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My LHS seems to be phasing out their kits - they've cut their prices on Athearn Blue Box massively. This is, to my mind, a bad thing. I first got into US HO scale as a result of seeing a review of an Athearn BB kit (I think it was one of their SE caboose packs) in Continental Modeller. I was attracted by the fact that the kits are prepainted and lettered - at that time, my painting skills were not very good and I had no source of decals. I've since built some slightly more involved models (built a RPP 56ft well car recently), but I still buy the old BB kits - they're cheap, robust, and look pretty good if you add some extra detailing. <br /> <br />Another key factor is cost. To my mind, Athearn RTR does not represent good value for money. Their new Maxi-II well car costs £60 RTR over here - for the same money I could have bought the kit version, added metal wheels and Kadees, and bought a few containers to start loading it. I think the reduction in availability of "shake the box" kits will hit beginners hardest - with these kits it's possible to produce a running model cheaply and quickly, and with a decent standard of finish. This holds interest and will probably lead to someone buying more challenging "craftsman" kits later on. <br /> <br />Having said that, I did buy one Athearn RTR car last year - one of the CSX cabooses - and was impressed by the printing and paintwork, but unimpressed by the out of gauge wheels and plastic couplers - I actually used some spare BB wheelsets I had to replace the factory ones - it now rolls far more freely (couldn't find metal wheelsets in the correct size) and is easier to use thanks to the Kadee #5s I fitted. Considering I fit Kadees to everything as I build it, I would rather pay half the price, and buy the kit.
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