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| Level42:
Heh, I've had my opinion vented a long time ago. It wasn't very favorable for David. Even so, I think I stayed civil enough, and even more so David who stayed cool and polite. Since David released the wide SW cockpit T-molding he can't do much wrong anymore in my eyes :D Yes, call me inconistent or whatever, i don't care. It was the part of my most beloved machine that I thought I'd never see the day being able to replace it with brand new material that is exactly like the original. Having read David's great notes on Ram Controls' site AND having been working on my SW yoke, I can imagine how much work is/was involved with recreating something as complicated as that. Through e-mail I discussed with David the poor production of the handles. The covers really poorly fit the base of the handles on the original I'm sure that David didn't want to releas it that way. That probably meant either correcting or making new molds for these handles. Here's a couple of pics to show how bad the originals are (screws mounted !!!): I'm positive that David refused to produce the yoke with handles like this and thus re-did them...... Anyway, the yoke-kits and T-molding show how much attention David has for detail and he's just not releasing stuff until he's 100% satisfied. I prefer that over the current habit of manufacturers of dumping half finished products on the market. I'm trying to help David with a lot of details on the SW cockpit cab right now (materials on their way to you David ;) ) so I must say a lot changed in a couple of years :) Even so, I tend to agree with Friz that if I would have been David, I would have chosen not to re-open pre-orders and would have simply released the product to the old-time pre-orderers first and then to the rest of us. But that's just MHO. |
| 1UP:
Are we still talking about pre-orders on these yokes? Last time I was active on these boards was over 3 years ago, and that was around the time these were first announced if I remember correctly... ??? I'm of the opinion that pre-orders on this kind of involved mega project are a bad, BAD idea. When it's a huge reseller like Amazon where you're 99% assured of receiving the product as early as the day of release, pre-orders are fine and dandy. In this kind of cottage industry, pre-orders more often than not are an excuse to get money for production before any product exists, which is very dangerous for both the seller and the buyer. I've learned that lesson first hand on both sides of the table, and I'd never repeat the experience. On the seller's side, the stress to get the product done on too optimistic a timeframe, and then potentially stressing about paying the customer back when that timeframe has long passed and the money may have already gone into production of an incomplete product, is just not worth it. Stringing paying customers along for months/years on the promise of delayed delivery is just embarassing. :-[ And of course as a buyer, many of us can't just blow off $100+ on a product that is never delivered, or is perpetually on hold, and that can be extremely frustrating as well--especially if the company disappears while orders are still outstanding. I'm not saying that's what's happening in this case and I certainly hope not, but we've all heard of cases where the customers were left high and dry waiting for orders that either went "poof", or waited months on end for shipments or refunds. Anyway, seems like we've seen this pattern of "pre-order then produce" again and again around here, and it's bitten a LOT of people in the caboose. Hell, I've been guilty of it myself in the past, and while I was able to fulfill most of those orders in the end, it was a freakin' white-knuckled ride every single minute until they were actually out the door, and I think it was a huge mistake to market things that way. A teaser or preview photo here and there is great, but I think it is wisest for all involved to only sell products that are in hand at the moment. Those who hold back the hype completely until they actually have product on the shelf ready to ship really come out looking like heroes. Ultimarc and GGG are two good examples of this. "Awesome new product, ready to ship": Sign me up! "Potentially awesome dream product, in development/awaiting re-design of parts and now taking pre-orders": ...Not so much. |
| Level42:
1UP, you may want to read up everything discussed about it here in the 3 years you missed. All you wrote is SUCH a dead horse..... |
| 1UP:
--- Quote from: Level42 on June 20, 2009, 01:09:30 pm ---1UP, you may want to read up everything discussed about it here in the 3 years you missed. All you wrote is SUCH a dead horse..... --- End quote --- Yeah, I have time for that... If something I said is wrong or irrelevant, so be it. I don't know what happened with this in the last few years but it sounds like nothing shipped. I just think pre-orders usually blow up in your face. |
| miles2912:
If there is just one part missing - how about some assembled pictures of everything else. I see a lot of pics on the web site of small parts. Put what you have together as of now and snap a few photos. Or better yet make a vid an post it on youtube. When I hear pre-order I get very nervous about dropping money on what amounts to some well written long posts, a web site with a lot of fluff and the 3 shipping products - 2 t-molding and a shaft with a ball on it for a game that very few people have. I don't mean to sound like a skeptic but come on ... Maybe link an address to your building posted on the web site so a few people local to so cal can stop by and check out first hand what is in the works. |
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