BLI going toe-to-toe with MTH! Oh, yeah!


Selector

Selector

Well-Known Member
Well, in case you haven't seen or heard, BLI has officially announced that it will produce and deliver by 2010 a new, all scratched, and better version of the UP 9000 series 4-12-2! At least, it seems that it will be improved over MTH in a few ways, although the 22" radius still seems to be part of the package.

If you had withheld purchasing MTH's version for some reason, and would still like one, perhaps you will consider putting your name down for a reseration at your favourite BLI retailer.

-Crandell
 
Crandell, any idea of price yet? I'd love to get one of those with Tsunami sound but I have the feeling I need to switch to cat food now if I'm going to have enough money. :)
 
Jim, you dropped more than that in the Bahamas. That's what they make those plastic things for..........CHARGE IT!!!!

I've been thinning out my locos and rolling stock(the duplicate numbers and little run cars) to finance the upgrades to my roster.

I heard about this deal for a couple of months now. Just like the Athearn/Tsunami announcement, the hobby is beginning to take a few GIANT leaps instead of the baby steps. And it's for the good. The consumer is in control and the companies are listening.

I think that MTH will have to make some changes to stay viable. BLI is definitely going to hit them in the plexus.

Bob
 
From my perspective as a former dealer ---BLI /Precision Craft is famous for announcing items and then taking a L O N G time (or never) producing them. Case in point - HO gauge Light 4-6-2s, a new run of N&W As & SW1500s - some announced in 2006. There is also an N gauge engine that I can't name off hand that also falls into this catagory.

I agree with Stationmaster - if BLI does this engine I would purchase it over the MTH version (if I modeled the UP) in a heartbeat.
 
Yes, I would have to agree that BLI has a recent (almost four year) history of big announcements and little to show for it. However, in their defense, they have been directly affected by two lawsuits, both of which were in favour of MTH. They were over a barrell for many a long month waiting for decisions that would determine what, if anything, was to be forthcoming. Among those decisions, incidentally, were the many offered by prospective customers, some of whom indicated they'd buy, many who did not. At some point, BLI either had to back away or keep it on the books if a trickle of orders seemed to keep coming in.

They have introduced two highly sought steamers in the past six months, and their schedule shows more to come in the next few. If they can get a good head of steam going, build confidence and loyalty, especially if they one-up MTH at their own game, they will likely set the pace for the HO game for the next five years.

-Crandell
 
Bob, that's the trouble - most of my disposable cash went to the Bahamas. :) Actually, at $465 with Paragon sound and DCC, this is really not a bad price. I'm debating putting in an advance order since they say they won't charge your credit card until it's shipped. OTOH, I see they don't even have a preproduction model picture yet and the projected date is "early" spring of 2010. BLI doesn't have a good track record of on-time deliveries and, in some cases, announcing vaporware. Given todays' economy, I think I'll violate one of my own rules and put in an advance order in the hope they'll get enough orders to actually do this model.
 
For the first time ever, I am going to ask for two. :D I want the project to succeed, and I want BLI to succeed. I figure I have about 20-25 good modelling years left, and I would like to have the company producing good stock for at least the next 15 years. If it's the last thing they every do under their name, I would like to have one of that type, and a second redundant one in case one of them meet an untimely end. I know a fellow who has four or five of these in brass...about which I can only dream.

-Crandell

Edit- they don't mention the visibly working Gresley valve gear that MTH has on their model. I wonder if that is just a miss in the specs announcement or if BLI intends to just mould it as a static but visible feature.
 
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