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DJM wish list thread


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  • RMweb Gold

So far, page 10 and Dave hasn't indicated anything on probable feasibility of the models proposed. That's a pity. :(

 

How quick could you indicate the feasibility of any of these, given such a short time period ?

 

Surely it makes sense for Dave to see which items are most requested and then see what the reality of actually producing any of these is, before making any bold statements about any of them being produced.

Edited by Stubby47
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Hi Dutch,

 

I do understand your point, truly I do.

I have a 5 year business plan of models (not those already announced) but ones I'm working on in the background, or have an idea I'd like to produce.

 

By unashamedly asking for thoughts here I'm not promising that I'm going to make any, merely getting a feel for modellers wants and thoughts, of which I might cherry pick a few, depending if they haven't been earmarked /stick in the ground etc by others.

As mentioned on day 1, I'm never going to be a Bachmann or Hornby but I see my business profile producing 2-4 models per year under the DJM brand and maybe 4-6 outside commissions.

 

I am looking at all ideas and there are a couple in there that are in my thinking and I don't think its a huge secret that I'd like to produce quad arts in OO and N, but that would be a few years yet (if the opportunity presents itself).

Hope this helps

Cheers

Dave

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I wonder if KickstarterGoFundMe (or similar web-hosted crowd-funding tool) could be a possible source of funding to commission specific models?

 

I'm thinking of it as a twist on the pre-ordering concept, (and of course I don't mean people have to use Kickstarter specifically and there are other potential approaches like some kind of stake in the outcome for contributions that are significantly greater than say the retail price of the product). Of course there is a lot of trust implied that the project will work out well.

 

It's really putting your money where your mouth is!

Edited by Ozexpatriate
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I wonder if Kickstarter (or similar web-hosted crowd-funding tool) could be a possible source of funding to commission specific models?

 

I'm thinking of it as a twist on the pre-ordering concept, (and of course I don't mean people have to use Kickstarter specifically and there are other potential approaches like some kind of stake in the outcome for contributions that are significantly greater than say the retail price of the product). Of course there is a lot of trust implied that the project will work out well.

 

It's really putting your money where your mouth is!

Hi Michael,

I agree it's a possibility, but I just wonder if this sort of funding can find around £100k for a loco tooling (tooling mind, not the product).

Cheers

Dave

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Hi Michael,

I agree it's a possibility, but I just wonder if this sort of funding can find around £100k for a loco tooling (tooling mind, not the product).

Cheers

Dave

Understood.

 

While these approaches do routinely generate the numbers you are talking about, I suspect the model railway fraternity is far too small for the 'donation' model to materially produce a result, and I suspect that in the UK, 'soliciting for investments' is illegal without all the paraphernalia of a prospectus and the attendant legal apparatus - it was in the US, though the recent JOBS act has changed this substantially.  The legal overhead may be too much to deal with, though I understand that BankToTheFuture is set up for this.

Edited by Ozexpatriate
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Ozexpatriate, on 16 Nov 2013 - 16:01, said:

I wonder if Kickstarter (or similar web-hosted crowd-funding tool) could be a possible source of funding to commission specific models?

 

I'm thinking of it as a twist on the pre-ordering concept, (and of course I don't mean people have to use Kickstarter specifically and there are other potential approaches like some kind of stake in the outcome for contributions that are significantly greater than say the retail price of the product). Of course there is a lot of trust implied that the project will work out well.

 

It's really putting your money where your mouth is!

Whilst I broadly agree, a certain amount of caution is required. There's not a track record (ho ho!) of railway modelling Kickstarters so far and it's very hard to gauge (the puns keep coming...) the likely audience on Kickstarter for a project. Starting small (product wise rather than gauge/scale wise) may be the best bet; Would a £5K goal be "too much" for the market? In raw terms that's 500 £10 pledges or 500 pre-orders of something that you'd expect to pay £5 for under normal circumstances, and £5K would barely pay for tooling production for some simple components, let alone production costs.

 

But it would depend on what is being produced. A first item should be one that is low risk. One that if you had the cash to hand, you'd fund because you'd know there was a return there. It will likely get funded to the required level provided there is enough exposure, and it will bring railway modellers to the Kickstarter way of doing things, which means subsequent, more risky projects become doable.

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I have just used Kickstarter to fund a project to fund the development of 4 N Gauge wagons, on a much smaller scale than Dave is aiming at. Some companies do raise alot of money by using crowd funding. I suspect that model railway market may be unwilling to back such a large project at the start. If you were to kickstarter to fund a wagon first of to prove the system and move up it might work. Another approach is to use a different type of crowd funding platform where you look for business backs who bid to give you cash in exchange for interest (loan type) or percentage of profits (equity). 

 

From my experience this is still a very new concept in this market, very popular in war-gaming, technology, food, music and card games. A resent card game on Kickstarter was looking for abot $7000 and raised about $275000, so it can be done. It must be said that crowd funding is not an easy task and takes a lot of time and thought to make it work.

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DJM Dave, on 16 Nov 2013 - 16:05, said:

I agree it's a possibility, but I just wonder if this sort of funding can find around £100k for a loco tooling (tooling mind, not the product).

That's my worry. To raise even £100K you need to be aiming for £120K+ to account for the attendant fees for Kickstarter and Amazon (who process the payments). You then need to factor in the costs of the rewards, and let's face it, people want to get value from their pledges, so you're preselling a loco at £150 a pop say, then you'd need to get in 1000 pledges at that price to raise £150K before deductions. Is £20K (ish) enough to manufacture, finish and ship 1000 locos? Probably not? People would probably recoil if you pushed the loco price to £200.
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  • RMweb Gold

Has anyone mentioned a 116 class?

They have now!

 

Any self respecting S Wales Valleys layout should have at least a couple of sets.

 

Not seen a request for a decent 41xx or the likes of a Bulldog or a Bird (although as Mike has pointed out with panniers, to the uneducated they look the same as a 'City' and it would be a natural progression from the BaBa Bacchy Dukedog

 

Having washed my mouth out with bleach................................. how about a Stirling Single with appropriate coaching stock.

 

Regards

 

Richard

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Coal Tank / Watford Tank? Not much "use" to me but yes please!

RP

Roy,

 

you might be lucky with the Coal Tank as there is the preserved one. That seems to be a major factor in defining what gets produced for collectors by the RTR manufacturers. The Watford Tank is, I think, much more unlikely.

 

As a "Watford" man, you may be interested to know that a laser cut kit for Watford Shed has been commissioned by someone I know. That would look good with a selection of LNWR locos, but it means taking up kit building.

 

Jol

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  • RMweb Premium

All in N, pick and mix from this choice:

 

15xx

56xx

Dean Goods (both inside and outside framed versions!)

Saint

Star

Atbara

Mogul

Suitable 'tween wars, and earlier, coaching stock

GWR cattle wagons, 5 plank opens etc

GWR twin railcar

 

Wherever possible there must be room for a suitable decoder.

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  • RMweb Gold

Bullied coaches, the Bachmann ones are pretty basic and have only a limited range. A Tavern car would be very nice.....

Perhaps a full size tavern car would be better!

 

Andy Y behind the pumps creating so much froth and foam that threads like this would be relgated to the back burner.

 

Regards

 

R

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  • RMweb Gold

All in N, pick and mix from this choice:

 

 

Wherever possible there must be room for a suitable decoder.

 

Even in N, I doubt whether it is sensible now for any manufacturer to bring out any model that is not DCC compatible. That may mean that some smaller locos don't make the cut until such time as we have smaller decoders, plugs, etc.

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Units!

 

175 fairly wide area of operations, North west, Wales.

 

323 bit of variety in colour two main areas of operation.

 

Really suprised no one of the big boys have ever had a go at PEP family, 313, 314, 315, 507, 508. I know it would need a number of sides, there being many subtle differences in window arrangement and roof detail but the overall shape and look remain constant. Loads of liveries a long life with years still left in service wide sphere of localised operation.

175 in ATW pplease

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Mike,

 

I think the present day mantra is "If you make it, someone will buy it".

 

It does seem that people will buy what they consider to be a nice model, even if it doesn't fit within their normal model requirements. For example, how many people have bought the L&Y 2-4-2T, the SECR livery C class, COT, etc., who other wise have no interest in that period/prototype and even if there no suitable RTR coaches to go with it?

 

Jol

 

Absolutely! As well as the investor/collector peeps, who rarely model, but probably financially support a good deal of new output, there are many of us who will buy an oddity now and again, if it is well made. I confess to wanting a 2BIL although I could only justify running it as a preserved special, and to ordering an O2 just because of childhood memories of the IOW (because of which I also bought a terrier, Carisbrooke, some years ago, together with a couple of ex-SECR bogie coaches, due to a painting my dad did of that loco on the turntable at Bembridge in 1933-ish. Strange thing, nostalgia.

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