Why Roundhouse battery locos are so pricey?

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The Playmobil 5258 loco is available for ~£80 where Roundhouse battery locos are 10 times more expensive!

Why does it attract so much premium? Is it just because they have no competitor as such?

Their Little John loco looks like a toy [in spite of £550 price tag]. Cricieth or Harlech Castle look better but have even high price tags :o
 
It is probably heresy to say so, but I have often thought that some of the models from smaller manufacturers have a disappointing level of detail for the price - OK so there are small production runs, development costs, robust engineering and high overheads etc but yes, a little more imagination in the out of the box appearance might help a little to justify big prices.
 
Well, Playmobil are toys designed for children and are made from plastic and with fairly basic components, albeit quite well made to survive the hard life that children might give them. I don't own any (or any Roundhouse or Accucraft for that matter) but I understand that the Playmobil has a limited haulage capacity. The Roundhouse stuff is made of metal, with high(ish) quality components, and according to their websites with the designed capacity to recover a failed steam loco and its train - that's potentially quite a load and therefore the locos have quite a considerable haulage capacity. And, of course, they are made in onesies and twosies in factories which some might mistake for workshops, rather than the (probably Chinese although I don't know) megafactories that turn out the thousands of Playmobil locos. Whether that justifies the price is an individual decision; my decision is that I get better value from Bachmann stuff I modify, but that's just the way I see it. The fact that Roundhouse seem to have quite a steady market, although probably not one as large as Playmobil, for their product suggests that others see it differently.
 
There's a vast difference in quality and market. The Roundhouse stuff will literally last a lifetime, probably two, while the playmobil is intended to last through childhood. Roundhouse is a small specialist interest company while Playmobil a global one so they get to spread the cost far more and production is snap together with minimal skills. Compare the playmobil price with a similar sized LGB loco that requires more assembly processes and parts and you jump to £300-£400. LGB is also global but aimed at a specialist market.
The folks assembling the Roundhouse stuff will be the highest skilled because they assemble live steam batches too so you still have to pay them the same rate for a diesel. If you look at the factories producing metal models in China with similar skilled staff the price jumps significantly closer to Roundhouse and the gap is closing as they demand better wages. Accucraft steamers aren't far behind Roundhouse prices. Accucrafts electric powered steam locos initially sold for around £300 and are now in the £800-£1200 price range.
 
Basically, all Playmobil is made in the EU, although I believe that some of the large US chains who ask for special sets may also require them to be made in China for cost reasons. Playmobil has toyed (boom! boom!) with production in China, but was dissatisfied with the quality and probably also listened to comments from its customers over the principle of producing outside the EU.

As for length of life, the last track powered Playmobil locos were made about 20 years ago, but many are still running. I have six of them and they will run quite happily from 11 in the morning to 16:30 in the afternoon. As has been said, most of them are designed only to pull up to four pieces of (quite heavy) rolling stock- each truck or coach has a sizeable piece of metal underneath it.

As for Roundhouse, the small production runs is almost certainly a major factor in the price, plus the fact that you are buying something which is pretty well close to being all handmade.
 
The original Playmobil locos that picked up from the track can last for years.
I have one in the front garden that has been out now for fifteen Christmases with my Christmas lights and is operated from a push button on the garden wall and is left out all day and night. There is a collection box on the wall for the local children’s hospices.
It was covered in eleven inches of snow one Christmas and it was seven days before I could find it.
It has now been out also for two summers and is still going strong.
Last year one of the new radio controlled ones at the Fairbourne little and large weekend fell into eighteen inches of water and after drying out is still running O.K.
 
As with many things in life. You pays your money and makes your choice.
 
Roundhouse make small batches in the UK. They are metal and they do appear to be constructed to be strong - for example the drive gears are very large metal gears. Playmobil will be designed for more like mass production and use a lot more plastic. There are large costs associated with very small production runs of the type that Roundhouse do ( I know this from automotive spares production). The cost base for Roundhouse products will therefore be many times higher than the Playmobil cost base. I wouldn't say one was better than the other; they are just designed to meet the requirements of different sectors of the marketplace.
 
The other thing to remember about Roundhouse, besides the inevitable Quality and Reliability. Built in Doncaster. Does not get any better than that!
JonD
 
In my opinion the Playmobil RC diesel makes most other g scale locos look expensive, especially if you want to go down the battery power route.

Cheap because it is mass produced and they only do the one loco at the moment but well built and a reliable runner.

Would highly recommend it especially if you ever need a train for little ones to play with. ;D
 
While I don't know the answer to that, I note that Trackshack is taking pre orders for the three diesels, Little John and the two Castles, with delivery estimated later in the year having previously had stock. That suggests that the first production run of each, at least, has sold out. But don't forget their main products are the live steam range, the diesels are in some ways a sideline.
 
If you have ever owned a Roundhouse product you would know the answer!!

I have owned 3 Live steam Locos and 2 battery electric ones over the years
, They are extremely well made & robust but also look the part they are supposed to portray, and they perform extremely well.

Whilst the initial cost is high due to the low production runs, they do hold their value extremely well and when I sold mine on I was certainly not disappointed with what i received back for them, actually I could have sold them several times over!

I have also had some Playmobil locos! Which my sons occasionally used , when these were sold they only fetched a small proportion of their original cost.
 
The biggest factor is this: How many kids are there in the world who like trains, as compared to grown men who are into british outline garden railways? ;)

BTW have owned both, the yellow lok is great for under 10s to get involved in the hobby.
 
Rolls-Royce or Ford Cortina? Both get you where you need to be but I know which one I`d rather ride in....................
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/engineering/11595842/Greener-quieter-and-more-efficient-has-Rolls-Royce-created-the-train-of-the-future.html.
Rolls_trains_3298851b.jpg
 
The Roundhouse locomotives are extremely well made. The CFR has eight Roundhouse diesels on the roster, three "Cricceth Castle" class, two "Harlech Castle" class and three "Little John" class. The CFR has also placed an order for the forthcoming "Bulldog" locomotive.
 
Don't think it could be put much simpler than what Minimans has said. Reliable, mass produced, made from inexpensive materials and replaceable or a reliable one off, made by hand, to a customer's individual specification? They'll both do the same job, maybe for different eventual life times but you make your choice what you value certain aspects at. Not also forgetting that the longevity of the new Playmobil loco, and the smaller Roundhouse diesels is actually yet to be seen.
 
Components are expensive. When I scratchbuilt a 2-6-2 with bogie tender about 6 or 7 years ago, the wheels alone cost me £120. They would cost even more nowadays - if you could even get them.
 
My very first Cricceth Castle locomotive has just been back to Roundhouse for an overhaul. She is eight years old and her performance had dropped off dramatically. After replacing the four axles, gears and batteries she now runs like a dream. Whilst she was at Roundhouse I took the opportunity to replace the 40Mhz radio control to 2.4Ghz.

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