Why not these things

[Harry P.]

I recently got the new Trumpeter 1/32 scale Junkers Stuka kit. A new kit, it has separate rubber tires, not molded plastic.

[MAGNUM4342]

I've brought this question up before too. To me, although the vinyl tires are the industry standard, they look like balloons. I would rather have a plastic tire with the proper bulge at the bottom indicating weight being on the tire. Never once have I cared whether or not my tires roll.

[Guest]

Roger, AMT never produced those kits. ERTL did. I do have the MF an JD tractors and farm wagon and disc cultivator. VERY nice detailed items, all!

Mine are later issues and have AMT/Ertl on the boxes. The originals were produced by Ertl. The reissues were AMT/Ertl. It's too bad Ertl didn't survive longer than it did. We may have gotten more farm and construction kits. I wonder what Round2 has of the old Ertl molds?

[LDO]

A friend who makes resin parts once sent me some 1/8 scale wide whitewall tires, copies from a 1960s kit. I took them to a model club meeting and literally couldn't give them away. No one was interested because they were off-white resin, rather than black rubber. The copies were very high quality, no bubbles or flash. It blows my mind that people will build a model carr out of styrene, but pitch a fit over tires not made of the "right" material. The same thing goes for diecast models of Corvettes and other cars not made of metal. IMHO, that's just plain STUPID.

[Harry P.]

A friend who makes resin parts once sent me some 1/8 scale wide whitewall tires, copies from a 1960s kit. I took them to a model club meeting and literally couldn't give them away. No one was interested because they were off-white resin, rather than black rubber. The copies were very high quality, no bubbles or flash. It blows my mind that people will build a model carr out of styrene, but pitch a fit over tires not made of the "right" material.

Right! As if a real car is made of styrene plastic!

[pharoah]

Good post and some good points!

I'm kind of divided on the tires. I've seen good and bad in both vinyl and styrene. The MPC Datsun pickups had styrene tires,and they were horrible. Too tall,too skinny,and hardly any tread detail.

As far as tractors and farm equipment go, I've never built any,but they do look interesting. I can see the point about it being a smaller market for them.

Personally I would like to see some older big truck models,like a 56 Ford F-600 or 60 Chevy dump truck. Talk about a small piece of the model hobby pie...

[Sixties Sam]

What if the resin casters got their hands on some of those old Ertl kits and used them as masters to cast resin replicas? Maybe some skilled modelers could modify some of the kits into different models/variations and those could be cast. Might that fill the niche market for tractors or am I way off? Just thinking...

Sam

[slusher]

If kits had hard styrene tires then everyone would be wanting rubber relistic tires...

[Harry P.]

What if the resin casters got their hands on some of those old Ertl kits and used them as masters to cast resin replicas? Maybe some skilled modelers could modify some of the kits into different models/variations and those could be cast. Might that fill the niche market for tractors or am I way off? Just thinking...

Sam

Anything is possible. It's a matter of finding someone (or several someones) with the time, talent, and $$$ required to pull it off. My guess is that this particular niche is so small that nobody would want to get involved.

[MAGNUM4342]

Harry's right. For most small casters like me, there would have to be a guaranteed pre-ordered amount for us to even consider it.

[zenrat]

www.thepartsbox.com will sell you this.

Scale is apparently 1/20 but they don't say on the website.

And Meng produce this

Yes it's 1/35 but (and I haven't done the maths) I reckon a 1/35 D9 is going to be pretty close in size to a 1/25 D6 or D7. Most of the bodywork on Cat dozers is flat panels so it would be fairly easy to replace all the armour and with a bit of rejigging of the interior you'd have a pretty good load for a 1/25 low loader.

[Tom Geiger]

Harry's right. For most small casters like me, there would have to be a guaranteed pre-ordered amount for us to even consider it.

And the passion for the subject matter! Just like there are casters filling niches for 1/25 scale heavy truck parts and even large scale hot rods, there would need to be someone into this kind of equipment.

[Art Anderson]

What if the resin casters got their hands on some of those old Ertl kits and used them as masters to cast resin replicas? Maybe some skilled modelers could modify some of the kits into different models/variations and those could be cast. Might that fill the niche market for tractors or am I way off? Just thinking...

Sam

Well, considering the costs associated with resin casting, and the simple fact that those Ertl John Deere tractors don't bring anywhere near the price at which a resin repop would be attractive--I think you might guess the answer.

Art

[LokisTyro]

http://www.modelcars.com/trumpeter-5538.htm

http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/skpmodel/skp150.html

http://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php?detail=19535

http://www.aires.cz/accessories/united-tractor-gc-340sm340-tow-tractor-us-navyarmy/

http://www.modelsforsale.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=238484-Extratech---Lanz-Bulldog-tractor-1/72-M7225

http://www.icollector.com/Rare-Reuhl-IH-Farmall-Cub-Model-Kit-with-Original-Box_i8459805

http://ricklawler.plastic-garden.com/?p=1948

http://es.picclick.com/miitary-tractor-resin-kit-1-35-Plusmodel-STALINETS-S-60-151080188876.html

Edited August 28, 2013 by LokisTyro

[Art Anderson]

http://www.modelcars.com/trumpeter-5538.htm

http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/skpmodel/skp150.html

http://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php?detail=19535

http://www.aires.cz/accessories/united-tractor-gc-340sm340-tow-tractor-us-navyarmy/

http://www.modelsforsale.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=238484-Extratech---Lanz-Bulldog-tractor-1/72-M7225

http://www.icollector.com/Rare-Reuhl-IH-Farmall-Cub-Model-Kit-with-Original-Box_i8459805

http://ricklawler.plastic-garden.com/?p=1948

http://es.picclick.com/miitary-tractor-resin-kit-1-35-Plusmodel-STALINETS-S-60-151080188876.html

All well and good, but none of these were/are done in 1/25, or even 1/24 scale, which are the scales most preferred by us car and truck modelers.

Back about 1985 or so, I was asked to appraise some Product Miniiatures Company (PMC) model farm equipment. PMC produced all manner of miniature promotional items in acetate plastic in the 1950's, including 1/25 scale model cars. PMC also produced acetate plastic promo's of Allis-Chalmers farm and construction equipment, in 1/16 scale, almost all of them as assembled models. They did, however, produce at least a few in model kit form--my friend had a couple of PMC farm models in kits.

Apparently, the model kit aspect didn't sell at all well, I never saw any kits like that in the hobby shop that existed here in Lafayette, downtown (and I truly haunted that place as a 11-12 yr old kid.

Art

[LokisTyro]

You're right about the scale, but I thought the links might be interesting to some anyway. If only HO would satisfy

I do think it's odd that companies can't test the waters once in awhile. People would probably buy Tim Allen's Home Improvement lawn mower... All the main companies that were there 10 years ago that I knew of are still here today as far as I know. They can't be doing that badly. They can make Gremlins that sell and they can't make an N-series Ford?? I don't really believe that. There's more than enough people in the world today to make an unusual subject more than a total loss. It's sort of funny thing to overlook in my opinion considering agriculture is directly or indirectly part of everyone's lives. I say, if you really want to see tractors or equipment start writing to all the companies you can find. Someone out there has to see the opportunity of a good haul over the long run.

[Ben]

In my opinion, the farm tractors and construction equipment would have a relatively small following as kits, but I could be wrong. I would be happy with a lawn tractor or two. There is a lot of stuff available in die-cast but much is in other than 1/24 or/25 scale so that can turn off some people, myself included.

As for tires- I think a lot of us would rather see well-molded tires as found in the more expensive kits from Tamiya, Aoshima, etc. The technology is there to produce tires in rubber or a rubber-like material (NOT VINYL), with good detail.

And while you do have a good point regarding updated online info, it is a cottage industry, so time would be at a premium for a lot of the aftermarket suppliers. Some don't even have a website...

A few years ago Kit Form Services of England offered a Caterpillar 325B excavator, a Michigan front end loader and then the excavator was later changed to a "generic" excavator. These multi media kits were done in 1/24 scale and sold for about 300.00 a piece. He sold every kit in every run of each model!!! I have been a HUGE fan of construction equipment and big rig models for over 40 years. I assure you, models of construction equipment and farm equipment WOULD sell very well!!! Just try to buy any of the original ERTL farm tractors and see what you end up having to pay!

[Ben]

www.thepartsbox.com will sell you this.

Scale is apparently 1/20 but they don't say on the website.

And Meng produce this

Yes it's 1/35 but (and I haven't done the maths) I reckon a 1/35 D9 is going to be pretty close in size to a 1/25 D6 or D7. Most of the bodywork on Cat dozers is flat panels so it would be fairly easy to replace all the armour and with a bit of rejigging of the interior you'd have a pretty good load for a 1/25 low loader.

Here is what you end up with if you decide to tackle building a 1/24 D9T Cat dozer. I purchased this off Ebay for 300.00.

[Ben]

I just bought this as well. It is a prototype of a very detailed toy that is normally produced in 1/16 scale. The person I bought this from had purchased five of them and none have been seen since. He then took them home, disassembled them, repainted them and detailed them with hoses and wire grab handles. Of the five made, I have two of them here right now. The second one bought is for a friend in England. They are 1/24 as well.

[raildogg]

Man I didn't expect this. I apologize for the hub hub. On the tire question, my personal hell, the current offerings bite, period. Suitable substitutes are few and far between, agreed ?. Resin casters are a cottage industry as I indicated, but. I'd personally appreciate a yearly update at least, they do want to make money don't they?. As for tractors, I didn't mention lawn mowers, but big industrial farm and loading types in 1/25th scale. Many big rig rig modellers would more than welcome them as loads for their trailers and dioramas.. We also need pick ups that are more up to date ,not more Mustangs and 63' Chevy Low Riders!!. These are, of course, my opinions only and NOT meant to defame or injure any reputations or personalities. Thanks for the spirited debate guys.

[LDO]

There's a world of difference between selling 50 or so model tractors for $300 apiece and selling 100,000 at $40 apiece. The market is just not there. If someone REALLY wants a 1/24 bulldozer, there's always Evergreen Scale Models. ;-)

[Harry P.]

There's a world of difference between selling 50 or so model tractors for $300 apiece and selling 100,000 at $40 apiece. The market is just not there.

Exactly.

If there was a market for kits like that, somebody would be making them.

[Art Anderson]

There's a world of difference between selling 50 or so model tractors for $300 apiece and selling 100,000 at $40 apiece. The market is just not there. If someone REALLY wants a 1/24 bulldozer, there's always Evergreen Scale Models. ;-)

Any model kit manufacturer would almost give his left *** to sell a hundred thousand of any model kit subject at $40! The trouble is--some subject matter over time has shown, by actual experience, that it just doesn't generate the mass numbers needed in order to justify producing more of it. If that were not the case, then logically virtually any model kit of a Yugo would sell pretty well, would it not?

Any modeler should understand this, even if that understanding comes from their experience in other merchandise areas on which they do, or have in the past, spent money.

Of course, any economist can show that the lower the price point, the more units you will sell--that's very much a no-brainer, UNTIL you factor in whether or not a particular product idea has any real legs to it. Just in the last two years, we've seen the introduction of three cars out of the 1950's, all of which stood us builders on our collective ears out of excitement.

Now, anyone who was alive and building model cars 30-50 years ago can ask themselves (honestly, I hope) "would I have gone nuts to be able to get a model kit of a '49 Oldsmobile 88, a Hudson Hornet, or a '55 Chrysler C300 back when I was a teenaged model builder in 1965 (or 1975)? I'm pretty sure those three subjects would have died on store shelves back then--they were just dorky, dumpy looking "back row of the car lot" used cars back then. Even in the 1980's, those subjects would have been little more than "resin casting territory"--having been around the industry, particularly at the retail level, I could have counted the requests for any of those three subjects on the fingers of one hand, and had at least three fingers left over. But even 30 years ago, modeler's interest in such subjects more than likely would have been at best, lukewarm.

In a fairly short period of time out from now, I suspect that farm toys, as we know them even today, will largely have gone the way of the passenger pigeon, given that today, only about 3% of the US population lives on farms anymore. Diecast farm toys, by and large, is a nostalgia-driven product area--yeah there are diecasts of the newest and latest, but the ones that grab attention seem to be models of equipment from years, even decades past.

Art

[Art Anderson]

I just thought of this model! This manlift started out as a diecast scale model (it is 1/24 scale, BTW), and was quite well detailed at that. My example is that diecast as molded in styrene from the diecast tooling.

Yes, it is intriguing, and yes it is a pretty nicely done rendition of perhaps the one piece of construction equipment that anyone sees--manlifts are everywhere, in big cities, small towns, even get used in agricultural and highway construction projects. I can, in my mind's eye, see myself disassembling this piece, painting it green with bright yellow "Sun Equipment Rentals" logo's and signage and adding a lot of details (yeah, the small 4-cylinder diesel engine is in there, under a hinged cover, as are the control panels!), and posing it as it might be used as a platform for working on a multi-story downtown building.

But would I lay out $25-$30 to buy it in a kit box? Probably not. (It was given to me by a friend almost 3 years ago). And having shown it to my model car club, even taking it to a couple of regional shows, it pretty much drew a collective yawn.

Art

[LDO]

...And having shown it to my model car club, even taking it to a couple of regional shows, it pretty much drew a collective yawn.

Art

Oh, so it's not just me?