Moebius new stuff

[Ben]

Is it me or has it been a good while since we’ve heard about anything new coming out from Moebius? They used to talk about and show stuff more often from what I remember?

[High octane]

You're right about not hearing from or about Moebius for awhile, however I have plenty to build here at home so it doesn't matter to me about any new releases or re-issues coming out in the future. I'm also tired of tying up ca$h for plastic that just goes on the "pile" to be built someday maybe.

[Dave Van]

Been busy on the Sci-Fi end somewhat....

[ChrisBcritter]

When was the last time you checked? The '64-'66 Ford pickups in various versions are in progress, as are the '64 and '65 Novas; that should keep them busy for a while.

[Ben]

20 minutes ago, ChrisBcritter said:

When was the last time you checked? The '64-'66 Ford pickups in various versions are in progress, as are the '64 and '65 Novas; that should keep them busy for a while.

I heard about those but it’s been quite a while from what I remember.

[wku88]

But will the bumpside F100 4x4 come out before the 64-66 versions?

 

[mikemodeler]

47 minutes ago, wku88 said:

But will the bumpside F100 4x4 come out before the 64-66 versions?

 

What he said^^^^^^^^ !

I asked about this kit and heard nothing, surprising since they showed the 4x4 version last fall as a built box model.

[unclescott58]

18 hours ago, Dave Van said:

Been busy on the Sci-Fi end somewhat....

Dave's hit it. They've been busy with sci-fi, figure kits, etc. And pretty high priced sci-fi kits. Moebuis, Round 2, Atlantis, and others keep coming up with these new, beautiful, and expensive sci-fi kits. What does that tell those of us in model car hobby? Obviously the sci-fi builders are willing to spend the money, making developing new kits for them worthwhile. Instead we complain that we can't anything new for some ridiculously low price like we paid for models 25 years ago. So why we wait for their new Ford pickup trucks and Chevy IIs, the sci-fi guys get a new 2001 Space Odyssey Discovery and Fantastic Voyage Proteus. And both are not cheap kit! 

Edited March 1, 2018 by unclescott58

[Dave Van]

1 hour ago, unclescott58 said:

Dave's hit it. They've been busy with sci-fi, figure kits, etc. And pretty high priced sci-fi kits. Moebuis, Round 2, Atlantis, and others keep coming up with these new, beautiful, and expensive sci-fi kits. What does that tell those of us in model car hobby? Obviously the sci-fi builders are willing to spend the money, making developing new kits for them worthwhile. Instead we complain that we can't anything new for some ridiculously low price like we paid for models 25 years ago. So why we wait for their new Ford pickup trucks and Chevy IIs, the sci-fi guys get a new 2001 Space Odyssey Discovery and Fantastic Voyage Proteus. And both are not cheap kit! 

I want a 2001 Discovery.......but that $$$$$.....WOW. There are 4- 5 other new Moebius I want too.....

[Art Anderson]

I'm sure I can relate this:  The Moebius '65-'66 Ford F100 kit series is now in its initial test shot stage (have a full set right here, in a carton next to this desk).  As with most any model kit test shot, there are necessary corrections/revisions that have to be made, so I will not photograph and share any pics of them--THAT is up to Dave, not my option to pursue.

That said, when Dave Metzner decides,  upon receiving corrected test shots, to release photo's of them (or teaser pics of parts),  then who knows?   That's his call to make.  It's not going to be an interminable wait though. 

Art

[mike 51]

Perhaps if Dave sought more feedback they might avoid many of the problems that show up when they decide to go into production.

Errors in body details, glass and grilles that don'f fit and so on.....they come so close but consistently miss important issues. 

Kind of  a shame....

[SteveG]

I've got the same first round test shots of the 65-66 F-100 as well for review and have already discussed a number corrections with Dave.  I'm sure there will be some photos shared once he's more satisfied. Hopefully with the next round of test shots.  

Last time I talked with Dave he said he would really like to have something new released car and or truck wise in the second Quarter of this year.  The most likely of those would be the 70 F-100 4x4 and or the AFX Comet.   Hopefully Dave will be able share some specifics regarding production of those two kits very soon. 

Steve

[Fat Brian]

3 hours ago, unclescott58 said:

Dave's hit it. They've been busy with sci-fi, figure kits, etc. And pretty high priced sci-fi kits. Moebuis, Round 2, Atlantis, and others keep coming up with these new, beautiful, and expensive sci-fi kits. What does that tell those of us in model car hobby? Obviously the sci-fi builders are willing to spend the money, making developing new kits for them worthwhile. Instead we complain that we can't anything new for some ridiculously low price like we paid for models 25 years ago. So why we wait for their new Ford pickup trucks and Chevy IIs, the sci-fi guys get a new 2001 Space Odyssey Discovery and Fantastic Voyage Proteus. And both are not cheap kit! 

I have to agree with you, if car modelers were more willing to pay a bit more for new releases we might get more of them like the armor and sci-fi guys. And that might help the price of reissues come down a bit.

[mikemodeler]

14 hours ago, Fat Brian said:

I have to agree with you, if car modelers were more willing to pay a bit more for new releases we might get more of them like the armor and sci-fi guys. And that might help the price of reissues come down a bit.

Most of the recent issues from Moebius have a MSRP of $34.95 or higher, which is more than Revell. I won't include Round 2 because they have only a couple of new releases. I have no problem paying the higher price as they have hit on subjects never before seen and are in demand, but when they come with warped hoods, mis-aligned body parts and dimensions that are off, how much more should we have to pay? Most of what ails these kits can be remedied by most modelers and only the most anal retentive among us throw their hands up and refuse to build them, but it would be nice to not have to fix something that was developed in modern times.

[Fat Brian]

I agree, I wasn't speaking about Moebius specifically. I just wish American kit manufacturers would go to more of the Japanese pricing structure where a new kit costs a bit more but reissues are cheaper. 

[mikemodeler]

16 minutes ago, Fat Brian said:

I agree, I wasn't speaking about Moebius specifically. I just wish American kit manufacturers would go to more of the Japanese pricing structure where a new kit costs a bit more but reissues are cheaper. 

The problem as I see it is simple- as a group, us modelers are cheap! We get all excited about running to Hobby Lobby trying to get clearance kits for $7, regardless of the quality or actual need for them. Once upon a time, HL carried Japanese kits and I remember buying some once they put them on clearance because at the time, paying $20+ for a kit (after the coupon) was considered crazy when you could get a Revell or AMT kit for $10 or less (after the coupon).

[Fat Brian]

20 minutes ago, mikemodeler said:

The problem as I see it is simple- as a group, us modelers are cheap! We get all excited about running to Hobby Lobby trying to get clearance kits for $7, regardless of the quality or actual need for them. Once upon a time, HL carried Japanese kits and I remember buying some once they put them on clearance because at the time, paying $20+ for a kit (after the coupon) was considered crazy when you could get a Revell or AMT kit for $10 or less (after the coupon).

And I'm a guilty of it as anyone but we seem to be reaching a tipping point where our cheapness is going to bite us in our collective hind quarters.

[tim boyd]

16 hours ago, mike 51 said:

Perhaps if Dave sought more feedback they might avoid many of the problems that show up when they decide to go into production.

 

From time to time all the domestic kit manufacturers contact me on various subjects, and I've found that of them all, Dave is the most likely to ask for feedback, including sometimes providing very early test shots to subject matter experts for a given kit topic.   Much of this input is provided with no public knowledge, and it does result in better kits on the market, at least in my very limited experience with Moebius.  

No kits are perfect, and Moebius has had its share of quality/fit/finish issues, but given the realities of today's market (very low sales volume, pricing pressure [as mentioned in various posts above], product development and manufacturing sources located half way around the world and 12 hours ahead of us that speak an entirely different language, not to mention a comparatively tiny product development staffing model when compared to past decades), I think they do a very admirable job there.  

But I just want to clarify that Dave and Moebius do a comparatively large degree of seeking of outside subject matter expert feedback, at least based on my personal experience.   

Thanks....TIM 

 

[SfanGoch]

I agree with everything mikemodeler said here

2 hours ago, mikemodeler said:

Most of the recent issues from Moebius have a MSRP of $34.95 or higher, which is more than Revell. I won't include Round 2 because they have only a couple of new releases. I have no problem paying the higher price as they have hit on subjects never before seen and are in demand, but when they come with warped hoods, mis-aligned body parts and dimensions that are off, how much more should we have to pay? Most of what ails these kits can be remedied by most modelers and only the most anal retentive among us throw their hands up and refuse to build them, but it would be nice to not have to fix something that was developed in modern times.

and here

1 hour ago, mikemodeler said:

The problem as I see it is simple- as a group, us modelers are cheap! We get all excited about running to Hobby Lobby trying to get clearance kits for $7, regardless of the quality or actual need for them.

with the exception of "modelers" which is a generalization. Specifically, it's car modelers who are cheap. I've stated the same numerous times. Car modelers do the BMW ( rhymes with Pitch, Bone & Wine  ) because kit prices are in the $25-$35 range. Check out the prices on armor. A large number start at $70+. Consider yourselves fortunate you aren't paying anywhere near that. What you pay for a car kit is a drop in the bucket in comparison. Unlike car models, it is rare to find armor kits on sale with decent discounts. 

Getting back to the first quote, regardless of the kit price, one should expect better quality control from the manufacturers. The issues with warpage, misalignment, etc., are a problem which affect a buyer's perception of the manufacturer's standards and dedication to offering quality products. The kit manufacturers we are familiar with aren't greenhorns who are new to the business. They've been in the game long enough to know that producing kits with multiple issues will affect their bottom line --- making money. The "average" modeler buys a kit because the subject interests him. Keep in mind that, because he is an "average modeler", he most likely doesn't possess the skills required to perform corrective surgery to correct the faults. This is something that more than a few here dismiss and wave off with "Well, all you need to do is hack this, add that....." types of response. They obviously can't for the reasons I stated. 

[modelercarl]

12 minutes ago, SfanGoch said:

I agree with everything mikemodeler said here

and here

with the exception of "modelers" which is a generalization. Specifically, it's car modelers who are cheap. I've stated the same numerous times. Car modelers do the BMW ( rhymes with Pitch, Bone & Wine  ) because kit prices are in the $25-$35 range. Check out the prices on armor. A large number start at $70+. Consider yourselves fortunate you aren't paying anywhere near that. What you pay for a car kit is a drop in the bucket in comparison. Unlike car models, it is rare to find armor kits on sale with decent discounts. 

Getting back to the first quote, regardless of the kit price, one should expect better quality control from the manufacturers. The issues with warpage, misalignment, etc., are a problem which affect a buyer's perception of the manufacturer's standards and dedication to offering quality products. The kit manufacturers we are familiar with aren't greenhorns who are new to the business. They've been in the game long enough to know that producing kits with multiple issues will affect their bottom line --- making money. The "average" modeler buys a kit because the subject interests him. Keep in mind that, because he is an "average modeler", he most likely doesn't possess the skills required to perform corrective surgery to correct the faults. This is something that more than a few here dismiss and wave off with "Well, all you need to do is hack this, add that....." types of response. They obviously can't for the reasons I stated. 

Excellent post!  My only comment on this subject would be that when I compare the car model kits available today against kits from 20 or more years a go is that the progress made in detail and accuracy is outstanding.  The issues of warpage and misalignment are frustrating and one would think easily remedied, but I personally have only experienced a couple of these issues (mis-alignment) in all the kits that I have built and they were easily fixed.

When I think about "the model car kit industry" I wonder why they even bother manufacturing kits anymore.  The market pretty much dictates that cost of the kit is number one priority and that factor drives all decisions made during development.  When you consider that $35.00 for a kit is considered "on the high end" and the average production run is 5,000 kits I don't see much money in this endeavor.  My estimate:  $20.00 profit x 5,000 kits= $100,000 profit.  Plus the BMW factor!

[John Pol]

At lease moebius gives you side mirrors and rearview mirror how many did you guys buy and this two items are not in the kit or instructions

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, SfanGoch said:

... The "average" modeler buys a kit because the subject interests him. Keep in mind that, because he is an "average modeler", he most likely doesn't possess the skills required to perform corrective surgery to correct the faults. This is something that more than a few here dismiss and wave off with "Well, all you need to do is hack this, add that....." types of response. They obviously can't for the reasons I stated. 

Bingo.

And the logical extension of that thought...as far as developing new market goes...is that when a "casual" or "first time" modeler buys a kit and has issues with warpage (there was a relatively high percentage of bad windshield frames in the Foose Caddy kit, and one of the sporty 4X4s was seriously bad...and I KNOW they weren't Moebius kits, but the thought is valid) or appearance (there are actually some "normal" people who can see instantly that some kits have glaring proportion and line problems),  or assembly (there seemed to be rather a lot of experienced builders who didn't deal well with a Moebius Pontiac's front and back glass) he's going to be far less likely to buy ANOTHER kit than he would have been if his first one had been done right.

Edited March 2, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[Ron Hamilton]

I happen to like most of Mobieus's offerings, and have bought most of them, some in multiples. Sure, they are not perfect in some details, but a lot of the subject matter, and detail of the build brought me to them. I will be on board for their stock future offerings if I like them as much as their previous offerings I have. Now I have to get some paint on the 55 300, Hudson Hornet, and 65 Plymouths and Cyclone. I have pre-built them, and l should be happy with them when I am done.

[Motor City]

I've bought some of the Moebius models (300s, Hudsons, Comet), but haven't built any yet.  I have no interest in the big Ford trucks or Nova, but both will probably sell decently.  I'm hopeful that some Ranchero GT, Buick GS, and '65 442 kits eventually get made.  It's a different world today than what we had to choose from decades ago, so I've been buying old promos and kits instead.  

[Brett Barrow]

Moebius has just been sold, but it’s not supposed to affect anything they currently have in the pipeline. They’re going to release the details over the weekend. They just posted about it on their Facebook page. It happened a couple weeks back but since they kept it under wraps I didn’t want to say anything until they did. 

 

Edit: it’s Pegasus Hobbies, I didn’t see in their original post that they had announced who was buying them. 

Edited March 2, 2018 by Brett Barrow