If you were starting a new rtr manufacturer...

[mdvle]

21 hours ago, PatB said:

I do wonder if the reluctance on the part of the manufacturers to expand the range of MUs is maybe because collectors make up the portion of the market that makes it profitable to make a model, and people don't collect MUs. Or, at least, not ones that didn't/don't sport a wide variety of colourful liveries to chase. Hence no obscure 1st Gen stock that only came in green or blue (notwithstanding variations on yellow warning panels). 

 

That will be part of it - but an equal if not bigger part will be the reality that most people in the hobby are simply playing trains and not attempting to accurately recreate a specific part of the rail network with trains to match an actual timetable.

 

For them any DMU in the livery they like will do - they don't care if it never operated in the someone generic part of the UK their layout represents.

 

So when you look at multiple units in the 3 / 4 / 5 unit range, that only ran on a limited geographic area, and only had a handful of liveries, you will struggle to find a market.

 

It is in a way telling that those willing to spend the money creating new models are so far (for the most part) chasing after pre-grouping prototypes to turn into models instead of these apparently much-wanted longer multiple units. 

 

It is possible that someone who risks the investment on a longer multiple unit will see success - and start a stampede of others into the market.  But it is just as easy that the current market is correct about the real demand for those models, and the price customers are willing to pay.

[PatB]

1 hour ago, mdvle said:

 

That will be part of it - but an equal if not bigger part will be the reality that most people in the hobby are simply playing trains and not attempting to accurately recreate a specific part of the rail network with trains to match an actual timetable.

 

For them any DMU in the livery they like will do - they don't care if it never operated in the someone generic part of the UK their layout represents.

 

So when you look at multiple units in the 3 / 4 / 5 unit range, that only ran on a limited geographic area, and only had a handful of liveries, you will struggle to find a market.

 

It is in a way telling that those willing to spend the money creating new models are so far (for the most part) chasing after pre-grouping prototypes to turn into models instead of these apparently much-wanted longer multiple units. 

 

It is possible that someone who risks the investment on a longer multiple unit will see success - and start a stampede of others into the market.  But it is just as easy that the current market is correct about the real demand for those models, and the price customers are willing to pay.

I tend to agree with you. I suspect there are far more, more or less scenified, set track ovals out there, with Southern pacifics running alongside unwired 91s, hauling brightly coloured PO Wagons, than RMWeb could collectively cope with . As an indicator, Sam's Trains YouTube channel, which is currently receiving some stick elsewhere for its "train set" approach, is massively popular, in model railway video terms. 

 

On longer units, even amongst "serious" modellers, I think there a limitations to the market for them. I haven't done a count, but I very much get the impression that, on RMWeb at least, photo planks, micros, dioramas, and other small to very small layouts, vastly outnumber those which can reasonably accommodate longer trains. I think 'twas ever thus, it's just that fewer of us pretend we can depict a portion of the WCML in 6x4 than hitherto. Anyhow, it comes down to why would you pay several hundred scarce model railway quid for a unit you can only actually use about half of? Yes, maybe because it's a nice thing to have, in itself, but how many can afford such an indulgence? Enough to cover the manufacturers' costs, and offer them the possibility of a profit? I don't know, but I suspect the manufacturers have a reasonable idea. 

[D9020 Nimbus]

There seems to be more of a market for EMUs in N gauge — at least the manufacturers seem to think so, given the Farish 319 and the various EMUs announced by Revolution Trains. I'm surprised nobody has announced a 120 in either N or OO, given Heljan are doing it in O — and it did fairly well in both scales in the wish list poll a few years ago…

[BMacdermott]

Hello D9020 Nimbus

 

The Class 120 has been the top-voted DMU in The 00 Wishlist Polls since 2013 (exc 2017 when The Poll was 'on holiday').

 

In all those years, it was also in The Top 50 and in 2019 (our last 'full' Poll) it was equal 9th overall.

 

Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

Edited June 14, 2021 by BMacdermott
Typo

[mdvle]

2 hours ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

There seems to be more of a market for EMUs in N gauge — at least the manufacturers seem to think so, given the Farish 319 and the various EMUs announced by Revolution Trains. I'm surprised nobody has announced a 120 in either N or OO, given Heljan are doing it in O — and it did fairly well in both scales in the wish list poll a few years ago…

 

Heljan and the O Class 120 - 2 factors at play at a guess, the most important being that the O community doesn't constantly moan about how expensive models today are.  Second, the limited size of the market means O has (in RTR through Heljan and Dapol) primarily catered to the GWR modeller, making a south-west DMU more viable in O than perhaps other more diversified scales.

 

(and it might be worth noting that the Heljan 120 (plus the 117) were all launched 5 years ago with so far not a lot to show that I can see with a quick search)