Bargain of the Month from Chowren Toys

 

  • Bargain of the Month from Chowren Toys

    Posted by Huw, 22 May 2012 06:53. Filed under Shopping (USA).

    Chowren Toys is pleased to announce thet it will be offering Brickset readers an exclusive deal every month. To kick things off, this month's bargain is 8866 RC train motor, which is not sold through the normal retail outlets so you usually can't find them below retail price.

    You can never have enough train motors, so snap some up before they are all gone for the bargain price of just US$9 (RRP $14). Use the promotional code brickset88 when you check out to get the discount!


    8 comments, latest one posted 12 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)
    1354 views


 
 

Comments

Posted by chowrentoys.com in Canada, 22 May 2012 12:23

Hi everyone! Just a quick correction on the posting. It is listed in our store at $14.00, however Brickset readers will receive $5.00 off our listed price for final price of $9.00. This is $1.99 off the retail price of $10.99. All you needs to do is enter the promo code: brickset88 during the check out to receive the discount. This Brickset exclusive offer is limited to 2 per customer while supplies last. This promo will run until end of June and we will have a new one every month after until the end of the year. Please note in order to use the coupon you will have to register an account with our store. Unfortunately, the software we are currently using requires it and we apologize in advance for this. Feel free to contact us or leave a note during the checkout to get your information removed after the purchase or read up on our privacy policy. Thank you, Jack.

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 22 May 2012 14:08

Thanks, I've corrected the article.

Posted by DaddyDeuce in United States, 22 May 2012 15:23

There is a major error in the description above. Product #8866 is the RC train motor, *not* the Power Functions train motor. They are significantly different in many ways:

1: The RC and PF motors use different power connectors.
2: The RC power connector stops the train motor from being able to pivot in many common builds
3: The RC motor is less powerful.
4: The RC axle holders are offset incorrectly if you want to use steam wheels with a connecting rod.

Product #88002 is the correct number for the PF train motor kit.

LEGO found there were many flaws in the design of the RC motor and corrected them in the PF motor. Anyone purchasing an RC motor expecting it to be a "drop in replacement" for the PF motor in their builds will be disappointed.

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 22 May 2012 15:44

Thanks. I really cocked up the posting of this article didn't I...

Posted by CCC in United Kingdom, 22 May 2012 15:46

> It is listed in our store at $14.00, however Brickset readers will receive $5.00 off our listed price for final price of $9.00. This is $1.99 off the retail price of $10.99

So you put the price up by $3 so you can discount it by $5?

Posted by chowrentoys.com in Canada, 22 May 2012 17:35

Thank you DaddyDeuce for bring this to our attention. To be honest I had no idea that is was a RC train motor. I categorized based on the information from Brickset and I should have done more home work on this. It is so great to know someone out there with so much information that can help everyone one in the community. DaddyDeuce with your permission may we enter what you have written in our item description? Your input is greatly appreciate it. Sincerely, Jack.

Posted by chowrentoys.com in Canada, 22 May 2012 17:38

CCC. We simply base our price for this particular item on what the market rate is on Brickset. It is $5.00 off the market price. At $9.00 it is still below the original retail price.

Posted by DaddyDeuce in United States, 23 May 2012 16:26

Hi Chowrentoys.com

Of course you may repost or rephrase anything I've written here.

These RC motors are a drop-in replacement for the motors that came in sets 7897 and 7898. For the reasons mentioned above (especially #1 and #2) they are not replacements for the motors in 3677, 7938, or 7939.

I have seen at least one newbie buy one of these and then come to LEGO train forums asking what else they need to get started. Unfortunately the best answer is sometimes "sell it on eBay and buy a PF motor". There are several trade-offs involved with trying to integrate the RC motor into the PF systems and by the time you add up the total price of getting involved in PF it just isn't worth the savings.

At the absolute minimum someone trying to add this to a PF system would need some sort of power cable (like 8886).

Big picture for someone thinking about getting into LEGO trains; I think they are extremely fun and a great addition to your LEGO city, but there is just no "cheap" way to get started without buying a bunch of specialized parts. To get started in PF you need a circuit of track (at least 16 curved pieces), a battery pack, IR receiver, train motor, and remote control. For any builds other than the most simple you will also want magnetic couplings, train baseplates, and bogie plates. The good news is once you have all that stuff you can MOC trains to your heart's content.

When you look at it this way, the 7938 and 7939 sets actually aren't too bad of a value. 7938 sort of represents the bare minimum to get started in train, while 7939 has a more interesting track and a ton more interactive play value.

One last comment: the RC and PF motors can be told apart at a glance by looking for the color of the hubs. The newer PF motor has orange hubs.

Commenting has ended on this article.