Looked at the IM website and found that the AC-12 release date went from April to June. I can't wait to check in May to see it delayed until August. And here I was getting excited.
Fine with me, gives the pound time to climb against the dollar and so the price won't hurt so much! ;-)
Even though I won't buy one it is good they delay it for what ever reason they have. Getting it right is far better than getting it early. The last thing they should do is release a problem.
Judging by the number of delays, I wouldn't be surprised to see in the AC-12 being delivered by the end of September. i have no problem with that at all.
Yes, but.. Hasn't this thing been delayed enough already? It seems like we've been waiting for this for what? two years? Kato seems to be able to push out a release in less than 6 months, and that's top of the line stuff. Why so many delays?
I would say that a articulated steam engine is on a totally different scale than a 6 axle diesel!! What kato is pumping out is not much different than all the other things they make where as the cab forward is total new for IM in n scale, and much more complicated. With the economy the way it is I am fine with whatever delays they might have.
The Daylight and Broadway Limited were both released in under a year, and those were entire trains with engines nothing like what they have previously released. Yes, with the state of the economy, our budgets are loving the delays, but this is also the worst time to be delaying products more and more. Cost of production is probably sky rocketing for them and the only way to compensate is to raise the final price. :-/
But, what Kato doesn't say is how long they were working on the Broadway or the Daylight before either ever saw the light of day. Word is they are working 3-4 projects ahead right now. The grunt work for the next upcomming train or two, whatever it may be is supposedly done already.
I think Skipgear is correct that Kato have things closer to being finished before they make an announcement while IM and others announce things while they are still just in the 'run the idea up the flagpole and see who salutes it' stage. But still, an N scale articulated steam loco mechanism is basically the same as a diesel mech with rods and valve gear on the wheels, it might be new for IM in N scale but it's not as if they are inventing something new. It's not just complicated things like big articulateds, the Santa Fe stock cars were about a year overdue, and think we'll have to be patient waiting for the cabooses too. They are not due till July now by the IM website and Feather River is hedging his bets by just saying "release date 2009".
I may be one of the least patient impullsive buyers I know. I hate to be treased and then have to wait, but hey, thers gotta be something else to buy, while I wait for the IM cab forward!
I am also in the "would rather have it right than earlier" category. I am glad someone brought up the GS-4. Kato did a great job with these, don't get me wrong, but remember that they delayed those by about three months on the first run and then the whole first run had a problem with isolation of the drivers that had to be fixed.
Mmmmmm ,imagin a Kato cab forward..... Not fussed,gives our dollar time to recover as well.Just knowing a decent built c/f is coming is all I need to know
Or, imagine a Kato 2-10-4 (C&O T-1, PRR J-1, Santa Fe, etc.). Then imagine a Kato 2-6-6-6 Allegheny (C&O & Virginian), followed by a Kato N&W A and a NYC Hudson (heck, they already have the 4-6-4 mechanism). While I'm dreaming, a re-worked Walthers/LL Berkshire with traction tires and balanced weight. All of the above with Quantum Revolution DCC/DC dual mode sound decoders. Actually Bachmann just came out with a 2-10-4 in HO; could a Spectrum N version be in the works??? As the song goes "Sweet dreams are made of these . . . " John C.
John, you really want me to live in the doghouse don't you? LOL My wife thinks I spend too much on the hobby as it is already.
Good things are always worth waiting for. I can wait. I've only waited most of my adult life...what's a few more months?
I spoke with Frank at the Plano train show in January. While he didn't mention delays then, he did say that they were having some pilot issues directly related to the size of the engine. The debate seemed to have been how much swing to put in the coupler - with the bigger hole necessary for small radius running being aesthetically unattractive to "serious" modelers but possible necessary to juice sales to those with tight radii. IIRC, he was favoring the smaller pilot hole and larger radii version, but in either case, the work on that wasn't done at that time. Given the turmoil in Chinese factories right now, its probably inevitable that his project has been slowed down.
Could there be a chance that one of these delays is due to a decision to put DCC and sound on board? For the price they have it currently listed at, I would almost expect this.
