If anybody is interested in the new Bachmann Mallet Al Kramer selling on ebay two of them listed now $649!! Under Anna Kramer. The Regal
Item #120354111069 Opening bid $650. Too rich for my budget !
Ridge road is selling them fer $5 something
Did you read the report referenced on 1:20 blog from the bochman forum?
Crankpins?
Loose bolts?
Wasn’t our own Master Ames listed in some report as the Technical Advisor?
Doing what they do best - fouling up delivery, Stateside and seeming lack of QC. You would think after last years fiasco and the year before release, that something could be produced at an acceptable level, third time around. The only outstanding thing of the whole production is the deafening silence from happy campers.
Tim,
I see you must be hot & dry, while we are cold & have lots of snow…
Bob,
most of us have been anticipating for many years and the fact is that the manufacturer continues to miss the mark. I have been purchasing Bachmann products for forty years and while the product is much better these days than in days of old, it seems that there is always a fly in the ointment to spoil what could have been an excellent product. There is simply no excuse, Bachmann are not new kids on the block and should be able to achieve better overall results with their vast manufacturing experience.
It is my money that is being spent and I demand a decent product for a decent price, or I will either, not purchase the product, or choose an alternate manufacturer. I have long tired of the supposed excitement that anticipation brings.Tim ,
I think you answered your own question or statement. You are dissatisfied with the quality, but for 40 years you have continued to buy the products. So why should they improve their quality? I’m not blaming you or casting doubts, because I’ve done the same thing for 50 years. With what they offer, many times it is the only game in town and so we accept the poor quality.
Two over here gone to the same owner on G Scale Mad.
He is ecstatic, and really could not be happier.
Mind you, over here in UK most of us can be kept happy for hours with a small piece of sponge or an old leaf…
tac
Mebbe that’s what Bachmann planned all along.
“We supply partially finished kits and you guys fix them as you like.”
John Bouck said:John,
Mebbe that's what Bachmann planned all along. "We supply partially finished kits and you guys fix them as you like." :) :) :)
That could be. Why build a highly detailed, quality model of an exact item, just to have 90% bitch at you because they wanted it as it was in 1939 on Dec 22nd instead of 1942 on April 5? By nature, we are never satisfied and they know it.
Ric Golding said:I think that might explain why Bachmann likes to model obscure prototypes. But it doesn't explain the poor quality control, which is what everyone is griping about.
Why build a highly detailed, quality model of an exact item, just to have 90% bitch at you because they wanted it as it was in 1939 on Dec 22nd instead of 1942 on April 5? By nature, we are never satisfied and they know it.
Ric Golding said:And this is the excuse anytime something non-mechanical goes wrong ... some way too nit picky modeler ("rivet counter" et al) has always got an unreasonable gripe with something that's perfectly ok otherwise. Roll out the "bashing" accusations, and everyone feels sorry for the manufacturer and their employees, particularly when some of them have hobnobbed enough with the unwashed masses to be seen as "really nice guys" and put a "face" on the corporation and its activities. To me, it sounds a lot like a cop out for not doing homework, or worse, not listening to the information and input the manufacturer received before setting off to build the model... and plays off the notion that, really, they're trying their best, and we're being too demanding of the manufacturers, who will now be either wounded or angry, but in any case seriously consider not making "us" any more new models.
(large snip) By nature, we are never satisfied and they know it.
Except, this isn’t a 7 year old with an art project submitted for approval to Mom and Dad … this is a detailed model of something that will cost the customer a significant chunk of money – we have the right to criticize, as constructively as we can, that product in the light of what we want to spend our money on, and not worry about some perception of corporate “feelings.” Certainly, if you don’t like it, don’t buy it … but the idea that someone’s doing us a favor by making a product we want to buy is a little extreme; we shouldn’t be spending our money on something we don’t like because someone gave it their best try, or because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings by not doing so.
This is all a product of my opinion, of course.
Matthew (OV)
Matt,
the Mallet (or any other Bachmann product) is going to cost a fortune to design and build, so why the problems with production/distribution? The company needs to make a profit from the venture and it has to satisy the consumer, at the same time. We are not all consumers like the little Johnny, ‘godchild’ of Bachmann, who see nothing to fault on any B’mann product. Apart from mechanical issues, the ‘K’, last year, was hung up by, firstly, delayed production/delivery, stateside and then awaiting the instructional DVD.
This year nature had a part to play in the delayed distribution, but the truth will come out when we see how long it takes to get product on the shelves and not just a few select dealers. The 'problem' is not so much the product (apart from teething issues), but the distribution of the product. It would seem that, like the 'K', production was aimed at a Christmas delivery schedule (and it basically failed), same as last year. There is something inherently wrong in the distribution chain. Yes, industrial riots may have slowed production and conceivably coincided with the time the Mallet was being produced. However, it is inconceivable that a manufacturer would only ship a small number of product, to the States before Christmas, given that shipping/custom's clearance time is going to be around 6 - 8 weeks. It is counterproductive to tease the consumer by limitting the volume of product available. Sensible marketting would 'flood' the market with sufficient product to satisy the anticipated volume of consumers. Possibly, after the 'K' fiasco, the manufacturer was a little gun shy and wanted to test the market response before committing their full resources. 'K's are still on sellout lists at most retailers. Is the same fate awaiting the mallet?
As consumers, we are not really that hard to please. We all want both a decent, well made product and value for money. I feel that product quality reached its peak with the American and Centennial products a few years ago and the second release Shay. I cannot recall any issues with these items. Since then, I cannot be so complimentary. I still continue to purchase the Anniversary locomotives, purely as a source of spares and to kitbash, so I overlook the numerous quality control issues that are present with that product. The Anniversary has been around for approximately ten years and yet they still cannot get the QC right. I have received over twenty Anniversaries, with faults on every item from missing/damaged/loose parts, to pinched wires, causing short circuits. In so far as purchasing newly released product, I stopped when the 3-truck was released. I was all fired up to purchase a couple but was firstly put off by the secrecy surrounding the Tsunami introduction and secondly, the numerous reports of problems with the attachment of wires from the third truck. I saw a change in the once friendly behaviour of the Bach-Man forum, as the Bach-Man seemed to tire at fending off questions as regards production. The Answer was always 'anticipate'. This left the consumer out in the cold, with postings liberally deleted, when they did not fit the new criteria. It seems that we all need to be little Johnny D's these days and see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. Or as my old teacher in primary school used to say - "face the front and shut up!"Ray,
Everyone gripes, but enough still buy to make it worthwhile. And would enough more buy if it was measurably better? Personally, I wish they wouldn’t put in less, like super sockets and DCC stuff. They create enough that people buy it. And yes, it is our nature to complain. I personally think they do a far better job than LGB did and they went broke. I’m sure it is an interesting market.
Gripes?
Of course, the essential point is what is the focus of the “gripe?”
Is it not true the majority of postings critical of Bachmann are unfortunately focused on Bachmann’s quality control?
The response I most remember from Bachmann spokesmen was indicating the prohibitive cost of shutting down an assembly line to test sample locomotives prior to shipment. There was no denial of the problems consumers experience. However, there was an appeal for us large scalers to understand the problem that Bachmann claims they are stuck with: No testing final product design because of cost.
If it is accurate that Stanley Ames was fortunate to have and test a pre-shipment locomotive, did he discover any maladies that were unfortunately too late to remedy?
We await purchasers to buy the new mallet and hopefully hear of any problems – most importantly, those problems that are representative of the locos sold.
Try these questions:
- If problems, what are the remedies?
- Who will accomplish them and make them public?
- Will Bachmann’s engineering staff also participate in “testing” the final shipped product and be THE source for remedy?
Now, we wait.
Wendell
Wendell,
the problem really is the refusal to accept a problem exists. Firstly, denial and then belated acceptance. I know that any B’mann locomotive that I purchase is going to have broken parts loose in the plastic bag that the loco is packed in and require some tinkering to make it run at an acceptable level of performance. The majority of issues with the new old stock Connies relate to split gears, new from the factory. In this day and age with plastics technology as advanced as it is and engineering/computer machining knowlege at a premium, I wonder why we still have issues with drive trains. The market drift towards intricately detailed locomotives, has been at the expense of reliability in manufacture/assembly. Like days of old when beautiful brass bodied scale models were in high demand, the emphasis was on the detail and not the drivetrain, as these scale models were more designed as shelf queens. Have B’mann made a decision to manufacture shelf queens at the expense of the hobbyist?
After problems over the last few years, I hope the mallet is more readily accepted by the market, or future releases/projects will be hindered. In reality, who really needed a railtruck or a Davenport? It seems that the emphasis on obscure limited prototype productions in the past, at the expense of what the market is 'demanding', will severely curtail what will be manufactured in the future. B'mann has been short on hitting home runs lately and with all bases loaded with essentially non-performers, it is going to take a knock out hit the bring some enthusiasm back into the game. Two strikes down over the last two years and the hitter facing a third strike, I feel that the game is nearly over. The fans want to go home with a winning smile on their faces, not the look of one whose team has lost another game.Tim-
Your “ballpark” analogy clearly states the problem. Is Bachmann a “winning team” and will there be fans to support the upcoming season?
I hope whatever, IF there is a problem, may be needed related to the mallet is easily fixed.
Wendell
I think a large part of the problem is the relatively small market for large scale trains. HO is still king and will be for some time. I don’t personally have any experience with Bachmann’s HO equipment but with all the competition in that market I think Bachmann pays more attention to making sure new releases for HO are trouble free. They also are trying to become a major player in the up and comming 0n30 market. Maybe they have their “BEST” people working on these two markets and large scale gets what is left. I worked for Chrysler for 40 years in engineering and I can state for the record that vehicle lines that were selling and generating profits got all the attention. Some car lines were produced at a loss just to make it possible for Chrysler to be able to advertise they made products for every car segment. Some of their low cost compact cars were nothing but crap. They kept the dealears busy with fixing new cars just to get them to run. Maybe large scale at Bachmann is just something they do to keep their fingers in every model train segment. Let’s be grateful that they still produce large scale engines and rolling stock at relatively inexpensive prices. I think this helps keep other manufacturers prices down.
Big John
Tim, “who needs a Railtruck or a Davenport”, I did not need either, but I do own one of each, thay fill a niche on my railroad perfectly. To each their own. I do not have a K27, as it is too big for my needs, a mallet, Perhaps later on?