Design Presentation

                                                                                                                                                                              For my design presentation, I have chosen to use "G Scale" Trains. "G Scale" is the largest, and far and away the most popular series for long time collectors and first time buyers alike.

This is a hobby I've recently been more involved with in large part because I have an 11 year old son who enjoys then even more than his dad!

I have used two different examples to compare and contrast. The first, and better example, is the LGB brand. LGB is a company that began back in the late 1800's in Brandenburg, Germany. They were the manufacturers of mechanical toys which quickly gained world wide recognition for their exceptional quality. That reputation has carried through to the present time making LGB the designer and manufacturer of choice by virtually any collector.

One of the first things you notice about LGB is the bright red packaging with the green horizontal stripe running through it. This has been their signature for many years and has made them very recognizable in the industry from novice to expert. Each package has been individually crafted to fit the product it is showcasing. Simply picking up an LGB package, and you know it's something substantial and the great detail becomes more obvious. The German design and manufacturing are second to none. If you have ever owned anything that was designed and built in Germany, than you know that they have a reputation for very high quality. LGB trains are certainly no exception.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               The second manufacturer I am using to compare is an American company, Aristo-Craft. They have been around for a little more than 70 years, but have only been in the train business since the late 80's. Thats 1980's in comparison to the 1880's with LGB.

Aristo-Craft trains are all designed in the USA but the big difference comes in the manufacturing, all outsourced to China. This really comes as no suprise as the majority of products we now use are manufacture over seas in China. The connotation is that products made in China are usually of lessor quality. In the case of Aristo-Craft trains, in my opinion, the same could be said.

Aristo-Craft uses a simple yellow package that when picked up does not give the same substantial feel as the LGB. The packaging also has much more print on the front than LGB, which ,to me, seems to be more of a distraction than informative. The old addage "Less is more" would apply here.

Now, as with many products manufactured in China, there is an upside. That upside is a cost savings, the reason most things are manufactured over seas. It's a good product for the money but as you becomes more familiar with the various manufacturers of trains, it becomes clear that the LGB products are superior in almost every way.

                

  

This is an example of an LGB engine and caboose, 1940's circa.