When Lionel started cranking out big scale steam in the early 2000s, it was inevitable that MTH would eventually fold. Mike knew he'd never win against a resurgent Lionel that was making a serious effort to compete in the realm that he had almost all to himself at the time. The first humble RS-11s with TMCC and Odyssey and the JLC Challengers were the first models that really stood out for that early post-modern period that helped define Lionel's commitment to the scale market. It made sense that Mike would try to fight it out in court (over practices that were probably business as usual with overseas suppliers) because he knew Lionel only had to match his models and make them just good enough to seriously erode his business. The thing is, Lionel actually made a lot of their models better at the time, especially in the case of the JLC articulateds. After the settlement, it also made sense that MTH would try to diversify their product line but it was only to make up for his losses in O gauge.
Mike did kick some a** though, and it was a fun time to be into trains during the train wars. I feel bad for his fans and his dealers though. I hope he enjoys his retirement and writes a book.
