Earthlings.....
Due to our mutual language differences and the lack of competent
interpreters available to support us, I feel obligated to clarify my earlier
comment about new products. Bear with me while I try once again. To start
with, here is what I actually said:
"Perhaps I am from a different planet, but I have not noticed
hardly any new MAJOR products becoming available in the past eighteen
months or so."
Please note that I did not say there were no new products in the past
eighteen months. I did not even say there were no new MAJOR products. What
I was trying to say, using my Marsese (official Mars language) was that
there were "hardly any new MAJOR products" released in the past eighteen
months. My intent, obviously not clear, was to say there have been darn few
new MAJOR products.
I will leave it up to the interpreters, when their saucers land nearby, to
decide if "darn few" is roughly equivalent to "hardly any".
Yes, Ron S. has done a couple of modern box cars. And Bill has done some
freight cars and a motorized lobster speeder. As he has stated, some folks
get excited over lobster speeders. Fine for them. Jim King has already
received his publicity and so I will not repeat it here. Yep, I would agree
that here are several new freight cars released within the past 18 months.
I erred in not mentioning them more explicitly -- although some of them do
not run in Mars, but that should not be an excuse. So, yes, there has been
a slow steady trickle of new freight cars in S and I should have not
forgotten about them so easily. Sorry about that.
In my view, new paint schemes on existing castings do not qualify as MAJOR
new products. That's just the way it is on Mars. Don't blame me. Some
Earthlings apparently think differently and that is fine also. There is no
accounting for the differences between various inter-planetary cultures.
The UP (United Planets) gave up a long time ago trying to forge standardized
thinking about these things.
So........unless I am wrong, the only new loco suitable for use on a Class I
RR in the past 18 months is the Shark from River Raisin Models which arrived
in April 2007 (15 months ago, barely made it). I think that qualifies as
"hardly any" MAJOR new locos in the past 18 months. With due recognition to
Bill Wade's "creature" (the Mars name for "critters") which is motorized,
but not MAJOR. Also with due recognition to the impending arrival of RRM's
SP steamers. But that is looking to the future and my comment was looking
toward the past.
I would also opine that a new grocery store, while very nice, is not a MAJOR
structure. In Mars, the word MAJOR means big and very important. Like a
sawmill complex, or coal mine complex, major big city passenger terminal,
8-stall roundhouse, monster factory or warehouse, etc. As I recall, Bill
Wade (a very busy Earthling, I might add) has been busy with some new large
structures for a sawmill complex. Good for Bill (on Mars he would be
William), but what other MAJOR structures have become available in the past
18 months? Not many......from what I can see from way up here on the Red
Planet.
I suppose the point of this dissertation is that S scale new product
production, over the years, has had slow times and busy times. Things perk
along at a good clip and then there are some dry spells. I think we have
just come through a "slow time" with respect to MAJOR new products. That is
not necessarily bad or good -- it is just what it is. Perhaps busy times
are just around the corner ahead of us. And I would hastily add that new
MINOR products are being cranked out like never before. All those smaller
structures (like grocery stores), decals, new paint jobs, etc., etc. are
coming along just fine. My comments were only with regard to MAJOR new
products. Read my lips! Yes, Martians do have lips, but you would not
believe where they are located.
Perfectly clear now? One other conclusion that could be reached is that Ed
L. has too much time on his hands. I would like to point out that on Mars,
there are 565 days in a year and that provides me with ample time to write
lengthy messages like this one. Just think what I could do if'n I moved to
Pluto? Over 900 days per year (or something like that).
Take care Earthlings. Have fun in Lowell. Missed the saucer this year, but
there is always the future. Right? The future never ends. Think about it.
Cheers...Ed L.
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