The impact won't be felt UNTIL MTH actually delivers something, and even then probably not until a year or two later. Lionel already has a head start by default.
I'm also pretty sure, regardless of whatever MTH has first, the first thing out of people's mouths will be "Why didn't MTH do..."
The effects will not only be felt by Lionel, but also American Models, S Scale America and the other small manufacturers.
Whether or not there will be positive or negative effects is pure speculation at this point, but the current existing crop of people in S Scale/Hirail/Flyer is likely not big enough to support a massive influx of product.
There will have to be more folks drawn to S, pure and simple. I'm sure Lionel and MTH will help do that. I'm hoping they will do that. The question is, how many will cross over and how many newbies will Lionel and MTH draw?
And if the "Flyer Faithful" and Scale Folks both thumb there noses at MTH and Lionel, well...
Rusty
