The scale Polar Express Abandoned Toy car & Stationsounds Hot Chocolate Diner car arrived today. Color looks good and all of my journal boxes were in place. Sorry, it will probably be sometime after Christmas before I can post a photo.
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Jim, do you have the lionel model numbers for them?
RickM46 posted:Jim, do you have the lionel model numbers for them?
Abandoned Toy Car w/White roof: SKU: 1927640
StationSounds Hot Chocolate Car: SKU:1927630
I keep wishing that Lionel would pick up the old Lima tooling and start producing scale-length Harry Potter Hogwarts Express passenger cars, but that seems to be too much to hope for.
My station sounds car had defective lights. It will be heading back to my dealer for a replacement. Yeah, I know how to work the lights with the cab2...
Glad the colors turned out well. Maybe there is still hope for correction of the RPOs.
Rider Sandman posted:Glad the colors turned out well. Maybe there is still hope for correction of the RPOs.
Glad to hear it. My dealer Mr. Muffins has not rec’d yet. Good news about the colors being right.
Anyone have pictures or even a short video of the Stationsounds Diner in action? Bryant, I like you have an order in to Mr Muffins also.
I was surprised that the Station Sounds car does not play the Hot Chocolate song as advertised in the catalogue. Has lots of sound clips similar to the engine and features the typical station sounds sequences. Anyone know why they dropped the song?
They didn't license it. No royalty, no song.
No hot chocolate song? That is a bummer. I was going to add this car to my set but I will pass now. Lionel should change the car's name as it is listed as....
THE POLAR EXPRESS STATIONSOUNDS HOT CHOCOLATE CAR SKU: 1927630
$329.99
.....on their website. However it does not say that the car plays the hot chocolate song.
Here is a sampling of the diner car sounds. I would embed the video but I’m on my iPhone.
Here are the sound car and 15th anniversary car, plus a close up of the toy car. All 3 cars are flawless minus the previously mention lack of the Hot Chocolate song. Not a huge deal for me but slightly disappointing.
Lionel has taken some heat on some paint misfires but these are spot on. Nice job Lionel.
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Hi Marty. Thank you for sharing the video clip. Seems like Lionel recycled the movie clips from the 1225 sound set. I had hoped for additional/new sound clips from the scenes in which the children were aboard the train. I usually love the SS diners but the announcements on PE diner bother me. I know it is silly but the announcements for the dining car and lounge car bother me because they are not consistent with the movie. Combine that with the lack of the Hot Chocolate song and for me, this car which had a lot of potential play value is a let down.
I received the abandoned toy car but haven't opened it yet. I slipped and fell down the basement stairs Dec21 and fractured my ankle. Just bad luck I suppose.
Very nice and clear video, Marty. I saw 'Santa's Sleigh' Shay in the background, another fine scale Christmas train from Lionel.
It looks like Lionel greatly improved the abandoned toy car interior over previous release.
fwiw: The StationSounds Hot Chocolate car was slated to play the 'Hot Chocolate' song per the 2019 catalog. I am guessing there's no secret button-sequence to trigger it, otherwise it would've been discovered by now.
I am looking forward to getting my new PE cars and PE Bipolar. Those of us who asked for the scale Polar Express items way back in 2004 through 2008--a few of us are still on the forum but some have left--have defied the odds somewhat; it's been an interesting history, at least it is to me. I think there's still a significant amount of steam left in the PE electric train revolution and its exciting to ponder what the future holds.
I "believe" Lionel will come through on the color-mismatch on the RPO cars; they've told me to give them more time and noted that this is their busiest time of year which is understandable. Meanwhile, my RPO cars, one with white roof, and one with black roof, will stay in their boxes.
Marty, some of your pics look like the windows are clear, but a couple of them look to still have the green windows from the original release. Which is it? I would love to swap my green window out someday.
The windows still have the greenish tint.
Timmy is in there somewhere as well. While it would be nice to have additional clips, I'm pretty happy with it. There is no secret Hot Chocolate button sequences.
The Santa Shay is a sleeper hit. More on that later
Wow, the abandoned toy car is much more detailed than the first version. The clear windows are a big improvement too. Thanks for sharing Marty!
T4TT posted:No hot chocolate song? That is a bummer. I was going to add this car to my set but I will pass now. Lionel should change the car's name as it is listed as....
THE POLAR EXPRESS STATIONSOUNDS HOT CHOCOLATE CAR SKU: 1927630
$329.99.....on their website. However it does not say that the car plays the hot chocolate song.
...$329.99? For ONE car??? 
Thank goodness this stuff is now made in China; otherwise, it might get expensive.
Mark in Oregon
Marty,
Did I miss the advertised "sleighbell sounds" or are they not included like the song?
Big Jim posted:Marty,
Did I miss the advertised "sleighbell sounds" or are they not included like the song?
I have not come across them yet if they are there.
Wasn’t there a traditional sized “hot chocolate” car? That, plus, well, the catalog description should reasonably expect buyers of this car to assume it would be “hot chocoholaty”. I was frustrated that they didn’t offer it in the black roof design. Now, I realize I got $300 lucky.
Thank you Marty!
BTW, where is your PE Bi-Polar?
I have to say, we really dodged a bullet when Polar Express sank without trace in the UK!
I’ve got the PE Berkshire running round my Xmas tree but it’s just “grandpa’s train”, partly because British date conventions mean the #1225 number doesn’t mean anything in particular
Big Jim posted:Thank you Marty!
BTW, where is your PE Bi-Polar?
Hasn't arrived yet.
Otis36 posted:Originally from digital catalog from last January. Advertises "Hot Chocolate song" and "Sleighbell noises". Very disappointing that they were not included.
In the Marine Corps when you screwed up, the answer was "no excuse sir". This one is not a minor, "we did not include it, because" excuse or omission. It stung, because there was not follow-up to let us know these features were missing. The "Hot Chocolate Song" was a big selling point to the wife and grandchildren.
In any event, I look forward to receiving it for my set. I will in the future, "Come From Missouri" be a little more skeptical on proposed items in the catalog. It is what it is, our wallets will decide if this type of promotional advertising in the catalog will continue to draw pre-orders. The good news at present, I am not dealing with the silver plating or finish issue on the recent Santa Fe Dome Car people are currently struggling with on a different topic.
The sleigh bells would be nice. I'll give it the old college try to see if they are there. The song seems like they thought they had permission but later found they didn't. I'm not thrilled it's not there but still happy with the car in general.
Bryant Dunivan 111417 posted:Otis36 posted:Originally from digital catalog from last January. Advertises "Hot Chocolate song" and "Sleighbell noises". Very disappointing that they were not included.
In the Marine Corps when you screwed up, the answer was "no excuse sir". This one is not a minor, "we did not include it, because" excuse or omission. It stung, because there was not follow-up to let us know these features were missing. The "Hot Chocolate Song" was a big selling point to the wife and grandchildren.
In any event, I look forward to receiving it for my set. I will in the future, "Come From Missouri" be a little more skeptical on proposed items in the catalog. It is what it is, our wallets will decide if this type of promotional advertising in the catalog will continue to draw pre-orders. The good news at present, I am not dealing with the silver plating or finish issue on the recent Santa Fe Dome Car people are currently struggling with on a different topic.
Bryant, I totally agree with you!. I didn't think that I would need to double check the catalog down the road, after ordering last January. It also does not make sense that the movie clips are the same ones that are on the scale tender. Wish I did know this ahead of time. I would have cancelled my order. It was "originally" a great idea. Seems like there is always a "But" with the Polar Express Merch. "Scale cars with snow covered roofs come out "but" some are painted wrong. Scale cars arrive looking great "but" you have to fix the journal box covers. Now it's "The Hot Chocolate Car" is here "but" guess what? No song". "But"we will give you the same clips you have already". Maddening.
I would assume the Hot Chocolate song was excluded, most likely due to copyright reasons with RHINO.
I am not convinced this is a licensing issue with the Hot Chocolate song.
Ultimately this discrepancy of sounds advertised vs. sounds delivered falls on the project manager, and if it is a licensing issue it still falls on that person(s) for lack of conducting due diligence.
Its true they are toys, and we can be a serious bunch of kids at times, but as pointed out these aren't dime-store level items.
Once I get my sounds car I'll test it out and very well may call Lionel to see what happened. At this point, I just hope mine works.
This is not meant to be a bash, but with all the Lionel manufacturing “challenges” lately - including sound files - it may not be a safe assumption to believe this to be a “licensing” issue. Lionel clearly has a license to the Polar Express franchise. The lack of the “Hot Chocolate” song may have simply been (another) manufacturing glitch and this could all have a happy ending after a return shipping trip.
Rider Sandman posted:This is not meant to be a bash, but with all the Lionel manufacturing “challenges” lately - including sound files - it may not be a safe assumption to believe this to be a “licensing” issue. Lionel clearly has a license to the Polar Express franchise. The lack of the “Hot Chocolate” song may have simply been (another) manufacturing glitch and this could all have a happy ending after a return shipping trip.
Just because you license the PE name and likeness does not mean you are entitled to an original song composed in and for the movie itself. That's basic marketing 101...
Volphin posted:Rider Sandman posted:This is not meant to be a bash, but with all the Lionel manufacturing “challenges” lately - including sound files - it may not be a safe assumption to believe this to be a “licensing” issue. Lionel clearly has a license to the Polar Express franchise. The lack of the “Hot Chocolate” song may have simply been (another) manufacturing glitch and this could all have a happy ending after a return shipping trip.
Just because you license the PE name and likeness does not mean you are entitled to an original song composed in and for the movie itself. That's basic marketing 101...
I’m an intellectual property lawyer by trade, so I’m fairly conversant in licensing. I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt that if they know how to license the movie and it’s likeness that they know how to license it in its entirety, including its soundtrack - especially since they’ve already done it before. It has nothing to do with “marketing”, it’s legal 101.
Rider Sandman posted:Volphin posted:Rider Sandman posted:This is not meant to be a bash, but with all the Lionel manufacturing “challenges” lately - including sound files - it may not be a safe assumption to believe this to be a “licensing” issue. Lionel clearly has a license to the Polar Express franchise. The lack of the “Hot Chocolate” song may have simply been (another) manufacturing glitch and this could all have a happy ending after a return shipping trip.
Just because you license the PE name and likeness does not mean you are entitled to an original song composed in and for the movie itself. That's basic marketing 101...
I’m an intellectual property lawyer by trade, so I’m fairly conversant in licensing. I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt that if they know how to license the movie and it’s likeness that they know how to license it in its entirety, including its soundtrack - especially since they’ve already done it before. It has nothing to do with “marketing”, it’s legal 101.
I'd argue it's BOTH. After all, the marketing dept. employs your services to ensure proper deployment of the engineering dept "feature(s)" they wish to include in an item that require permissions. YMMV
Recall, the car was advertised with both Hot Chocolate and Sleigh-bell sounds. I don't think this is from a licensing snafu...I think this was a gaffe. But, who knows, perhaps it was a technology thing...putting in the song and extra sounds may have required additional digital memory chips and the accounting folks put the brakes on it. Maybe one day we'll find out...and maybe for the 25th anniversary Lionel will release the car again with all the sounds!
Those are sound clips worthy only of the starter set version. If I payed the huge bucks for those scale P.E. cars, I would be very angry. They sound cheesy.. and as someone said above... just random & out of context.
