drksd4848

I agree with you 1000%. There are ways around in the extra licensing fees. They proved that they can clone models to replace the damaged or missing tooling. They know that there would solid demand for this kit. So there must be a real legitimate reason why it hasn’t been rereleased. Another question I’d throw out there: can two companies release a kit of the same car at the same time?

Niteowl, Great posts! A lot of insight in there. Thank you. There are obviously ways you could release a Road Runner kit and get around the extra licensing. I know there was a 1/25 '74 GTX kit that circumvented Warner Bros, but eventually got released as a Road Runner kit, even with a Road Runner figurine. Monogram did an end around Warner Bros with that highly detailed 1/24 Plymouth Satellite that was clearly a Road Runner. Johan and Monogram had a Superbird kit with no Road Runner decals. The name Superbird is NOT a Warner Bros property, but the decals are. So I wonder how Round2 handled their previous Road Runner kits. Could they absorb the cost of the double licensing fees because the tooling was intact? With the 71/72 Road Runner you would have to pay the extra WB licensing AND pay for the new cloning/tooling. I have no clue what the budget is for producing a new kit to get the pricing right for the ROI; there may not be enough ROI for it. However you could clone it and call it a GTX to avoid Warner bros - the money that would be spent on the licensing could be directed toward cloning/tooling. Which is why the point you made about Salvinos is interesting... I wouldn't be surprised if THAT is a sticking point. They may have an exclusive deal with Stellantis on that particular kit. Anyway, this is all over-thought wild speculation. I have no clue about any of this. I do enjoy over analyzing it though - strangely enough.

Sorry... misunderstood what you meant by cottage industry... mostly because I often wonder where a company like Round 2 sits in terms of size, scope etc. So as far as *that* cottage industry is concerned, it's likely not worth it for the auto companies to go after these guys with lawyers. What's the gain? How much money do they make? Probably not much.

If you check out the box and decals, I think you'll see the automakers trademark on all of the printed material. They have to pay for that. One thing I would say, what the cottage industry has in it's favor: they can mass produce polystyrene kits. For me personally, I would much rather work with a model made out of polystyrene than resin. Resin will do when there is nothing else but it's tougher to paint, it breaks easier (I have found) etc. Plus it never seems to fit right and always looked slightly "off" compared to the polystyrene version. I also did a little research. On ebay there ARE people selling complete 3D printed resin 71-72 Road Runner kits... at $80 to $120 a pop! A polystyrene kit? $29.99. I'll buy a R2 72 Road Runner kit @$30 over a pricey resin kit all day long. No brainer. Be nice if they made one I could buy though.

Uh.... yeah. True that. They *are* paying licensing for other Mopar Stellantis stuff. Anyone know if that's a blanket agreement, or do you have to pay per car? As in, the 72 Duster has to have a separate deal, the Coronet has to have a separate deal, etc. The Road Runner would be a double wammy I guess, because you need Mopar Stellantis AND Warner Bros.

Yeah, I think that’s probably about right.

Yeah, I’ve seen those. They look pretty good. I guess you would have to have each individual piece 3-D printed. So any individual with a decent 3-D printer could make his own 1/25 scale model. Which makes me wonder, if a shlub with a good 3-D printer can take those plans and make his own, why couldn’t a company with more resources do it on a larger scale?

It’s what it is…

HA! I can’t believe it’s been almost 3 years since I made that post. Sadly it doesn’t seem there’s much of a business case for a reissue from R2. I was hopeful after the 68 Coronet clone that the 71–72 Road Runner wouldn’t be far behind. But It seems like there’s a slim chance that would ever happen. I suppose if it made sense they would reissue it. But for one reason or another, it doesn’t…

None taken at all! And I truly appreciate Steve G always chiming in. I also believe when the time is right and things fall into place they will figure out a way to get a reissue of this kit on the shelves, they will. The time just isn’t right yet. This kit in particular is a bit of a heavier lift than others, so it’s pretty impressive that it is still actually on their radar. And it’s nice that Steve G is willing to pop on here and explain that. I wS just checking in to see what was going on. It had been a little while.

As opposed to what? A model of Robbie Robot? And when did I ever say I was expecting a 53 year-old car to attract young kids to the hobby? You’re putting words in my mouth. We all know who these cars are really marketed for. I’ve just noticed in - in general - that the kids don’t seem to be going towards the scale models with the paint and glue much anymore or noticeably as much as they used to. But Legos now are wildly popular. Why is that? Put a scale model of Godzilla with paint and glue in front of five preteens, along with a Lego model of Godzilla. They go for the Lego model every time. It wasn’t always that way. Times are changing I guess. Which actually is fine as long as they’re building things with their hands and not with their… Thumbs.

No doom and gloom here at all. Just checking in to see where they’re at and being real. It’s good to see it’s on the list. It’s a little disappointing that It’s been on the list for as long as it has. However, there are relevant reasons - as we have learned - why it’s still on the list and not on the shelves. I totally understand that. And it is nice that Steve G answers questions. There is no way I would even consider spending $300 on a unmolested 72 Roadrunner kit from the original issue. Or even $100 for that matter. (plus I already have the reissue 71 from 1987)I’d rather wait and spend $300 to buy 10 Round2 re-issues. However, the 3-D printed ones seemed very interesting. I think there are 1/25 scale 3-D files of a 72 RR that are ready to print. If the price was reasonable I’d consider buying one of those. Anybody buy one of those 3-D printed kits? I’m curious as to how it would go together and how it would look finished. if I have any doom and gloom at all, it’s just related to the fact that young people aren’t into scale monitoring like they used to be. It’s hard to get the kids into it these days with so many video games, screened tech, etc. It is a wonderful hobby that unlocks the imagination like nothing else can. I do find it interesting that Legos are more popular than ever, but anything that needs paint or glue isn’t.

Wow…. They’d have to completely start from scratch. Good news is much of parts of the 74 RR were similar if not completely identical to the 71-72 RR kit. But, correct me if I’m wrong, I don’t think you can mix and match tooling. So it sounds like bringing back the 71–72 RR is a pretty heavy lift. Seems like it would be costly. Maybe one day. Always nice to check into the form every once in a while, though. You learn something every day.

Yep, that seems to be the story that has been repeated here many times before. It happened some time after the ‘87 reissue. If Round2 were to reissue it, it would have to be a clone. So essentially what this boils down to is a return on investment. If the return isn't there for this kit at the point in time, who could blame Round2 for not reissuing it? It stinks but… it is what it is.

I don’t think it has anything to do with the Revell kit. I think a lot of it is what Justin said. Round2 probably determined that the return on this particular reissue kit would not be worth the investment in cloning and remaking the damaged tooling. Maybe if the tooling was complete a la the 74 RR, it would have already been reissued. But I imagine Round2 has limited resources and a limited budget. There isn't much room for error; they need reissue kits that get them the most return with the least amount of over-head. They must feel that a 71-72 RR reissue is not one of those kits That’s what I guess anyway. I’m not an expert in the scale model business.

Yeah…. That’s what I figured. I was under the impression that how well the Coronet would sell would be a good indicator of whether we’d see the RR. I guess it do as well as they hoped, huh? The Duster and Charger were straight reissues, correct? As in, no new tooling, no cloning no making stuff from scratch to resurrect them? I have to say, all this makes me feel really gloomy for scale modeling in general. Yet, as a side note, Lego kits keep going strong.

It has been over two years since this thread was started and… nothing. No 71-72… What happened? (Or… what didn’t happen?)

Dare I ask… Why is that?

Nor will there be a reissue kit of a mid-sized Mopar from that year, or the year before apparently.

Yes! It would be nice if they tooled up a kit of 2023 Chrysler 300C final edition with the 6.4 Hemi.

*sigh* Disappointing...

Didn’t Johan do a 1/25 version where you could build it as stock or NASCAR?

That looks like a REALLY sharp kit! Leave it to Round 2 to do it right! I might have to stockpile that one for the day I actually have room again to build one. Hmm…. If I’m not mistaken, that model shares a lot of tooling/parts with another mopar of the same year an platform. ?

Looks they’re reissuing the ‘71… Dodge Charger. Well… now I have a tub with seats and a chassis I can use for my ‘72 RR resin body I suppose. Heck, I’ll take what I can get.

Looks like there’s a ‘71 Charger in the mix. That a reissue?