Ausf J and Recovery Vehicle, unveiled in Chicago, still not available.
First, I again agree with Brad that Figarti has not been regularly releasing new products since Chicago, certainly not on a monthly basis. However, to be fair,
prototypes of the M31 recovery vehicle and the Ausf J were shown at the Chicago Show with the
caveat that Figarti was not sure if there was enough interest to do them. Rick asked for feedback at the Show and on this forum. In other words, there was no apparent decision to do either vehicle. As a result, they should not be used as an example of Figarti's failure to deliver on promised products, since they were never promised.
Some collectors complain about the high price of Figarti products, so Figarti should be looking at the number of vehicles it can sell at the price it needs to sell it to make money. The unpainted Ausf J prototype showned a large amount of brass photo-etched detail pieces -- most of the hatches and storage bins were hinged and could be opened. The labor cost involved in making this piece is probably very high, which would make the selling price relatively high. Since Chicago, the economy has drastically changed, and I can see not producing an expensive product like the Ausf J at this time (please note this is my own personal opinion).
Rick has used the Mercedes and Maserati analogy at past shows and forum members need to remember the purpose of an analogy is to make a comparison based on something more similar to the audience. Because of his love of cars, Rick used an automotive analogy. Mercedes is a larger company with a broader product line that has a reputation of fine engineering and sells lots of cars. Maserati is a smaller company with a narrow product line that has a reputation of more temperamental products and sells less cars. Isn't the analogy apt when applied to K&C and Figarti?
Now an issue may be the fact that Mercedes is considered a luxury brand. Andy has previously commented on Rick's analogy at his talks when he said he thought K&C was more like Ford than Mercedes -- not a luxury product, but more of an everyday, affordable product. Given the present financial state of Ford, I would think that the comparison to Mercedes would be more appreciated.
