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Post by DAZed on Nov 3, 2015 16:40:08 GMT -5
AZLLooks like the suggested retail price is way off. I'm not sure if "way off" can be an understatement, but yeah.  I'm guessing the $50 freight car in Z is here to stay, which makes it an easy decision for me to stay in N-Scale for the long haul. I'll enjoy my Z layout for its life cycle but I will concede that the new wave of Z is just becoming too rich for me. That's not complaining at all....the stuff looks great. I'm happy for you guys that have the funds...it's gonna be fun. |
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Post by shamoo737 on Nov 3, 2015 16:57:40 GMT -5
Doug, it was just a matter of time the way you were spending.
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Post by DAZed on Nov 3, 2015 18:24:31 GMT -5
Ha, I still don't have 1/100th of the collection you guys all have. And more importantly, no brass.
Good news is that for my small layout I have most of the freight cars I need, and all of the locomotives. Well, I do need another RDC1 though.
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Post by zman215 on Nov 3, 2015 20:55:28 GMT -5
Hi guys,
It is true AZL is not producing $20 cars. But it would not surprise me if that first Trinity car did not cost them $30,000-$40,000. In the world of injection molding we talk of million shot molds. That's alot of cars and no where near what these molds will ever see even with this group buying. So as a manufacturer, you have two options keep selling similar products using the same tools (think MTL) or bring out new products and charge a bit more. We can thank AZL for introducing about 50% of all new products in Z. It is what keeps the excitement up. I have nothing against MTL but who is talking about their latest releases?
Don
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Post by Hans Riddervold (AZL) on Nov 4, 2015 3:10:32 GMT -5
You are onto something. This freight car cost more than $40000 to tool including artwork and design fee. Sincerely, Hans
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Post by christoff on Nov 4, 2015 12:29:09 GMT -5
I think of it this way the first run will always be more money. in a few years tho when they are re released the price should come down due to the fact that the tooling has been "paid" for by the first run. I could be wrong here but I feel AZL is driven by the consumer and our never ending wish for more variety, better detail, and great service not driven by greed of just profit. if we all pay our share on first runs to keep the ball rolling so to speak in a few years the older items will come down in price. That's my hope anyway
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Post by markm on Nov 4, 2015 12:35:44 GMT -5
Hans,
Considering the complexity and the variety of applied details, that's less than I would have expected. The results is a great looking car.
BTW guys, if you haven't noticed, but we've been paying extra for detail for years. Boxcars with applied doors cost a bit more than the molded ones. Locos with 2 color paint schemes cost a bit less than those with more. We may be seeing more $50 cars, but I expect with much more detail than ever before.
What routes do these cars run in quantity? My first thought is that they are a logical extension of the PFE routes, but I've yet to see one of these cars in real life in Northern California/Nevada.
Mark
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Post by bloodynose on Nov 10, 2015 23:13:11 GMT -5
AZL is pleased to announce our latest modern Z scale freight car: The Trinity TRINCool 64’ Reefer. These modern refrigerated boxcars are typically used in unit trains to move perishable produce. Introduced in 2003, one TRINCool car can haul as much refrigerated goods as four 53’ over the road trailers. AZL’s TRINCool 64’ Reefer will come with Metal Wheels, AutoLatch couplers, Extensive separately applied underside details, Etched Metal A-end platforms, as well as separately applied Refrigerator units and fuel tanks for the refrigerator units. Decorations will include UP’s American Refrigerator Transit (ARMN) service with both early and late style Carrier Refrigerator units, and CEFX which will come with a Thermo King style Refrigerator unit.
Expected Retail Price ready-to-run will be $34.95 for single units and $195.00 for a package of 6 units. The design work has been completed, and tooling is now in progress. We expect the TRINCool 64’ Reefers to be available in the Spring of 2015. I've attached renderings of each of the Refrigerator styles. Thanks for your support! -Rob and Hans AZL I see the difference between the 2 different AC units. Is it possible to identify which road numbers have a given AC unit brand? I would like to have 2 different 4-packs having Carrier and Thermo King refrigeration units. Thanks, Mark |
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Post by zscalehobo on Nov 11, 2015 1:46:14 GMT -5
AZL is pleased to announce our latest modern Z scale freight car: The Trinity TRINCool 64’ Reefer. AZL’s TRINCool 64’ Reefer will come with Metal Wheels, AutoLatch couplers, Extensive separately applied underside details, Etched Metal A-end platforms, as well as separately applied Refrigerator units and fuel tanks for the refrigerator units. Decorations will include UP’s American Refrigerator Transit (ARMN) service with both early and late style Carrier Refrigerator units, and CEFX which will come with a Thermo King style Refrigerator unit.
Thanks for your support! -Rob and Hans AZL I see the difference between the 2 different AC units. Is it possible to identify which road numbers have a given AC unit brand? I would like to have 2 different 4-packs having Carrier and Thermo King refrigeration units. Thanks, Mark Hi Mark: I am updating my product pages and came across your inquiry. The ARMN's (cars just released) have the Carrier ... Type 1 and Type 2; both are Carrier according to the release you quoted above. The CEFX will have the Thermo King. So, you would buy 904001 (Type 1 AC) and 904002 (Type 2 AC) to get two 4-packs of each AC type. Best Regards, Frank Daniels Owner - z.scale.hobo |
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Post by catt on Nov 25, 2015 10:43:33 GMT -5
I like these cars but not at this price point.I also model in N scale and the BLMA version of this car in N is a whole lot cheaper and contains a whole lot more material.I would be willing to bet this car in the BLMA price would sell out in a hurry.
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Post by blma-vs-azl on Nov 25, 2015 10:58:26 GMT -5
I like these cars but not at this price point.I also model in N scale and the BLMA version of this car in N is a whole lot cheaper and contains a whole lot more material.I would be willing to bet this car in the BLMA price would sell out in a hurry.  This photos is a BLMA N scale Trinity Reefer found just now at the auction web page... What an atrocious roof line and you can see sprue remnants where the assembler didn't trim and file. Also, more on the roof, there is overcut near the start of the door. Looking at many of the other listings, they all look this way. I think AZL is providing amazing detail in smaller space. This cannot come at a similar price point as this N scale version. Better prototypical details mean a higher cost. At $45-ish, these are much more acurate than BLMA. |
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Post by catt on Nov 25, 2015 20:50:29 GMT -5
That's a interesting picture,funny that neither of my cars look like that in the roof area.It looks to me like someone tried to pry the roof off of the car.
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Post by markm on Nov 25, 2015 23:01:11 GMT -5
That's a interesting picture,funny that neither of my cars look like that in the roof area.It looks to me like someone tried to pry the roof off of the car. Then let's see a couple of images of your cars. |
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Post by ztrack on Nov 26, 2015 7:36:07 GMT -5
This is interesting. I did a search on BLMAs cars and found photos showing the seam on many of them. Even the BLMA product photo has a pronounced seam  This is definitely not an issue on our Z versions. Rob |
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Post by markm on Nov 26, 2015 10:44:11 GMT -5
I'd still be interested in seeing what Catt's car look like. BLMA's images I've found aren't the best: looks like the platforms are molded and in many of them (like the one Rob posted) the couplers appear to sag.
Mark
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