With the exception of the included interior load, the Micro-Trains Line stock number 020 00 157 that was announced in the February 2018 copy of The Micro-News appears to be a re-run of a car that was originally released as part of the special run NSC 00-95 Union Pacific and Southern Pacific "Impact Cars" set that commissioned by the N Scale Collector in 2000. The first such models to incorporate clear bodies, at the time, an extremely difficult project to produce, production challenges limited the original run of cars to ninety sets. Since 2000, Micro-Trains has produced numerous special run, clear bodied cars for the N Scale Collector (e.g., the "Money Cars" and the Gold and Silver "Bullion Cars". While casting the clear plastic body shells was probably not an issue, the intricate painting and pad printing was extremely challenging. Very difficult to see in the photo, the clear side of each car has a very fine mesh like look, with additional data, logos, and reporting numbers pad printed over the simulated screening. For the original run of cars, the factory rejection rate must have been quite high. Micro-Trains Line's current printing process has likely resolved some of the issues that were encountered during the production of the earlier run products. Nearly twenty years since this model was first released, I am looking forward to comparing the latest run of this very unique piece of rolling-stock to the original special run release. Neville Trains N Scale™
I've been wanting a SP impact car since they first came out for the N Scale Collector but just didn't want to pay their prices so I'm happy to hear this!
Although it is highly likely that the SP version will be re-released in the future, unfortunately, at this point in time, Micro-Trains Line has only announced a pre-order period for the UP model. Neville Trains N Scale™
My (unofficial!) guess is that if the UP impact car is successful (and I think it will be), the SP car will follow. At an MSRP for one car of $49.95 (probably putting the street price in the $40 range), MTL might have decided to separate the cars from the pack. Interesting that it's known that only ninety sets were produced. That somewhat explains the aftermarket pricing... I don't follow auctions nearly as much as I used to, but I don't recall the last time one of these sets was offered. Could be there is a lot of pent-up demand for this car.
Excluding a single car sale (an SP model) from a broken up set, from 2015 through 2018, I have only seen five of the NSC sets listed on eBay. With an all-time auction high of $399.99, up until around the latter part of 2015, the sets would fetch around $300.00 on eBay. By 2017, the price had dropped to between $125.00 and $150.00. The last set that was sold as a Buy-it-Now took almost a year to sell after repeated price reductions by the seller. Interestingly enough, originally sold by the NSC for $95.00 a set, with an MSRP of $49.95 for the Union Pacific car (i.e., the more intricately printed model of the pair), the retail price for the single model has pretty much remained the same as it was in 2000. Dividing the original set price by two, the street price for the single UP model will wind up being lower than it was in 2000. Neville Trains N Scale™
A new model that was not previously released as a special run product, Micro-Trains has announced that it is taking pre-orders for a Canadian National Impact Car. Neville Trains N Scale™
A Southern Pacific impact car from one of the original shrink-wrapped sets has just turned up in an auction listing.
With 26 bids, the final auction price for a mint condition shrink-wrapped NSC 00-95 set reached $105.15 on April 6, 2018. Neville Trains N Scale™
That SP Impact Car we thought would be announced has been. Now if I can only find the prototype information for the UMTRR... I suspect it's in Anthony Thompson's book Southern Pacific Freight Cars Volume 4. It's not in any of the Morning Sun Color Guides.
Based upon the non-refundable 25% pre-order deposit amount of $14.98 that appears on the Micro-Trains Line Southern Pacific Impact Car announcement page, the 50 foot SP models will retail for $59.95 each, which is $10.00 higher than the MSRP for the Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific 40 foot boxcar releases. Although there are probably a number of investor/collectors who are not happy campers right now, factoring in the included car loads and increased labor and production costs that have accrued since 2000, when the $95.00 N Scale Collector Impact Cars Sets were first released, Micro-Trains Line's $109.95 MSRP (i.e., $49.95 for the stock number 020 00 157 UP model and $59.95 for the stock number 031 00 490 SP model, which equals a ±15% increase in MSRP) for the pair of re-released models appears to be a genuine bargain. Neville Trains N Scale™
While not a car I need for my era, it is still one I might just spring for. It is a bit expensive but so is everything these days so don't feel like the price is really out of line for what it is. The non refundable deposit is an interesting twist though.
While this will almost be double the highest price I ever paid for a piece of rolling stock, I'm buying.
Although they will probably sell out fast, once the cars have been shipped to the Micro-Trains dealers who pre-ordered them, the online merchant street pricing will be approximately 20% to 25% off of the listed MSRPs. Neville Trains N Scale™
