Massoth to supply Piko with DCC equipment

whatlep

whatlep

Registered
Thanks to Mike Duffy for pointing me in the direction of this snippet from Gartenbahnprofi magazine's website.

The full German text is below, but the gist is that Piko are expected to announce a DCC system during 2010 which appears to use an unbadged Massoth Navigator as controller.

There are no further details on Piko's own website.


"Etwas versteckt findet sich auf Seite 44 neben dem Logo "Piko digital" die Abbildung eines Handsteuergerätes in einem hellgrau-weißen Kunststoffgehäuse, verbunden mit dem Hinweis: Nähere Infos folgen. Das Digitalsystem werde im Laufe des Jahres 2010 erscheinen.

Unverkennbar ist, dass es sich bei der Abbildung im Piko-Katalog um einen umetikettiertes Navigator-Gehäuse von Massoth handelt. Der Elektronikanbieter aus Seeheim ist bislang Stammlieferant für Lokdekoder und Digitalkomponenten der LGB-Bahn. Auf der Spielwarenmesse könnte schon mehr zu erfahren sein hinsichtlich der weiteren Komponenten und deren Leistungsdaten. "
 
:bigsmile:ow.. a third naviagtur, ill need more locos then!!:rolf:
 
That could be good news, hopefully the Navigator will be the same and cheaper than a Massoth one!
JonD
 
dunnyrail said:
That could be good news, hopefully the Navigator will be the same and cheaper than a Massoth one!
JonD
Click to expand...
I'd be surprised if it was. Why would Massoth undercut their own product? Piko's track record is to sell a badged product at a significant premium over the original manufacturer's price. For example their loco decoder, which is an Uhlenbrock 77500.

From Massoth's viewpoint, this is an obviously sensible move. They move further away from dependency on LGB/Marklin and link up with the firm most likely to shift volume and hence DCC kit.

I guess the interesting things to be revealed later this year will be:
(1) whether Piko's version of the Navigator has all the Massoth kit's features or is "de-specified" in some way and
(2) how their system will fit together with any existing commitments to Uhlenbrock. Will Uhlenbrock and Massoth be content to have only part of Piko's digital pie?
 
carnt see massoth makeing equipment cheaper for a competiure, they certanly didnt for lgb.. expect as peters said for either a slightly dearer, or less well specked controler..
be intresting to see if piko ask for there own digical central station..:onphone:
 
I accept that if the Piko is the equivalent of a full blown Massoth one then it may in fact be dearer. However if you already have a Massoth one and the Piko ones are of less function (I.E. do not do programming or the more high level stuff) and just drive trains - do the lights sounds etc. Then a cheaper one may be the way they go. I await the spec and price with interest.
JonD
 
Piko have now put prices on their German website for the new DCC equipment. Obviously, these are full retail prices, including German VAT (19%). To provide a comparison, Massoth German retail prices (from their German website) are shown alongside in brackets

Central Station (5 amp output) - Euros 199.99 [no direct Massoth equivalent]
Navigator handset (r/c built in) - Euros 269.99 [Massoth - 259.00]
Radio control receiver - Euros 99.99 [Massoth - 109.00]
Point module (4 outputs) - Euros 79.99 [Massoth - 69.50]

Some interesting pricing there! Why Massoth are charging more for there own receiver than Piko, I have no idea....

The "big ticket" item has got to be the central station, which seems directly targetted at LGB's offering (also, just to really complicate matters, made by Massoth) at an extremely competitive price. Bearing in mind that a Massoth 800Z is Euros 599 Euros in Germany and a 1200Z Euros 899 it looks like a bargain. Curiously, Piko are stating that their central station will be weather-resistant, implying it can be left outside. I don't think I'd take that risk.....

Purely for reference, here are LGB's website prices for Germany for their equivalents:
55006 central station - Euros 349.95
55015 + 55050 - Euros 274.90
55055 receiver - Euros 169.95
Point module - Euros 94.95
 
There is a difference between werather resistant and weather proof. Maybe its just shower proof?:laugh:
 
stockers said:
There is a difference between werather resistant and weather proof. Maybe its just shower proof?:laugh:
Click to expand...

O.K. so who's the first volunteer to plug it in, switch on and take it into the shower with themself? :rolf:
 
Neil Robinson said:
stockers said:
There is a difference between werather resistant and weather proof. Maybe its just shower proof?:laugh:
Click to expand...

O.K. so who's the first volunteer to plug it in, switch on and take it into the shower with themself? :rolf:
Click to expand...

Not me! :confused:

By the way, the information on Piko's website is unchanged since March, except for the prices now showing. Still no actual photos of the item, just a CAD drawing. The listed features are an almost exact crib of Massoth's central station specification, except for the amperage capability.
 
We can be a right ol' shower here - I wonder if its 'us' proof.:rolf:
 
Just spotted details of the new Piko/Massoth Digital sytem on lokshop's website.

http://www.lokshop.de/ < Link To www.lokshop.de then scroll down

The leaflet shown there and available for download states that the system will be available in dealers in late November.

This to me looks like just what the market needs. The prices are attractive because of the low cost Central Station and Transformer, when compared to the Massoth or LGB equivalents. With the heavy discounting that seems to take place on Piko products both in the UK and Europe (Piko G Taurus's are avialable for under £100 in Europe), the actual retail prices could be considerably less.

It is interesting to see that Piko seems to have taken over the lower to mid market G Scale that LGB/Marklin have vacated.
Piko G is realy stacking up to look like a credible system to fill the void. I really must get some!

Think I know whats going on my Christmas list now.:D
Regards
Ashley
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom