ModelRailroader.com Reader Poll – January 8, 2004

[Anonymous]

for one thing, this will hurt BEV-BEL. i think it also means that there will be changes for the future. a lot of us are dreading this. just when athearn is getting the RTR line off to a good start, the tragedy hits. corporate takeovers have happened in the real railroads, now, the athearn fans have to deal with it on their layout!! buyouts do not belong in this hobby. it makes it more expensive, or quality deficient. it's the end of a great era. i got my "real" start in the hobby thanks to athearn. i still think it is painful that american model train equipment is made overseas. now, maybe the "bluebox" line will have a new "home"? we all dread this, which ruins quality control, and innovation of a great hobby asset. let's see what happens. i don't like the sound of this greedy stunt which kills tradition. thanks IRV, for everything you have done, and supplied us with!

[Anonymous]

There's a lot of uncertainty about this merger of manufacturer and distributor. I'm hoping they are wise enough to maintain the quality of the Athearn products especially with their moves into the N-scale arena and try to hold the price line relatively unchanged. Time will tell....

[Anonymous]

I am not really sure how the purchase of Athearn by Horizon will affect me purchasing more models. Some times mergers or buyouts seem to be good, but so many others seem to only benefit the CEOs.

As for the choices of this poll, a third choice of "Not Sure" would have been appropriate for me.

[Anonymous]

The part that I don't like is that my favorite discount house will no longer be able to sell Athearn products because he does not have a store front. This is always bad.
It's the hobby stores that will bear the brunt of this. I can't forsee this as a good thing.

[Anonymous]

One can't help but wonder why the sale of Athearn to a company relatively unknown to the model RR community. Did Athearn over extend itself in capital spending, and needed an infusion of cash; thus a lucrative offer from Horizon? Or was it running away from getting swallowed up by Walthers, but for the same reason?
Regardless of the cause, the effect will be eventual higher cost and limited distribution by discount distributors.

[Allen Jenkins]

Maybe this will put some pep in their step and get on with the Rail Power Products line of Diesel electric locomotives, so faithfully crafted by Mr Dana Stark & Family. Personally I hope all the line is re-introduced! And even more to come! It is a great time to model, fallen flags, fly on! Enjoy your hobby!

[Anonymous]

I'm uneasy about this sale, as I've seen too many "suits" who know nothing about a business they've bought, and only look at ways to squeze every penny out of the bottom-line...and after they bleed it dry, they sell off a totally ruined company.
I also agree with the poster who asked "how lazy are we that we need more RTR?" I may be in the minority, but I still enjoy BUILDING kits! Maybe the days of the $3.99 blue box kit are long gone, but even I, as a working adult, have a difficult time justifying $25 or more for a single box car kit that I don't even get to build - so how can a kid on an allowance get into the hobby? If the price structure when I started in this hobby was what it is now, I probably would done something else.

[Anonymous]

Athearn has always been a model name you could trust for quality, especially for the entrance level modeler. Only time will tell if some other provider will be required to fill this need due to this company buy out.

Roll on old New Haven

[Anonymous]

IAthearn has been regarded as a good quality manufacturer at a decent price. While their products were not considered top of the line they were always looked at as a decent product at a reasonable price. I hope this continues with Horizon. To often a manufacturer uses a good name to make a cheaper product. In short I am scared.
While Athearn did make a good product, I have recently had problems with their customer service

[Anonymous]

The change in ownership won't effect me unless they go into large scale.

I've use Athearn products in the past and was very pleased with their value. Hopefully the operations for their core line will remain here, but as with the Lionel move it is a matter of being competative in a maket which lives on spending from desposable, non essential, spare funds.

All we can do is wait and see

[Anonymous]

Hopefully Athearn will go with a two tier product line, stay with the classic old timer line that many of us grew up with and develop a high end product line that more experienced modellers will want to aquire.

Many other manufacturers have done this except their bottom end is, how does one say

ROCK BOTTOM!

Athearn maybe simple but is an excellent runner and definately the way for beginners to peak their interest.

Remember most kids can't afford $15 to $25 kits. Most Moms and Dads don't have the time nor the ability to put these kits together.

[Anonymous]

[V] My local dealer is already having trouble ordering Athearn. Horizon does not want to deal with small dealers.

[Anonymous]

The classic blue box line has been quietly shrinking over the past year. As many posters have already stated, the kits represent great value, especially for beginners.

WIth the time and money Athearn has put into the Genesis and Ready-to-Roll lines, it would seem that there is more profit in these pre-assembled products.

Time will tell if this is good for the hobby. I'm not afraid of change, change just doesn't have a perfect record.

[Anonymous]

As a modeller in HO scale I have no real problem using other manufacturers for my motive power or rolling stock, but would really hate to lose Athearn as my major equipment seller. Don`t derail a good product line Horizon Hobbies!

[ClinchValleySD40]

No effect on me. If I want something, I buy it regardless of who makes it. Probably biggest impact will be if they stick to hobby shop only sales. I still do most of my purchasing on line.

[Anonymous]

Good excuse for a price increase! Although, the older Athearn kits my become collectors' items in their own ruight now!

[Anonymous]

Excuse me. Have You actually loooked at an Athearn box in the last two years?
Made in China, China, China.....
But I sure hope the quality will remain as is.
What I fear is higher prices with an exclusive distributor.

QUOTE: Originally posted by JamesL

I hope that that Athearn production stays in Compton and won't move to China or India. Greater corporate profits are realized by using offshore manufacturers.
I think the quality will remain high, whatever happens.

[Anonymous]

The buy-out is unlikely to make availability of Genesis items any worse in the UK where I live, as the delivery times are ridiculous at present. The models are of course 2nd to none. I've waited over a year for WP ABB sets of F3s in passenger livery and it now looks unlikely that they will ever arrive. I could give other examples too. Lets hope the situation improves.

[ckuehncnwhs]

Mergers/acquisitions/buyouts, etc., ad nauseum - no matter how they're sold as beneficial to the consumer - seldom result in a more consumer-friendly climate. I have no illusions about this one.

For decades Athearn has done a fine job of providing good-quality, inexpensive model railroad products to the low and mid-level hobbyists. Athearn has (even before this news) begun catering to the high-end clientele. I feel no optimism that this "improvement" will in any way result in improved service to the overall hobby.

Charles Kuehn

[Anonymous]

I think it may have an impact on the market, but do not know that much about horizon hobby. I model N scale and was looking forward to Athern's inroad to N scale with items that have been heretofore unavailable. I hope this decision does not put Athern N scale on the "backburner." Only time will tell!!!
Al SC

[Anonymous]

i can see a concern of quality products but if they want to stay in bussiness they will have to keep up with others -- i have 19 athearn engines love them but have kato and many oyher brands too ---- i'm addicted to buying engines and i like the way they all run some good some not so good--- so i hope athearn stays the same-- cpr rr

[Anonymous]

In any merger, acquisition, leverage buyout or reorganization the objective is to enhance the bottom line/shareholder values/profitability.

There are always minuses and pluses, losers and winners.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ckuehncnwhs


Charles Kuehn

Charles, were you not part of the Lionel Family?

[Anonymous]

More and more Athearn has been upgrading the detail in their models. This has lead to higher prices. But the inexpensive kits which were their main claim to fame for many years seem to be disappearing. Therefore it's going to take more thought to buy equipment. Since they were bought it seems that trend will only accelerate. But that's just another sign of the convenience society we're now in.

[Anonymous]

I'm suprised that 186 (as of 2:53 PM eastern time) people are calm, this is the worst thing that could happen to a teen modeler like myself. Most of my equipment, both locomotives and freight cars, is Athearn. And I thought the Ready to Roll series would be going strong for years to come.

[Anonymous]

Like others, wait and see. What concerns me is not so much who owns what company but why so much ready to run stuff. Where are all the good kits? Athern started as Globe...all kits, and developed into Athern; affordable stuff to introduce younger modelers to the hobby. Silver Streak! Even Varney. Walther was all kits, but now very few. Why all the R-T-R. I've always thought that R-T-R were toys (Lionel, Am erican Flyer, Marx etc)a place to introduce kids to the hobby and that kits were the real model railroading materials, part of the maturation process. Add to that; super detailing, custom paint etc etc and you have a great hobby. Check the prices over the past few years also. Walther appears to be pricing themselves out of the market for new comers. Anyone can get 30% off of Walthers prices from any good hobby shop, on or off line. I get better prices from my local hobby shop than from Walther.

[Anonymous]

[xx(]As long as they keep their prices basically the same I see no problem, but I have a bad feeling about this.

[Anonymous]

This is bad. BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD!!!!

I am half tempted to find a group of investors and Buy out Horizon. Then once we own it. Dissolve the company and order any and all non-model railroad inventory destroyed on the spot. And then restore walthers as its one true national distributor. I would keep everything the same. Except make avialable more undecorateds. (I havn't been able to find those for a few years)

But I live in the western US. That means Caboose hobbies is going to be the only place to get athearn for the States of Nevada, Arizona New Mexico Colorado. Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota North Dakota Montana and Idaho. If Horizon is going to make people order from business that can order $10,000 a crack from them. That takes Athearn out of the Local Hobby stores in all of those States. This is bad news bears.

James

[Hawks05]

as long as they keep the kits simple, locomotives have great detail for a good price, and lower the RTR stuff nothing will change.

[ShaunCN]

I think this sucks. I also think that the new company will raise prices putting the people who cant spend all that much money right out of the hobby............THAT WOULD SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ShaucnCN