Interesting though that Pentax would slap the '*' on a Tokina design, when they didn't do it with any of the Tamron lenses, despite e.g. the 15-30 f/2.8 having a stellar reputation (it dethroned the Nikon 14-24).
On a different note: I hope I am not too impudent, but does anyone know who asahiman is? I've always wondered. He (or she) seems to have pretty accurate knowledge of some Pentax interna and the Japanese camera industry in general, and the majority of his (or her) claims turn out to be true, it's just that every time I spread such information (e.g. on DPR or the German DSLR Forum) and get challenged on the source, all I can say is 'Someone who usually knows said so on some other forum ..."