1/35 M76 "Otter"

[jcf]

........but the printers cost between $2000-$7000.

Yes, that's just what I mean about 'getting their act together'. If they were a 1/10 of that price they'd still be expensive for the domestic market.

Why?
There's not enough demand to support the development and production for the home printer market.
The market is the one for which they are produced: textiles, signs and heat activated decals for mugs etc.

The ALPS printers went away because of a lack of demand. ALPS dropped out of the retail consumer printer business in 2000 and shutdown the production line. Printers assembled from spare components were sporadically made and offered for sale up until 2010. The production of consumables was terminated in 2006, but some remained available until 2015 when all support ceased. ALPS-Alpine still manufacture large professional printers using their MicroDry system, but that's it and there's no intent to ever return to the consumer market. Their printing technology is proprietary and patented and they've shown zero inclination to license it to anybody.

The simple fact is that 99%+ of people have no need to print in white.

[PR19_Kit]

How do you know there's not enough demand now?

People's needs and wants change, just look at the rise in 3 printing, and what may not have been a market some years ago doesn't mean there isn't one now. As there are no such printers available now there's no way of gauging such a demand unless someone tests the market.

[frank2056]

Finally finished! I started to do some weathering, but cut it short because I'm done done with this piece of drek.

Top view, with some cargo:



The white box is the ever critical supply of toilet paper. The rolled tarp is from the always excellent Value Gear:



The antenna is too long to fit in any of the pictures. I should have sized it correctly, but ehhh.





French mechanic and The Inspector going over the many, many shortcomings and annoyances of this kit:



Backstory? This M76 was converted to carry supplies from McMurdo Station to far off research centers in Antarctica. It was lost in a snow storm on a leg of its journey between the Norwegian Drittstasjon and the Chinese 操你个壁虎 station.