Subject:
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Re: Hobby Train - the no future train....
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Sun, 8 Jan 2006 23:28:52 GMT
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Viewed:
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1528 times
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In lugnet.trains, Ram Sreerangam wrote:
> There seems to be a lot of discussion about the new battery powered trains. I
> notice that there seems to be a general consensus that the trains are targeted
> towards younger kids.
>
> What ever happened to the promised "hobby trains"? I believe this was mentioned
> during BrickFest. It led me to believe that there may be powered points and
> other such fancy stuff that used to exist in the 12v lines.
>
> Any updates?
>
> Thanks,
> Ram
Hi Ram,
I think, I am quite familiar with the things one can expect from LEGO. I do not
understand all the optimism here in Lugnet concerning the new kids trains.
The nowadays 9V train stuff is available in 99% of all toy retail shops in
Germany (and lots of European countries). This will now be discontinued (as LEGO
told us), because LEGO is of the opinion to earn not enough money with the hobby
train. Instead the shops will have the plastic train in stock. The new freight
train will cost 160 Eur (the 4512 is 129Eur).
So the new trains are cheap in production but will be sold even at higher
prices. Obviously LEGO hopes to earn more money with this new system.
How can you think that LEGO can afford to develop anything new for a system
which is only sold over 1 single way at basically adult fans: the Shop at Home?
90% of the Germans at 1000steine seem to be very pessimistic about the future of
9V trains with metal rails. When they have passed away out of the retail shops,
we think the danger is really high they will be discontinued in a (short) while.
And of course noone of TLC wil admit it in case the train line gets
discontinued. They are still aware what a storm came up when the disconinued
some of my favorite colours.... their marketing has learned how to handle these
things in a way to keep us calm. this is what I actually think. They have to
earn money and they do not care about us few customers. Most peaople at LEGO do
not even know about us AFOLs and how much unpaid marketing we do for TLC due to
our train shows.
Lego has never managed to come with better curve radius or even the - from my
point of view preferred - quarter track piece. How can you hope to get
expensive new products like remote points? That is not optimism, but dreaming if
you ask for my opinion....
Leg Godt!
Ben
(who will cry for every 9V motor which dies from now on.)
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Hobby Train - the no future train....
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| I have picked up on some of the points you have made and not others (...) I find this interesting. In the UK trains have not been generally avaiable for years, with only the biggest/best toystores carrying any an even then not usually the whole (...) (18 years ago, 9-Jan-06, to lugnet.trains)
| | | Re: Hobby Train - the no future train....
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| (...) Wow, trains are only available in the LEGO company retal stores in the US. I haven't seen a LEGO train in any other reatail outlet in a couple of years. (...) That does sound like bad news. To have all the metal rail stuff pulled from retail (...) (18 years ago, 9-Jan-06, to lugnet.trains)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Hobby Train
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| There seems to be a lot of discussion about the new battery powered trains. I notice that there seems to be a general consensus that the trains are targeted towards younger kids. What ever happened to the promised "hobby trains"? I believe this was (...) (18 years ago, 8-Jan-06, to lugnet.trains)
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