Well, the project completion date has come and gone! Unfortunately, although there were almost 90 backers, the funding target wasn't reached, so there will be no RTR AD60 produced. No funds have been debited from anyone's card and we now know that, although almost 5,000 people viewed the messages on the fora to which they were posted, and just over 1,000 visited the project page, watched the video and, presumably, read the project details, only 89 felt inclined to back the project. Which seems to suggest that the AD60 is a very small niche, loved by many but not likely to be produced as a RTR model in the foreseeable future, because there is no financially-viable demand for it Thanks to all who provided comments, suggestions and, most of all, backed the project
Unfortunate but I think you've really got to want a model to put up $500 of your money for an unseen loco that will arrive in three years time. Those like myself who like Garratts and wouldn't mind one but it doesn't fit in with any of my modelling would be less likely to do so, I thought long and hard about it before deciding not to. I would for example put money up front for a Santa Fe steam loco but you'd only get dyed in the wool N scale Santa Fe modellers doing that too.
I paid more for my HO Garratt (http://eurekamodels.com.au/Garratt.html) and that's the only Australian model I have. But the big difference is, of course, that there was no three-year wait, and it was essentially clear how the model looked. Still, the factory weathering is not exactly the way I'd have wanted it. Quite different from the one shown on the home page. But what a great engine!
I was in Kenya back in the eighties. Just missed them. On the train to Mombasa, I sas a number of them in the dead line at the shops.
