QUOTE (Guest @ 12 Aug 2007, 22:23)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Thank you very much for your prompt response! I really appreciate it.
QUOTE (Guest @ 12 Aug 2007, 22:23)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I checked into things a bit more over the course of the day and I am learning more about these train sets. I am a bit confused about the digital aspects. It seems there are AC and DC versions but they vary pretty dramatically in price. Are there limits to the DC version? I'm never going to have more than one train (at this point) But I do find the sound features that are enabled by the digital technology kind of cool. I especially like the effects that seem to be on the HO scale TRIX/Marklin models. However, I see that there is quite a price to be paid for those cool effects.
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AC pretty much limits you to Märklin track and the mfx digital system, which I hear is rather costly once you´re back in the UK (I figure you are a tourist rather than a member of the Royal Armed Forces or in another way stuck in Germany for a longer period of time). On the contrary, you can run DC HO models on 00 scale tracks (looks a bit wonky, but they are compatible) and can go digital using an 8-pole-DCC plug, which adheres to international norms. You like sound? Install a ESU Loksound decoder in any Piko, Mehano or whatever ICE3 model. In Germany, these sound decoders are around EUR 100, and I´m sure that you can find a dealer who will install the ICE3 sounds on it for you, in Germany or the UK. The digital chips are plug and play, basically, if you follow the short set of instrucions, you can´t really do anything wrong. There´s no soldering involved as the models are DCC ready. Altogether, I guess that a DC model will limit you far less in your future that an AC model in the UK, since you can use any 00 transformer, track, wiring etc. (not houses and vehicles, since continental HO is 1/87th scale, and British outline 00 is 1/76th scale, however, that also applies to AC models), but that is just my personal opinion.
QUOTE (Guest @ 12 Aug 2007, 22:23)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>The Piko analog sets say "digital ready". Is it just a snap in type of thing or is there soldering and rewiring required? I found the Piko analog NL ICE-3 online for US$90. That might be the best way for me to get my feet wet in this stuff...
Like I said, it is an 8-pin-plug that is plugged into an 8-hole-socket - voil´y. You may want to program stuff like name, accelleration, or top speed, but that is no science. The NL version is the Dutch (NS) trainset, and extra cars may be difficult to obtain (plus, USD prices indicate that import duties will have to be paid). I suggested the DCC set by Piko because a DCC control is included at rather low cost. However, that is your decision to make.
QUOTE (Guest @ 12 Aug 2007, 22:23)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I found a mehano starter set that contains 4 cars. I think if I was going to get the full 8 car set though, I would probably get the Marklin set as that seems to be the benchmark.
HANDS OFF THAT SET!!!! It´s a cheapo childrens toy sold mainly in discount supermarkets, and reportedly lacks both detail and some add-on parts. Not a good choice imho. Märklin being the benchmark... hmmm. Märklin sued Piko some time ago for plagiarism, as they felt the Piko set was a copycat version of their own. The Pikos featured the same 1/93rd scale length cars Märklin does, the couplers are compatible, the design shows some similarities according to Märklin - however, Märklin lost in court, and many Modellers feel thet the Piko set is right up there with Märklin if you use some paint and a few Sommerfeldt parts, but is only half the price of Märklin´s offering even including the work that makes it a perfect offer.I´m just going to include a link to the German DSO forum, where there are threads named "Pimp my ICE3" that show what a modeller can do to enhance the Piko´s appearance:
Pimp my ICE3 and
Pimp my ICE3 reloaded Considering that a Piko ICE3 trainset sells at around EUR 100 - 130 (the one with the T-Mobile commercial on it), that seems a pretty decent value for your money imho.
QUOTE (Guest @ 12 Aug 2007, 22:23)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hmmm... it seems like my choices are just ever expanding instead of contracting.
Let´s limit them - my dealer told me a few weeks ago that most customers return their Mehano ICE3 trains and exchange them for Pikos, as the running characteristics are crap, they derail on tight curves, and they tend to fall apart from just looking at them OK, they snap back together, but still...
