“And regardless of whetheror not you subscribe to the elitism that Mr Strong accuses Aster owners of, there are a great many folks here in yUK for whom Aster is the only game in town, and are upset by the thought that now they are not going to get a model they wanted from the manufacturer of choice.”
If the models made by Bowande are reportedly that good and that well-received, what’s the problem? The model is being manufactured, just not by Aster. Those who want the model will still have their model. It’s only those who want that model built by Aster that would be left out. That is the textbook example of brand loyalty, which qualifies as a form of elitism. If there is a significant difference in quality (such as LGB vs. Newquida), then history has demonstrated that people will gladly pay for quality.
As I read the letter, Andrew did not say he was pulling the plug just yet, just warning of a market split that would cut into sales and threaten the project (thus future projects). If there are “a great many folks here in the yUK for whom Aster is the only game in town,” then let 'em belly up to the bar and support the manufacturer of their choice. If the modelers in the UK are that fiercely brand loyal, they need to put their money where their mouth is. If they don’t, how “loyal” are they?
No doubt Andrew is a bit put off by all this. There’s part of me that would be pretty chapped, too. But as to the timing of the announcement, it is “THE Gauge-1 show of the year,” when else would a manufacturer make a big announcement like that? That’s partly why those shows exist.
But, come on… laying the blame for Aster UK’s theoretical demise at the feet of a young upstart? Sorry, but I can’t sympathize there. If you don’t want your competition copying your models, don’t show 'em your cards. That’s a fundamental principle of all forms of competition; business, games, warfare–you don’t let the other guy know what you’re doing. You can’t blame the competition for using market information you’re providing them against you. If your business model is such that you must show people what you’re doing that far in advance, then you had darned well better expect to have the rug pulled out from under you by someone who can beat you to market. There’s no “gentleman’s agreement” in large scale trains that product overlap is verboten. See it quite often.
Later,
K