Thanks Harry, Too many hobbyists seem to enjoy being snotty about Aster. They have been a tremendous asset to the hobby and even if you never buy one, can't afford to, or never have the intention, they have helped you in some way or another. The Big Boy is certainly expensive but some consider them as an asset, like buying stock or bonds. It is a shame they sit and don't run, but don't knock the investors--each to his own. They help keep Aster in business which is important to many of us. Also, re Aster products, There are very few sources for Brit 1/32 locos and they are more expensive when built by individuals. Aster produces what the market will bear, not to produce them necessarily for investors, and I have never seen them advertise in that manner.
So lets keep this hobby on a sensible level, we are all in it together, we should help each other. Example: I think this Ruby-versus- Roundhouse got a bit out of hand--I like both and would like to have both if they were built to my preferred scale. Geoff. At 09:30 AM 11/17/02 -0600, you wrote: >>Try to get someone to custom machine, fit and finish a Big Boy to Aster >>standards, and then assemble it for you. > > Let's say that there was no Aster Big Boy but you wanted a custom >builder to make one for you to the same or better technical, mechanical, >and appearance standard as the Aster. The time/cost of development, >engineering and mastering, one such a model would far exceed the time/cost >of construction. At least with Aster the development costs are spread out >over several hundred units and thus put them within reach of someone. > >Regards, >Harry >
