I'm sorry but doing a "Test Run" of four issues, then canceling and maybe starting all over again is a really bad business model! And doesn't go very far in creating a happy subscriber base. I guess at least those of us in the U.S. aren't offered the a product until its the real thing. And if the quality on the first four issues was poor then DeAg isn't learning from the Falcon how picky and demanding Star Wars collecting fans are.
OK a few points.
Firstly as I said although I am involved with Model Space USA as forum support and do have some inside information I cannot for obvious reasons divulge that.My reason for recommending watching the Facebook page is simply because that is where they announce new kits so you will hear it first from there.If I am given permission to announce a new release before it goes public I will post it on this forum.
Secondly the R2 D2 test was not a "flop"Anyone spreading this information is purely speculating. If it was successful enough as a test DeAgostini will inform everyone that it will go into production.It will likely go into production in UK first and then other countries as the Falcon did.
Thirdly whether you think it is bad for business or not test runs are always part of the business plan for partworks.You may or may not be aware, but these kits are offered in newsagents in Europe as weekly magazines.The purpose of a test run is to see if enough people will see the magazine on the newsagent shelf and be tempted to try it. The subscription model is what we get in USa because newsagents are not as ubiquitous as in UK and Europe.The partwork companies have been around since the turn of the century so they are mature businesses. The entry into the US market is relatively recent so it is understandable that it is not as well understood as in Europe.
The Star Wars models are an even newer venture for them and I think they have learned a lot with the Falcon release. They did listen to the test market and improved the Falcon between the test run and release.Is it perfect.No.Is any Falcon kit perfect? No.They have made an effort to respond to some of the criticism, but remember this is not a bunch of guys spending 20 years tracking down every greeblie they see on 40 year old photos. I doubt anyone who has purchased a garage Star Wars resin kit expects the maker to keep on resupplying parts if some feel they are not accurate.If they do make more Star Wars kits I doubt we will see the same issues because most of the other ships were not as variable as the Falcon.
I hope that clarifies things a bit.
Carl