10-16-2009, 05:10 PM
One of the major reasons Athearn and Horizon have pulled the plug on the BB line is because they could produce an RTR car for about the same amount of money they could produce a BB kit for, and the RTR car they make WAY more then they do on the BB kits. BB kits have really flooded the market and it was just time for them to be discontinued, Athearn was just not selling enough of them to make it worth there time and money to produce them. No body was buying new BB kits, instead they were buying used and old ones that had already been bought before. Athearn doesnt see an of that money from those sales, so when they stop getting the orders for the BB kits, its time to stop production. Its a sad sight to see that these kits that have been around for so long and basically are the backbone of this hobby are going away, but this is what the hobby is coming too. Most guys want the RTR stuff now, they dont wanna sit and assemble the models. They want the instand gratification of taking it out of the box, having it fully detailed, and running it in a train, my self included. I would rather work on scenery and building kits, rather then assembling a freight car or engine. I loved the BB kits when i first started in the hobby, they were a good learning tool, but unfortunately they are no more.