It was almost the norm back then for everyone to buy each loco as soon as it was released. It's not all that long ago, but the reality is there was very little else available at the time for the Irish modeller to spend his cash on, and certainly not in RTR form, to the standard of the baby GMs. In the intervening years, the amount of quality RTR Irish outline stock that has become available is staggering, meaning the average modeller or collector couldn't possibly afford to purchase every new release, and has to be more selective when it comes to spending his cash.