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[quote user="hobo9941"]I just went to the Horizon Hobbies website. No deals there. Looks like everything is full list price.[/quote]That may be the case, same with the walthers catalog too.Both sources are useful for digging up specific part numbers to provide to one or the other LHS with the order so they might not have to waste too much time digging up part numbers.It is my understanding that Horizon bought Athearn lock stock and barrel. That also includes Roundhouse. Because Horizion competes with Walthers for YOUR train money the Walthers no longer carry Athearn.Now to mix the pot a little bit, It is my understanding that Blue Box is no longer USA made, everything comes or will come out of China at some point in the future under the old Athearn Blue Box Kits. You can learn if a Blue Box is USA made or China Made on the box label itself. Ive done both and cannot tell the difference however all gets inspected and I keep LOTS of spare parts on hand.Life Like Heritage and Proto (One and same?) was bought by Walthers. I think also the pricing has finally come down a little bit because they were stubborn with the 400 dollar steam engines with DCC and Sound that cannot pull very well upgrade. Little by little they are getting better. I have one of the new 2-10-2's that is a joy to drive along with the older QSI Y3.Broadway Limited is no longer QSI. They may carry SOME products with QSI but I think they would rather ditch QSI and crank out everything under thier so called blueline. However QSI are gaining use in factory engines from Walthers and others while others like MRC and Bachmann hang tight.Riverossi, AHM and IHC will always be one and the same, the difference is the flanges for me. Pizza Cutter or non-pizza cutter.I recall a myth that Athearn's President used to sit down with Roundhouse's President over breakfast and sort out which company will produce which kits. I have not ever been able to comfirm or defuse this story.I bought a tube of Liquid Glue from Horizion for 9 dollars including shipping recently to meet a need during a very large amount of construction. I have two tubes ready to be brought home from the LHS at less than 7 dollars. So... lesson, Manufactor Direct or Walthers, Horizion will not save you money, neither will ebay. Example of Ebay, I have watched Kibri Barges of a specific type. Two are availible on ebay for about 80 dollars total (With shipping) while the Walthers show them in transit to arrive about 30 dollars MSRP and I can expect to pay 40-50 bucks with the usual LHS discount in 2008.It pays to learn the items that you are considering to buy and to shop around, research the item and buy it from the vendor.. either internet, hobby shop, direct or other at the best price you can afford or perhaps find.Wandering a little off topic here... to this day I never understand why One Widget for 1.00 MSRP can vary wildly across several sources availible to the customer today. Some will cost more with shipping others cost .20 cents shipped to your door after tax.MSRP may be a obselete breed here and is such a dinosaur as not to know it's pending demise. For example, I found a BLI locomotive that was rare during my hunt at a Ohio Store for MSRP at 360 dollars plus shipping... way too much. I ended up buying it direct from BLI outlet for about 225 total. I bet the Ohio engine is STILL on the shelf today.
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