@GregM posted:There is no certainty that 20 road names will be produced.
Scott ( @sdmann ) has posted that "I am limited to 20 road name specific detailed / painted models per run" by the factory.
Based on Scott's statement it stands to reason that less than the maximum 20 road names will be produced in the "first" and potentially "only" run. I say this because the more popular road names will in all probability have multiple 'specific detailed / painted' versions produced requiring elimination of additional road names. IF and that is a big if in my estimation, only one version per road name is produced then the maximum of 20 road names could be produced.
As for the 'time for "fence sitters" to commit' comment. I disagree, and here's why.
I may be the only person that feels this way, although I doubt it, but I won't make a reservation (along with the accompanying commitment of funds) that lasts for an indeterminate length of time (this project and thread is several years old) only to eventually find out the engine I want will not be produced. I have read that when reservations close if my choice won't be made I can opt for one of the engines that will be produced, however, I find this unacceptable for two reasons.
1) If I have no desire for one of the 'will be' produced engines I may have missed out on some other engine because I committed the funds to the reserved engine.
2) Not following through on a commitment to purchase is not something I want to do.
I absolutely realize my one engine will not make or break this project, however, who knows how many others have the same concerns and that number could make a major difference.
There is no commitment of funds to make a reservation. Not sure where that information came from. The commitment is to pay for the model after it is produced and then it will be delivered to you with a very flexible refund policy if you are not satisfied. If indeed the road name you placed a pre-order on gets cancelled you are only out the disappointment that the road you were looking for didn't get enough orders.
Road names are cancelled prior to start of production so Scott reaches out to customers directly and asks if they would like to order another road name or cancel their pre-order. You will not miss out on your second choice because your first choice got canceled.
This is how it works for Sunset. That is why Sunset is like no other manufacturer in this scale or pretty much any other scale. Name another manufacturer who does this much output where you deal with the owner directly?
The reality is one engine can and has made a difference between a road name going forward or not going forward. Lessons learned from past projects will make this even more likely in the future.
As for 2nd runs? The E7 had 3.5 runs if you include the version made for the "Train of Tomorrow". F7s had two runs. There is a second run of F3s being offered with limited road names. On the other hand, the FL9, FT, FP7, and SD7/9 have never been offered for second runs as much as some of us would like that. PAs, E5s, 6s, 8s, and 9s have yet to be re-run. In short, 2nd runs are a big if. The same is true for a lot of the GGD passenger train sets. I'd like to see some re-runs that I missed out on. Not counting on it.
For all of us who support Sunset in our various roles it is our hope is that good quality models get produced for people who truly enjoy quality product that performs well. It has never been anything less than that.
