> "Bud Rindfleisch" wrote:
> Ed, You are right about Lionel being more geared to the "toy" model
> marketplace, but the majority of their recent offerings in O are considered
> "3 rail scale", <snip> they are cognizant of what a scale model entails size
> and detail-wise.
Hi Bud....
You are absolutely correct. Both Lionel and MTH have the maufacturing and
engineering capability to make models as fine as anything we have ever seen.
Their Chinese and Korean factories can churn the stuff out quite steadily. The
Lionel O scale Big Boy equates to the finest brass imports -- except for
flanges, etc.
The potential problem, as I see it, is to convince the marketing folks to
approve a truly scale product and give it a serious try.
Realism above all else is not the mindset for the toy train market. It is the
gimmicks (proprietory command control, diesel smoke, loud sound with crew talk,
remote uncouplers, fast speed, wild paint jobs, etc., etc.) that sell toys and
that is where the emphasis is at present.
Scale guys, in general, have little interest in the gimmicks and just want
realistic accurate authenticity -- including smooth slow speeds. Tsunami sound
for steam is the hobby industry standard for a good reason -- it is realistic.
Wimpy smoke has yet to find favor and other gimmicks are just that -- gimmicks.
Take all the money and talent that went into the gimmicks and put just a
fraction of that into authentic realism and a wonderful scale product can
result. The capability exists, but not the courage to go for it. Hence my
philosophy of helping all manufacturers understand how and why we scale folks
are different. If they do not understand it and we do not help them, not much
will change.
MTH understands scale, but I doubt that Lionel fully appreciates it. Thus, a
toy with small flanges is described as a slow seller of a scale product by a
guy from sales & marketing. It will not be helpful for that mindset to become
firmly established. Best to apply some education sooner rather than later.
> They just need a little help on the scale wheel option.
They already know how and what to do from an engineering and manufacturing
perspective. Marketing's courage to try it is what is missing. E-mails from
customers will be helpful. This Yahoo Group has many hundreds of participants.
Imagine if everyone wrote to Lionel and MTH and described a good scale
product. Someone would respond with something.
> Someone must have coached them on the use of Kadee 802-808 couplers hence the
> mounting pad with the U33C's.
Lionel folks are not dumb. They are just not fully comfortable with this new
scale planet they are visiting. Making a bad decision and perhaps losing your
job (and house) is not conducive to taking on risk. It will take time and lots
of communication from the scale customers to help them along.
"S"ermon is over..........Ed L.
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