labor/assembly cost seems to be the big driving factor so kits may be commonplace again. Craig has already said that the next spine cars will be much more expensive due to the labor for assembling the cars many detail parts.

Labor costs are rising sharply overseas and assembly is the main reason manufactures went there. The injection molding costs aren't that much different. It's assembling the parts once you have them that costs. Look at intermountain. They mold and decorate the parts here, then send them overseas for assembly. The labor savings justifies the trouble to ship the parts over the ocean twice. I wonder if with the rising labor costs, this will continue to be the case.

[MichaelWinicki]

From the way things are going, labor/assembly cost seems to be the big driving factor so kits may be commonplace again. Craig has already said that the next spine cars will be much more expensive due to the labor for assembling the cars many detail parts.

Labor costs are rising sharply overseas and assembly is the main reason manufactures went there. The injection molding costs aren't that much different. It's assembling the parts once you have them that costs. Look at intermountain. They mold and decorate the parts here, then send them overseas for assembly. The labor savings justifies the trouble to ship the parts over the ocean twice. I wonder if with the rising labor costs, this will continue to be the case.

That's a good point about rising labor costs.  The result may be more kits or it may be the assembly will take place in say India or maybe even further into China itself.

[Frank Amato]

I personally love the Intermountain 40' boxcar kits.  You can mix-and-match doors, roofs, and ends to accurately model a prototype.  My LHS has no problems ordering these for me.

Sure it takes longer to assemble, paint, and decal, but if you're interested in accuracy, you can't beat it.  Plus it supports the decal manufacturers out there - small ones in addition to Microsacale.

  Frank

[up1950s]

Very likely fo me as well .

[Brakie]

Currently those cars doesn't fit my era however, I'm thinking about switching eras so,I voted very likely.

Guys,I would assemble simple freight car kits with assembled trucks and holes for body mounting the couplers if they was made in the USA.

[John]

MicroTrains manages to assemble here in the US, their cars are still competitive price wise .. maybe not detail wise ..

[Brakie]

MicroTrains manages to assemble here in the US, their cars are still competitive price wise .. maybe not detail wise ..

I like the MT line of care especially the 40' boxcars and PFE reefers-that's why I am thinking about changing eras..

[Denver Road Doug]

I think these are akin to the Athearn or MDC "shake-the-box" kits they used to have in HO.  I know that MDC/Roundhouse "kinda" did this in N also, and I've often thought that maybe they gave up on that practice at the wrong time.  They unfortunately suffered from poor printing and unpainted underframes, the latter of which meant they weren't gonna be on the layout that night if you chose to do 'em up right. 

I like the idea because the decoration is done and it's simply assembling the parts.   Like many have alluded to, often R-T-R models have to go through disassembly anyway, at least partially.  How many of us take a freight car and replace the trucks and couplers, and at that point you're 90% done building the old MDC kits.  This is a little different from the Intermountain kits where you are adding grab irons and etched details and I think that the difficulty factor falls somewhere between the two as the dividing line amonst the buying public.  I do think that decoration is key though...having an undec kit and hoping to find the right paint and decals...that's a long pause to think about that purchase that may never get finished NOT because of laziness or lack of time, but due to no easy way to finish the model.

I'll admit I was maybe a little surprised about the amount of pushback regarding the BLMA spines and having to assemble the hitches.   So if BLMA says "hey, we're just gonna dump the parts in a box and let you guys have at it"...well, I think that poll might end up pretty differently.   Honestly, in that case BLMA would probably do themselves a big favor by assembling them, lest they have to replace a bunch of broken/bent details. (but even at that maybe they come out ahead?)   Really I think the hitch issue was more a lack of communication on BLMA's part combined with the lack of instructions or guidance.  (all of which are...head-scratchingly-enough...strengths of BLMA, historically.)   To be honest, now that I think about it, other manufacturers would have been lambasted over such an issue.

[dnhouston]

I too voted "Very Likely".  I actually prefer the kit mode.

[sirenwerks]

MicroTrains manages to assemble here in the US, their cars are still competitive price wise .. maybe not detail wise ..

I think, and Joe can correct me if I am wrong, MT has a competitive advantage in its location. The cost of living in that part of Oregon is substantially low compared to just about anywhere in the East and many other places across the country too.

CMW may be looking at bringing casting back to the US as a marketing advantage (Made in the USA!) and the assembly part would probably be mad expensive given the expectations of applicants in Sylvania Ohio. So the going kit thing is a tactical move as much as a savings issue.

I like the IM box car, reefer and stock car kits too. I just wish they'd expand their line more. The new NYC car will be welcome, but they need to move towards more door choices, at least.

[John]

To be honest, now that I think about it, other manufacturers would have been lambasted over such an issue.

Craig has built up a lot of good will over the years - he is allowed a mulligan on occasion - mainly because he does communicate ..