my gut says scam.

Thats what I was thinking as well........... At first I thought maybe the shipping made up the difference but no.

The cheap ones "from Canada" have the same listing pic and text as the ones "from China." 

It's the good ol' "when a deal seems to be too good to be true" rule. 

Exactly.......... And those ads have been up for weeks........... Wonder how many poor chaps got taken.........Ughhhhhhhhhhh

For those who have built this, I had an extra "Train Wheel RC Train, Spoked with Technic Axle Hole and Counterweight, 30 mm diameter [Blind Driver]" piece after the build.  Bricklink doesn't show this as an extra piece.  Any idea where it goes? 

13 minutes ago, stackables said:

For those who have built this, I had an extra "Train Wheel RC Train, Spoked with Technic Axle Hole and Counterweight, 30 mm diameter [Blind Driver]" piece after the build.  Bricklink doesn't show this as an extra piece.  Any idea where it goes? 

Just built mine today.  Its extra.

3 minutes ago, DadsAFOL said:

Just built mine today.  Its extra.

Thanks, thought I missed a step

I modified this with my old 9v motor under the coal car (most natural looking) and it works ok but seems to have trouble with more weight.

I added a m.o.c. Passenger car and it struggles. Going regular speed at top speed on the regulator, you can hear it whining. Also tried putting in the engine car, worked a little better but same result with it struggling.

Any suggestions? Thought about getting another train set with power functions to complement?

13 hours ago, JereUsa1 said:

I modified this with my old 9v motor under the coal car (most natural looking) and it works ok but seems to have trouble with more weight.

I added a m.o.c. Passenger car and it struggles. Going regular speed at top speed on the regulator, you can hear it whining. Also tried putting in the engine car, worked a little better but same result with it struggling.

Any suggestions? Thought about getting another train set with power functions to complement?

Have you tried taking out the tree car to see if it's causing the engine to work harder? The worm gear is a great invention, but it does suffer from higher than usual friction compared to other solutions.. blah, blah, blah.

Try removing the tree car to see if that helps (or just the worm gear to keep the weight ratio the same). Also, my partner built the train this past weekend and put the wheels on the tree car too tight and they were really hard to turn. Make sure all your gears and wheels have the required play/spacing on the axles. We don't lube the gears like typical metal gears so you have to have some spacing in there.

We only have the newer RC trains so I can't speak to how much power the 9V trains have, but it's a pretty light weight train. Unless your extra car is carrying real coal for the naughty kids, it shouldn't have added that much weight.

Thanks, I will try that, that's what my wife was thinking it was the tree. 4561 is the original train that I modified.

This set is good from reseller standpoint, sold over 20+ after BF...price get to 150...and with SG free promo def a winner...cannt get too much.

This set is good from reseller standpoint, sold over 20+ after BF...price get to 150...and with SG free promo def a winner...cannt get too much.

On the flip side, I cannot get any.

I modified this with my old 9v motor under the coal car (most natural looking) and it works ok but seems to have trouble with more weight.

I added a m.o.c. Passenger car and it struggles. Going regular speed at top speed on the regulator, you can hear it whining. Also tried putting in the engine car, worked a little better but same result with it struggling.

Any suggestions? Thought about getting another train set with power functions to complement?

I added a 9v motor to mine for a LUG display and it has the same issue. The design flaw is that it doesn't have enough weight pushing down on the track. I'm going to try adding some rubber bands to the drive wheels to improve traction.

16 minutes ago, DadsAFOL said:

 

I added a 9v motor to mine for a LUG display and it has the same issue. The design flaw is that it doesn't have enough weight pushing down on the track. I'm going to try adding some rubber bands to the drive wheels to improve traction.

 

 

Just like in the world of cars....the answer is always more rubber

5 hours ago, exciter1 said:

On the flip side, I cannot get any.

Wife upset because you bought too much LEGO? Sleeping on the porch again?

Wife upset because you bought too much LEGO? Sleeping on the porch again?

LOL! I did get two trains from LEGO Shop at Home, but they were absent from the LEGO Store the other day during our visit.

LOL! I did get two trains from LEGO Shop at Home, but they were absent from the LEGO Store the other day during our visit.

I wasn't going to touch these, but surprise wife comment "hey, we should get one of these and the kids can rebuild it each year. It is motorized right, surely?", sent me off.

My store expects a shipment this Wed, said call in morning to reserve. (I've also now back ordered several. Call me swayed.)

9 hours ago, brickolodon said:

This set is good from reseller standpoint, sold over 20+ after BF...price get to 150...and with SG free promo def a winner...cannt get too much.

Can I just say that your eBay shop is...super impressive?

...you mean super expensive?

On 11/29/2016 at 5:01 PM, brickolodon said:

...you mean super expensive?

Yes, that too.

I added a 9v motor to mine for a LUG display and it has the same issue. The design flaw is that it doesn't have enough weight pushing down on the track. I'm going to try adding some rubber bands to the drive wheels to improve traction.

I took the gear out that rotates the Christmas tree and replaced with just normal wheels and modified the 2 cars from 4161 into Christmas cars although I need some trees for the one car...anyways it runs way better, not perfect but way better.

Also picked up the cargo train with power functions just in case I need more power.

Ive went to my local Lego store and saw maybe 10 of these sets there. They are definitely a great piece for the holidays, kids and parents would love it. 

Edited December 16, 20168 yr by Leopard

What seal codes do you guys have on these? Mine is 29S6. Are they all from around the 30th week?

same here

As predicted, 'retiring soon' tag seemed to be faked. 

LEGO Shop at Home exclusivity seems over, it has just popped up at Toysrus.fr

http://www.toysrus.fr/product/index.jsp?productId=88764401