Dave Funk posted:Watch the rapido videos and ask yourself who in the American workforce is willing to sit there and remove tiny plastic parts from the sprues all day long......year after year.
Then has the talent to skillfully assemble the products that would satisfy this rivet counting marketplace...
Korea and China has the talent and that's why it's made there.
Having spent years in the hobby removing tiny plastic parts from sprues I would say one good way to market O-Scale products might be to return to kits or semi-kits. Consumers might also appreciate an engine in the $250 range instead of the $450 range even if it meant a lot of detailing would have to be added by the purchaser. Even if a manufacturer/importer were to offer engines both ways- ready to go out of the box and semi-kit, it might increase overall product sales to help recover development costs while allowing more modelers to have the engine. Win-win?
