Tsunami warning system.

Mar 12, 2011 74 Replies

Well, Bachmann seems to think so. So does Athearn/Roundhouse (= Horizon Hobbies), Lifelike (= Walthers), Bowser, Kato, Rapido (a start-up, no less), and dozens of smaller outfits. All except Kato have factories or contractors in China. The laser structure kit has developed a niche market that whose buyers are willing to pay $100 or more for a kit. And so on. This market structure is the the same for all model/toy markets (and in the modelling markets, the old timers all moan about the decline in scratchbuilding, BTW.)

Who constitutes this market? Mostly boomers, it seems. Or rather, that segment of the boomers that had/have good professional jobs and careers, and have accumulated a good deal of surplus wealth, or who have a decent retirement plan (which the younger generations do not have.) Whether the model/toy market will survive the die-off of the boomers is another question. OTOH, China has a rapidly growing middle class, and that is the major market for models and toys. So the market won't disappear, it will change location.

"Demographics explains about 2/3rds of everything."

HTH Wolf K.

I have no desire to live in the USA although I would like to visit for a few months ( in summer ! ), also Canada where I have friends.

I have type 2 diabetes and have to be careful of my diet etc., went to doctor yesterday for a checkup, had blood extracted for a test and a modification of my prescription. I am an age pensioner so do get a few concessions, most prescriptions cost $5.20 and checkup & pathology is bulk billed and no cost to me. One months medicine + one repeat = $10.40. A few years ago I had a fairly major operation, 5 days in a private room then 4 days in a 4 bed ward until I was kicked out. Cost nil

Alan

The yank colonials use standard gauge.

Bachmann started in the US and the Chinese manufacturers bought up the US marketting firm (long ago) Almost all the others mentioned above are marketting firms that get their products from China. I can't compete with Chinese labour but there seems to be a market gap for what the Brits call "cottage Industry" products.

Greg.P.

Yes, I remember that event quite well....

Thanks for repeating what I said....

You've missed the implication in "The laser structure kit has developed a niche market that whose buyers are willing to pay $100 or more for a kit."

If you really want a sense of the US market, buy a couple of issues of Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman, and study the ads.

Wolf K.

A British cottage industry is selling locomotive bodies "built" using

3D printing.

On 3/29/2011 3:46 PM a_a_a spake thus:

As was sagely observed by none other than Rocket J. Squirrel (of Rocky & Bullwinkle).

Yep. We do up everything bigger.

Nonsense. An isolated deviation from the norm. Billy Penn accepted my ancestors who cheerfully fought on the Pennsylvania Continental Line to keep it free.

Penn was the exception. Read real history, not the myths and legends they teach you in grade school (all grade schools, in all countries.)

Wolf K.

Your meaning largely got lost in the verbosity of your posting ;-)

Not entirely, but I haven't done much with laser cutting, it not being great with either plastics or brass.

Have several cartons of them from the 1940s through to about 1995. Such ads can be misleading when viewed from a foreign standpoint.

Greg.P.

I'm currently working with etched brass design but 3D printing looks the way to go for steam loco bodies and complex rolling stock bodies. (T-360 scale) Unfortunately my brain gets full several times per day trying to work out the best way to arrange things with CAD. =8^{

Greg.P.

History is usually written by the winners ;-)

Greg.P.

Any scale - it's an alternative to cutting out laminates for panelled coach sides.

But unfortunately the machine is beyond my budget at the moment.

There's one offered commercially here in New Zealand for $2,500-, that's about US $1,800- Unfortunately it's resolution is only 0.2mm which is too coarse for my purposes. I can find you manufacturers details if you're interested. Commercial firms have machines with 0.05mm resolution and charges that are bearable for masters.

Regards, Greg.P.

More interested in narrow gauge meself. With some exceptions ...

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