We have Bettendorf trucks for sale separatly - those are the ones that will be used on the Caboose. Best, -Rob(A) AZL
Now wait a minute. Buy a Challenger [pun intended] and "save" money. I think the current retail on a new one is about $45 Mil. Flies faster than a 747 and has LOTS of room for little boxes of Z - so now the tax rate could be about 0.01% ...d
Rob A-- a couple of quick questions for those sitting on the fence.. How are these boxed-- a simple cardboard box with a plastic overlay? A wooden box or a clear plastic box. Some might want to display Challenger on the mantel when not barreling down the tracks. I agree that money spent should go to the engine itself- but safe storage and presentation might also be an element of sales. I wonder if there is a way to display the Challenger under a clear plastic case and have the wheels and rods turning. What is the running life of the motor and will repair services be avalable. Is there documentation that only 120+ have been built and a small history to go with each engine? Has there been a definative test run of the Challenger- number of cars, grades, typical speeds- switches-etc,? Will she run through existing trackage ( if properly laid) or will special requirements need to be considered. Will the gears "Freeze up" if not run regularly? Is there a "break in" period to get her running up to designed standards. She's a HANDSOME engine- much praise to AZL Fred Pictures of each engine would be nice in choosing - I suspect the AZL site or Ztrack will post them shortly
I hope the Refrigerator cars come in quantities less than twelve. I could not afford twelve nor would I need that many. They look really sharp from what I can see in the picture.
A quick update. We are working on adding a subscriber order page for the Challenger. This will be up on Ztrack.com in the next week. I will have an announcement once this page is up and running. If anyone wants to order before hand, please drop us an email at: ztrack@aol.com At this time, it is reservation only. No payment is required. The pricing as quoted applies to Ztrack Magazine subscribers only. Rob
So... for my understanding (and, my understanding only)... potential buyers have to pay additional "fees" for quality control? Isn't that something that should be done prior to accepting a product from a manufacturer? Adding additional costs and fees after product announcement with pricing is the same game that airlines are now playing.
The March 2010 Model Railroad News has a nice long article on the HO Scale Challenger in Brass. Price $1,249.95 MSRP Maybe the Z scale price is in the ball park. ...don
A brass N scale challenger, why? One can be had in plastic with DCC and sound for $450: http://www.nscalesupply.com/ATH/ATH-challenger.html
Alex, its not all that bad. First, it is for Insured Shipping which is $30-$50 dollars, depending on location. That leaves about $30-$50 for handling. If you have been reading the posts for many years, small manufacturing runs from most every supplier don't meet "specifications" of what you, I or AZL expect while the manufacturer might. Some things do 'settle', loosen or whatever in shipping. MTL went thru hell with the SD40 trying to get it out of a foreign supplier. So I would rather have them guarantee that they are right. Sure, I'd like cost built in but then you would really notice the small 2% in price ? It is a price we all pay for custom work. .
