MicroAce - New Releases

[katoftw]

I pre-ordered the Isaburo-Shinpei on the 17th of Janurary 2014.

[Das Steinkopf]

I would be happy if they do a re-release of A3851, I am after some JR Central DMU's that are suitable for rural branchline service.

[marknewton]

My MicroAce ED60 and ED61 arrived yesterday from Keitaro. They are superb! The finish and detailing are faultless, and they run smoothly and almost silently. I haven't had a chance to see how much they will pull, but given they're quite heavy, I'd say they will be good performers.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[katoftw]

・Keihan Series 2200 Late Type Renewaled Car Old Color (7-Car Set) Micro Ace (Arii)

・Izukyu Series 100 Revival KUMOHA103 Micro Ace (Arii)

・Series 711-100/200 Revival Color S-110+114 Formation (6-Car Set) Micro Ace (Arii)

・Series 711-100/200 New Color Non-air Conditioning Express Kamui (6-Car Set) Micro Ace (Arii)

・Series 2000 Express Uwakai (3-Car Set) Micro Ace (Arii)

・Keihan Old Series 3000 Seven Cars Fixed (7-Car Set) Micro Ace (Arii)

[EF65 1100]

 

・Series 711-100/200 Revival Color S-110+114 Formation (6-Car Set) Micro Ace (Arii)

・Series 711-100/200 New Color Non-air Conditioning Express Kamui (6-Car Set) Micro Ace (Arii)

 

Holy smokes! MSRP is 34,500 yen each!

[miyakoji]

I'm looking forward to seeing those two 711 sets. I didn't know the Kamui had much more of a history than the current Super Kamui service.

[Mudkip Orange]

Holy smokes! MSRP is 34,500 yen each!

 

We are actually passing Greenmax pricing at this point.

[miyakoji]

Oh it's N-gauge.  I was thinking at that price it was HO.  Hmmm.  Well at least it's 6 cars.

[katoftw]

I cannot understand their pricing. 6 car sets, 34,XXX jpy and 7 car sets 29,XXX jpy etc.

 

9000 jpy for a single DMU = WTF?!

[enodenlover]

I'm very tempted to pre-order the Keihan Old Series 3000 set from Hobby Search but 30,515 yen ( HS price ) is an awful lot for a seven car train. At least it's not due out until April, which would give me plenty of time to save up for it.

[katoftw]

[JR 500系]

At the rate MA prices are going, i'm starting to wonder how the sales will go... Yes they have exclusive models but even the Shikoku 2000 series 3-car at 21600 (before taxes and discounts) is WAY over-board for a 3-car set... The Tomix 227 series had their 3-car at 13,400 yen and it is already quite expensive, and this 3-car set is almost double of that!

 

Luckily I have yet to see a set that I need to have from recent MA releases... *fingers-crossed*

[katoftw]

Was interested in those Kiha31s, but not at those prices.  As I said many pages earlier in this thread.  I'm happy for MA to increase their prices to cover money constraints.  But these type of increases are just insane.  I'll wait for some big AmiAmi discounting if I every go near them.

[enodenlover]

I tried, I really tried to resist the temptation to order the overpriced Keihan 3000 set but my resistance finally evaporated and now I have to start throwing a handful of pennies in a coin jar every day. Good thing April is a long ways away. :dontknow:

[Ochanomizu]

Hello,

 

In September 2012 JPY to CNY was around 12.3:1.  Today it is around 20:1.  So CNY has gained around 60% in 3 years.  That must be reflected in retail prices.

[katoftw]

2012 was 3.5 years ago.  The crazy price increases started 6-9 months ago.  While it would have been a factor in regular inflating prices.  I don't think it can be a major factor for recent increases.

Edited December 1, 2015 by katoftw

[cteno4]

Yes it could take that long to finally force them into having to do some drastic price changes. Businesses tend to try to hold off price increases with thing that can fluctuate like currencies or energy, but they many times hold out too long until they are forced into a big correction to survive.

 

Jeff

[JR 500系]

At the rate MA is going, and the rate Green Max is pushing out more and more newer models, wouldn't MA be out of the top 3 and Green Max becomes a new 3rd ranker of the brands eventually?

 

I mean, I do see ALOT of Green max releases and re-releases, but only a handful of MA ones and at super inflated prices....

[Densha]

The A3477 3-car JR Shikoku 2000 series costs the same as the A3473 5-car 2000 series did back in 2013. I'm glad I got the A3473 two years ago. Now MA is starting to become affordable only for the rich...

[katoftw]

Yes it could take that long to finally force them into having to do some drastic price changes. Businesses tend to try to hold off price increases with thing that can fluctuate like currencies or energy, but they many times hold out too long until they are forced into a big correction to survive.

 

Jeff

It doesn't force a once off final huge bump in pricing on all new models.  As they release models each month, pricing could follow inflation.  They would be loosing money on a 2012 model being re-released in 2015 for 2012 prices.  That I will agree on.  Which is why most manufacturers have a new stock number with a new retail price attached once every few years.

 

If MA were having issues with Chinese factories and it did cost them 60% more to use China's factories.  I'm doubtful they would still be there.  As any manufacturer that could produce home grown would if it was the same costings as China.

 

You are correct.  They have forced a big correction in pricing to survive.  But I don't think currency is the reason for it.  I noted raising capital before earlier in the thread and increasing prices may be required to do so.  Maybe I was right, maybe I wasn't.  We'll never know.  Only the boffins at MA will.

 

There is clearly a different business model than before the factory issues.  If this is what they have to do to survive.  So be it.  I'd prefer to see them survive.  I just won't be buying any of their newer products unless I can find the ones I want heavily discounted somewhere.

Edited December 1, 2015 by katoftw

[JR 500系]

The A3477 3-car JR Shikoku 2000 series costs the same as the A3473 5-car 2000 series did back in 2013. I'm glad I got the A3473 two years ago. Now MA is starting to become affordable only for the rich...

 

Good point. I agree too... It's way too much... I am just very glad that the A8470 East-I is not hit by the price hike!  :)

 

 

It doesn't force a once off final huge bump in pricing on all new models.  As they release models each month, pricing could follow inflation.  They would be loosing money on a 2012 model being re-released in 2015 for 2012 prices.  That I will agree on.  Which is why most manufacturers have a new stock number with a new retail price attached once every few years.

 

If MA were having issues with Chinese factories and it did cost them 60% more to use China's factories.  I'm doubtful they would still be there.  As any manufacturer that could produce home grown would if it was the same costings as China.

 

You are correct.  They have forced a big correction in pricing to survive.  But I don't think currency is the reason for it.  I noted raising capital before earlier in the thread and increasing prices may be required to do so.  Maybe I was right, maybe I wasn't.  We'll never know.  Only the boffins at MA will.

 

There is clearly a different business model than before the factory issues.  If this is what they have to do to survive.  So be it.  I'd prefer to see them survive.  I just won't be buying any of their newer products unless I can find the ones I want heavily discounted somewhere.

 

Very analytical! Which I agree ~ I too want MA to survive, as it gives us yet another option for train models, and MA has been releasing very rare and lots of private railway models that the other makers do not have. But again, pricing has to be in consideration too. At this kind of sky high pricing, consumers would most probably steer away unless they really want it... Wouldn't that be doing more damage than good for the company?

 

Green Max on the other hand have been pretty aggressive as of late, with releases of several private railway models...

[mrp]

If MA were having issues with Chinese factories and it did cost them 60% more to use China's factories.  I'm doubtful they would still be there.  As any manufacturer that could produce home grown would if it was the same costings as China.

 

I think that's easier said than done.

 

MA seem to have relied totally on their Chinese manufacturing partner for all design and production, although it sounds like they may be trying to change that now and bring some expertise in-house - including poaching Kato engineers…

 

If their Chinese partner holds the MA molds and tooling then it’ll be a long expensive process to try and broaden their supplier base - as Hornby and others have found.  I recall reading somewhere that the main Sanda Kan factory in Dongguan is a Chinese government joint-venture (like everything in China I guess) and that there are specific government restrictions on transferring and exporting molds.

 

Sometimes I wonder if it’s all part of a longer term “secret plan” by Kader / Bachmann / Sanda Kan to break into the Japanese market by weakening and then taking over Micro Ace.

 

There’s an interesting look behind Bachmann’s recent China-driven price increases here.

[cteno4]

Sure some businesses will only treat new production with the increases at the point they realize they need to change the business model. I've seen this happen in businesses I've worked with. At times its at a point where several factors have driven up their costs and they got caught from a number of directions. Factories in China have gotten dodgier to deal with in the last few years and production control harder with retirement of the old master manager that helped a lot of factories doing model trains. Factories go poop very quickly now, long term relationships can go poof. All this drives costs up and slows production which slows cash flow and requires price increases to cover. Decreasing yen means it buys less.

 

Moving production back to Japan is not something you can do overnight and to get a good price you need volume and ma volumes are not that of kato and have kato's long tome manufacturing set up in Japan.

 

Businesses get caught with their pants down like this more than you think.

 

With the hobby shirking some in Japan I don't thing ma is jacking up prices on a model that they can reap a premium, I think they have to to pay for costs.

 

Jeff

[katoftw]

mrp - thanks for the links.  Very interesting some of those details are so public.  Hopefully MA comes back to JP in time.

Edited December 2, 2015 by katoftw

[serotta1972]

I was very excited about the 711 trains until I saw the price.