[moved from modelrailroader forums by selector]
I am really looking for some help here. I noticed that when lionel advertises a train set it usually comes out in about 6 months or less. With mth it takes two years or more. The reason i am asking is because i had put an order for the mth r142 subway set. This particular set has protosound and other features but not like the lionel subways which have operating doors. What i really want to know is why does mth take a long time to get the set in the stores while lionel gets them within a few months. If i am correct don't they use the same factory in china. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Well for one thing Tino, MTH has their own production facility in Asia, whereas Lionel uses Sanda Kan which is the same company that makes the trains for nearly every other company also.
All the train companies seem to have the delay problem with some products including Lionel. Note that most of the products that have been announced by RMT are all delayed, some by years! But Lionel does seem to be doing much better in this regard, especially with the basic lower to mid-range end products.
I have read where Sanda Kan now requires full prepayment before shipping, and if this is the case I would suspect this could have something to do with delays. With this thinking, it would make sense that the train importers might juggle their schedules to get the products made first that stand the best chance of selling quickly... ones that have a higher amount of preorders. Then of course there are the normal engineering and production issues which can all have an effect.
In the case of MTH, they still have propably the most extensive catalog of the 3-rail train makers: notice Lionel has cut back on the numbers of total new products. MTH also does a fraction of the total business Lionel does, meaning less overall income. Even with their own separate production facility, they still have to pay for their products to get made, and this could be part of the issue - who knows? And it's not just the top shelf MTH products either... I've been curious to see the last bunch of Rugged Rails locos that were cataloged in 2008 and still have yet to be made.
brianel, Agent 027
"Praise the Lord. I may not have everything I desire, but the Lord has come through for what I need."
After the product is made and packaged, it still may sit at shipping and receiving docks for long periods of time before they are sent on their way. the companys have no control over this time period.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
Charter Member- Tardis Train Crew (TTC) - Detroit3railers- Detroit Historical society Glancy Modular trains- Charter member BTTS
The reality is that, some MTH products can take a long time to get into a customers hands - see what we've been up to (located on the back side of the front cover, in MTH's 2009 vol. one catalog) in the first paragraph MTH writes:
"The simple truth is that our factories have gotten behind on diesel tooling and production."
The wait factor (time factor) is a real turn-off; it's hard to stay enthusiastic and committed. Also, sometimes when your product(s) finally come, they may defective, not in in working order, and have to be replaced or repaired; you pay the shipping and insurance.
To stay sane in this hobby, patience is required.
Believe me,I have had my share of frustration and disappointment; but when it goes right, it' can be brilliant.
Rick
What a ringing endorsement for US production facilities..............
-B in B
The strange thing is that i saw a mth set in the 2008 catalog and it is already in the store. I was going to wait until i had gotten the subway set before pre ordering that one. I wound up buying that one since it was already in the train store. How is it that this can happen. Shouldn't the one from the 2007 catalog be made first? the set i purchased from the 2008 catalog was the amtrak superliner passenger set with protosound. It is a nice set also.
All the companies have had issues with getting their trains to market on-time. Sometimes the cause is technological changes, other times it is delays in raw materials, and sometimes it is due to shipping issues (like when all the freighters were jammed off the Port of Los Angeles!)
Jon
That's why I stopped looking at new catalogs. I just go to the train shop and ask "Whats New". I hate getting my hopes up by seeing something I really want in a book and have to wait what seems to be a eternity to get one.
The train store I go to simply shows me the new catalog and I write my name in what I would like to get. If it shows, great, if not, oh well. I do request other things that I am looking for and if he finds it, then I buy it. No stress nor time deadlines to fret about.
Founding member of the All Aboard Fastrackers! See us at: www.allaboardfastrackers.com
PhilaKnight That's why I stopped looking at new catalogs. I just go to the train shop and ask "Whats New". I hate getting my hopes up by seeing something I really want in a book and have to wait what seems to be a eternity to get one.
Along with what PhilaKnight has to say on this subject, I go to train shows & hobby shops where you can see what you are buying. I had a very bad experiance when K-Line went out of business, had to wait over two years for a certain product to be made, so that is why I am so against catalog ordering.
Lee F.
I look at the new catalogs on line and go well time to see what Charlie RO has, Train world, Trainz ect and figure from there what I want if I feel like a preorder I think hard and usually don't do it lol I also like choochooauctions and ebay for most of my items I want as I don't care if someone else has owned it as long as it looks good and works fine.
I have bought items that were MTH that was in catalogs like 2-3 tears in a row and still took 6 months+ to get now that where I scatch my head but like the other guy said it can sit in a container on a dock for months.
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/
Does anyone know in what quantities this stuff gets made? In the collectible scale replica car market they seem to tell you ahead of time that, if they get 125, orders for example, they will produce the model.
Perhaps orders are held until they get enough to meet their minimum production run objectives, or until they run out of more lucrative work. Then thereare the issues of making and having all the individual parts available for assembly. If they are smart they will try to balance these and other factors for a profitable opration.
It would be nice if total production run figures were available, at least after the production runs are finished. This would be helpful when deciding to try to find a particular item in the market.
runtime
runtime Does anyone know in what quantities this stuff gets made? It would be nice if total production run figures were available, at least after the production runs are finished. This would be helpful when deciding to try to find a particular item in the market. runtime
Does anyone know in what quantities this stuff gets made?
I agree. I decided to pre-order the Hogwarts add-on car set even though the catalog picture showed a copy of the standard car set numbers. My LHS told me don't worry about it. When I went to pick it up, he was right and I found out that according to him the entire run was sold out. Who would have guessed?
Also in the "shipping" factor don't forget to consider time getting through customs. I worked for a company that had parts tha had to come through customs and it can be a real nightmare some times!
Here is a nasty thought. What do you suppose is going to happen when the Chinese stop taking our phony paper money for their hard goods? I hate to think of the shipping delays.
God Bless
Bruce
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month