Tower 55 prices, Who's getting some?

[nsfantodd]

I copied this post from TO. Wanted your thoughts;

FECSD40-2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How about some HO scale GEVOs and SD70ACes for
> folks like myself that can't afford the lofty
> Tower 55 prices? And some in N scale too?


Send Athearn or Atlas an E-mail! I already have. The only thing I can do is vote with my money. I'll not be getting any Tower 55 models. They look awesome, but $235.00 dollars (mail order) for a non-decoder, non-sound unit is just too expensive for me. $269.00 for a sound ready unit is quite jump in price from the $167.00 to $199.00 that other manufacturers are getting now.
Athearn's new SD-45-2 Genesis unit is going to sell for $99.79, Atlas's 8-40CW sells for $94.49 (non-sound, mail order). Can anybody explain to me how the Tower 55 model is going to be so much more detailed that is worth an additional $135.00!
I do understand that Tower 55 is the only one producing these models so far. I hope that everyone understands that by, buying these models, it means that your happy with their price structure.

Todd Templeton

[dxr8007nz]

Hi nsfantodd

Your photo is Nice locomotive

[Anonymous]

you should NEVER pay m.s.r.p. you can always find it for less- my LHS sell engines for about 35% off m.s.r.p. so the Tower55 ES44DC would cost around $170 -I hope to get three of them in the BNSF H3 paint http://www.tower55products.com/main.php?scale=HO&type=Diesel&series=GE%20Evolution%20Series&prod=BNSF+ES44DC+New+H3+Scheme

[GAPPLEG]

I do agree with you on that, I just can't justify that pricing model. Perhaps it did cost that mch more in tooling to create their product, but too rich for my blood.[:O]

[nsfantodd]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dingoix

you should NEVER pay m.s.r.p. you can always find it for less- my LHS sell engines for about 35% off m.s.r.p. so the Tower55 ES44DC would cost around $170 -I hope to get three of them in the BNSF H3 paint http://www.tower55products.com/main.php?scale=HO&type=Diesel&series=GE%20Evolution%20Series&prod=BNSF+ES44DC+New+H3+Scheme

Sorry to bust your bubble, but I was not quoting MSRP. All prices I quoted came from a mail order ad on page 91 in the January, 2006 Model Railroader magazine. If your hoping to get a Tower 55 model for $170.00, I afraid thats not going to happen. And thats a good example of how high these prices are.

Todd Templeton

[Anonymous]

Beautiful Brass models hidiously HIGH PRICES.... You can get a great looking model from atlas....

[Anonymous]

on Tower55's website

QUOTE: Can I order direct from Tower 55 Products?
Our preference has always been to support our dealer network. Dealers often provide a better price and more importantly provide more personalized service that you may require. However, you may also order direct from Tower 55 Products via our online showroom or by phone.

[csmith9474]

Just waiting on the turbine. Depending on the price difference from brass, I will probably get one (if the price difference is great enough to warrant the purchase of a plastic model). I just don't see these things doing that well. For about a 150 bucks more on eBay, you can sometimes get the same thing in brass.

[Anonymous]

If they sell for more than $200 (without DCC) i'll only get 1

[modelmaker51]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Dock_661

Beautiful Brass models hidiously HIGH PRICES.... You can get a great looking model from atlas....

Tower 55 is the PLASTIC division of Overland (brass) Models,Inc! (it states it right in their ads).

[Fergmiester]

Something Else to remeber. New releases are always priced high as someone
will pay whatever it takes to be the first kid on the block to own one.

Give it a year or so and prices will drop after the initial rush.

Marketing, ya gotta despise it!

Fergie

[jsoderq]

You may have a long wait for a price drop. Overland brass prices don't drop. They are using the same marketing - short discounts and limited production of LICENSED models so you wont see over production like Lifelike. Part of the licensing is to control production so it is doubtful you will see Kato or someone do the same loco, at least for years.

[csmith9474]

Plastic just doesn't have the collectibility of brass. I guess the brass comparison is not a good one.

[simon1966]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester



Marketing, ya gotta despise it!

Fergie

Ouch!!!

I am in marketing and setting the price for something is one of the hardest things to do. Get it wrong in either direction and things can be runious. For example, there is not point in pricing something low, generating thousands of orders, if production is limited. Likewise, price something too high and you may end up with the entire production sitting in a warehouse. The first responsibility of the company has to be to price an item to make a profit (why bother otherwise!) If the price point of the item to achieve this ends up being too high to actually move the goods off the shelf, then someone really screwed up the planning and the project should never have gone ahead. I would suspect that the Tower 55 products are a very limited run, probably not as limted as the brass but nothing like the volumes of BLI or P2K. These guys presumably know their market and are confident of selling the production run. In fact, they have probably sold most of the production run on pre-orders.

[csmith9474]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 8500HPGASTURBINE

The TURBINE model is said to be around $1200.00. I got mine off of Ebay for $700.00. And it IS BRASS.

Good score on the turbine! I would definately spend the extra few hundred dollars on a brass unit that will not only hold its value, but will probably appreciate if it is from a quality importer like Ajin or Samhongsa. I have only seen plastic depreciate on plastic models. They just don't seem to have the collectible value that brass has.

Even with all this speculation, we will just have to wait and see!!

[Anonymous]

Different strokes for different folks, but for my money the Tower 55 prices do seem a bit high. I hope the detail is worth it. I haven't seen any of them yet so I have no opinion there. I do know that for my money, a P2K or a Kato for 100 new or 50-60 bucks used and then me adding a decoder makes me happy. I plan to run my trains not collect them so that does make a difference. To someone who collects the money may not be as significant. Like I said different strokes...............

[jondrd]

QUOTE: Originally posted by modelmaker51

QUOTE: Originally posted by Dock_661

Beautiful Brass models hidiously HIGH PRICES.... You can get a great looking model from atlas....

Tower 55 is the PLASTIC division of Overland (brass) Models,Inc! (it states it right in their ads).

They didn't say it was the GOLD Plastic division.

It is conceiveable that there are manufacturing methods or processes which are different from other premium plastic loco manufacturers. Maybe Tower55 is going to get it right from the "get go". The jury is out on that one until we get consumer feedback.I love BLI but their first issue Hudson did leave something to be desired.

Giving Overland the benefit of a doubt, they may also have looked at the hideously high prices of brass and decided to do something about it. Of course the timing of their market entry doesn't exactly make it a very original thought.

Jon

[Anonymous]

i am palnning on getting a gevo and painting it in santa Fe warbonnet!!

[selector]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester

Something Else to remeber. New releases are always priced high as someone
will pay whatever it takes to be the first kid on the block to own one.

Give it a year or so and prices will drop after the initial rush.

Marketing, ya gotta despise it!

Fergie

Huh? Do you despise mathematics, Fergie? That's all marketing is....making the balance sheet stay in the black to the extent possible so that the company can stay viable.

Another way of looking at it is this: if the company were regulated to make zero (0) profit, and to suffer no loss (can you say "socialism"?), then each locomotive must sell for a certain value to keep the equation of losses over profts in zero balance. If they sell you one loco for $300, they can sell the other 299 for $298, a bargain sure to get them sold for those who lust after them. If they can talk you and several of your friends into $400, they can give the others away for considrably less, and incite the selling of that inventory.

It is like wages. If nurses and teachers are to be paid $25/hr, then in a balanced economy, you and I MacDucks workers have to be satisfied with $5/hr. It works the same in marketing.

[Anonymous]

why are these Tower55's so expensive- are we just buying "brand name" (overland brass) or are these new engine such high quality it's difficult to fathom?

[csmith9474]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dingoix

why are these Tower55's so expensive- are we just buying "brand name" (overland brass) or are these new engine such high quality it's difficult to fathom?

I think it is a little of both, but not so much the quality relative to what is already available much cheaper. Things like the turbine is where I think they are going to enjoy success with this line. I would assume that they are going to take things that have only been available in brass and market them in plastic. Hopefully they will do some pax cars and a U30-CG.

[Anonymous]

I hope the price drops eventually. After carefully considering all i need to buy and my budget i don't even know if i can get one of these tower55's