Sunday 30 December 2012

A New Arrival...

All,

As alluded to in last night's post.... The Timber Water Tank Stand kits are complete & ready to go...Only 6 weeks late!!!....a marathon 4 day & night effort has the first run packed and awaiting their new homes.

A last minute order from the U.S. for a fair quantity of kits, destined for retail sale,  set the cat amongst the pigeons. I am told this style of water tank stand was used in some parts of the U.S. & as a casual observer of happenings over there...I was not in a position to argue the point.  They were added to the manufacturing list... are now on their way & do not impact on the local first run quantity available.


Kit Box Lid Graphics...


There are some details & changes to the kit i would like to cover in this post...

1. The replacement floor for the Casula Hobbies tank ( as discussed in an earlier post ) is now a feature of all kits.  It was just too difficult to predict which tank people would use in the long term... so why not just add it to all kits.

2. The one piece bearer & column assembly has been the main feature of this kit.  As basswood is relatively fragile we have lasered the components incorporating retaining frets & these will be supplied in 2 sheets each containing two assemblies per kit.  This should ensure that the components reach the customer undamaged...As stated in the kit instructions...care & patience needs to be taken when assembling these components as the bearer is oriented across the grain with the columns lasered along the grain.  Across the grain being the fragile plane... The only other option was to supply all the columns & bearers as individual components.  This option would entirely destroy the magic of this kit & would make accuracy in construction very difficult & tedious. When the components are installed to the base & the joists added, a very strong base is the end result.

   


3. The final retail price has caused me some angst & while i hoped to be able to send to market at under $35.00 inclusive... Reality has to come to the fore & we have had to adopt a price of $37.50 with an expectation of sales at around 250 units long term.... So the price will be $37.50....

For the moment we will remain selling on ebay & look at other avenues in the future.  We can announce though that this kit & soon the entire range will be available through Gwydir Valley Models....this should take effect when Warren reopens in mid January.

Kits Earmarked For Warren at Gwydir Valley Models...


For those of you who have emailed during the last few months regarding this kit....please accept this posting as a notice of the impending release of the kit.  We will allow the new year to ring in & then list on ebay around the 2nd January...To give those people a chance to catch up...

These kits are not a "limited edition".... they will be available on a permanent basis & if sales mean we exhaust our stock earlier than anticipated... do not worry there will be more available..... We will also be taking feedback for development of other designs of timber stands... There was plenty of variations & i have a feeling we may have more choices for tanks in the future???!!!

Even though we are a tiny player in the world of model railways...I am excited about this kit & hope that it fills a void in the market & means that all modellers who have had tank kits or completed units laying around in the " to do" bin can look forward to actually installing 1 or 2 completed water tanks & timber stands on their layouts..... It has been an enjoyable experience developing this kit!!!

Now To The Layout Room!!!!

Regards,
Rod
 


  

8 comments:

  1. Hi Rod,

    Looking forward to getting my hands on a tank stand kit. What are they/will be listed on eBay as?

    Thanks,

    Linton

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  2. Hi Rod,

    How do I go about buying one direct from you? or would it be better contacting a stockist?

    Cheers

    Kyle

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  3. Looking good Rod & certainly look forward to mine arriving.

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  4. Congrats Rod on this "milestone".
    Even though you consider yourself a small player in the scheme of things this kit, and future releases, will fill a huge gap in the market place.
    As we are now spoilt with the RTR available, just dust and run, the focus will shift to the layout builder, only my opinion of course.
    Thanks Rod for your contribution.
    Gary

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  5. I would like to echo Gary's comments. Its been many years since both the tank parts have been available & no stands, thus the void is closing as to the other items to complete the water tanks.

    With the concentration & proliferation of wheeled models, there has been a real void in other areas, especially at what I see as reasonable prices, & in these kits that Rod is producing, they really hit the mark.

    I for one look forward to the other items that he has been working on, along with hopefully some surprises.

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  6. Hi Rod

    I received my tank stand today. Absolutely great piece of engineering!!! Great finish, goes together easily with a good fit and reasonable short construction time, but I would not expect anything less from such a great manufacturer! A great advance in HO NSWGR structures!

    Cheers

    Kyle

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