@msh @bread80 @NoelsRetroLab @mos_8502 I was actually engineering director at Amstrad USA in 1985. It was a subsidiary of Indescomp (based in Spain) and was formed to modify and sell the Amstrad CPC into the US market, thru Sears. This rather bizarre arrangement was put together by a South American coal mogul, Jamie Pero who later that year fled the US to avoid unpaid taxes. As for cutting corners and being cheapskates, yes, this was very true especially given all that happened that year.