sjordan2 Posted December 24, 2012 Author Share Posted December 24, 2012 wish they did a 32 ford I'd say the Big Deuce has that covered, and I certainly wouldn't look for American hot rod fodder from a European company. Whatever they come up with, it's sure to be 1:8 since the new Pocher landing page says Pocher 1:8 Model Kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 What scale was that? Harry's not real familiar with this company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted December 24, 2012 Author Share Posted December 24, 2012 What scale was that? Harry's not real familiar with this company. If you're referring to your previous post about this thread not being in Big Boyz, we still don't know what's coming up. Hornby brands include a variety of hobby companies including slot cars, and who knows? There may be Pocher line extensions in smaller scales, which would be quite a piece of news. What difference does it make where this thread is posted? It's still of general interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 (edited) It'll be really interesting to see where Hornby take this. They're not really a "hobbyist" company, at heart, and certainly not a "Premium" one. Hornby excel at being "good enough" to please the enthusiast in all of their ranges (though Airfix, Hornby, and Scalextric are the ones I know... the Breyer horses are not aimed at me, and I've never been a die-cast collector), but never at the premium "expert" end of the market. Their skill is managing a GREAT distribution channel in the UK and Europe, and getting their products in front of the mass market and new-entry consumer - get the kids building Airfix, racing Scalextric or driving the Hogwarts Express, and when they are 30 and have money of their own, they'll be buying more detailed kits, more expensive cars or more complex locomotives. In ALL of their main brands, there are other vendors whose products are more premium, and aimed at serious enthusiasts, even if they aren't synonymous with plastic kit, slot car racing and model railway in the way that Airfix, Scalextric and Hornby are (on this side of the pond at least). I'm not sure Hornby knows how to sell a £1000 car kit, or who to sell it to, or even where to sell it from. I'm completely convinced that they know how to get a 1/8th scale high detail kit designed, tooled and manufactured, though, if they choose to... I just wonder how many of the "traditional" Pocher modellers there are left.... people who aspire to Gerald Wingrove quality finished models, with hundreds of pounds to drop on parts, and months to build the thing, but who would still buy a kit rather than make the bits themselves? Pocher kits, to me at any rate, make old-school "model engineering" that bit easier. They're not obvious "mass-market" things in the way that a crisp, accurate and up-to-date 1/32 Aston Martin DB5 with a "Skyfall" movie tie-in would be, which is more where Hornby's "bread and butter" lies.... IN the end, I'm a PRETTY enthusiastic car modeller, but I simply can't afford Model Factory Hiro or Studio 27 prices, even for cars I'm gaga about. If Hornby's Pocher kits are Airfix 1/12 Bentley prices, I might consider one, but if they run into the £hundreds, the quality debate is academic... they can't have money _I_ don't have! bestest, M. Edited December 24, 2012 by Matt Bacon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 If you're referring to your previous post about this thread not being in Big Boyz, we still don't know what's coming up. Hornby brands include a variety of hobby companies including slot cars, and who knows? There may be Pocher line extensions in smaller scales, which would be quite a piece of news. What difference does it make where this thread is posted? It's still of general interest. What difference indeed.My point exactly.I think this is precisely where it should be, right where the original poster put it. Maybe my question should be why are other post continually moved, and now something Harry is interested in is not? Pocher is Pocher, large scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 What difference indeed.My point exactly.I think this is precisely where it should be, right where the original poster put it. Maybe my question should be why are other post continually moved, and now something Harry is interested in is not? Pocher is Pocher, large scale. I move posts if, in my opinion, they need to be moved. This is about the possible resurrection of a model brand. It has nothing to do with scale, it's a news item. If you think you can do a better job moderating, why not quit dogging me and instead send Gregg a PM offering your services. And if you don't want to be a moderator, how about you leave the moderating to the moderators? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted December 25, 2012 Author Share Posted December 25, 2012 (edited) What difference indeed.My point exactly.I think this is precisely where it should be, right where the original poster put it. Maybe my question should be why are other post continually moved, and now something Harry is interested in is not? Pocher is Pocher, large scale. Yes, I knew exactly what you were talking about. But, as the original poster, I maintain that it's a news item of general interest regarding the resurrection of a legendary brand of model kits by one of Europe's best-known hobby companies. And it belongs right here. The first half of your post agrees with that. The second half doesn't. ? Anyway, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Edited December 25, 2012 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Johnston Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 I'd love to get m,y hands on a Alfa-Romeo Monza. What did those go for when they were "new". They are no less than 500 on ebay which is far beyond my mental limit. I search them on ebay every week hoping I can steal one, but it never happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roncla Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I'd love to get m,y hands on a Alfa-Romeo Monza. What did those go for when they were "new". They are no less than 500 on ebay which is far beyond my mental limit. I search them on ebay every week hoping I can steal one, but it never happens. I got my Monza off Valley Plaza Hobbies in the early 90s for 200 bucks. They were on special at the time. I can't remember what normal retail was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAL Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Interesting, that would be awesome if they re-released those kits... especially the mercs... one of my Grails. No the tooling wasn't lost, distroyed or gone missing. However, what got Pocher into trouble was the Mercedes kits, which they did without licensing from Mercedes AG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 However, what got Pocher into trouble was the Mercedes kits, which they did without licensing from Mercedes AG. Interesting. I had never heard that. Do you know any more details about that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I'm pretty sure they'll come back in 1/8 scale-it's what made them distinct and famous. Also easier to attain that level of detail. I also don't expect pricing much below the average of their early kits on eBay. I see their new stuff being in the $400-$600 range. Especially if they use the same type materials, like steel, brass, stainless, nickel plate-all materials more expensive than they were 30+ years ago. PE parts would also rate premium pricing-they didn't have that process for their early kits. Realize that Tamiya's Enzo is $400 street price and it's a smaller scale with less diverse material content. I'm assuming the new technology they hint at like CAD and 3D RP printing will be employed. They're currently the most expensive ways these days-look at the stupid price of a TDR complete Cobra. I doubt if they sold 20 of them. And Pocher won't have to waste time on hand-layed fiberglass bodywork. Lastly, if a MFH 1/25 kit is $250, what would it cost in 1/8? And MFH cast parts in a cheaper material and don't have to include machined fasteners in their kits. It would be nice if Pocher offered replacement or upgraded parts for their early kits. Like Tamiya's upgrade sets. If the molds haven't been destroyed, it's cost effective and they'd sell a bunch to those current kit buyers searching for missing parts for uncompleted and tampered-with kits. Hornby isn't starting this game just to sell giant $200 kits. Jus' sayin'... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordairgtar Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Building Airfix, now that was a term I found interesting. Saw a special on TV about the Airfix company and how the show got kids nowadays to build Airfix again. It would be like USA modellers saying they were building Revell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I'd love to get m,y hands on a Alfa-Romeo Monza. What did those go for when they were "new". They are no less than 500 on ebay which is far beyond my mental limit. I search them on ebay every week hoping I can steal one, but it never happens. I got several many years ( early '70's) ago at the local K-Mart. $20 out the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted December 26, 2012 Author Share Posted December 26, 2012 I got several many years ( early '70's) ago at the local K-Mart. $20 out the door. Expect to find a horde of Pocher fanatics at your door with torches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAL Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Interesting. I had never heard that. Do you know any more details about that? not really, other than for what I gather Pocher didn't have license to do any of there car kits but it was with Mercedes they got in trouble with. Clearly they had some other troubles too, but that was kind of the beginning of the end for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 But where do you get the idea that they worked without licenses? Is that just a story you heard? I've never come across any mentions of anything like that. From everything I've found, they went bankrupt because they invested too much in their new kits (Ferraris and Porsche), the kits din't sell well, and everything just sort of spiraled down from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted December 26, 2012 Author Share Posted December 26, 2012 Neither the Pocher instructions or box top carry any reference to official licensing or copyrights from Mercedes, but neither do any of my classic Mercedes kits in plastic - and these kits would be pretty hard to develop without Mercedes cooperation. However, Revell's more recent kits carry "Licensed by Daimler" (or Jaguar, Ferrari, etc.) on the box top, as does the recent Akai SLS AMG RC box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 But where do you get the idea that they worked without licenses? That's a new one for me too. Seems as though if that were the case, MB would have put out a "cease and desist" order quite some time ago. As it is, Pocher was selling those kits for a bunch of years before they went under. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 That's a new one for me too. Seems as though if that were the case, MB would have put out a "cease and desist" order quite some time ago. As it is, Pocher was selling those kits for a bunch of years before they went under. Exactly. The first Pocher MB kit came out in 1975; Pocher didn't go bankrupt untill the mid "90s... plenty of time for the MB lawyers to have gotten on the case. I find it highly unlikely that MB allowed Pocher to produce and sell MB kits for 20 years if Pocher was doing it on the sly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony T Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Interesting news...would love the possibility of being able to buy a new Pocher kit! I remember seeing a built Star of India Rolls at a long-gone hobby shop many years ago...really intrigued me. I've only ever built 2 1/8 scale kits, both Monogram ('78 Vette & '79 Turbo Trans Am). Space might be an issue, but will definitely consider one for the right price. Looking forward to the Jan 30 announcement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Johnston Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I got several many years ( early '70's) ago at the local K-Mart. $20 out the door. haha I'm with Skip, we're coming over LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Goschke Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Informed sources say one will be a '58 Edsel Ranger two-door sedan with stick shift and/or a 1961 Vauxhall Victor estate wagon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydar Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Pocher would be one of those kits i would only do one of. For that reason alone 1:8 would be ok. If they are looking for suggestions, a Ford Gt 40 would be just fine. Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted December 26, 2012 Author Share Posted December 26, 2012 (edited) Pocher would be one of those kits i would only do one of. For that reason alone 1:8 would be ok. If they are looking for suggestions, a Ford Gt 40 would be just fine. Joe. Not gonna happen after Trumpeter's recent 1:12 version. Edited December 26, 2012 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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