Ocatane,
While I can in no way speak for this kit manufacturer or others, I can offer you my opinion based on similar feelings from clients in my business. Today, our society has become one of instant gratification. People hear of an item, like it, want it NOW. Email or fax it to me.... It is hard to accept the fact that design, testing, fabrication in bulk, transport and other factors take months or years to complete. Manufacturers are hung in the middle. They have to tell the world of new products as soon as possible to see if interest is there. If the interest is there and the maker has not tipped his hand to competition, he makes the product and offers it for sale. These same clients who want the product and create the market for it beg for a delivery date even if such a date is a pure guess. There are sooo many factors involved including redesign or manufacturing changes, mother nature, labor issues, etc., each of which can delay delivery in spite of the best of intentions. Great product late is better for all verses crappy product now.
In my business, I manufacture full size kit aerobatic biplanes, restore antique aircraft and build custom airshow airplanes. Deadlines and hard delivery dates are impossible to keep on such projects. We do a good job on kit delivery schedules but pad the times to allow for all those little things that crop up. In my case, we make kit parts in sets of 6. So, the guy who is slated to get #1 of 6 waits longer than the guy who comes to the wait list for #5 of 6. #6 guy has nearly no wait. In the case of RC models, I understand kit companies order anywhere from 70 or 80 units to several hundred at a time. So, the same delivery scheme applies where all of the batch is made before the first one is shipped. If I were to order an 86" today, my wait would be far less than the guy who was first on the list. In the great scheme of things, an extra month or two for a hobby item is not a big wait. If if was for a donor heart, well that is a different story....... As I understand RC kits, design, development, prototyping, testing, redesign, retesting and first batch production can take a year or more so the product is not even announced to the market until well into the devlopment and production process. A couple of months is not much of a stretch in timing.
To answer your questions more directly, it would not be better to only advertise after a batch of kits was in stock. Do the math and you will see how large the investment is to inventory a couple hundred airplanes. A business person needs to know the product will have a home before tying up all that money. I do think you can and will continue to see delays of new products throughout the RC industry as it is typical of these type products. Airframe kits, paint, radios, new servos, batteries, decals. Heck anything can and will take longer than the maker and customer would like. As in most industries, if you want the best from the best, you are not alone and it takes time to satisfy the many. In my business, you don't want to have work done by the guy who is begging for work. There is a reason why the best are very busy. Same in this industry.
Kevin Kimball
www.jimkimballenterprises.com
www.pittsmodel12.com