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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2012 16:27:53 GMT -8
On Athearn's site, they have the first NS Heritage Ace's being delivered NEXT MONTH...September 2012! The last of the Heritage Ace's will hit the shelves in March 2013. I know that few of us are totally privy to the ebb and flow at Athearn, but don't you think that with a mere 30-60 days before projected delivery, they'd have had a test shot of the tooling changes or maybe a pre production model at the National Train Show? All Athearn did in their promo video was show photos of the prototype and the mention the changes they need to make to their model. Athearn still hasn't gotten all the Union Pacific Heritage Ace's out the door and they are saying they can make new tooling, manufacturer, assembly and have the completed models in the dealers hands in less than 60 days?  ? They have their RTR stand in GE listed as hitting shelves in late December 2012, while the rest of the RTR line is listed as TBD. I don't understand it. Either Athearn is WAY TOO optimistic or they've fixed all their production problems with their Chinese builder. |
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Post by drolsen on Aug 5, 2012 17:00:57 GMT -8
Jim - That timeline definitely doesn't make sense to me either, because they always provide a pre-order deadline a few months out from the actual delivery. There's no time for them to take pre-orders and then deliver the first model in September.
Dave
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Post by calzephyr on Aug 5, 2012 17:15:51 GMT -8
On Athearn's site, they have the first NS Heritage Ace's being delivered NEXT MONTH...September 2012! The last of the Heritage Ace's will hit the shelves in March 2013. I know that few of us are totally privy to the ebb and flow at Athearn, but don't you think that with a mere 30-60 days before projected delivery, they'd have had a test shot of the tooling changes or maybe a pre production model at the National Train Show? All Athearn did in their promo video was show photos of the prototype and the mention the changes they need to make to their model. Athearn still hasn't gotten all the Union Pacific Heritage Ace's out the door and they are saying they can make new tooling, manufacturer, assembly and have the completed models in the dealers hands in less than 60 days? ? They have their RTR stand in GE listed as hitting shelves in late December 2012, while the rest of the RTR line is listed as TBD. I don't understand it. Either Athearn is WAY TOO optimistic or they've fixed all their production problems with their Chinese builder. If we believe any of the Athearn information on the video about the changes, they must have asked Superman to complete the tooling last month by flying backwards around the earth at high speed and turning back time on earth! I am still waiting for the Union Pacific Heritage units to complete six years after they came out. If they can pull it off, great! It might be they are running a standard version without the changes to get the process going since most models need a lot of time to get into the production cycle. I had not checked but does anyone know if MTH is running the units also using the standard version of their good running but very incorrect detailed model? It they are making the Heritage units, then Athearn might be getting the first one out quickly just to make sales? Larry |
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Post by sd45longhoodfoward on Aug 5, 2012 20:47:21 GMT -8
Athearn shouldn't have any great amount of retooling to do The ace is already in production. the only thing they have to deal with is the paint schemes.And after all Athearn is only doing what it has been doing since 1969 when i bought my first locomotive from them and back then i was about only a 100 miles from their Compton CA factory it was a EMD GP7 and it was 3 month s late !!hahaha from the Hobby shop in Vista CA. Uncle Irv
Thanks for your contributions to this great hobby
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Post by nw611 on Aug 5, 2012 23:06:52 GMT -8
SD45, Genesis ACes are already in productiona, but NS Heritage units are different from present models. Athearn listed 12 different details on its Facebook page and on the presentation videos. Why should they underline these differences, if they simply want to change paint schemes to their existing model. They announced that they will modify the toolings for the 10 Heritage units and even for NS 1030, which is differene from their current model and from the Heritage units. Ciao. Raffaele
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2012 6:46:01 GMT -8
That timeline definitely doesn't make sense to me either, because they always provide a pre-order deadline a few months out from the actual delivery. Dave The just announced (July 2012) SP torpedo tube GP9's are "penciled" in for March 2013. That is about a nine month from reservation to delivery guess on Athearn's part. The UP DDA40X was originally announced in March 2011. After three, or was it four, arrival date revisions, it arrived at very end of July 2012. Fifteen months from start to finish. The DD's were completely new tooling including the drive. Now with the Ace's Athearn will not be tooling up a new drive, so how much time does that realistically save? Another point about the DD's is that the base paint scheme was the same for all the models. Yellow, gray, red stripes and anti-glare green on the nose. Even the BIG UNION PACIFIC on the sides was the same for all the models. The only differences was the road number and UP shield. The NS Ace's are ALL drastically different in paint! Surely that has to take more time. If Athearn is to make a September delivery if you give the dealers a couple of weeks to secure the reservations, how is it physically possible for Athearn's factory to churn out FOUR different Heritage units for delivery in September 2012? |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2012 6:52:58 GMT -8
If we believe any of the Athearn information on the video about the changes, they must have asked Superman to complete the tooling last month by flying backwards around the earth at high speed and turning back time on earth! I'm with you on that! I am still waiting for the Union Pacific Heritage units to complete Larry The Southern Pacific Heritage Ace was announced in June 2012. It's anticipated arrival is October 2012. A four month window, which I'll bet a dollar isn't met. |
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Post by nebrzephyr on Aug 6, 2012 7:40:27 GMT -8
Probably a typo....should be September 2013.  Bob |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2012 8:41:01 GMT -8
I understand Athearn and Intermountain's need or desire to get these models out the door as soon as possible. You want to strike when the prototype is still a hot topic. If you waited a year or two, I believe you'd still have an excellent selling model. But by having it available NOW, while the paint on the prototype is still shiny and fresh, could mean having an all time best selling model.
The horsefly in the ointment is the production problems and lag time overseas. Just because the masses want an accurate model TODAY, somehow still doesn't magically cure these problems.
I also understand Athearn putting such an early anticipated arrival. Shorten up on the reservation window and people can't ponder whether they want the models or not. The hobby still has a firm foundation of impulse buying.
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Post by umtrrauthor on Aug 6, 2012 8:42:02 GMT -8
Maybe this is an attempt to "freeze" the competition.
"We'll have ours out before you even start tooling, so give up now."
Of course, the date has to actually be met to maintain credibility.
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Post by valenciajim on Aug 6, 2012 14:49:39 GMT -8
I thought it was interesting in the Athearn e-mail sent earlier today that they referred to the "HO Norfolk Southern Heritage GE Locomotives " and showed a picture of a real GEVO, but fails to mention that the model is a RTR AC4400. You don;t find that our until you click on the link. It never mentions what kind of locomotive the prototype is.
It sort of goes along the same lines as the credibility of the delivery dates.
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Post by calzephyr on Aug 6, 2012 15:50:34 GMT -8
Probably a typo....should be September 2013. Bob Bob That would make sense if the real date is 2013. My Union Pacific Heritage units so far have been great looking. Larry |
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Post by calzephyr on Aug 6, 2012 15:54:51 GMT -8
I thought it was interesting in the Athearn e-mail sent earlier today that they referred to the "HO Norfolk Southern Heritage GE Locomotives " and showed a picture of a real GEVO, but fails to mention that the model is a RTR AC4400. You don;t find that our until you click on the link. It never mentions what kind of locomotive the prototype is. It sort of goes along the same lines as the credibility of the delivery dates. I noticed a Union Pacific Heritage painted USA #1 scale model in my LHS last summer and it was a SD70M or close to that painted in the 1983 paint scheme. It looked nice and they sold it, but it was not close in detail except for the trucks to a SD70Ace model. Larry |
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Post by atsfan on Aug 6, 2012 17:06:04 GMT -8
In related news the Easter Bunny is due soon, Apple will release a iPad mini, and taxes will soon be lower.................  |
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Post by calzephyr on Aug 7, 2012 14:57:09 GMT -8
Probably a typo....should be September 2013. Bob Bob That would make sense if the real date is 2013. My Union Pacific Heritage units so far have been great looking. Larry The new date on the Athearn page that I viewed today does show them to be here in 2013!!! It must have been a typo? Larry |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2012 15:55:43 GMT -8
Bob That would make sense if the real date is 2013. My Union Pacific Heritage units so far have been great looking. Larry The new date on the Athearn page that I viewed today does show them to be here in 2013!!! It must have been a typo? Larry I just looked at the Ace Heritage page on Athearn's site and the dates do not show 2013 for September and November. To me that is still 2012. |
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Post by calzephyr on Aug 7, 2012 16:22:29 GMT -8
The new date on the Athearn page that I viewed today does show them to be here in 2013!!! It must have been a typo? Larry I just looked at the Ace Heritage page on Athearn's site and the dates do not show 2013 for September and November. To me that is still 2012. Very Interesting!! They have multiple dates on their web page. One of the dates has to be wrong. Larry |
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Post by atsfan on Aug 8, 2012 15:09:33 GMT -8
Don't expect them until 2013. The run announced last winter is still not out yet.
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Post by stevef45 on Aug 9, 2012 6:32:01 GMT -8
On Athearn's facebook page they acknowledged that the dates are incorrect and they were working with getting the website people to fix the dates to 2013.
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Post by calzephyr on Aug 9, 2012 9:22:20 GMT -8
On Athearn's facebook page they acknowledged that the dates are incorrect and they were working with getting the website people to fix the dates to 2013. Thanks. I did not see the facebook post as I am not on it. Larry |
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Post by atsfan on Aug 9, 2012 14:08:00 GMT -8
On Athearn's facebook page they acknowledged that the dates are incorrect and they were working with getting the website people to fix the dates to 2013. Thanks. I did not see the facebook post as I am not on it. Larry Smart, Facebook is a cancer on the internet. Always remember google and it's products are free, so is facebook. But they make billions. Guess how? |
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