by crossovercrazy » Wed Dec 26, 2018 10:42 am
Czar,
Amen to everything you've said. Also the fact they don't care.
Over the years I have spent a FORTUNE in both Carrera cars and tracks. The tracks can do what I want (the wide 1/24 scale capability I don't care so much about), but the four curve radius, ability for multi-lane banks and the quirky ability to offset the pieces by one lane with the crossovers and single digital straights has dictated my layouts, for the ten lanes currently and extra eight lane layout capabilities I have invested in. However, for a "cheap" market niche, their track (the analog molds of which has been paid for long ago for decades) is ridiculously overpriced, and inconsistent with the price of their cars - its like Schick giving away the free razors, and charging a lot for blades. I bought my huge stockpile mostly before the tab modification around 2007, and it is a real headache to put a large multi-lane layout (particularly banked) with the knuckle-skinning U-tabs (although I admit my approach makes it even worse by offsetting track pieces, which means I have to align 24 tabs simultaneously on my six-lane banked track to draw it together and try to get those tabs to snap). Even a simple beveling of the bottom of the tabs (so the tracks could slide together when used on a flat surface) would make assembly much easier in most cases (of course, they would have to make a slight mod to the dreaded U-clips, though). The accessories, like trackside figures, are also overpriced, in my view, for large layouts.
They had long-term winners with the aero stockers (and even the 50s versions), Can Am cars, 60s sports cars and even older classics like the Aston Martin DB3, but inexplicably stop making them. Heaven forbid they supply white bodied cars we have asked for over the years. They started the COT cars, and then suddenly stopped. I agree that the cars have a lot of features for the price, but are largely over-engineered with attributes I assume few people notice or use, and mostly have to be removed (and weird, overcomplicated disassembly techniques that must add more manufacturing expense). We could overlook a lot of this madness because for a number of years (well after the 2000-era when I started buying them), they suddenly became very cheap - at least for a while. Parts were near impossible to get, that you really wanted (I could get stocker axle assemblies on a random basis, but not tires ?), so the only option was buying multiple extra copies of cars.
Until just a few years ago, the most cars I bought every year were Carreras - they were the most anticipated each year, and I bought a number of Scalextric as well, but not as many. Then suddenly, Carrera seemed to lose all interest in classic american race cars and the classics and other classes many of us bought in droves. They made up for it by suddenly drastically raising their prices. This past year I bought an innumerable number of Scalextric cars (probably over 100 brand new releases (30 Montes alone), and a large number of earlier ones), and just 2 Carrera cars.
I for one got the message from Carrera as to their interest in my business. If they make 2019 announcements that I can justify buying, I will buy as many as they make, but I don't have my hopes up...but I can't wait for January 7!