And I am willing to bet that it wasn't a problem in 2005 either. One has to wonder what is the next excuse to come from BLI.
He wasn't saying that the decoder is to big for the M1's tender, he was saying it's to big for smaller steam and narrow hood unit diesels.
Deliver schedule is back to November 2015. Bachmann schooled them on this one. If the K4 comes out quality I'll have two and may even pass on the M1. Centipede is back to October.
Charlie, you have my highest degree of respect in N scale model railroading today and this has existed for the past six or seven years, maybe even longer. That you are associated with BLI gives them credibility, and not vice versa. As a lifetime Pennsy steam modeler, the M1a is probably by far my favorite steamer of all time. The promise/no delivery cycle over the past years, has reduced my respect for the BLI group to almost below zero. I am still skeptical as to if and when this model will show, even to the point of being skeptical personally of each and every BLI executive. I seriously think that the "wait" or "delay" is intentional, as it appears to me that the research and tooling costs accumulated could not cover even the highest unreasonable cost to the public back when it was first announced, but now, since prices have escalated, capturing the internal tooling costs may be a little closer now than back then. This opinion comes from my darkest suspicious subconscious, and I sure don't like to think this, but there are too many "co-inky-dinks". As of now, I am getting very old and still running trains every day, and sparsely buying, selling and trading because I am "old school" and it is hard finding integrity in purchases like the old days. So, I back off and run my very large inventory. Even with you aboard, I am reluctant to buy anything with the BLI brand on it. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
If BLI does all the steam they've done in HO they will be raking in N scale. A PRR T-1 and a NW Class A or Y6b look very appealing. Do other people have interests outside of mine?? ha! JK I have some centipedes on order I'll have to add an M1.
I'd rather have an N scale version of their H10s than an N scale T1... even though the latter is one of my favorite engines, the former is more in line with my needs. I wouldn't turn down a T1... First things first, though. Let's get those M1s out the door, then we can salivate over possible future releases. I hope they're everything they've been cranked up to be despite the long wait, I really do. Nothing would please me more than to see a successful release (I'm just skeptical about any specific date BLI puts on said release at this point). N scale could really use a pair of good running, road specific steamers that release within months of each other and both sell well. That would be a major, major win.
We've been running out of patience for the past ten years of waiting... and I'm not even a Pennsy fanatic. I feel terrible for those whose have been waiting for this model for so long... many are no longer living since the initial announcement... some may have switched scales... or dropped out of the hobby. BLI would have been better off never making the announcement and saved face with the N scale community. Sent from my SM-G530T using Tapatalk
As always with this one, I'll believe the release date when I start seeing them in stock. The last update to BLI's delivery schedule was over a month ago, and I fully expect that when it updates next it'll say May or June instead of March. I still have my wallet ready and waiting for when the M1s finally do show up, because I'm almost willing to believe they'll actually release this year, but at this point I wouldn't pre-order unless they paid me to. Incidentally, I was 100% right about the Centipedes going from announcement all the way through production to delivery before the M1s arrive. I think I'll give it 50/50 odds on the next run of PAs, which is listed as a "summer" release, will show up before the M1s as well. Apologies if I sound a bit mean-spirited, but I just cannot for the life of me understand why these models have been so much trouble to get to market. I get the feeling it would make for an interesting write-up when this is all said and done.
I read some where that they were on the water and then going threw Canada? Can't remember were I read it!
[/URL] Is that before or after they orbit Mars? BLI should have announced them originally to arrive before the next sighting of Haley's Comet. Sent from my SM-G530T using Tapatalk
Some of you guys act like your still 12 years old and can't wait for dad to bring you a candy bar home. I have tons of locos to run so it doesn't matter to me if the M1 gets here today or 6 months down the road. I will still enjoy it just as much either way! IMO, I'm glad BLI is taking the time and money to manufacture there M1 to the best of there ability.
While BLI certainly deserves some opprobrium for the decade-long delay, at this point we know the M1 exists (there have been prototypes that have been shown/run/fondled) and that it will appear - as opposed to the original announcement a decade ago, when the engine was completely vaporware. I'm not a Pennsy modeler, so I probably won't get an M1 (note - probably; I'm a sucker for big steam, so I might order one anyway for N-Trak shows), but at this point everyone should want BLI to make absolutely sure that the M1 is a stellar performer and take whatever time necessary to make that happen. If this engine is a success, people will buy it, and we'll get more. If it flops, that's the end for BLI steam offerings in N scale. From my perspective, more is better, so I hope the engine is an outstanding success. In the cosmic scheme of things, another month isn't a big deal. John C.
Normally, I would agree with you, however, when the model was announced before my 10 year old daughter was thought of....
You are way out of line, pal. This is not a matter of waiting six months. This is a matter of waiting eleven years. BLI/PCM poisoned the well back in May of 2005 when they originally announced these. Since then it has been one lame excuse after another. I originally ordered two of the M1's back in 2005. In 2011 I cancelled my order. I now refuse to buy anything put out by BLI. Just my way of responding to what I consider to be unethical conduct on the part of BLI. There are absolutely no valid excuses for their behavior. There was a saying back in the day when houses had only one bathroom. The saying was, "...either crap or get off the toilet." Well, BLI hasn't crapped and they have been on the toilet for eleven years. I would love to see Bachmann come out with an M1 about a month or two before BLI. Would serve them right for their hooliganisms over the last eleven years.
Exactly. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to lay the blame for the long-running shortage of road-specific power (or, at least, anything that isn't big and articulated and/or famous) directly at BLI's feet. They not only failed to deliver on a product, which resulted in lots of people losing money, but also made it look like there wasn't a market for their product (which is pure crap, given that second and third-hand Minitrixes have kept right on selling... because they were the only affordable Pennsy steam available). That, in turn, kept other manufacturers from taking the chance, and it took ten years for them to come around again. Then in walks Bmann with a RTR K4s, delivers it on schedule, and it sells just bloody fine. BLI itself released a Centipede about a month ago and- wouldn't you know it- some of the road numbers are already selling out! So much for the claim that there aren't enough people interested in buying Pennsy engines. The simple truth is that if these models had come out ten years ago, they would have sold... and whatever the real reason why the M1s never made it out the door back then, BLI handled it in the worst possible way, and they've kept right on dropping the ball ever since. I'd say folks have plenty of cause to be angry about this. A better way to handle it would have been a proper write up on the difficulties they were having back in 2005 (Was it the supplier? The factory? The management? Who knows?!) rather than the "it's your fault, we're done, go home" we got. A better way to handle it now would be to give us progress updates (so that we know that they're actually trying this time) rather than an endless succession of release dates that keep getting pushed back, and back, and back with no explanation at all. It's as though, for all the company's other successes, they want this particular product to fail.
I think that was over on TRW . If I remember correct a couple weeks ago they were supposed to be at the Canadian boarder and would be at the warehouse very soon . I'm guessing they will be here in a few weeks .
rrjim1... you know it's all in fun... right? One would have to agree that after 10 years + (and going)... this has to be one of model railroading biggest 'Epic Fails'. I generally have been pleased with the models I've purchased from BLI over the past 8 years. But at least they were delivered within a somewhat reasonable timeframe.
