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 Posted - October 26 2006 : 4:26:28 PM
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can any one tell me what these items are like,ken
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 Posted - October 26 2006 : 4:31:32 PM
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The Front Range kits date back to the '80s and were serious for their day. They aren't bad and as I said I think were thought of in the same way today one might judge Accurail and Branchline kits.
Front Range was owned by, I think, Fred Beck or Becker. Today he is behind LBF models...which I think stands for Loads By Fred. Between LBF today and Front Range then, I think there were a couple other companies that came and went under his ownership...but I'm not 100% on that story. Believe McKean Models fits in there somewhere too.
Perhaps somebody else can add to my sketchy memory here?
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
http://ho-scaletrains.net
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Posted - October 26 2006 : 4:36:33 PM
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 what can i say yet again many thanks tony,its amazing when i joined this site,i had only heard of about 5 american makers,but i made a statement,we do not get much over here,wish i had not said that now cheers ken
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jlong
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Posted - October 26 2006 : 11:10:38 PM
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I don't know the history of Front Range but I dug up two TOFC cars I put together nearly twenty years ago. Yes, they are nice cars and were top of the line in their day. Crisp graphics and nice seperate attached details but a tad on the chunky side. Mine are CNW flats and appear to be unpainted yellow plastic with that plasticy sheen. Overall, I like the looks of Athearn blue box better. Be advised the couplers are body mounted and don't fare well with Tyco truck mount couplers on curves less than 24" radius.
John Long
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Posted - October 27 2006 : 08:11:45 AM
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I read on the Atlas Forum that LBF may also be toast now. A company called Hubert has taken their stock and is dressing it up with different trucks/couplers and will offer it RTR at premium prices.
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
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Posted - October 27 2006 : 8:58:44 PM
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I always did like the Front Range 2970 and 3650 ACF covered hoppers. Heck, for years that's all you had if you wanted a model of either. The walkways are about the only thing that's not to par with today's stuff, but they're still nice and actively-sought cars.
I liked the boxes too: harking from those first recession-wrought days of "Buy American" ethos: "Thanks for buying an American Made product". Too bad I couldn't today if I wanted to. Really bad.
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jlong
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Posted - October 28 2006 : 03:51:25 AM
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Yes, we don't have much choice today. Anyone know if Athearn blue box kits are still made in the USA?
John Long
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Posted - October 28 2006 : 11:23:05 AM
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John - Oops, how could I forget - the newer Athearn Blue-box kits DO in fact sport a US Flag bug on the label end. Although, as you pointed out elsewhere, they've gone from being a store's entire stock in many cases, to a collection of oddities in the back row.
More tellingly, they're not any of the new tooling releases either, just the same old soldiers we've all come to know and love (and have already).
-Tony L, "GIC"
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Posted - October 28 2006 : 11:51:16 AM
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The good ol' Athearn "blue box" kits do very much still exist.
Athearn puts out a listing of what kits and what roadnames they are producing a couple times per year. My local hobby shop, Doc's Caboose in Kansas City, always has a copy available for review. You can also find, in the form of a .pdf file, the listing on the Athearn website...
http://www.athearn.com/
Right now the Winter 2006/2007 Kit Production link is found on middle of the Athearn home page.
I would provide a caution regarding the recent "blue box" kits I've purchased. Last summer I ordered the Athearn Wide-Vision Caboose kit in solid orange Rio Grande. Having bought a number of the Athearn R-T-R examples, I knew that the model now has newly tooled plastic end rails and ladders...that is NOT the case with the "blue box" kit. It is the same original metal wires and metal ladders. And the nice metal wheelsets found on the R-T-R line examples are also NOT in the kits...they are the traditional metal axle with plastic wheels. The recently added window material found in R-T-R Wide-Vision Caboose models is also NOT in the "blue box" kit.
This situation may not apply to all models, but I know I was disappointed that the kit did not include any of the recent changes/upgrades. Not a big complaint here, just not exactly what I expected.
One thing I will say though, the paint jobs and the upgrades are a nice enough edge for me that I wouldn't bother with a "blue box" version...if an Athearn R-T-R exists. For example, not long after buying the solid orange Rio Grande Caboose, Athearn announced the same model in the R-T-R line. Now I wished I would have just waited and gotten that one instead.
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
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