Today, I received an email update from Scott Mann outlining progress of the El Capitan 2nd production run with photos at the overseas factory. I assume the email was sent to folks who've pre-ordered something from this 2nd production run. Scott also gave an estimated timeline with respect to product arrival in the USA (mid-January) and subsequent shipment of product to customers (mid-February). Great news for El Capitan enthusiasts for sure!!! 
Now the real question... WHY can't all the importers treat consumer communication with the same passion that Scott exhibits? 
I give Scott beaucoup credit for doing this, but it's really not rocket science. And all the importers should strive for this level of accurate communication -- ideally to consumers, but at a minimum to their dealer/distributor network.
By now, we've all figured out that if a product is due for arrival in the States during December 2016, then it was probably on the assembly line of an overseas factory in September or October... on its way to an overseas shipment of 6-7 weeks on average.
So here's a more specific example. Lionel says their command-controlled culvert loader/unloader accessories are now due to ship out to dealers in January 2017. Originally, the shipping schedule stated June 2016, and more recently had stated December 2016. So here's the $64 Million question. If these accessories are truly due to arrive in January 2017, wouldn't they already be manufactured NOW? 
And if so, why not show some pictures of the product's manufacturing progress in the factory? There's really no excuse for month-to-month-to-month slippages like this. Because the importer should already know if a specific product has been produced BEFORE they move the delivery date out by just one month. What am I missing in this picture. Or perhaps they just don't care if the information is accurate or not. 
They could ALL take a lesson from Scott Mann. 
David
