Menards Beta 4.5 SantaFe Bluebonnet Sold Out (6/27/2023)

They also have the Mystery Box as Well. Here's the link for that;

https://www.menards.com/main/g...95408317-c-13318.htm

I am going to pretend I did not see this. 

Looks great thanks Menards! Keep them coming!

@mustang posted:

They also have the Mystery Box as Well. Here's the link for that;

https://www.menards.com/main/g...95408317-c-13318.htm

sold out

I checked about an hour and a half ago and there were 308 units left.  It's amazing they're still selling them that fast while calling them a beta unit!

I looked......and turned away......

Wonder if they will have a black bonett or yellow bonett next Tuesday?  Dave

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I checked about an hour and a half ago and there were 308 units left.  It's amazing they're still selling them that fast while calling them a beta unit!

they only do it so you would have another item in your long list of things you constantly complain or make snarky comments about on OGR

I'm waiting for the Omega-test unit .

Red BETA engine, blue BETA engine, who gives a 💩. (Just joking, couldn't resist.)

@EscapeRocks posted:

they only do it so you would have another item in your long list of things you constantly complain or make snarky comments about on OGR

Maybe you should consider switching to decaf so you don't have all that tension.

@Dave Nichols posted:

Wonder if they will have a black bonett or yellow bonett next Tuesday?  Dave

Not likely. July 4th.

Steve

The blue is wrong; too light.

@PRRMP54 posted:

The blue is wrong; too light.

I agree, completely non-prototypical!

I will pass on this beta as I did on all the previous iterations.

Where on the page does it say the number of units available?

---PCJ

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I checked about an hour and a half ago and there were 308 units left.  It's amazing they're still selling them that fast while calling them a beta unit!

As fast as they keep selling out every run of “beta” engines, why even bother with a production run!!…🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Pat

Just rename your railroad "The Guinea Pig and Southern"....

@RailRide posted:

Where on the page does it say the number of units available?

---PCJ

Well, it says "Sold Out" now, but before down the page there was a number of units available.

FYI. It says 32 left for special shipping at bottom of ad as of 7:20 PM EDT Tuesday evening, if you want one, you had better order it quickly.

At 8:00pm; almost Sold Out. About 10 or so left...

The fun continues.... I threw my line in earlier while on the road and hooked one along with a blue caboose to match.  That little birdie on my shoulder (who looks a lot like my wife) keeps asking, how many Beta versions of the Menards engine do you need?  Well at least this one is blue .

Next in line will probably more dummy engine releases.  Can those be considered Beta versions, too?  Maybe, because the last ones were wired wrong. 

All gone, looks like you'll need to wait until beta 5.0 if you want one 😃

ALL this "BETA" stuff & instantaneous sell-outs have really worn out their welcome.  Lets get on with some real product in varied road names.

No worries.  These will be on Ebay next week at twice the Menards' price!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I checked about an hour and a half ago and there were 308 units left.  It's amazing they're still selling them that fast while calling them a beta unit!

You know what P.T. Barnum said?  This "beta" run may be larger than some regular production runs.  Beta is sure a good way to address issues about quality control.  It reminds me of a friend of mine who constantly tells me that a project in his house doesn't quite look right yet as it is still a "work in progress".  His bathroom is heading into year 40 and is still not "finished".

Sounds about right Rich.

@Bob Dunn posted:

No worries.  These will be on Ebay next week at twice the Menards' price!

And a few here on the "For Sale" pages!

The Santa Fe F units all had dynamic brakes, so Menards is not protypical.

I had a few unplanned expenses recently . I'll have to wait for Beta 5.0...

@kmacleod posted:

I had a few unplanned expenses recently . I'll have to wait for Beta 5.0...

The way it’s going, you can hold off for beta 5.0 through gazillion.0 😁

Pat

Not a surprise.

However, Menard's is too clever for its own good.  They're selling a proprietary control system in very limited quantities. . .

. . .When they could be selling 5 times the quantity in every road name for $ 125.00 with a conventional revers unit/horn board.  And sell locomotives for $ 100.00 with a bridge rectifier and a DPDT switch to reverse.

Not my cup of tea, but being able to sell 590 units so quickly means that they have identified and tapped into a demand that exists.  Even if things don't appeal to me personally, I am happy to see evidence of vitality in the O gauge market.   

@RadioRon posted:

ALL this "BETA" stuff & instantaneous sell-outs have really worn out their welcome.  Lets get on with some real product in varied road names.

Can I get an amen?

Despite all the quality issues and other complaints, people keep buying them and making the same comments.  Even worse is that I can't stop reading these threads.  It's like seeing a car wreck on the highway - I know I shouldn't look, but I can't help myself.

@harley rider posted:

The Santa Fe F units all had dynamic brakes, so Menards is not protypical.

Nor is the alien abduction accessory or Saturn V rocket launch pad, or, well, anything else they've made...

@cbq9911a posted:

Not a surprise.

However, Menard's is too clever for its own good.  They're selling a proprietary control system in very limited quantities. . .

. . .When they could be selling 5 times the quantity in every road name for $ 125.00 with a conventional revers unit/horn board.  And sell locomotives for $ 100.00 with a bridge rectifier and a DPDT switch to reverse.

The proprietary system and lack of conventional operation are the main reasons I'm not interested. 

@Mallard4468 posted:

Despite all the quality issues and other complaints, people keep buying them

You gotta love the invisible hand, and votes, of the marketplace.  And that free market says that a whole lot of people like Menards' engines.

@harley rider posted:

The Santa Fe F units all had dynamic brakes, so Menards is not protypical.

😀 my grandkids love these engines please don’t tell them they are not prototypical and spoil all our fun!

Has anyone heard from Menards as to why no conventional? It’s obvious the beta users have asked for it.

@IRON HORSE posted:

You gotta love the invisible hand, and votes, of the marketplace.  And that free market says that a whole lot of people like Menards' engines.

Or, as Rich (Trainman52) alluded to above, it could be proof of the old adage that "there's a sucker born every minute."

I'm thinking of boosting sales by changing the wording on my ads to say "This item has stuff wrong with it, but won't it be fun to spend your time figuring out what isn't working right? 

@breezinup posted:

Or, as Rich (Trainman52) alluded to above, it could be proof of the old adage that "there's a sucker born every minute."

I'm thinking of boosting sales by changing the wording on my ads to say "This item has stuff wrong with it, but won't it be fun to spend your time figuring out what isn't working right? 

The one I have runs and sounds good.  How is someone spending $150 (with 11% rebate) on a command engine a sucker?  Yes, it has nylon gears, non-precision spun wheels, shiny trucks and non-prototypical design.  It may not be around for me to hand it down a generation.  But it's a hundred and fifty dollars.  Let me say it again.  It's one hundred and fifty dollars.  You can easily spend that much on a nice steak dinner with your wife these days. 

Are we suckers for buying our premium engines at their high costs?  For their prices they ought to be perfect in every category.  Unfortunately, sometimes they are not.