Are you kidding Rod ? Prices are cheaper than in the past especially for the quality of models on offer.
Their reruns are cheaper too, for example 73 is $255 and 422 $275 hardly what I would call gouging or ripping us off.
They also offer factory sound for $100 which is a great price.
I think it’s more like if you snooze you loose. Procrastinating for 3 years no order forms or samples shown can’t really blame Auscision for filling a demand in the market and taking an opportunity they saw. They run a business not a benevolent society. Also doesn’t collusion and price fixing upset the ACCC. It would be a breach of the trade practices act to so wouldn’t it ?
Ontrack with the 80 just like Austrains with the flat top T class got caught telling porkys when it comes to having tooled the loco when in fact they obviously hadn’t.
There is no way Austrains would have dropped the T class or Ontrack the 80 class if they had invested upwards of 100k or more on tooling. It’s a runaway train so to speak. You keep going you don’t drop a project you have tooled. So obviously Ontrack had not tooled the 80 class yet, they had drawings and quotes but no way they had started tooling.
I am sorry old mate, but you didn't understand the business process I was on about.
But first, from the early fantastic plastic days, the importers used to tell us the first run paid all the bills and gave a return (thus no shops involved) The second run was the icing, all overheads covered by first run, now they just paid for the run. Thus shops could be involved (and although they never said so, discounts could be offered, say at Exhibitions.)
Now a would be monopoly uses their enormous power to discount and cut people out in the first place, then when they own the market, they can make the profits they think they deserve. Just modern business I am afraid. The Austrains T, The Traino 48 and now the On Track 80 Class all fell by the side of the line... so just saying. Don't you think On Track will be bleeding after the factory stitched them, and now their model has to cancel,
Imagine if you owned the market, you would get a bit greedy too, wouldn't you? Not saying it is a bad thing, for them, but it could hurt us outside.
My reference to the delivery date was just because I will be interested when they actually go on sale. Perhaps On Track should secretly keep their model going and still be first out. The On Track 80 would certainly be a good piece of kit, if it is as good as the Sprinter.
By the way who got the Victorian D3 Steamer? Another cancelled project...
Cheers
Rod