The New Lionel Lionmaster Challenger

I will receive 3989 in the next several days and will try to post video.  I would like to know if 3977 will have smoke shields.  Lionmaster Challengers are great models with nice proportions and look mahvelous on O72 curvature.  They have massive pulling strength and are only slightly shy of scale length - thanks, Lionel, for continuing to offer these models, my favorite in all of O Gauge due to the incredible value they represent!

Timothy, I just got mine yesterday & i love the looks & sound,i am having a problem with the smoke unit,but it is because of something STUPID i did,i am to embarrassed to go into the details right now,but everything worked when i first got it,great looking engine.I forgot to remove the shipping material in the front of the engine that black thing on the nose of the engine, sorry about that.

I would honor your preorder and not leave the dealer on the hook to find another buyer.  You're aware delays are commonplace so what's another 2 months?

-Greg

Hey Greg, can I take a guess at the 'embarrassing mistake' you reference?   I was once running 4 of my steamers at my club's layout.  I wasn't paying attention and instead of putting smoke fluid in the stacks I put in oil.  Few minutes later, I said to myself, "Self, that smoke fluid sure smells awful!".  

 

Needless to say, I had several hours of work ahead of me cleaning up the smoke units in 4 Legacy engines.  Good times!  Lesson learned.  I was left so traumatized that ever since, I always double and sometimes triple check to make sure I'm putting in the right product :-)  

Well, actually the LM Challengers are more than 15% shorter than the scale ones, and significantly smaller in girth. However, they are very nicely proportioned and certainly work great for those of us with modest sized layouts.

 

As far as incredible value, I'm not so sure. They're very nice engines, but at around $900 street for a semi-scale engine using old tooling which Lionel produced over 12 years ago, it doesn't seem to hit the "incredible value" mark. I was happy to see the Lionmaster Challengers re-appear, but it's tempting to just get one of the older models at less than half the price, and maybe at some point adding ERR cruise to improve the Odyssey. Just my opinion.   

The elephant ears are a nice surprise, I didn't think the LM versions would have them.

Yeah, I'm a big fan of the Lionmaster Challenger, at least the Clinchfield version, but I'm not sure either that "incredible value" would describe them, and they are indeed noticeably smaller than the 1:48 versions. 

 

None of that is criticism, and, if I wanted a Clinchfield Challenger and didn't have the room for the 1:48, I'd be all over it. Excellent appearance.

 

I got a JLC 1:48 Clinchfield in LN (really, it looked totally new to me) condition last year for

$650 (accurately approximate) on daBay. Now, I have 072 curves, so no problem, but i got my scale version for less than I've seen some LM versions go for.

 

Also, while I love, and basically prefer, ERR cruise and have installed many, I find that my 4-6-6-4's Odyssey operates as well as ERR. Most of my Odyssey locos do, even the "old" 2-6-6-2 with the Odyssey Lurch - once I have digested the one-time-only Lurch, anyway. 

This Lionmaster looks very cool. A video would be cool. 

Ogaugedream, It was me who did the stupid thing you hit the nail on the head when you said you put oil in the smoke unit,i put track cleaning fluid in,yea,i know stupid,stupid, me i to was not paying attention to which bottle i grabbed ,now i don't feel to bad,i can't wait to see what the next mistake i make is HA,HA,.

How much overhang on an 0-72 curve?

 

Al

 

 

Luis that made me spit beer through my nose.

That is COOL !!!!!

I got a chuckle out of it but I realize since I laughed at it will happen to me eventually.

In the last two days I have received the three I pre ordered.

 

Gray Hound

Rio Grand

Western Maryland

 

Tomorrow is going to be a fun day getting them out and firing them up (Hopefully)

 

Larry

So did we decide that the feature "Cab Illumination" is only the firebox and there is no white lamp that comes on at idle?

...since we have at least two that have no white light?

Wish that could be me right now!!

Hi Michael

 

I am a toy guy (Larry's Fantasy Rail Road) and these do well on a layout that does not have the large curves. I really like the Lion master series and hope they come out with some other lines next year.

 

These are old remakes so to speak but for those of us that have smaller radius curves these things are like having big steam without going full scale. IMO

 

Here is a few pictures I took today for inventory. Soon as I get better with the Go Pro I hope to make a few videos of them as well as some others Lionmaster engines I have.

 

Larry

 

STILL HAVING FUN

The smoke shields appear a little too curved at the top On the UP.  The Western Maryland looks great.  I wonder why they painted the Rio Grande green.  They are all great looking models.  I have 3989 and am thinking about getting 3977 now that they made it with smoke lifters.  Thanks for sharing these great pictures!

 

 

I can say for sure there is no cab light in the cab of my engine,other than the fire box,unless it is invisible.

They really need to make more of these - can't find any left at the major dealers.  Glad I picked up two of 3989.

Can anyone determine if the smoke lifters on the UP are removable?

I'm a scale only guy and I love these models!

 

The sound sets are fantastic.  They sound like the VL Challenger!

They are great...I'm pulling a scale aux UP tender until I find a Railking one somewhere, but it looks ok.

Can you take a short video of the sounds and running around the track? Thanks Larry, Wish that they had a swing open Pilot so you can do a triple header.

Below are videos of one of my Union Pacific 3985 Challengers from the previous Lionmaster Challenger iteration:

 

 

 

 

 

Gorgeous! I really like the UP Greyhound and the smoke deflectors are a great touch. Wish I had $850 lying around, I would love to get one! 

I don't see where any are available at $850 - the dealers did not seem to order any extras.

Pat's trains has them for 799.99 but he may update the site. Not sure if it is correct now.

OMG... Your really going to ask this question. It's a lionmaster! Nothing looks right on it in the first place. Why would anyone run these on O72? At that curve you are able to run the good stuff? A better question is how goofy do they look pulling modern scale rolling stock. 

My Lionmaster Big Boy can make Scale freight look good. Run it with Premier Coal Cars a lot. Challenger can do the same thing. They were made to run with Semi Scale stuff and some scale stuff, to keep the smaller layout owners happy to own a articulating locomotive. 

Winston Actually some of the big stuff has so much overhang that even on 0-72 it interferes with the scenery.  The overhang is so much that it looks silly going around a curve.

 

Al

 

received my lionmaster challenger yesterday. No cab light. With no cab light the engine

diagnostics won't be functional.

Mr. Muffin had four extras for about a day...

Scenery now? Well I guess the complaining will never end. Forget planning ahead and living with limitations of reality. You lionmaster guys complain about the scale stuff and how it does not fit your layout because you don't have the space. So lionel makes a loco to fit those ridiculous looking small curves and now your scenery won't fit. Have you guys thought of switching scales? Holy cow, as a big steam guy I have not gotten an new engine in the last three catalogs probably because lionel is catering to your ludicrous needs. I'm happy when anyone gets their dream engines, and for those of you that love your lionmasters congrats. They look like really great engines. Have fun with em!

I love my Challenger, a Rio Grande, smokes nice, actually a low setting may be fine. I don't really like the steam whistle near the smoke stack, hard to see the whistle effect with that much smoke coming out of the stack, but all things considered, It runs great and pleased. The one thing that I would REALLY like L to do is put a sticker on the box that says 'built to order'. You don't have to commit to 'limited edition' or a serial # as in 'one of...'. a 'Built to order' sticker would give it a uniqueness, without putting Lionel on the line for any limited edition parameters.

Hay Winston

 

You got a serious mental problem. Obviously don't play well with others.

 

If you don't like the thread please for the rest of us keep your silly immature second grade remarks to your self.

 

Larry

 

Larry, I accept my faults. Read your post then read mine. With all honesty, have fun with your challengers. You really seem to love yours and I'm glad you have that happiness in your life.

 

These are K Line Heavyweights, not modern scale stuff, but many consider 18" passenger cars to be "close enough" to scale. I think these look just fine behind the Lionmaster Challengers, Just MY opinion though.

 

 

As far as "Nothing looks right on it in the first place" I completely disagree with you, IMO Lionel did an Excellent job proportioning these, they ARE smaller than SCALE, but to ME they look Great. I had an older MTH Railking Big Boy(30-1129 Third from the top right column below a Lionmaster BB and as Scale BB), that I would have agreed with you about the proportions  being all off on that one.

 

 WHY would anyone run these on 072? because the BIGGER the curve, the BETTER, ANY locomotive looks going around it. I have both Scale and Lionmaster locomotives, and even on 082 curves the overhang is SUBSTANTIALand looks about as SILLY(or Worse) as a Lionmaster going around 042 curves.

 

 

 

For someone that doesn't have room for 072 curves, or doesn't want to spend the extra price of scale size, the Lionmaster line is a GREAT choice.

 

Doug

 

PS, Click on pics to enlarge