the casting is the easy part, its the machining that makes it so damned expensive, pitty knowone here in england is connected to a precision engineers.......... if we all chipped in for the cutting bits for a machine, it would drastically reduce the costs of making new track.......
on a tangent here :-
I am a member of
www.turbominis.co.uk which is a performance based forum for old Minis, the lads there are pioneering new methods of getting 200+bhp out of mini's which is not a cheap hobby, what happens is they all club together pooling skills and money to prototype, produce and distribute performance equipment (ie you end up with top notch kit for rock bottom prices)
so far in the classic MV community i have never seen this pheonomenon, and i dont want to sound insulant or cheeky or even cause any offence....but it seems most are out to make a lot of bucks its very much "business is business"...... information is striclty need to know, very cloak and dagger. I put this down to there not being enough bits for everyone so it is an expensive fight to get the bits, and when you find them they are sometimes so over the top with price.....
I open heartidly encourage and endorse what Martyn is trying to do here and i know from past experience the "Group Buy" method is a good way to go.
I deffinately know somewhere that would make the pins very very cheap..... Martyn knows a good foundry, all we need is a mates rates firm to machine the links then getting new track could be very affordable.......
Martyn will no doubt get back with a quote per set soon enough and we could go from there.
edit: just a warning if anyone does click on the blue link be aware that Turbo minis is also global forum....but is very outspoken, lots of sarcasm...it even has a sisters pictures section ! so if your easily offended dont click on that link !