Hobbico - BANKRUPT!

[Richard Bartrop]

Honestly, I don't think the difference between 1/24 and 1/25 is worth arguing over.  In practice, there's enough deviation from the actual scale to wipe out any miniscule difference between the two.

In fact, I would go so far to say that if they swapped 1/24 for 1/25 on the box, or vice versa, most people wouldn't even notice the difference.

Edited April 15, 2018 by Richard Bartrop

[KWT]

59 minutes ago, JTPlastic&Paint said:

Kind of strange they didn't make any official statements on the webpage or any of their social media. Pretty lame to keep the community in the dark 

I figure until they left to go home, none of them knew anything either... And until May, nobody... Revell, The folks that bought them, or us... will know anything.

Besides, they had a little more on their minds than giving us a statement. And rightly so...

Edited April 15, 2018 by KWT

[martinfan5]

2 minutes ago, KWT said:

I figure until they left to go home, none of them knew anything either... And until May, nobody... Revell, The folks that bought them, or us... will know anything.

Besides, they had a little more on there minds than giving us a statement. And rightly so...

Or maybe you just dont make a statement when things havent been finalized ,just food for thought

 

[martinfan5]

4 hours ago, Dave Van said:

USA kit builders hated Monogram's use of 1/24......so no win in the scale wars.

I would love to see the data you have to support this

Last I checked, I am a US kit builder and I like 1/24th way more than 1/25th

[mikemodeler]

27 minutes ago, martinfan5 said:

I would love to see the data you have to support this

Last I checked, I am a US kit builder and I like 1/24th way more than 1/25th

I would rather have accurate representations of a subject and worry about scale later, but that's just my opinion

[martinfan5]

3 minutes ago, mikemodeler said:

I would rather have accurate representations of a subject and worry about scale later, but that's just my opinion

I dont understand why you are saying this to me, all I said is prefer 1/24th over 1/25th,  and you get accurate representations in both scales.   I only build 1/24th or 1/25th scale, so if something is more accurate in 1/16th scale, great, I wont be building it and that does nothing for me.  The scale matters to me just as much as how accurate the kit is.

[Xingu]

2 hours ago, Richard Bartrop said:

Honestly, I don't think the difference between 1/24 and 1/25 is worth arguing over.  In practice, there's enough deviation from the actual scale to wipe out any miniscule difference between the two.

In fact, I would go so far to say that if they swapped 1/24 for 1/25 on the box, or vice versa, most people wouldn't even notice the difference.

Folks mix-n-match parts from both scales pretty regularly.

[MrObsessive]

1 minute ago, Xingu said:

Folks mix-n-match parts from both scales pretty regularly.

Yup! The '57 Corvette I did years ago had both scales in it. Not too hard, and if I said nothing no one would be the wiser.

[aurfalien]

Hi,

Welp, not to go off the rails on scale mixing but I bought a Nakamura 1/24 Abarth Scorpione 2000.

The wheels are huge and so is its lump of an engine.

So I bought 1/20 F1 wheels/tires which fit perfectly as well as a 1/20 4 cylinder engine which also fits very well.

It's an odd kit and compared to my other 1/24 kits, looks to be the same scale.  It's just that the wheels, tires and engine are huge.

[Richard Bartrop]

19 minutes ago, Xingu said:

Folks mix-n-match parts from both scales pretty regularly.

Been there, done that.  1/25 AMT hubcaps and whitewalls fit perfectly on a 1/24 Revell Monogram '36 Ford custom, and everyone thought it looked just fine.  Sometimes things don't quite fit, but it's not like that doesn't happen with parts that are supposed to be the same scale.

[Dave Van]

2 hours ago, martinfan5 said:

I would love to see the data you have to support this

Last I checked, I am a US kit builder and I like 1/24th way more than 1/25th

Bob Johnson of Revell Monogram is my source....I like 1/24 too....but it was the number one complaint they got from US builders.  It's why they went to 1/25 for all new tooling.....

[highway]

1 hour ago, Dave Van said:

Bob Johnson of Revell Monogram is my source....I like 1/24 too....but it was the number one complaint they got from US builders.  It's why they went to 1/25 for all new tooling.....

Funny, I thought the reason new tooling was 1/25th scale was because of Revell BUYING Monogram because before that Revell produced their kits in 1/25th scale and Monogram produced theirs in 1/24th scale! 

Also not all of their new tooling is 1/25th scale,  because I have at least a half a dozen new Ferraris as well as a few other exotics such as the Audi R8 and BMW Z8 that are all new tools and 1/24th scale. Another 1/24th scale that was billed as an "all new tool" is the 1970 Mustang Mach 1, and that nice red banner on the box stating "NEW TOOLING" was a boldfaced lie as well. Anyone with the slightest bit of knowledge of kit history knows, while there were some newly tooled parts in that kit, it wasn't nothing but a modified reissue of the Monogram 1970 Mustang Boss 429, but not "NEW TOOLING" as the box states. 

[martinfan5]

3 minutes ago, highway said:

Funny, I thought the reason new tooling was 1/25th scale was because of Revell BUYING Monogram because before that Revell produced their kits in 1/25th scale and Monogram produced theirs in 1/24th scale! 

Also not all of their new tooling is 1/25th scale,  because I have at least a half a dozen new Ferraris as well as a few other exotics such as the Audi R8 and BMW Z8 that are all new tools and 1/24th scale. Another 1/24th scale that was billed as an "all new tool" is the 1970 Mustang Mach 1, and that nice red banner on the box stating "NEW TOOLING" was a boldfaced lie as well. Anyone with the slightest bit of knowledge of kit history knows, while there were some newly tooled parts in that kit, it wasn't nothing but a modified reissue of the Monogram 1970 Mustang Boss 429, but not "NEW TOOLING" as the box states. 

The new NASCAR kits are..............wait for it...............1/24th scale

[martinfan5]

1 hour ago, Dave Van said:

Bob Johnson of Revell Monogram is my source....I like 1/24 too....but it was the number one complaint they got from US builders.  It's why they went to 1/25 for all new tooling.....

Thanks for the data.  Interesting though, new tooling is coming in both scales, so how long ago was this , it doesnt sound too recent meow.

[Dave Van]

3 minutes ago, highway said:

Funny, I thought the reason new tooling was 1/25th scale was because of Revell BUYING Monogram because before that Revell produced their kits in 1/25th scale and Monogram produced theirs in 1/24th scale! 

Also not all of their new tooling is 1/25th scale,  because I have at least a half a dozen new Ferraris as well as a few other exotics such as the Audi R8 and BMW Z8 that are all new tools and 1/24th scale. Another 1/24th scale that was billed as an "all new tool" is the 1970 Mustang Mach 1, and that nice red banner on the box stating "NEW TOOLING" was a boldfaced lie as well. Anyone with the slightest bit of knowledge of kit history knows, while there were some newly tooled parts in that kit, it wasn't nothing but a modified reissue of the Monogram 1970 Mustang Boss 429, but not "NEW TOOLING" as the box states. 

Lots to unpack here. The scale change came about from the Revell and Monogram merger. But it had a number of 'reasons'. If you recall the Roush IMSA GTO Mustang kits (Motorcraft, 7-11, Folgers) were announced as 1/24  Monogram kits in theory to compliment the Monogram GTP Zackspeed and Probe kits.  (all 1/24) When the call came to tool them in 1/25 they moved them to Revell as to not mix scales/brands.  Soon after that those in charge decide two scale were a costly pain. Management picked 1/25 as being morepopular with US builders and all new tooling was to be cut in 1/25.....all but NASCAR Cup kits so the line started in 1983 would be constant. Note 1/25 was deemed the best seller among the two choices. 

The exotics that were 'new' tooled in 1/24 were for the most part engineered by RoG and aimed to the international market. Revell USA got to market them to the US market at the range of other Revell USA offerings in hope it would greatly increase sales here. 

And a number of older 1/24 tools have been altered with 'new tooling' on box.....and the kits do have new tooling, in 1/24, but you are correct ...not all new tooling.

[Dave Van]

The new Cup kits were first based off old Monte Carlo tooling....1/24 scale. When they sold well enough the new tools fell under the old rule I talked about above. thx

[Aaronw]

13 hours ago, DiscoRover007 said:

Certainly it is an end of an era. Sad to see. Was Revell suffering in sales?

 

It may not have had anything to do with Revell's profits. Hobbico was much more than Revell and it is quite possible the issues were in other parts of the business. In fact I'm pretty sure some earlier posts explicitly said that was the case.  

 

Recently Airfix's new parent, Hornby was also having financial issues. Airfix itself was in the black and doing just fine, it was some of the other (non model) divisions that were having trouble.

[Force]

10 hours ago, highway said:

Funny, I thought the reason new tooling was 1/25th scale was because of Revell BUYING Monogram because before that Revell produced their kits in 1/25th scale and Monogram produced theirs in 1/24th scale! 

To keep the facts straight, Revell did not buy Monogram...it was kind of the opposite way depending on how you see it.
Monogram was bought by Odessey Partners of New York in 1986, later the same year Odessey bought Revell and merged them together, 1994 the company was bought by Hallmark/Binney Smith and from 2007 until last friday Hobbico.
The kits was sold as separate brands until the mid 2000's when the Monogram lable pretty much disappeared and was used more sporadically on kits from both manufacurers regardless of what brand the kits originally was released under.

Edited April 16, 2018 by Force

[Greg Myers]

[Dean Milano]

Actually, Revell Monogram was sold by Binney & Smith to Jody Keener who then sold it to John Long who then sold it to Hobbico. And in the early '90s, it was decided to switch the car models from 1/24th to 1/25th because it made more sense and the modelers were more interested in 1/25th. Only the NASCAR kits remained 1/24th, of course.  I'm bummed that the '85 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham I had been working on with Ed Sexton probably won't be produced now. Oh well.

Edited April 16, 2018 by Dean Milano

[Lunajammer]

35 minutes ago, Dean Milano said:

I'm bummed that the '85 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham I had been working on with Ed Sexton probably won't be produced now. Oh well.

...And the hits just keep on comin.'

[Force]

1 hour ago, Dean Milano said:

Only the NASCAR kits remained 1/24th, of course. 

And some of the 80's-forward Pro Stock and Funny Car kits, they vere also originally 1:24th scale.

[Dave Van]

2 hours ago, Dean Milano said:

Actually, Revell Monogram was sold by Binney & Smith to Jody Keener who then sold it to John Long who then sold it to Hobbico. And in the early '90s, it was decided to switch the car models from 1/24th to 1/25th because it made more sense and the modelers were more interested in 1/25th. Only the NASCAR kits remained 1/24th, of course.  I'm bummed that the '85 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham I had been working on with Ed Sexton probably won't be produced now. Oh well.

Thanks for your expert input on this. I said the same thing and was called a heretic. BTW thanks for your years at RM. The Caddy would have been cool. There were a number of cool kits cooking......I fear the same fate. 

[Brett Barrow]

Press release:

“Revell GmbH starts strengthened into future with new owner
Revell GmbH (Germany) announces today that in a court hearing which took place on 13 April 2018 at the US court having jurisdiction in Delaware the sale of Revell GmbH has been confirmed in favor of a company of the international investment group Quantum Capital Partners (QCP) with its company seat in Munich (Germany) as sole shareholder. The sale happened in the course of Hobbico, Inc.‘s restructuring process under Chapter 11.

Bünde, 16 April 2018

For Revell GmbH, which so far belonged to a company of the Hobbico, Inc. group in Champaign (USA) initiating a restructuring process under Chapter 11 of the US bankruptcy code at the turn of the year and announcing its plans to sell the group of companies, a lasting solution in terms of change of ownership emerged throughout this proceedings on 13 April 2018. New sole shareholder of Revell GmbH will be a company from the international investment group Quantum Capital Partners (QCP) in Munich. The operating business will not at all be impaired by this.

German investor as new Revell owner

The sale also includes key assets for the North America business, such as trademarks as well as the extensive tool bank being so important for the plastic model building segment. With the change of ownership Revell experiences a strengthening, as this involves an extension of the sales market and an even wider range of products.

Worldwide business operated from Bünde

The previous management in Bünde under the control of Stefan Krings will in future operate the worldwide business including North America.
„Revell is very happy to have Quantum Capital Partners as strong partner, who will assist the company to reach its further international growth. At this point I like to also thank all trade and business partners for the confidence they have placed in us in the past weeks of interim period”, is the comment from Stefan Krings on this news.

Steffen Görig, representative of QCP further explains: “Revell is a well-known and well- established company and it has shown impressively in the past how to found its position as successful toy brand. We will build on this strength and will further develop the Revell brand with its unique position as provider of model kits and toy manufacturer. We look forward to assist Stefan Krings and his team in that achievement and to realize the full growth potential of Revell.”

[Casey]

30 minutes ago, Brett Barrow said:

The previous management in Bünde under the control of Stefan Krings will in future operate the worldwide business including North America.

Thanks for sharing this, Brett.