Some bargains for you then: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR6.TRC2....

Can only second all the comments above. My Canon wielding friend misses many shots fiddling with menus, hence their need for machine gunning everything.
No reason not to get reasonable bird in flight photos with a Pentax


K-5 with Sigma 150-500 @ 400mm 1/1250" @ f/6.3 ISO640 Bempton Cliffs, East Yorks.

Agree, Ricoh / Pentax aren't doing badly on the bang for bucks stakes at present.
When the K3ii replacement comes out it will no doubt be a little higher than the KP starts off at and they'll surely be offers on the KP. We still seems to get the odd generous prices at times such as SRS's Black Friday and Christmas/New Year deals with them beating some second hand prices for a while with new stock.

What do you know that we don't?!

I suppose technically yes, but that is quite niche and not the sort of camera most would take on their seaside vacation with the family or friends (though no doubt some would!) being used for professional assignments mostly. Also it's not a camera that one sees for sale very often so only those who know about it are likely to seek it out. Then the K-1 surely exceeds the 645Z's predecessor, the 645D, in most respects.
One niggle about the 645 series cameras is that their sensors are crop 645 so even with those one has to apply a crop factor when compared to a 645 film camera. I spotted a 645D for sale recently at not much more than a K-1 which I truly considered but the sensor isn't that much larger than that of a K-1 and the features were less. Given I'd have had to spend a fortune on lenses for it I left it where it was.

I find the 16-85mm gives me good results throughout its range so that with the new 55-300 makes a lot of sense. Indeed a very portable kit without compromising image quality, be that on my recently acquired K-S1 (for £99 - a true bargain buy!) or K-3 (which originally came in at around £1100 too if I remember correctly) so that makes a good portable kit that won't break the bank.
I must admit I've not been through all the other brands since changing to a K100D from an EOS300D a good while ago now. The Pentax Q and MX-1 still make good really lightweight travel options but at the end of the day do not compete with the larger sensors so if one is travelling somewhere special it doesn't always make sense to compromise.

All good points there Jules. There's hints of 4K in the KP with its sort of stop go animation feature. Guess they just need to get it to go a bit quicker! (Have you seen this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTPAEXWmfuU ) So the real K-3 successor could come up trumps with that.
There's nothing to dislike about the KP, it gives another option and to users of the K-50 & K-70 will feel quite familiar. At present though it's just seems a bit expensive to be top of any purchase list, but aren't they always on release? We don;t know what the real street price will be until they are actually available.

Crippled flagship? Is Lord Nelson on board?

Where you left them! Find them in your profile here: https://www.pentaxuser.com/user/gedski-14567

I agree with the retro description for the KP, but the flagship Pentax is still the K-1 (or K3ii if discounting FF.) A flagship description makes it sound like top of the range, which it isn't.