Lionel Titantic Set: who will buy?

The train itself doesn't look too bad, but I'm not going to spend 400+ dollars on something fantasy. Good grief! What IS Lionel thinking?

if you can read maritime flags, the sequence on the side of the locomotive spells out RMS TITANIC.

(RMS = Royal Mail Ship)

cheers...gary

After seeing the set, it only confirmed only a very limited appeal and none for myself personally. What struck me here is a fantasy theme that having very limited appeal, makes one think of all the fallen flag roads, short lines, left on a shelf that would be a better bet for saleability  than a "Titanic Train"for four hundred dollars. I can see this one deeply discounted in the future parsed out. Well, they all can't be winners.

i'am waiting for the UNSTOPPABLE set...joe k

Still think that a set celebrating the sinking of a ship is kinda crass. 

 

If Lionel wanted to do a maritime set, a Navy Seals set would have been so much cooler!

 

Jim

Would have been a FAR better choice, in my humble opinion.

Will the engine be four bubbles per rev. BF

I am glad to see the forum hasn't let me down... An argument about product that hasn't officially been announced yet. Awesome. It's like anything else in model railroading... It will appeal to some and not to others. If it is a success we will see more of the like. If it tanks we will see less of these. It is that simple. I don't want one, but I don't see how a Titanic set on the 100th anniversary is so far out in left field. At least it is different and creative.

I totally agree.  I've been keeping my mouth shut until we could actually see a pic and I have to say, it is not a bad looking set at all.

if it was steam i would be interested.  ( just a hint for lionel) 

Who thought this would be a good idea? 

 

If you wanted to do a nautical theme set it should have been NUMA/Dirk Pitt!

 

Regards

Nick

 

This is an interesting set,I think.  It may be better received with a period steam engine,perhaps.  I am not personally interested in this set but my brother in law is and he will probably buy it.

 

Norm

Agreed. That would be a fun set I'd go for that. I'm not sure what audience Lionel is trying to target with some of the RTR sets they've been coming out with lately?

Now I'd buy that one!

Not Star Trek - Star Wars!!  Before you laugh, there's a mail order company (akin to Franklin Mint) doing a Star Wars set in HO.  When my two boys (7 and 5) saw the ad, they drooled.  Star Wars is very huge among young boys, mostly thanks to Lego and the Clone Wars cartoon series.  If Lionel could work out a licensing deal, they might just have a hit on their hands.  Just one guy's view.

 

This Titantic set looks nice, but there are other starter sets I would buy first.

ed h,

 

Are you able to post pictures of the new sets from the catalog?

quote:

Star Wars is very huge among young boys, mostly thanks to Lego and the Clone Wars cartoon series.  If Lionel could work out a licensing deal, they might just have a hit on their hands.  Just one guy's view.

 

In 1978 Lionel made the #3850 Star Wars Duel at Death Star Racing Game. They were slot cars. It came with Darth Vaders Tie Fighter car and Luke Starwalkers X-wing crash car.
I don't think they are too common, but I have seen them.

A photo of the LIRR RTR set is in this thread:

 

https://ogrforum.com/d...ent/3400749738431012

 

 

At first, I thought this thread was a joke, but now that I have seen the photos of the actual Titanic train, it is surprisingly attractive. 

 

I am glad it was not closely themed after the James Cameron film.

If memory serves me right I remember seeing rushes with a train pulling up to the dock letting off passengers, I worked in the model department for Digital Domain( owned by Sam Winston and James Cameron.  I can not  remember seeing any models of trains that were used in the movie, the one on the rushes was a CGI train that was drawn to show activity on the docks before the ship left port.

I think it is not a coincidence that the movie will be released again in 3D alot of the CGI of the ship and the sinking are layered CGI so they can pull 3 D from that. the live action maybe a bit more tricker, but even a lot of the live action was filmed againist a blue screen( really green ), They may add sceens to the new release with a CGI train in it.

Cameron spends a lot of money to do quailty work on his CGI work, he wants the best and that showed in the movies Titanic and Avator the two highest crossing movies of all time.

BTW Cameron went down on a russian sub to check out the Ship himself and there was a bunch of Titanic parts that came back with him, porthole, bitts, chuock rings and other brass parts, felt weird handeling that stuff. Cameron wanted the models as close to the real parts as possible, maybe both J.C's know each other and ...

John

Man, they just screwd the pooch on that GEEP....shoulda been a PW style

with the frame flipped up, and four step pilots.   Why on earth do they continue

to make that awful MPC GEEP, when they could be going it right!??!

If Lionel was smart, which they aren't as proved by the above, they'd make

maybe a hundred of these, or less, and let collectors fight over it in about

30-40 years!

Is this just a foreshadow for Lionel?   I hope they haven't put the jinx on...

To be serious, truly sad to try and make money off a huge human tragedy.  

Not for me but i hope Lionel sells a ton of them. There is nothing wrong in selling this type of item.

 

Well. at least there will not be a set for the sequel!

 

Does the diesel play the TITANIC theme?  Or does ... --- ...  ... --- ...

 

How about a car carring ALVIN!

 

Is there a DOWNTON ABBEY car.  (Show begins with news of the sinking, with CW!)

What? Keeping your mouth shut until you actually see a pic? That puts you at odds with a time-honored Forum tradition.....giving wild opinions about things you've never seen or heard anything (in any way accurate) about.

 

True to form, here the set turns out to have virtually nothing to do with the Titanic. However, we do now have quite a collection of useless opinions about something that never existed!

quote:

True to form, here the set turns out to have virtually nothing to do with the Titanic.

 

I don't see how you can beleive this when the name of the set and catalog description includes the name "Titanic" and describes events related to the sinking.

 

Regardless, the set looks OK to me. If it hits the blowout rack at around $125, like the Nascar set did, I might buy one or two. (I never learn) Probably will not happen. According to the catalog description, this set should be of higher quality than Nascar. Other than the caboose, all the cars are described as having metal trucks.

I am not sure yet is the rtr diesel exhaust any good?

The caboose does have die cast trucks.

Not my cup of tea, but if Big L sells enough to make a profit, maybe it will finance some stuff for us rivet counter types.

I'll buy Big L again when they come out with some scale Boston and Maine steam locos or scale rolling stock.  Come on, Big L, surprise me.

quote:

The caboose does have die cast trucks.

 

My mistake. The other cars are listed as having diecast sprung trucks. The caboose is listed as having diecast trucks.

For the folks who think it ghoulish to make a train celebrating the sinking of an ocean liner, a break you should give me.  Commemorating an event does not necessarily celebrate it.  I do not believe a Civil War train set glorifies one of the worst periods in American history but it sure does commemorate it.  Big difference.  I had my doubts about the Titanic set, but like others, having seen it, I hope LIONEL sells them out.

You have to wonder who dreams this stuff up.  A Titanic sinking anniversary train set?  Really?  The meeting to pitch this set to management must have been interesting.  This has to be one of, if not the dumbest sets they have come up with yet -- A Christmas Story, The Lone Ranger, Wizard of Oz, and now this.  Just because a license is available does not mean that you have to use it.

LOL, I love reading some of the replies... Honestly though:

They really could have thought of something better than this?

How about a Pearl Harbor remembered set. with a box car for each battle ship that was sunk. a LCD bill board flat car with all the people that where lost.

The engine and caboose could be red white and blue with period correct flags.

You could do the same with a 911 set with a fire fighter/ police honored.

But on the lighter side, if Lionel really wanted to do some collector sets:

How about an Imported from Detroit set. It would be nice to have some cool mopar die-cast cars on a flat car or scale car carrier!

If you wish to appeal to children, then gear it to some of the kid released shows.

Scooby Doo. Fresh beat band, Phineas and Pherb... there are tons of ideas...

Its time to find a new product planner...

 

 

You seem to be ignoring the fact that train people probably weren't/aren't the target audience for those sets.  Collectors or fans of those movies and shows probably were.

As a boater, my other hobby, I may have an interest in this set. I also like the cars they are putting with it, very themed oriented. It kind of ties in 2 hobbies for me.

A - The ship sank. A long time ago. I don't get the fascination.

B - I'll give 'em fifty bucks for it, cash money. Parts is parts.

2012 is also the 100th Anniversary of the first train arriving in Key West by the Over-Sea Railway (also known as the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway).  The train carried Henry Flagler, builder of the FEC and developer of much of Florida including a number of great hotels.  The Key West Extension was considered the eighth wonder of the world - many people thought it was impossible and said it could never be built.  Even though the railway stopped running as a result of the Labor Day weekend hurricane in September 1935 and the right of way was converted to the Overseas Highway in 1937, most of the bridges still stand today, 100 years later.

 

So is Lionel or any other model train manufacturer doing anything to commemorate the centennial of that amazing achievement in railroad history?  

My guess is that the train makers must feel that 'Fla. East Coast' RR serves the purpose. I agree and would surely buy a set for this micro RR however.

They could have a Jimmy Buffet boxcar: "taking the train again to Margueritaville... hauling a load of chiggers and salt..."

 

Jon

As a boater, my other hobby...

A boater is a hat often worn by a yachtsman.

Jon