Lionel Cancellations

I really wanted the Spy v Spy car.  That's one preorder down

Brendan

I wonder what exactly determines this situation:  "In addition, we have 3 items that the tooling was unable to be modified for and the items had to be dropped as well"?

I, too, am sorry about the spy vs spy car.  I hope this does not sour them on mad or EC licensing.

Dang that brewery kit was going to look good on my layout. 

To echo the above...

I had 2 "Spy vs Spy" on order from my LHS.  It must be collusion or obstruction or something to that affect. 

As long as the NKP Fast Freight Set, TOFC add-on, Big Boy 4018 and PM 1225 dont get cancelled im ok with that.

Well, there is a fairly large contingent on this Forum who will be crestfallen at having their hopes being crushed like an empty beer can yet again....

685314 Hometown Brewery Kit   

They are happy making the same things over and over again. Nothing new.

dude i wanted the c&o berkshire

a great example of free enterprise  in a small niche market where you disappoint a portion of your customer base but keep your business going. SAD!.... or is it?

Seems to me, here is the problem in a nutshell:

Lionel really wants to add to their base of customers. That base, is US- generally older guys who remember railroading fondly as it WAS, not how it might be today. 

Their marketing must be telling them that, to appeal to new markets (ideally those who remember Spy vs. Spy and maybe collect Hot Wheels) they should try issuing toy-related stuff from the era that their target new demographic came from.  Especially attractive are those new releases that have other existing products as a base; maybe just different decoration = lower cost, less tooling to release.  If the cost of that is low enough, then the required sales level is lower to make a profit, and every younger customer they win over is a win. 

So- they take a shot.  Really, with the size of their line- cancelling this many of all the planned products is not an Edsel-level disaster.

1928093 Thomas & Friends S. C. Ruffey
1928370 Spy vs Spy Car
1928620 Chevy Flat Car with Auto Frames
1928690 Toyota Auto Rack
1928700 Toyota Flat Car with Auto Frames
711950 Hot Wheels Ready to Play Set
1932020 Chesapeake & Ohio LC Plus 2.0 Berkshire #2687
1919440 AF Hot Wheels Unloading Car

AlanRail posted:

a great example of free enterprise  in a small niche market where you disappoint a portion of your customer base but keep your business going. SAD!.... or is it?

The emphasis being on small. I can't tell whether we're seeing the limits of the cataloged items to the production schedule, or too low demand for these products based on dealer orders, which include any pre-orders.

Mike Wyatt posted:

Their marketing must be telling them that, to appeal to new markets (ideally those who remember Spy vs. Spy and maybe collect Hot Wheels) they should try issuing toy-related stuff from the era that their target new demographic came from. 

Even though I remember those things very well, and both read Mad Magazine, and played with Hot Wheels, I have no desire for trains commemorating either. I don't see any of the high end scale pieces on the cancellation list. Of course BTO locos technically are immune to cancellation.

Maybe they are "barking up the wrong tree" and should produce a licensed Pokemon series to aim at a different demographic.

I too wanted to get a SPY vs. SPY car but it didn't say it was BTO so I didn't think I had to preorder it. Also, I was a little concerned about it because most of those Sheriff and Outlaw cars don't work well.

I totally understand why they did it and don't blame them, it doesn't mean I'm not disappointed though. 

MIKATT1 posted:

I too wanted to get a SPY vs. SPY car but it didn't say it was BTO so I didn't think I had to preorder it. Also, I was a little concerned about it because most of those Sheriff and Outlaw cars don't work well.

I also did not realize that Spy vs. Spy was BTO! What would have been the minimum quantity?

Spy Vs. Spy should be entire series of Animated Trackside Accessories with lights and sounds.

Andrew 

Actually, it seems like a very small cancellation list, and not that big a deal. No major items. Cancelling items due to insufficient interest is nothing new.

Just my opinion, of course.

Everything is Built to Order!  Either ordered by you, or ordered by your dealer.  No orders, no product.

Jon

It is a good decision not to make something that has limited buyers - lets look at the positive side - make the quality products that people want and then they will stay in business.  this forum should be used to address the positives - not be negative -  i have been at fault at times criticizing quality control - but this was wrong - as in all things sometimes you may get a lemon then you can "make lemonade" - i complained about a SD40 with bad front coupling - but i ordered a replacement and then learned how to repair/replace it - I feel good learning how to do it - and now have a great engine that i can enjoy - no more negative comment from me - lets all enjoy the hobby 

I don't think anyone here is complaining

It is expected that Lionel's "photoshop it and see who wants it"  BTO wish-book will be subject to cancellations. They can't possibly be serious about producing everything they optimistically show in their catalog anymore. However,  I am surprised that a non-BTO item like a Lionchief Berkshire would get cancelled. This stands out as unusual.  Is there softness in LC orders? How much does it really cost to stamp a different roadname on an engine already in production with otherwise completely identical production components?

The rolling stock cancellations are even more mind boggling. What exactly constitutes a minimum order quantity (MOQ) for something like a spy vs. spy boxcar? Not that I want one, but these box cars would likely have been produced on Lionel's low-resolution inkjet printer in Concord, NC. And, the artwork is ready to go since they created the catalog images. Keep in mind that this printer in Concord is routinely used by Lionel  to profitably produce endless one-off custom boxcars for birthdays, anniversaries, babies and pets, at about the same price point.