Milepost 266.2 I was thinking more in terms of quality of materials, paint schemes, quality control and the assembly experience.
I was thinking more in terms of quality of materials, paint schemes, quality control and the assembly experience.
From most of the Accurail cars I've seen and built, the paint jobs aren't any better or worse, on the average, than most Athearn bb freight cars. The paint is "ok" but not stellar on Accuail, and to be fair, many Athearn bb kits weren't stellar either. Many Accurail cars I've seen, the paint appears to be easily worn or rubbed off from just rattling around loose in the boxes during transport - I've put kits back on the shelf from Accurail that I considered buying because some of the paint was rubbed off in places. Personally I don't see much significant difference between the two brands for rolling stock. Athearns engines, especially blue box, suffer from quality control issues for sure, but the freight cars - no more than Accurail.
I've assembled plenty of both, and Athearns generally are just as easy as Accurail to assemble, and in some ways I can argue are better. Many Accurail kits used pushed in plugs to hold the trucks on rather than the screws Athearns did. Yes, you can replace them but thats "out of the box" screws are much preferred. An honest appraisal would put most Athearn and Accurail freight car kits on an even playing field as far as ease of assembly, quality of materials, paint etc. The differences - advantages and disadvantages of both are minor. Thats been my experience building them between the early 1970's as a teen and the present - realizing Accurail didn't come on the scene until what, the late 1980's sometime?
What drives my decision far more than perceived quaility etc, is finding appropriate freight cars which are good matches to the real thing, or if a better car isn't available in HO, I may buy them as "stand-in's" because they approximate the look of certain prototype freight cars well enough until a better model comes along. To that end, I purchase models from most of makers based on the above criteria (Accurail, Athearn, MDC, Walthers, E&C/LBF, Atlas, ExactRail, Intermountain, etc etc. Granted Accurail, Athearn, Walthers and MDC still have lots of kits at shows if you want to build a fleet at minimum expense with kits that build up without lots of effort and look very decent.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
riogrande5761 ......Accurail, Athearn, Walthers and MDC still have lots of kits at shows if you want to build a fleet at minimum expense with kits that build up without lots of effort and look very decent.
......Accurail, Athearn, Walthers and MDC still have lots of kits at shows if you want to build a fleet at minimum expense with kits that build up without lots of effort and look very decent.
That was/is the attraction of all of these kits: they were kits, they were easy to build, and they were affordable. They were also, for many of us, the introduction to the hobby. If you were satisfied with them built as intended, no problem. If you wanted more detail, or more detail specific to a certain prototype, they were affordable enough to be hacked and chopped to meet your requirements. Some modellers moved beyond these simple kits to more detailed ones or to craftsman-type kits, while others never saw a need to move beyond the basics. I'm not sure what's available now to entry-level modellers, but Accurail and Bowser are the only kit-makers of which I'm aware that fill that niche. Yes, there are lots of great-looking and very prototypical r-t-r models available, but I think that only some buyers are pleased with what they get for their money. For them, the price gives good value: a truly ready-to-run model with detail unimagineable when the simple-to-build kits were the norm. Another segment of the market, perhaps not aware of the hobby's history, buy these models because they're what's available. They may or may not appreciate the details or the fidelity to prototype, and they may not even be dismayed by the price. It's difficult to say whether or not they'd have preferred a kit, or something cheaper, or even something less detailed or less prototypical - there are plenty of modellers out there decrying so-called rivet counters, so who's to say how important these things are, especially to newcomers to the hobby.For some of us, though, r-t-r is simply an expensive route to making a model that's unique to our needs and standards, and it can be rather galling to lay out large cash (compared to that for simple kits) for a model that purports to be ready to run but in fact needs alterations to better suit the modeller's requirements. It is, of course, unreasonable to expect a manufacturer to "cover all the bases", but I'd prefer less detail for less money. Execute well the things which need to be included: fidelity to major prototype dimensions and over-all appearance, but skip the free-standing grabirons and ladders, and detailed brake gear. Most modellers don't seem to care, and, if they do, can probably do a better job of adding such details themselves. If we continue to be satisfied with over-size free-standing grabirons, why not then settle for to-scale mould-on ones? At least they'd be easier to re-do.
I understand that manufacturers need to get the best return on their investment, but modellers also need to get the best bang for their buck. If you're served by the current situation, you have no complaint. Personally, I feel that modelling is an as-equally important component of model railroading as is railroading, so I'm pleased to have quite a few Athearn, MDC, and Train Miniature kits yet to build and modify.
Wayne
How ironic.
People don't like to build these kits so they get these kits built by some dude or dudette in China or wherever(lets face it, folks, that is what they are essentially doing-they are not mass produced out of some machine) and then kvetch about the quality, price, or what have you....
I like Accurail, simply because I can make of there cars what I need them to be...
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
blownout cylinderHow ironic. People don't like to build these kits so they get these kits built by some dude or dudette in China or wherever(lets face it, folks, that is what they are essentially doing-they are not mass produced out of some machine) and then kvetch about the quality, price, or what have you.... I like Accurail, simply because I can make of there cars what I need them to be...
And the good news for those of you who can beat their chests and proclaim that they are real modelers, there are lots of kits still available at shows to keep the olden days alive.
For me, the ends justify the means, so I don't mind if a dudette in China put a box car or engine together and made the details look better than I could. Not all of us can beat our chest and then bring a model to a show and win a prize, but we still may want to build a train that looks close to the real thing with models that match the ones pulled by the SP or D&RGW through the Sierra's or Rockies. As many of us find out, there are plenty of time consuming things we can spend our time on to reach this goal, and having a chinese worker assemble and paint a model that looks great may help us reach that goal - I'm not going to apologize to the "real" modelers who wring there hands over the dying art. It's ok *pats back* ... and if it's any comfort, some of us noobs who have been into the hobby since the 70's still toss some kits together now and then to remember y'all and the good old days. ;)
I have been away from the hobby for a little while. I understand Athearn's decision to discontinue this line of products, and reading this thread from start to finish has got me to thinking. I was introduced to the hobby by my Grandfather, a modeler that hand laid his track, made his own turnouts ( one of my first lessons was soldering rails together to create the frog ) and he gave me his almost complete collection of MR's dating back to the 40's. I remember reading all the old article about modeling on a "Shoe String" budget. I have been working on the same 4X8 layout for almost 3 years, using modern methods. I looked at these kits, when I was a kid as a gateway to being able to build what are considered craftsman kits, being able someday to "Super Detail" my equipment that sort of thing. BB kits were a good way to teach myself through trial and error how to achieve the level of model building I aspire to. I think this is just another reflection of today's desire for instant gratification, in general. I guess that same since of accomplishment, (the feeling this is something I built) from completing a simple BB kit can still be achieved by opening a box and putting the car on the rails huh. Please don't misunderstand my post as "chest beating" , or being a "real modeler" ( <-----one day I might be one of these), just an opinion and observation.
Brad
If you watch eBay you can usually find BB Athearn kits offered. Many times the prices are too high when you add the shipping. My past attempts to sell BBs on eBay have failed, even with low shipping and 3 kits grouped with less than $10 starting bids. I figure, if I can't get at least $3.50 a piece for them, I'll keep them! Before moving to western Colorado I bought and sold at dozens of swap meets and train shows each year. Out here I'm at least 3 hours from shows, so I have to rely on eBay.
Was just at Arnies Trains he had a whole box of Athearn blue box ATSF flat cars going for $2.99 each i bought a ADM hopper for $4.99, I like what you can do with the blue box kits they are excellent for kitbashing projects to much glue on the Athearn ready to run cars hard to change out the couplers etc,used a blue box tank car frame and a Tyco Arco tank car to get rid of the old horn hook couplers will be doing two more in the near future,like some of the other posters have said they are still out there in quanity and for reasonable prices.