May I troll Paul please?

I know myself that Marklin are always depending of customer to survive by shop train products.
Maybe now when i start Marklin again to become marklinist,it will become plus for the Company...

Good advice there... We try to be the friendliest forum on the net, so there is no need to stir things up more than some members manage to do by themselves...

@Goofy - Starting with Märklin again? - maybe the new planned "kiddie sets" are for you???
Just kidding, of course...


I am still interested in what would be the new starter/Hobby line that Mr Siebel Jr is contemplating upon...
It has to be contemporary, both in models & technology so the youngsters feel comfortable and can show genuine interest...
For the very youngest, battery operated & remote control as the current MyWorld would maybe be ok, but when you get around 9-10 - you need "more"...
In my personal opinion though, the old M-track analog that could take some beating and have slight glitches in the track layout is still better than battery trains
on a C-track, since there is not so much "compromise" laying tracks as what you could get away with using M-track... M-track inspired creativity in a young mind...

Most youngsters will be lost anyway in the teens and some years upwards due to "other interests" - read "hormones", "future success dreams", maybe "education" and then "career"...
But if the interest is caught in the childhood years, then they maybe will (as many of us) regain the interest when kids & family are started up... Or if we are old enough to say that
we liked what we did as kids, and now we can afford it and maybe make those childhood dreams of a big layout finally come true...

Juhan has right!
When i was kid,there was no hobby or and "My world".
There was anyway start set and mostley of kids was happy to get Marklin start set.
This was before PC did invided in every house.
Today Marklin knows the problem when other toys and electronic technology can also beat out train toys.
We should be glad and happy,that Marklin keep on to support marklinist who really believes theirs products.
It´s all question what to do and support customer.
Kids and grown up people are the customer.

Carpi Diem

I think it's a good idea to "interweave" model trains into the general toy & game market, let's see if this widens the horizons for the "general public"... The Märklin brand is still a strong brand name and known by many as the "equivalent" of model/toy trains, but the brand knowledge is still a bit unexposed outside that scope...

Hi gents (and damsels),

I have read some of the posts above. I feel the urge to comment on something Paul said.

I do happen to know the Rotterdam shop Paul is referring to as well. (This can only be M&B).
The fact that they keep their prices up is a fact that suits them for many years past. It has never changed for better.
There was a saying about this shop in particular, which also counts for K. in Utrecht: "Their trains' prices include the price of the ties and suits these dealers wear. But their arrogance is for free."
No hard feelings, but that's one reason why I never go to stores like these again.

I rather take my car and drive some miles further away to this very kind dealer (the same one indeed, who so generously renders me the keys of his shop for shooting whatever old and new stuff there is).
Here I purchased the larger part of my collection over the past 15 years, with excellent service and friendliness. Coffee and a fine chat are for free...

Frits

Hi Frits
your point is well made, you go the extra because you find the service good and coffee etc Its not hard stuff to smile, be polite and make people feel welcome and a few bags of coffee over the year can be written off to advertising, and in my down times I read catalogues, this site anything that builds my background knowledge they have just said here the Christmas trading was up and the Boxing day sales NZ nation wide was 12 % up and thanks to a very astute Prime minster who knows how to handle money under very difficult conditions to the point they are saying NZ will grow 3.5% this year ahead of US britain and Australia because we are a can do nation and we produce the best value Dairy products in the world i.e the smallest labour cost to product and export dollar approx 25%
regards bryan

It was posted in another thread some time ago - the date on that Press Release is March 2013, so is somewhat 'old news'.