Walthers announce "New" structures

[FrankCampagna]

If you are into selling HO because that is what you model than you are in a flawed business model.

Actually, the best business advice is to work in a field you know. Spending money on a venture you know little about is a potential disaster. Especially in a bad economy. 

Frank

[CBQ Fan]

HUH??? Talk about flawed logic. So Bryan should stop selling N scale stuff because he models it? If you follow a true business plan and only go after the money, you would only produce HO and O. HO because of the quantity, O because of the profit margin.

You need to separate emotion and comfort level to succeed in business.  If you only stay with what you know and shun what you don't you will not maximise your business and eventually be out of business....How many 8-track, cassette players and turntables are still being made.  How many companies that made these items that did not evolve are still in business.  Kentucky Trailers started out making horse drawn wagons.  They evolved.  Obviousely there is money in this scale or we would not all be here talking about it.  How many modelers could be in N scale if a shop actually stocked it and supported it?  Companies like Walthers have a bias and that bias impacts their results, poorly.  Would it be a bad thing if they said we are going all in to invest in N scale and actually stuck to it?  Researched what we wanted, priced it competitively and was actually happy to engage us with meaningful conversation.  If they did these things they would not sell more product and grow? 

I think it is great that Bryan sells N scale products and models N.  He has excellent insight into what he is doing.  From what I have seen (and I doubt he is one of my biggest fans, so I have no favor to gain here) he takes input from his buying market and takes it into account with what he is doing.  He is in touch with what we want, and sees areas that need filled and meets that need.  Walthers on the other hand is not, or at least that is my complaint and from what I read many others. 

Companies like Micro-Trains, Rapido, WOT, BLMA and I know I am missing a few others give us honest dialog and genuine interest in our scale.  Kato does what it does and we fit in where they want us, they don't make any excuses.

Walthers is made up of HO guys and gals, are opposed to thinking outside if that box and it could hurt them one day.  Who is to say N scale won't overtake HO some day?  I have seen it take leaps and bounds over the past few years and that is with a cruddy economy.

[CBQ Fan]

Actually, the best business advice is to work in a field you know. Spending money on a venture you know little about is a potential disaster. Especially in a bad economy. 

Frank

But you need to be looking for the next big opportunity and be able to evolve with your marketplace.  This is why McDonald's sells more than just and hamburger or cheeseburger and are constantly testing out new products.  Have you ever had McDonald's pizza, or wonder why the McRib only comes out part of the year........

[up1950s]

The S Series switchers have been asked for many times . 2 body styles and 2 sideframes makes the 4 models . This is a sure profit winner . It does not get better or easier than this .  To you biggies out there , no excuses anymore .

[FrankCampagna]

This is a sure profit winner .

There is no such thing as a "sure profit winner".  And looking for the "next big thing" in a bad economy can result in severe losses. With the current inflation in product prices, it could be a sure road to loss. I held off on purchasing the Arnold S-2 because it was $100 retail back then. And this was a product I had been looking for for years. I bought several at blowout prices. Which didn't help Arnold or it's importer, Walthers.

Frank

[wcfn100]

The S Series switchers have been asked for many times . 2 body styles and 2 sideframes makes the 4 models . This is a sure profit winner . It does not get better or easier than this .  To you biggies out there , no excuses anymore .

2 frames and two cabs.

The frame may be negligible, but the diffferent windows on the cabs do standout.   

Atlas should do one body style in the Trainman line and just call it an S1-S4 sort of like what they did with the GP15.


Jason

[CBQ Fan]

And looking for the "next big thing" in a bad economy can result in severe losses. With the current inflation in product prices, it could be a sure road to loss. 

Frank

If sales are down and you have not let any employees go you should have excess capacity.  You can use this payroll expense to do marketing......say into a scale which you have not paid much attention too, like N scale.  They already "know everything there is to know about HO" so use some of these resources to look into ways to expand your sales and profit.  You just can't go into your underground bunker and hide under the bed.  If there was unlimited profit in HO why would Walthers bother at all with us.  There is profit if you do it right. 

Is anyone here saying that Walthers is doing things with N scale correctly and that there is no market there?

Is anyone here saying that if Walthers did things differently (ie, products geared with nscalers in mind combined with open and honest interaction) that you would not buy more of their products?

If they came out with:

-Pennsy steam power for passenger trains
-S1 - S4
-More structures
-new freight cars
-new passenger cars
-U boats
-SD40s
-insert here

[Brakie]

Brian,Another locomotive that is in demand is the SW1500.

Atlas could tool the SW1500 faster then any competitor but,last I heard they have no plans or interest in doing the SW1500.. :-[ 

[James Costello]

I'd like to make Craig at BLMA rich with SW1500 purchases....  ;D

[Brakie]

I'd like to make Craig at BLMA rich with SW1500 purchases....  ;D

Since Atlas doesn't seem interested Craig is my first choice.

Craig,I need four.

[mcjaco]

I respect Joe's opinion I don't doubt many of the things he says. I'm pretty sure Walthers is HO centric and that doesn't help the N scalers in the organization nor help us get things done. I just don't see how the latest Cornerstone announcement would sell better than some of the HO structures done in N scale. 

I operate with one of the product development guys.  He's strictly HO, and so are the guys he hangs out with. 

I'm trying to get him to see the error of his ways.....hog tying is my next step.

[JoeD]

You know, as a modeler I look a the market and say why oh why don't we have a freaking AS 616?  As a manufacturer I look at it and have to balance keeping my resources and cash flows stable.  Can I write a check for that engine and get my money back fast enough to keep the wheels turning in the plant.  And, looking at the current state of the economy and the market, how many am I going to sell considering all the different prototypes currently being offered?  Some of this can be considered target fixation where you run the risk of being too focused and not able to view the full potential.  Maybe this is the engine that is going to capture the imagination of the casual buyer and push sales forward.   Maybe it will just languish on the shelf and go no where.  That's the risk you take in this business every day.  We are a fickle bunch ;D

As for the S series, I suspect we will see one soon.  It's been floating around so long, and groups like this and others have kept it on the minds of enough manufacturers that someone is going to jump.  I doubt you couldn't find a single n scaler in the hall this weekend who didn't lead with...if we just had an S-2 or 4....I wish we were in a position to do so, but there are bigger players who have more resources to do something that just make sense.

As for Walthers, who knows what their intentions are.  Sure the buidings are old news for those of us in the hobby a few years, but we have a new crop of N scalers out there who didn't cut their teeth on some of these oldies and to them it's a great gateway into the hobby.  I just put together the Atlas control tower and you know...it was kinda fun!

Joe
MTL

I think many large manufactures would do well to drop half of their freight car production and produce more of the locos folks are wanting . They could rotate their freight car types every 4 years or so .

[seusscaboose]

hog tying is my next step.

tar and feather would be the next step

[asarge]

You know, as a modeler I look a the market and say why oh why don't we have a freaking AS 616?  As a manufacturer I look at it and have to balance keeping my resources and cash flows stable.  Can I write a check for that engine and get my money back fast enough to keep the wheels turning in the plant.  And, looking at the current state of the economy and the market, how many am I going to sell considering all the different prototypes currently being offered?  Some of this can be considered target fixation where you run the risk of being too focused and not able to view the full potential.  Maybe this is the engine that is going to capture the imagination of the casual buyer and push sales forward.   Maybe it will just languish on the shelf and go no where.  That's the risk you take in this business every day.  We are a fickle bunch

Boy do I feel your pain regarding the AS616!!!!! The main C&O Loco in Cincinnati in the 50's and for most of the 60's. That's about the only loco or Rolling stock model that would get me REALLY excited anymore.

[Dave Schneider]

Joe,

I respect your opinion in the manufacturing field, but very few N scalers think that an AS616 is THE missing model. I think most of us are thinking more along the lines of what seem to be sure things. No need to make the list but there are many items that are missing that would sell. Since this is a Walthers thread (and I am waiting for my wife to come out of the store and have nothing else to do) here is a short list of irritating things they do: 1) Their sales reps don't have a consistent story about their interests in N. 2) They recycle old rolling stock tooling and charge a premium price. 3) The let their popular structures go out of production for long periods of time and then offer clunky old tooling at premium price. 4) They make really nice products in HO and borderline products in N.

Best wishes, Dave