1. GWR was crowded. Most recent release in N was the 56XX that I know of. Last large loco released was the Farish Castle, and that's a few years out now.
2. I highly doubt the old Poole-era Grafar King will penalize sales of a modern King much. I'd be curious to see how much the old Poole Castle hurt sales of the China Castle, for a comparison.
3. Agreed, that's dirty laundry that'll linger for a while
4. We weren't slapped in the face with news and media about the King (or the Garrett) like other, more successful recent releases have. You could hardly turn a magazine page or weblink without hearing about the 56XX. I can recall maybe 1 release about the King (or the Garrett since they've been announced.