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Post by zscalehobo on Apr 4, 2021 10:41:01 GMT -5
First post in this thread said it: "Arriving March/April. Artwork and photos will follow...." I was hoping to narrow that down a bit, but maybe that's all we get. Looks like April 3 was the answer. It was almost dead nuts centered in their stated March / April window.
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Post by pcbpoppy on Apr 4, 2021 12:13:44 GMT -5
Absolutely love this. Waiting for the SOU release with bated breath.
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Post by sjl on Apr 4, 2021 12:48:50 GMT -5
Can't wait for SP, NYC, UP, Penn....
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Post by BAZman on Apr 4, 2021 21:17:20 GMT -5
Bye bye . . . (*poof*) . . . GONE !
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Post by Hans Riddervold (AZL) on Apr 5, 2021 8:28:55 GMT -5
Since the PO was supplied to our manufacturer, the popularity of Z and model railroading in general have soared. Who would have known just little over a year ago?! So we are going to be a little short on inventory it looks. The just announced B&O E7As quantity is 72. Most E7A releases are in that territory. UP: 150, various SPs: 180 and NYC: 100. And if we are totally wrong, we will produce more. Simple as that. Second order PO will be handed in this Summer latest.
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Post by Commodore on Apr 5, 2021 11:06:28 GMT -5
Since the PO was supplied to our manufacturer, the popularity of Z and model railroading in general have soared. Who would have known just little over a year ago?! So we are going to be a little short on inventory it looks. The just announced B&O E7As quantity is 72. Most E7A releases are in that territory. UP: 150, various SPs: 180 and NYC: 100. And if we are totally wrong, we will produce more. Simple as that. Second order PO will be handed in this Summer latest. Damn! Not to be selfish... but that likely means 50 NYC A/B/A sets have been produced. I'm not going to leave the forum, or to sleep either.
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Post by markm on Apr 5, 2021 11:48:33 GMT -5
Since the PO was supplied to our manufacturer, the popularity of Z and model railroading in general have soared. Who would have known just little over a year ago?! So we are going to be a little short on inventory it looks. The just announced B&O E7As quantity is 72. Most E7A releases are in that territory. UP: 150, various SPs: 180 and NYC: 100. And if we are totally wrong, we will produce more. Simple as that. Second order PO will be handed in this Summer latest. Oh the pains of being successful with quality products. It seems that AZL is in need of some Marketing insights. May I make a couple of suggestions. First look at the number of “new to Z scale” posts that have popped up here. I’d suggest that represents an additional 10-20% over your numbers above. Look at RobK’s USPS annual circulation statement, it seems to be growing every year and it doesn’t even include electronic subscriptions. Then there’s mean time to turnover. When it’s measured in hours (as with some of the recent releases) probably larger productions runs are in order. Finally the lack of chun in places like eBay says people really want your product. Good luck, Mark PS In the meantime it would be nice if AZL new release announcements were held until noon ET so everyone has a reasonable chance of getting what they want.
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Post by pcbpoppy on Apr 5, 2021 13:00:24 GMT -5
I was hesitant about placing an order and then saw the reminder from the Hobo. I got his last one of road #1415 and his next to last one of road #1422. I'm glad I didn't wait too long. It looks like most have been "swallowed up".
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Post by zscalehobo on Apr 5, 2021 15:30:08 GMT -5
Oh the pains of being successful with quality products. PS In the meantime it would be nice if AZL new release announcements were held until noon ET so everyone has a reasonable chance of getting what they want. Unfortunately, tracking newbie posts also expands to the many different web forums out there. There are a lot of new people entering z scale. I follow at least 10 different forums and I am sure I am missing another 10. About the announcements, we're getting close to the AZL guys reaching rock star status ... we need AZL New Items Launch Events...
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Post by ugeesta on Apr 5, 2021 19:34:32 GMT -5
Me: I wish I knew how to quit you!
AZL: Here’s another engine you can’t live without....
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Post by fulingyu on Apr 5, 2021 20:47:22 GMT -5
Rob and Hans,
Will the Golden State passenger cars be released in a box set at the same time as the ABB E7 units like the Super Chief was released? Need to start saving up money if this is so.
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Post by Zgauge on Apr 5, 2021 21:19:58 GMT -5
Just wanted to add a dealers perspective on sell outs. Rest assured us dealers watch the dealer portal looking for new releases just like you. It is definetly an adrenaline rush as they become available. I have to admit checking the portal sometimes at 2:00 or 3:00 am just to make sure I don't miss out.
Sell outs on new releases is a frustration for all involved, customers, dealers and AZL! But being a glass half full kind of guy, I really think we have to realize that the sell outs are reflecting a strong growth in the z market which will translate into more cool z scale avaialable in the future. Now I know that doesn't help as your Super Cheif cars are sitting on the siding waiting for the next run of ABBA units, but as long product keeps moving well, more will be on the way. Because of this strong market, we have so much more to offer on our sites.
Many z dealers are small operations like me and I have to say, I am dissapointed when things sell out and I know I could have moved more. I also hate dissapointed customers, but in the long run, I would much rather see a sell out rather than a bunch of product that I can get plenty of but takes me several years to move! Again, I understand someone who missed out on a new release that sold out in an hour or two may have a much stronger opinion!
Jeff Zgauge.com
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Post by Rob Albritton on Apr 5, 2021 22:29:10 GMT -5
Rob and Hans, Will the Golden State passenger cars be released in a box set at the same time as the ABB E7 units like the Super Chief was released? Need to start saving up money if this is so. As of right now, no. Here is the deal: The Golden State cars were produced some time ago (more than a year) They were produced with the other streamliner cars and packaged in individual boxes. We held them back awaiting E7 units to go with them. The E7s are also in individual boxes. At the time, I really added the Golden State because the train matched our tooling pretty well, and it was easy to add them to the order at the time. I also had no idea how good looking they would be until they arrived. WOW! The "name trains" have done much better than anticipated. If I had know I would have ordered 4 times the number that we have on hand. That being said, I have a very strong feeling that we will re-order the Golden State, and we have not even released the first batch. So for those of you who get your hands on a set, think of yourself as getting the "founders" edition. Because of the timing, we did not have special packaging produced for the Golden State. The Golden State project was actually started BEFORE the California Zephyr or Super Chief. We didn't get into the special packaging concept until the California Zephyr. So, we will sell it as a set, but it will be delivered in individual clear plastic boxes. And if that's not enough to drive you nuts, think about this: I've got 4 other limited production unannounced "name trains" in stock and ready to go. ... and two more in tooling. I apologize, because I know this stuff is expensive, I know they are desirable, and I know it seems like they are coming as a flood. The truth is many of these have been years in the planning. Many of the components are arriving all at the same time, and this year we have been able to really crank up the production. We are trying our best to space them out for affordability sake, but the backlog of unreleased and unannounced products keeps growing. It's an amazing time to be in Z scale.
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Post by Rob Albritton on Apr 5, 2021 22:32:37 GMT -5
Now I know that doesn't help as your Super Cheif cars are sitting on the siding waiting for the next run of ABBA units, but as long product keeps moving well, more will be on the way. Because of this strong market, we have so much more to offer on our sites. Quick update on the re-order of ATSF ABBA sets: We have been working at warp speed on this one. The factory wrote today asking to schedule the shipment / pick up. I'm going to guess May 1st release, but PLEASE do not hold me to that! -Rob(A)
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Post by DAZed on Apr 5, 2021 22:39:19 GMT -5
So what I'm hearing is....time for another video.
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