Challenger We will try hard to keep the retail price around $1600. Now for delivery date, which as always is a moving target, but let us say October! As some of you know we are also working on a 40' PFE Wooden reefer that we will release at the same time. I am very tempted to offer a mega set of 20 cars, like Märklin did with their coal cars last year. That would look impressive behind the Challenger! Best,
The most beautiful Z Scale Engine ever! A masterpiece worth every single Dollar. BTW Hans, I want my Cars weathered
Any chance to se the brass version before painting in RL Hans? At the ZMOD build meeting in the end off april perhaps?
"I am very tempted to offer a mega set of 20 cars, like Märklin did with their coal cars last year. That would look impressive behind the Challenger!" If it really works I'll buy two mega sets with the Chllenger (or four with two locos?). Even for twenty cars, the Challenger must be substantially more powerful than the cab forward, but from a Challenger, I'm expecting (at least) the pulling power of two MTL F7s. Lajos :0)
Lajos, how about some positive comments instead of foolish talk. It sounds like you have something against AZL. "You talk the talk but can you walk the walk?"
Very nice model! I love how, in Z scale, there are GP35's, GP9's, F7's, a bunch of Deutsche Bahn prototype locos, and now this Challenger. As I always say, every time I think I have hit a wall in N scale I just take a walk through what you folks are doing with less RTR available in less overall volume and suddenly the world seems possible once again. Always a fan, Adam
Hans, That is a work of art. Almost makes me wish I modeled the UP. And, of course, that my job was more secure. Dan S.
The 1600 price point is just about my limit for a single loco, but I want a Challenger so bad, that I will go for it. I hope there will be a Single Stack model produced, so I can NP it. Bring on the Challengers!
"Lajos, how about some positive comments instead of foolish talk. It sounds like you have something against AZL. "You talk the talk but can you walk the walk?" " What's foolish? To save the money, then plan to spend it on locomotives and cars I admire the most? What can be more positive than spend a good chunk of money on the locomotive of your dreams, then actually share it with thousands and thousand of train show visitors? Am I alone on this earth, who wants to run nice, long trains? Am I alone with appropriate expectations? I'm actually more serious than ever. Yes, I'll spend a good chunk of money on AZL Challenger(s) and PFEs if they do what every big locomotive should do. Pull lots of cars. That simple. My trust is in AZL, and hope this beautiful locomotive will perform like it should, not like another beautiful (collector) locomotive, the cab forward. Additionally, I'm open to debate all of my comments. But be careful about debating me. I have facts. Lajos
Lajos, I agree with you about pulling power. Maybe AZL should offer these larger engines with a motor for each set of drive wheels. I'm awaiting for SZL to introduce their new SBB train that they displayed at the NMRA show last July. Robert
Another option I would like to see made available, is a US "Ghost Wagon", as they call them. They are popular solutions in Europe, and it's time for them here in the US. It's a fully powered boxcar, no lights, no sounds, no fluff, just a huge block of brass, large 10mm motor, and 8 wheel electrical pickup/drive, disguised as a boxcar. Make it fit in an MTL 40' or 50' boxcar shell, and you can put 2 of them behind your balky Marklin Mikado, yet still pull a 50 car train with Authority!
Robert, I would love to see a ghost wagon for the US prototypes. Its something I been wishing for a while, because I have couple of brass that dont pull very well, but they are so pretty.
"Another option I would like to see made available, is a US "Ghost Wagon", as they call them. They are popular solutions in Europe, and it's time for them here in the US." I think that concept worked when the technology was far more "stone age". I remember, Railex, Schmidt and a few others made some nice little rolling models of different locomotives, and it was impossible to fit the available motors and drives into them, so they invented the "ghost wagon". Since many of the former unpowered locomotives are available as powered. In the US -generally- every class of locomotives are larger, there is plenty of room for motors, flywheels and drives. OK, in many cases powering a locomotive is not easy, but doable. In my dictionary locomotive means a powered instrument modeled after the real thing. Unpowered means a "locomotive wanna be", or bicycle with training wheels. For a long time I'm working on a Z-scale 60 ton class B Shay locomotive. After so much experimenting failures and some successes I could build a good looking unpowered Shay in a couple of weekends, but it won't be a locomotive, and the name "Shay" deserves better. Same thing with the big guyZ, like Challenger. It's huge, lots of room for power. Actually I studied the possibilities of powering the Big Boy and the Challenger, and made a preliminary working mechanism. The motor is a 12mm monster Faulhaber substitute with flywheel, placed into the tender, the ball joint is the coupler, and two articulating independent Marklin drives, powered via a common shaft. I know, it works. I can dress up my eyesore with lots of weight, and I bet, this creature capable to pull 120 reefers, no sweat. Lajos :0)
In American practice, the "ghost wagon" should be a powered B covered wagon. I'd like to see a Zscale version of LifeLike Alco FA1 & FA2's. The most recent versions were produced in AB sets that could be doubled into ABBA sets. I hope Z scale doesn't go the route of a "cheater boxcar".
