Big Dawg Originals - Intellectual property theft

[gmpullman]

I have a pair of Jason's F-40PHs ordered through FDT. Last I heard they were still in the container and being readied for distribution, so I wonder how Big Doggie-do got his hands on a shell to make his patterns from and get them marketed so fast?

Did someone on the "inside" at a Chinese factory sneak one out? I hear bootleg Hollywood films get on to DVDs before the movie even hits the theaters!

When I'm paying retail for a model and that price includes all the R&D, tooling, licensing and related travel costs, that theft hurts us all through higher final prices.

Actually, looking at the Doggie's photos, those shells are somewhat crude and are going to need a lot of work to make them presentable.

Still, such a shame. Ed

[wp8thsub]

Peruse the product offerings, and it's obvious every one of the shells is a copy of some other manufacturer's work.  Shells from Athearn, Atlas, Kato and Rapido can be readily identified as the sources of pretty much all of them.  They have a Facebook page full of photos of how the masters for their molds are kitbashed using parts of other commercial products, sometimes identifying the original by name.  It's pretty blatant.

I haven't purchased any of these (and I won't), but have encountered discussions from customers who report the shells are difficult to adapt to existing drives due to the thickness of the resin castings.  If you have the skill to turn one of these resin shells into a locomotive, you should be able to kitbash a better model using the actual original parts.

[rrinker]

 Shame, even though they make nothing I need, I wanted to like them, because of the Pug (yeah, Big Dawg alright...well, they THINK they are. LOL. ANyone else with a Pug will know what I mean). They actually have a lot of shells and cabs for some specific variations that aren't otherwise available. It's just a retired patternmaker and his wife, it's not some major company. Very strange that they would copy the Rapido F40PH-2D to make their F40PH-3D.

                  --Randy

[Motley]

Well this is interesting. I have no idea who Big Dawg originals is, so I guess no need to worry. But ya gotta laugh at ther name. I'm talking about the "orignals" part! LOL

[trainboyH16-44]

Not a light-hearted post, this one!

From Rapido Trains Inc.
Gentlemen,

These guys - Big Dawg - have stolen our intellectual property by modifying our F40PH-2D shell and recasting it and selling it. We've made inquiries and the legal cost of going after Big Dawg is probably ten times their annual sales, so we're going to ignore them for now.

However, if you buy these illegal goods, STOP CALLING US FOR HELP.

We will not give you paint formulas. We will not sell you chassis. We will not send you detail parts. We will not help you complete your Big Dawg model that was ripped off from the Rapido model. You know, the Rapido model that took us years of hard work to develop and cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars.

If you decide to buy the Big Dawg shell rather than wait for the Rapido rebuilt F40PH-2D currently in development, then you are ON YOUR OWN. We will NOT HELP YOU.

Please feel free to pass this message on.

-Jason

__._,_.___


Rapido puts a lot of work into their high-quality locomotives, and I feel strongly about this. It's my understanding that the guy behind Big Dawg does the same with other manufacturers. Personally, I will not be buying any of Big Dawg's products. I suggest you do the same.