Thought you’d like to know that a B’mann boxcar’s reg price is now $230, but for Father’s Day you can get one for half that… This is from today’s Micro mark posting, BTW… WOW!!! who’s paying this kind of money for these things?
$50-ish maybe. $114? Nope.
I couldn’t believe it so I went to the Bachmann site. Yes the 1:20.3 box cars are msrp at $225 & $230 except for 1 undec version which is $87. I am glad I don’t need any.
Roger
POOL RR
Caddo Mills, TX
John;
It is the Spectrum 1:20.3 highly detailed boxcar, not the 1:22.5 Big Hauler boxcar. I just checked the Trainworld web site. Trainworld is listing the same C&S Spectrum boxcar for $124.99. Nicholas Smith Trains site lists a boxcar in the Spectrum series at $140.95. Charles Ro Supply Co site shows the Spectrum boxcars also at $114.94. Don’t know if that would be what I would want to pay, but I am not in 1:20.3. It does seem to be in line with the street price, however.
Yours,
David Meashey
My perspective is that if the box car is anything close to the D&RGW long caboose they did, that I have one of, then the street price is not that bad. The trucks on the caboose are comparable to AMS, the 1:20 couplers work and are far more reliable than the Big Hauler ones, the detail is superb - an overall fine product.
The Spectrum caboose is far and above any rolling stock I have from Aristo or USA Trains. Maybe I am just the oddball that looks not only at the price, but what am I getting for the price. Bachmann seems to have a stigma left over from their Big Hauler line of being somewhat second rate. I don’t believe so with the Spectrum line.
My tuppence worth.
Bob C.
How much is Accu’s plastic version sell for in comparison ?
Yep, I know its their 1:20.3 stuff, that’s what I use, but its not what Id pay. For me, its more a critique of the price than anything.
IMHO, the Bachmann 1:20.3 boxcar is inferior to the Accucraft in some ways.
If you pick up a Bach by the sides, they give and bend.
Not so the Accu’s.
However, the Bach has good trucks, and other metal parts: It’s just flimsy.
And waaaay over priced!
And that is why the 1:20 point me site was shut down. He told the truth and they didn’t like it.
John Bouck said:Agreed.
IMHO, the Bachmann 1:20.3 boxcar is inferior to the Accucraft in some ways. If you pick up a Bach by the sides, they give and bend. Not so the Accu's. However, the Bach has good trucks, and other metal parts: It's just flimsy. And waaaay over priced!
That said, the flats, gondolas, tank cars, and 2-bay hoppers are SWEET! And the Bachmann stock rolls so much better than the AMS accross the whole line.
Someone asked what the AMS versions are going for…About $99.00 bucks for “unpopular” road names, but the D&RGW stuff is hitting $125 to $160. AMS has no stock, though I understand some is on the way.
Bob Cope said:
...The Spectrum caboose is far and above any rolling stock I have from Aristo or USA Trains. Maybe I am just the oddball that looks not only at the price, but what am I getting for the price. Bachmann seems to have a stigma left over from their Big Hauler line of being somewhat second rate. I don't believe so with the Spectrum line.My tuppence worth.
Bob C.
Yep, I LOVE my Bachmann Spectrum caboose. Having two AMS versions I have to say the Bachmann version is superior in all respects. Lighting is simply beautiful, detail is amazing, and rolls like it has BB wheels. May be buying another undecorated version.
My 2 cents. I have both AMS and the Bachmann Spectrum items. I like the trucks on the Bachmann better for the rolling qualities, but for detail I like them both. I’ve been paying between $70 and $100 for either brand on eBay, depending on what the car is and what I’m looking for. Some AMS flat’s I’ve gotten for around 60.00 - usually undec or a not very popular road (going to get redone anyway). When I was in Iowa a fee weeks ago, I visited Kidman Tree Farm and he had some good prices on AMS Reefers, so picked up a few of those. Prices on his other stuff was good also - but needed reefers at the time.
In the for what it’s worth department, about 2 years ago I purchased a set of Accucraft archbar trucks from Phill’s Narrow Gauge. If memory serves me correctly, I paid about $50.00 for the trucks. I just looked at the site and he no longer offers the trucks separately, and they are the same dollars ‘with the purchase of a kit’. I appears that trucks are no longer offered separately.
If you purchase a PNG kit, say the 30’ reefer, and purchase all the necessary materials to ‘BUILD’ a complete car, the total is over $150.00. Any you still have to invest the time to assemble, test, paint and decal your model. The way I see it, you have now paid a higher price to invest even more time into the piece of rolling stock than purchasing an RTR Spectrum or Accucraft (and the Accucraft has the same trucks and couplers Phil is selling). Now don’t get me wrong, I am not putting down Phil’s products. Although I don’t own any (yet), I have seen them and will in the future own some. His attention to detail is superb.
I just think if you are going to compare on price alone, be fair about it. The Spectrum comes RTR out of the box. I don’t see how anyone can not assign some value to that. Let’s be real here, I would like to by a Rolls Royce for the price of a KIA just like everyone else, but I sure aint holdin’ my breath for that to happen. I guess that like the old cliche ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’, I suppose the same could be said of ‘value’.
@John B., I have the AMS four car set of Navy Pearl Harbor box cars from several years ago (purchased onesies on Evilbay), and I do agree they are stout. I also have no doubt that some of the rolling qualities that some grouse about are the result of that well built car. I also agree the detailing is also excellent. I don’t have a Spectrum car (except the caboose) to compare which is why I qualified my earlier post on the caboose. However if a little flex in the sides is all that is ‘lacking’, I still don’t see that as a major detractor.
My tuppence worth.
Bob C.
<That said, the flats, gondolas, tank cars, and 2-bay hoppers are SWEET! And the Bachmann stock rolls so much better than the AMS accross the whole line.>
Yes, the other cars in the line are great. I have quite a few in my collection. Especially the tanks.
But just one box car.
Bach has filled in the cars that Accu didn’t produce with good products.
One thing to keep in mind relative to the Bachmann vs. AMS box cars–the Bachmann cars have easily removable roofs, so they’re going to be a bit more “flimsy” just because there’s not a solid connection between the sides of the car and the roof. A little glue along that seam, and they’re as solid as anything. You just can’t take the roof off anymore.
I wouldn’t call $115 a “sale” price, more like the going street price for the cars, but that’s marketing for you–and why I don’t like the over-inflated MSRPs that Bachmann and Aristo use. Too easy for retailers to make the unsuspecting consumer think they’re getting a “deal.”
Later,
K