Location: Near Albury Wodonga
Opinions are like underpants! some are clean and others not so, but here is mine never the less!
......... Trainoramo had over 3000 customers on their lists when the GM was released, and I believe we have less than a dozen here on the Anti Trainorama thread. (Austrains claimed 4700 in 2012) Despite our best efforts here, we do not represent better than the smallest percentage of Australian model railway customers.
All I hope is that the lurkers on the list remember it was Trainorama that released the 44 Class and forever changed the quality of Australian models. And that's my only interest. The S Class was a true 5 min dcc conversion with a clip on body and I have fitted sound in one in 10 minutes changing over the speaker. Longest job was unscrewing the speaker and waiting for the glue to dry on the new one!
The followers (Manufacturers and Austrains the original) are cashed up and somehow immune to criticism despite some having problems with fragility with bits falling off and even found broken off in the box when opened.
If any company does succeed in manipulating the market with predatory tactics, they will laugh all the way to the Bank as they rip us off in the future when they rule a much smaller manufacturing base. That, sadly is a fact of life outside, and we should not wish it here in our hobby.
A lot more people are unhappy with one of the new kids on the block. Two high quality steam engines are to be released soon up to $200 cheaper than their competitors steam engines (not configuring in Austrains very old stock) If we see them succeed and continue to put out cheaper engines, and if they do do a Diesel and it reflects their current steam pricing, then we will all see that Australia has truly turned the corner, and prices can drop all over despite the falling dollar and the 100% wage rise over 5 years in China. Thus I have no problem with cheaper models. Under any other circumstance I would order 5 Auscision 48's, if I wanted them at $220, happily!
However Auscision know Trainorama need to sell out their 48's to recover money for their next project. The 48's were mostly fully paid for more than 6 years ago!
They have no options left. The only new money is new customers and that coming from deposit orders.
My view is Trainorama should have put the 48 even further back and rerun the GM S Class, 49 Class, 47 Class First series 44 Class and padded up their Bank accounts before restarting the 48 Class project. Even if they offered 48 Class purchasers a refund or a deal. Then this whole thing would not matter at all. Auscision would have released a $295 48 Class and everybody would be happy, and mostly Auscision at that.
Auscision had no other reason to release the 48 than to knock Trainorama down. They know more than anyone of us out here, what has gone on with Trainorama and with China. I
It makes great business sense to kill off Trainorama when they are down, but lets not talk moral values and customer loyalty in the same breath. How could you trust companies who lack the ability to step aside and allow their competitor ito get up after he tripped on a branch thrown into the ring by a third party? Is this a sign how they might treat customers in the future?
Like I already said... its sound modern business principals to hit them when their down, but to this old Australian it kind of sucks.
My Christmas present would be an announcement from Trainorama that the GM's and the S Class were to be released in April, and that they come on time.
And if they want to frost my Christmas cake, perhaps a new unannounced model would be nice, and would guarantee their position as the locomotive master builders with great customer service (Which they definitely had before the company imploded)
A Happy and Holy Christmas to all (most particularly to the guns at Auscision)
Rod
......... Trainoramo had over 3000 customers on their lists when the GM was released, and I believe we have less than a dozen here on the Anti Trainorama thread. (Austrains claimed 4700 in 2012) Despite our best efforts here, we do not represent better than the smallest percentage of Australian model railway customers.
All I hope is that the lurkers on the list remember it was Trainorama that released the 44 Class and forever changed the quality of Australian models. And that's my only interest. The S Class was a true 5 min dcc conversion with a clip on body and I have fitted sound in one in 10 minutes changing over the speaker. Longest job was unscrewing the speaker and waiting for the glue to dry on the new one!
The followers (Manufacturers and Austrains the original) are cashed up and somehow immune to criticism despite some having problems with fragility with bits falling off and even found broken off in the box when opened.
If any company does succeed in manipulating the market with predatory tactics, they will laugh all the way to the Bank as they rip us off in the future when they rule a much smaller manufacturing base. That, sadly is a fact of life outside, and we should not wish it here in our hobby.
A lot more people are unhappy with one of the new kids on the block. Two high quality steam engines are to be released soon up to $200 cheaper than their competitors steam engines (not configuring in Austrains very old stock) If we see them succeed and continue to put out cheaper engines, and if they do do a Diesel and it reflects their current steam pricing, then we will all see that Australia has truly turned the corner, and prices can drop all over despite the falling dollar and the 100% wage rise over 5 years in China. Thus I have no problem with cheaper models. Under any other circumstance I would order 5 Auscision 48's, if I wanted them at $220, happily!
However Auscision know Trainorama need to sell out their 48's to recover money for their next project. The 48's were mostly fully paid for more than 6 years ago!
They have no options left. The only new money is new customers and that coming from deposit orders.
My view is Trainorama should have put the 48 even further back and rerun the GM S Class, 49 Class, 47 Class First series 44 Class and padded up their Bank accounts before restarting the 48 Class project. Even if they offered 48 Class purchasers a refund or a deal. Then this whole thing would not matter at all. Auscision would have released a $295 48 Class and everybody would be happy, and mostly Auscision at that.
Auscision had no other reason to release the 48 than to knock Trainorama down. They know more than anyone of us out here, what has gone on with Trainorama and with China. I
It makes great business sense to kill off Trainorama when they are down, but lets not talk moral values and customer loyalty in the same breath. How could you trust companies who lack the ability to step aside and allow their competitor ito get up after he tripped on a branch thrown into the ring by a third party? Is this a sign how they might treat customers in the future?
Like I already said... its sound modern business principals to hit them when their down, but to this old Australian it kind of sucks.
My Christmas present would be an announcement from Trainorama that the GM's and the S Class were to be released in April, and that they come on time.
And if they want to frost my Christmas cake, perhaps a new unannounced model would be nice, and would guarantee their position as the locomotive master builders with great customer service (Which they definitely had before the company imploded)
A Happy and Holy Christmas to all (most particularly to the guns at Auscision)
Rod
They also took it out of the box and gave it a test run on the DC test track to make sure everything worked which I thought was a nice touch. Runs quite smoothly too. 
