Folks, let me toss in my two cents solely from an observation perspective. Many of you have commented on Scott’s statements on what is down the pike and what you all believe is what is to pass. What no one has commented on is Scott’s statement at the 1:21 mark of “…there are some people behind the scenes…”. This can be interpreted in many ways, but I think most will agree that this is an indicator that there are “silent partners” in this venture. In my opinion, herein lies the first rub in the what is to come scenario. Dependent on what percentage ownership Scott holds (how much power he wields in the company) and how much faith the ‘partners’ have in Scott’'s ability to fulfill the business model he presented to them will have a major impact on future offerings.
For the conversation, lets assume that everyone in Scotts sandbox is on board with his vision and he has a free hand. The next rub I see is that Scott does not produce nor engineer any of the product he sells. That is all done by the PRC manufacturer, as has been hashed out many times on this forum. Therefore any changes to the methodology of the manufacture of the item will be governed by the manufacturer. Strictly from a PRC manufacturer’s point of view, “Why change my tooling, unless you are willing to pony up the dollars to do so?”. That said, from personal experience with a company I worked for where we provided the engineering and an onsite inspector, the PRC manufacturer still controlled the manufacturing reigns, and did it ‘his way’. The company spent weeks fixing the issues stateside.
In my opinion, the highest possibility for a fix for existing Aristo steam issues will be as David M stated, an individual modeler with machining capability, and willingness to do a cottage business making fixes. Without knowledge of the number of units sold, providing the basis for an educated geustimation of the volume of axle/wheels required, I don’t think too many will be willing to invest the necessary time to develop a fix they will be proud to stand behind. If there really were a sound basis for this cottage industry, I would think someone would have already picked up the ball and run with it. As a mechanical design professional I will present the following information. First, one would need to determine the gear on the driven axle(s) to determine a source if the factory gear can not be re-used. Second, the existig axle will most likely not have enough remaining material to alter the existing axle, so new will be the order of the day. Third, the wheels may or may not be able to be re-used. IF, there is enough meat in the hub of the wheel, the wheel may be bored out and a bushing may made and press fit into the existing wheel. This process would be a bit time consuming to first generate a fixture to properly align the crank pin and the flat spot on the bushing so proper quartering can be maintained. The the time to do the pressing, one wheel at a time. Should the existing wheel not be re-usable, I would opt for a new brass investment cast wheel. This would require first making the master, and then the funds to do a production run (to minimize per unit cost). Could be a sizable investment with no real certainty of a return.
Greg’s comment on the SD-45 axles does elude to the acknowledgement that the issure really does exist, and maybe future new or major re-design may be upgraded to a more reliable design. Maybe there is a glimmer of hope.
I am not a big Aristo fan nor an Aristo basher, but I do wish Scott well in his endeavour to be the Phoenix that brings Aristo out of the ashes. I believe he has a tough row to hoe in that he is fighting two major deamons. First, the closing of Aristo/Polk Hobbies has left a bitter taste in a lot of mouths. Some may return as purchasers, others not. The secone deamon is the economy itself. I can’t speak for everyone, but I keep hearing how the economy is coming back, but my dollar still seems to keep getting smaller in purchasing power. Let’s face facts. Our hobby depends on ‘disposable income’. The less people have the less they are going to spend. Personally I have cut back on hobby spending as I believe many others have. Starting a new discressionaly income based business in a soft economy is an uphill battle at best. Again, i wish Scott all the best.
FWIW, Bob C.