I pre-ordered a set and received a confirmation but despite posting questions on status never got any updates. It would be helpful if we knew about how big the gap is between pre-orders and what is needed to start production.
If they are talking about also making "shorties" I fear that could kill the S gauge project, S gauge is too small to split the buyers into two pools. However if both versions could use common tooling and masks then maybe it would be additive and help get a minimum order quantity.