DJ Dangerous

Probably depends on what other plans the manufacturer has. Not speaking specifically about the 121's, but in general. If you plan launching rolling stock, that will sell better if you still have locos left in stock. So, you could do a small batch of locos and a small batch of rolling stock, and not bother with the two batches aiding each others sales, or you could do larger batches of each, where the sales of each boosts sales of the other. Like Guinness and toilet paper side by side in the supermarket.

Almost sure that WRENNEIRE said that there were 504 of each. Possibly 300 of the RPSI model.

IRM also have the 121 LokSound and LokPilot decoders in stock, chop chop, get the wallets open!

Looks like Hattons do actually have a few, for anybody who missed out. Even though it says "Sold out on pre-order", there are varying live stock quantities and it IS possible to add them to ones basket. Wondering should I invest in a few to sell off at €400 a pop next summer...

In case anybody missed them: https://m.ebay.ie/itm/Irish-Railway-Models-Irish-Rail-Ballast-Plough-van-pack/383818852136

I guess it means that you'll pay Irish VAT instead of UK VAT, plus a handling fee, so larger volume orders will be more economical. JHB, you've opened a can of worms in your drunken stupour!

Absolute bargain: https://m.ebay.ie/itm/Lima-L149437-Irish-Class-201-Train-Pack-with-3-x-MK3-Coaches-CIE-Black-Orange/224235927902?hash=item343580b95e:g:DywAAOSwTspfdcMA Only €420!

"Ex Tax" means "Excluding Tax"!

It probably would have taken a few years to re-brand everything, anyhow.

That's good, so a nice ten-year run for that livery, so.

Ah, sure mixing them like that just makes it even more authentic. A few CIE's mixed in with the IR's for the late eighties or early nineties, and a few IR's mixed in with the IE's for the early IE era.

Murphy Models 233 in Enterprise livery has full yellow faces, whereas 230 in the same livery just has the yellow strips. How long did that Enterprise livery, worn by MM 230 and 233, actually last?

And IRM are down to the last twenty odd RPSI models, which is fantastic news for the RPSI and the market! I have a far better idea: edible inner packaging, ie little bags of Tayto!

Sorry, Flangey, offence was not my intent. I'm just looking to see why retailers who don't sell many specialist items are so taboo, and so bad. I'm sure there are many who will eschew Tesco, Super Value, Spar, Centra et al, and buy directly from the farmer, and I'm guessing that that is the core value that spawns the mentality that a "box-shifter" is bad. I have to confess, I buy from Marks Models, Hattons, Kernow, Frizinghall, and obviously IRM, so I don't do anything personally to support the non-box-shifters. JHB, cheques? Really? Are they those magical things that my grandparents had, where you could just write a random figure on a little stub of paper and it turned into money?

How does anybody know if one company would struggle to sell a model that another company released 10 / 15 / 20 years previously? Obviously, a smaller production run means worse economies of scale, so is a terrible idea from a business perspective unless you could sell at a higher price. The 141's / 181's cost €100 or so when new and the 071's cost €140 odd when new, so technically, yes, you can sell them for a much higheI price nowadays - €190 for the A Class and 121's. Even if that increase were entirely eaten up by improvements, inflation, exchange rates etc, and we say that the sale price is the same from a job point of view, why would they not sell? The market is huge compared to what it was. IRM have just sent out an email regarding the 121's, saying: "We will not be getting further stocks of some of these particular liveries and running numbers in stock, and they are also sold out at Murphy Models in some cases, so once they're gone, they're gone!" Hattons have the IR 121's sold out on pre-order several weeks now. 6000 odd locos selling out like this, it's insane, it's incredible, and it's change. I know that it'd be lovely to be nostalgic and protect the exclusivity of a collectors item forever, but the market will speak, will change and will grow. Nobody really knows what stage of saturation the market is at today, we can only speculate, and I guarantee that nobody knows where it'll be in five years time. Sure nobody knows where they'll be themselves in five years time.

Will you be sprinkling cotton wool all over the layout?

Placed an order a few weeks ago and Des was very prompt, accurate and professional to deal with.

So awesome!

Damn, I'm jealous!

I guess being as lucky as you are is probably the exception, rather than the rule. I would assume that most people face the choice of a decent trek to a model shop, or buying online. So a "box-shifter" is a retailer who doesn't sell many specialist / niche items, basically.

Thank you. The advent of the internet / online shopping is the real enemy of the little guy. There'll always be a bigger guy! So Marks Models are a "box-shifter" too?

I've seen the term "box-shifters" bandied about a lot on the forum over the years. I understand that Hattons are one retailer who fall into this category. Who are the other "box-shifters"? What damage do they do to the hobby itself? I imagine that they make it difficult for smaller traders who have worse economies of scale, but that's the same for every market, and isn't really something that they set out to do. If they are so bad, why do manufacturers supply them? Looking at the 121 for example, this must be the fastest selling Irish loco to date, out of stock on pre-order etc. If this hadn't been supplied to the "box-shifters", there'd have been more stock available through smaller, more expensive sellers, and maybe it would have slowed down the sales. I'm not sure how that's a good thing for the hobby itself, but would obviously pacify anybody who missed out on pre-ordering one, so may benefit a few individuals.

You said that when the next Irish loco is released, it will cost €400 a pop, and will likely only sell 100 units of each livery. That's what that meant. But, now I'm confused. Are you saying that for the next Irish loco after the A, they will have a massive price and won't sell well? Or that if they have a reasonable price, they will sell like the A's and a larger batch should be run to allow the market dynamics to do work naturally? Sorry, that bit wasn't clear to me.

Hattons website is showing all three IR 121's as out of stock, and Marks Models are showing one of them out of stock. These are selling like hot cakes! I see several of them de-listed completely on the IRM website, not just sold-out but vanished into oblivion.

Oh my God, you're doing the B&I Ferry!!!