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QUOTE: Originally posted by Martin4 I think the Walthers move will be a good thing. For the last few years LL Proto prices went up much faster than any of its competitors. They have incredible detail that was previously seen only on brass models but most of their issues were sold out before they reached the hobby shops. LL has a lot of annouced models that nobody has seen yet. Walthers money will make them able to finally get all those models to the market and I would bet on new issues of previous short runs. Martin Québec City
QUOTE: Originally posted by CNJ831 The manufacturers are no fools and understand that, just as you say, in 10-20 years there likely won't be a viable market for them to operate in. Thus, now is the time to maximize profits. Once the Baby Boomers fade into history, hobbyist numbers will steadily decline. There is simply no follow-up generation with a widespread interest in model trains to take their place. The slot car situation occurred in a completely different era, one in which kids still recalled their Lionel and Flyer Christmastime train roots. As they aged, that interest and the fond memories returned. There is no such association with folks born in the 70's, 80's, or 90's. At the same time, exposure to real trains has been largely limited to wrecks covered on CNN. AMTRAK is all but dead and to the public freight trains are viewed as an obstruction or hazard to gradecrossing traffic! Like many hobbies, model railroading is largely based on an interest expressed by a certain generation. When they are no more, so essentially is the hobby. Young people today also typically lack many of the practical skills necessary for building model railroads. Ours is a hand-on hobby, not one where the push of a button on a game paddle executes and completes the operation. These kids are used to a world where things can be had RIGHT NOW, not labored on for months or years. This is a completely different outlook from that of the majority of today's hobbyists and can not, in my mind, be overcome in the future. So, you ask, what will the manufacturers do if the hobby disappears in the future? You saw that Life-Like trains was just a minor division of a much larger foam company. If the train division had started to loose money, it simply would have been cut. Other companies might well be able to shift to the importation (remember hardly anyone is "manufacturing" in the States today) of other small electronic devices. Most of the bigger companies are today run not by former hobbyists who love trains but by excellent businessmen who could easy switch from importing model trains to importing electric shavers! We all want to see our hobby go on and on into the future, no one more than I, but we can't let that desire cloud our view of the realities of what is happening around us. CNJ831
QUOTE: Originally posted by fbrand QUOTE: Hey... I'm in my 50's and I worked VERY HARD for a VERY LONG TIME to get a Chubby Paycheck... don't you go putting it down!! P.S. The old check will go on a major diet in a few years when I retire, so you don’t need to worry about it much. The remark wasn't meant as a put-down, so why interpret it as one? I can afford the expensive models, but I'm still uncomfortable with the high prices for European trains. My point is, that the big manufacturers seem to cater more and more to mature hobbyists with a large disposable income and ignore the people with less deep pockets. This seems a short-sighted strategy to me, as this market will dry up in 10-20 years and then what? And I don't believe that young people aren't interested because of Playstation et al. We've heard that story before, only then it was slot-car racing, transformers, etc. Young people can be drawn into the hobby. But we can do all the promoting we want but without availability of affordable models nothing will come of it. I understand that high-end models generate more profit, but it still is wise to offer a choice. If you don't, you lose customers. This hobby has done so well because a LOT of people could afford to get involved. Catering only to a small market of affluent buyers is short sighted and will dimini***he hobby in the long run.
QUOTE: Hey... I'm in my 50's and I worked VERY HARD for a VERY LONG TIME to get a Chubby Paycheck... don't you go putting it down!! P.S. The old check will go on a major diet in a few years when I retire, so you don’t need to worry about it much.
QUOTE: Originally posted by mthrules Lifelike was nothing but junk so if Walthers can improve the line, then more power to them. There's been rumors about MTH acquiring a small scale company but I don't think they considered Lifelike.
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QUOTE: Originally posted by fbrand I've noticed in the German model press too a tendency to showcase layouts built by (or for) collectors in their 50s with fat salaries, but I don't think this is the majority of the hobbyists.
QUOTE: Originally posted by Krasny Strela QUOTE: Originally posted by ericboone QUOTE: Originally posted by trolleyboy This will likley be bad news for canadian modellers. LL licensed distribution to Canadian paint schemes and Canadian prototype locomotives to Hobbycraft Canada.With the aquisition all these models will be gone.It was good to get canadian specific locomotives with proper detail parts without having to go the brass route. Indeed a sad day. Rob Why wouldn't Walthers simply distrubute these to Canada or does Canada have some law stating that only Canadian companies can sell model trains with Canadian paint schemes? If my assumption is true, couldn't Walthers set up a similar Canadian division or maybe Canada could get rid of the silly law, again, if my assumption is true. What law? Its simply that this segment of the market is quite small. The more unusual Canadia schemes (TH&B, ONR) wouldn't sell enough units to attract one of the US players, so a niche market has developed. One that may not interest Walthers any more.
QUOTE: Originally posted by ericboone QUOTE: Originally posted by trolleyboy This will likley be bad news for canadian modellers. LL licensed distribution to Canadian paint schemes and Canadian prototype locomotives to Hobbycraft Canada.With the aquisition all these models will be gone.It was good to get canadian specific locomotives with proper detail parts without having to go the brass route. Indeed a sad day. Rob Why wouldn't Walthers simply distrubute these to Canada or does Canada have some law stating that only Canadian companies can sell model trains with Canadian paint schemes? If my assumption is true, couldn't Walthers set up a similar Canadian division or maybe Canada could get rid of the silly law, again, if my assumption is true.
QUOTE: Originally posted by trolleyboy This will likley be bad news for canadian modellers. LL licensed distribution to Canadian paint schemes and Canadian prototype locomotives to Hobbycraft Canada.With the aquisition all these models will be gone.It was good to get canadian specific locomotives with proper detail parts without having to go the brass route. Indeed a sad day. Rob
QUOTE: Originally posted by davekelly Some very interesting posts here to be sure. Hopefully we'll see business as usual as far as Life Like stuff is concerned. Being taken over by Walthers is not necessarily bad per se. ...
QUOTE: Originally posted by ericbooneWhy wouldn't Walthers simply distrubute these to Canada or does Canada have some law stating that only Canadian companies can sell model trains with Canadian paint schemes? If my assumption is true, couldn't Walthers set up a similar Canadian division or maybe Canada could get rid of the silly law, again, if my assumption is true.
Mark P.
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