TCA 2016 Convention S Gauge Car Set

A must have.

Very nice looking set, but the price is a little steep.

I'm not an an S scale collector and I purchased this set. You won't see the NASA graphics anytime soon in S scale. Remember it is a two car set.

The catalog price in the latest AF catalog for the US Army Unloading Boxcar is $79.99 and the US Army Rocket Launcher Car $ 69.99 which, together, is $149 98. The TCA is asking $159.95 for the NASA Unloading Boxcar plus the NASA Rocket Launcher Car.  So is the special paint scheme worth $10.00?     

Now one might ask if the price for these cars is a fair price for AF operating cars, so lets look at the Gilbert AF Catalog for 1958.

A 25042 Unloading Boxcar retails for $ 7.95 in 1958 dollars

A 25045 Rocket Launcher Car retails for $9.95 in 1958 dollars

Using an inflation calculator ( http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/)

those prices are 

$65.42 for a 25042 Unloading Boxcar in 2015 dollars

$81.87 for a  25045 Rocket Launcher Car in 2015 dollars

or $ 147.29 for the set.  

So I guess you would have to ask if the special paint job is worth $10-12  to you.

(the "early bird" price for the set is $151.95-so if the paint job is worth $2.00-$5.00 to you, you might order early)  

Little Tommy. 

Tommy,

Well done, there is always a justification for the price of our toys, and I like your best!!

Can you say; Ordering???

Aflyer

Impressive, LittleTommy, impressive!!

With all due respect, Ron, I don't think you will find an S gauge TCA Collectible car at "on the street" prices in the secondary market, and certainly not at Charles Ro's discounted prices. 

Having said all that, lets accept your valuation of the cars.  Is the special paint worth $42.00 to $49.00 to you?  If NASA is important to you or if having a limited edition collectible is important to you, it probably is, and if you just want to own operating cars regardless of the paint scheme, it probably is not. 

What is interesting to me is that, compared with Gilbert's prices in 1958 (which seldom, if ever, were discounted), the "street prices" for the cataloged operating cars in 2015 dollars look pretty good, coming in at $37.00 less that the inflation adjusted price with far better decoration. 

LittleTommy

I don't quite understand what the price controversy is all about. 

First and foremost, these are TCA cars and part of the money goes to the TCA. 

Second, you have to be a TCA member (or know one who is willing to order them for you under the guise of his membership) to purchase them.  If either option is not available to a person, the point is moot.

Third, the cars may show up on the secondary market, and the price will be dependent more on if the cars were sold out quickly at the TCA or not.  If the TCA winds up sitting on a bunch of them, I doubt they'd be commanding premium prices on the secondary market.

Now, I pretty much stopped buying Gilbert-based contemporary Flyer years ago as my interest shifted and the door configuration of the boxcar always bothered me, so I won't be coercing one of my TCA friends to get me one.  That doesn't mean I think the TCA should be offering these cars.

Rusty

The NASA offering impresses me as a desirable one with some uniqueness. However, Lionel Flyer is discounted by ~20% and Gilbert Flyer was also discounted in its day. After Christmas, pretty heavily. Write it off to a gut reaction, but the price strikes me as being a bit too high. The TCA is entitled to make some profit, but I keep coming up with something like $139.95 less 10% with an early bird order.

Possibly, offering the two cars separately would have lowered the perceived threshold of pain, leaving it to the individual to purchase both as a 'set' if they wished.

YMMV.

Bob

#94-38531

Rusty, I am not sure what you are getting at here. Please clarify

Little Tommy

Bad keyboard...  It doesn't listen to my brain sometimes... 

What I meant to say was "That doesn't mean I think the TCA shouldn't be offering these cars."

Rusty

One thing to keep in mind on pricing is that TCA cannot offer these cars for less than Lionel's list price.  It is the contract with Lionel.  Lionel doesn't consider street price when quoting prices to TCA, not does any other manufacturer.  These are small run car sets so there simply aren't discounts to be had.  Now if TCA sold 1000 of these that would be a different story, but history shows that likely 300-400 sets will be the maximum amount of cars sold and produced.

I have me set reserved and I know of at least three or four others that do.  My dad is an S gauge collector.  I think he'll love this set at Christmas.

I was trying to say this, but you said it better.

Thanks,

Little Tommy