Dapols Revenge
Way back in the mists of time Bachmann announced they would be producing a class 66.
A few years later, when everybody was fed up with waiting, and Dapol where looking for a new model
to add to their range they decided to produce the 66 which Bachmann appeared to have given up on.
Later that year Dapols baby was finished, but in the meantime, Bachmann had been putting in overtime on their 66, which was finished a few months later.
Among Dapols product announcements for the following years where a class 150, class 03 and Stanier coaches. Weeks later Bachmann announced a class 150, class 04 and Stanier coaches in their range. Dapol wisely gave way to the larger company and changed their proposed product range. They also went into stealth mode and secretly produced a Voyager.
But as soon as the Dapol model was on sale, Bachmann announced that they already had a model Voyager in an advanced stage of development. Given that Bachmanns development cycle is usually at least 18 months, and they have a habit of pe-announcing every model, why would they have a model Voyager already in development?
Dapol appear to have taken this announcement as an act of revenge. They had spent the effort on their Voyager and in a few months there would be a Bachmann copy on the shelves. So they again went into stealth mode and produced a 9F, a model which Bachmann had already announced themselves.
If Bachmanns Voyager was an attempt at revenge, it seems to have massively backfired on them. Their Voyager is still unavailable twelve months later. There is still no sign of their 9F, but Dapols model is due to hit the shops within a month.
Bachmanns actions look like a large company metaphorically beating it’s chest to scare off a small upstart. But all it has done is given Dapol a chance to prove that being smaller makes them nimbler. They can produce a model on schedule. They can produce a model in half the time. That they tackle Bachmanns head on and come out on top.
All this duplication is a sad waste of development resources. A model locomotive costs about £70,000 to develop, so the N gauge world has lost nearly a quarter of a million pounds in development money, not to mention the three alternative models which would have been produced instead.
But it does make for a fascinating spectacle for the casual observer. A true David versus Goliath battle, with David appearing to win every round.
So, how will Bachmann try to regain the upper ground? Will they try and copy another Dapol model?. Will they try to arrange some kind of truce? Will they also go into stealth mode when producing new models? Or will they do what modellers have been screaming at them to do: dig out their Gantt charts, announce realistic release dates and stick to them?