1. greatdrivermiles

    greatdrivermiles TrainBoard Member

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    Did Martin Shkreli purchase Bachmann? it seems everything they make has doubled in price.
     
  2. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Haven't bought anything Bachmann in a while. Guess I should take a peek and see what is happening!
     
  3. ScaleCraft

    ScaleCraft TrainBoard Member

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    New marketing.
    If you can't sell anything at the old price, double it.
    Add to that PRC production, PRC economy issues, and parent Kader announced a 40% across the board cost increase from the factory....
    I purchased my last Bachmann some time ago, and will not fall into that particular morass again.
    Opinion.
    Dave
     
  4. bumthum

    bumthum TrainBoard Member

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    Bachmann has turned out some really nice stuff recently, if you aren't into rivet counting. It will be interesting to see how a price increase affects them.
     
  5. ScaleCraft

    ScaleCraft TrainBoard Member

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    It's still Bachmann. Like a Fiat. You ever owned one back in the day, you won't now.
     
  6. RGW1

    RGW1 TrainBoard Member

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    I mostly have Bachmann steam.
    Bachmann seems to be the only N scale producer ( US steam) that keep improving there product and releasing new steam on a regular basis. How many of us use spectrum tenders on other brands of steam. I have been happy with the Bachmann steam that has been released in the last 15 years or so (spectrum) Do they have some QC problem yes, but so do others. However there service dept is top notch. The MSRP is high but the price you pay from retailers is quite a bit less.
    This price increase is this just recent (month or two) or, just in the last few years since DCC on board?

    Like them or not they have advance the N scale hobby.

    Some times a bad reputation is hard to shake.

    Just my 2 cents
     
    Maletrain likes this.
  7. brokemoto

    brokemoto TrainBoard Member

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    ....must agree with RGW1: Bachpersonn is the only one that currently puts out small to average sized N scale steam in any quantity. The latest issues have been pretty good. The recent motor change to the USRA 0-6-0 is a significant upgrade---if only B-mann would do something about that tender. Still, the swap out for a SPECTRUM is not difficult and Spookshow has been good enough to provide a simple tutorial on his website on the upgrade. That thing is a real winner with the tender upgrade.

    I do have to wonder, however, about the eighty dollar price tag on that coach. Even half the price would make me wonder. While many have called for Bachmann to make this available as an item separate from the doodlebug, I suspect that the eighty dollar price tag will lead to disappointing sales.
     
  8. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Had a bad taste in my mouth from older B-man stuff. Then took a ten-wheeler for a ride at my LHS. WOW! That little loco could just crawl! Smoothly, and even had the power to pull a good size train. Bought both of them. Used one to become my first Loksound equipt unit. And it still just keeps going. Haven't had any issues with any of the other newer B-man stuff, all steam, that I have acquired.

    My old Prairie? Still sitting in it's box, and I might get it out to rework it, maybe. It has those issues that older Bman did, so it may just stay boxed a lot longer.

    Just my pennies worth.
     
  9. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

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    Yeah the new Bachmann stuff is pretty good although there have been some issues (like the light Mountain). But Bachmann is not alone in putting out some really good small steam. I got two Model Power/MRC Mikado's with DCC and sound and they run every bit as good as the Kato one. That really surprised me and I eagerly await their next release.

    After doing my Ntrak thing with really long trains pulled by multiple big diesels I am now settling in on shorter trains pulled by smaller steam of the 2-8-0, 2-8-2, 2-6-0 and 4-6-0 types.
     
  10. ScaleCraft

    ScaleCraft TrainBoard Member

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    If you look back over the decades, never... sometimes....occasionally...often....always....you choose where it fits.....new Bach stuff is ballyhooed as wonderful....adequate...terrible...again, you choose...
    by hobbyists and press alike.
    It's the "morning after" you need to watch out for.
    The cheesy plugs and wiring between loco and tender....the total lack (in some scales) (again, your choice) of any rationale in plug configuration to allow tender "plug and pray" swapping....motors....how long will they last....gears....how long until a gear splits.....lighting....how long until the absolute cheapest LED the PRC can produce and buy goes bad.....
    Yeah, the new stuff is great. Wonderful. High value for the high price.

    I personally have experienced too much....so I cut my losses and split.

    I read the same stuff in Half Zero about the wonderful new Bach engines.....if you had to work on one, and you've been into Steam locos for at least 50-60 years, when you find the crankpins are cut off escutcheon pins heated and pushed into plastic driver centers (or so it seems....) it makes you wonder why you would pay any kind of money at all for such an item.

    I am happy you like the new Bach stuff. Makes me wonder what kind of reports we might see in 1-3 year's time.....

    The good thing is Zamac Rot seems to have been eradicated....but Styrene Rot, not so sure.
    Opinion, as always, still protected. Your mileage may vary.
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2015
  11. gcav17

    gcav17 TrainBoard Member

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    All I have to say is wow. .......

    Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
     
  12. ScaleCraft

    ScaleCraft TrainBoard Member

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    As long as you understand this isn't only Bach stuff.
    But it is, with some notable exceptions, PRC.
    In Half Zero, Proto, Athearn (along with Bach) have had some serious gear splitting issues.
    They all have prices going through the roof. And I recall powered Athearn diseasemal kits for what, $9.95.
    It is one thing to jack the prices, but they have to prove to me the cost is for materials and QC before I throw any money at the PRC.
    It is rapidly becoming apparent that shifting production back to the US may be cheaper...better..more control...except for the PRC designed tooling ownership issues.
    It's a bad deal all the way around.
    Maybe Nano Scale is small enough the plastic used for the gears can't shrink any more.

    Opinion, as always, still protected. Your mileage may vary.
     
  13. gcav17

    gcav17 TrainBoard Member

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    I am in agreement with you about bringing things home. Wouldn't that be nice! But PRC thinks they own anything that ends up in their country. So it will be expensive for any one to do. As for prices going through the roof, the preorder snub thread did a good job explaining all of that. And it is really hurting the young hobbiest side of things I would think.
    And yes. in a couple years we will have a better grip on Bachman and Model Power when it comes to quality. But I will say this. I have a Bman 10 wheeler in DCC that is flawless in its operation. Its three years old now. ( I thinks) I have a Bman connie that is also flawless in its operations. DCC and two years old. A MP mike that's four years old and operates flawless with DCC installed. (big chore!!! Its only flaw in my opinion) A MP pacific 4 years old and works just fine. DCC (same chore)
    And now a new MP mike with DCC and sound installed. So far so good with it.
    Perhaps all the naysayers should take another look at what these two are doing with steam. They have obviously changed their approach in nscale. I have no idea what they do for HO since that's not my trick..
     
    Maletrain likes this.
  14. gatrhumpy

    gatrhumpy TrainBoard Member

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    Bachmann produces quality stuff now. Much better in steam than anyone else.
     
  15. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    To flesh out the thought put out by Scalecraft and gcav17 about PRC. I was talking with someone else this week, and it's apparent that therre is a QC problem. Appliances built there and shipped here experience a 50% loss due to damage and QC issues. 50%!! That is a cost that must be recovered, no matter how cheaply produced. This may help explain why Bachman always has such a great inventory of parts? Of which I have picked up a few.
     
  16. ScaleCraft

    ScaleCraft TrainBoard Member

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    There is. There (always) has been. I was involved with one manufacturer once...long ago it seems. We had plastic parts literally crumbling. Stateside reps called it "regrind". Caused by worker bees who tried to boost production (and bonuses) by scooping up plastic casting scraps and dumping them back into the hopper. If you know Zamac Rot, this is Plastic Rot. You can't tell until 6 months, year or even two later when parts literally fall apart. You can tell when the break looks like Obsidian. Super shiny, sharp edges. I have bags, boxes, all over my attic of failed parts.....because they don't think there is a problem. And you never know.
    Plastic gears. NOT Delrin. Plastic they use starts to shrink the day it is made. Press the gear onto a motor shaft or axle, it continues to shrink until it pops. I used to get one particular loco in a lot...shipped direct from some of the major discounters...and because they would not spend the money for Lock-Tite, the motors fell off the gearboxes...and we'd open every one to fix that...and inspect axle gears...and brand new, never run, the hubs at the axles were cracked. Just a matter of time until the crack propagated to the gear teeth and literally "pop" and it was all over with.
    The attitude is cultural, and we here aren't going to change it there.
    Everything (seems) to be price only, with quality never (seemingly) a consideration of note.
    There is one company out there using one of the major PRC manufacturers who has real good success...but they pay the price for first, second, third and fourth right of refusal.....basically until they get it right.
     
  17. bumthum

    bumthum TrainBoard Member

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    My first N scale stuff was Bachmann, not during the 1970s, but the locomotive was an F9 which hadn't significantly changed for years. It ran around track pretty reliably but I was excited to score a plastic framed Life Like GP38 which I could actually use for operations.

    The point of what I'm saying is that I did own some not so great Bachmann and now I own some really good Bachmann which I operate along side my IM, Atlas, and Kato stuff. I'm not going to hold a grudge, Bachmann got me into N scale at a price I could afford. Now their stuff is much improved and still relatively affordable. Win-win in my book.
     
  18. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Please stay on topic. This thread is about Bachmann and not China.
     
    rogergperkins likes this.
  19. ScaleCraft

    ScaleCraft TrainBoard Member

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    Bachmann IS China. Hard to separate the two.
     
  20. bremner

    bremner Staff Member

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    Atlas, Walthers, Fox Valley and Intermountain are all Chinese built products....
     

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