Brett Barrow

Also, with diecast, you have a much higher perceived value to consumers vs a plastic model. The investment to produce a finished die-cast vs a plastic kit really aren't that much different, let's say $200,000 for each. Let's say the plastic kit has a retail of $20 and you need to sell 50,000 pieces. You could sell the diecast for $100 retail, but then you'd only have to sell 10,000 pieces, since it's the same dollar amount. The diecast doesn't really cost any more to produce, but has a much higher perceived value because it's built and painted. When you're talking about Chinese labor, it really doesn't matter if you're molding and packaging 50,000 plastic model kits, or building and painting 10,000 diecast models, it's pretty much the same. But there might be a market for those 10,000 diecast pieces, where there's no market for 50,000 plastic model kits. That's the difference between finished diecasts and plastic kits.

I guess nobody remembers these things. I do. Couldn't give 'em away, and they weren't that expensive, maybe $15-$20, IIRC. Sure they're a different scale, but when you can't sell small, cheap, snap together kits of construction equipment, you'll find that it's even harder to sell big, fancy, glue-together kits of construction equipment...

Revell Germany only made 1,500 pieces of the big excavator reissue. That's a VERY SMALL run. By contrast the typical limited-run SSP reissues are 5,000 pieces. Model King's limited edition kits are typically 3,000-5,000 pieces. New tooling takes around 50,000 pieces to break even these days. That's exactly why Moebius picked the ProStar/LoneStar, the ability to get more than one kit out of a basic tool. Also factor in that Revell Germany is reboxing Moebius' truck kits for the European market.

I know it will have a tri-carb setup (but not sure exactly which one it will be), , a new exhaust system (duals, I believe), lowered suspension, and an automatic transmission. Not sure how many wheel options it will have, but whatever it has will be vintage, no modern big-inch billet wheels, even though it's being labeled as a "California Wheels" kit. The pics show Fiesta-style tri-bar hubcaps. I don't know if anything will be done to the interior.

October for both.

Maybe so (and I would debate that dollar figure) "passive" car modelers outnumber "active" car modelers by a factor I'd conservatively estimate of at least 50 to 1.

The HMA (Hobby Manufacturers' Association)'s Size-of-Industry survey, and the analysis of same published in industry trade magazines Model Retailer and Hobby Merchandiser. There was a new survey for 2012 published earlier this year, but I haven't really gone over it in detail for myself yet. I believe it will show a little more of a overall decrease than the last one did. One problem we have trying to judge the size of the modeling segment it that the kits themselves get grouped into the "Plastics and Die-Cast" segment, while the tools and supplies used to build and finish them get put into the "General Hobby" segment. Plus having Die-Cast attached to plastic models has skewed the figures, it seems to me that die-cast has been in a big decline over the last few years. I'd like to be able to see the plastics figures without die-cast attached. The HMA usually will post a brief summary of the survey on their website, hmahobby.org in the news and press release section.

I wouldn't call modeling recession-proof, but it is definitely recession-resistant. There are some segments in the hobby business that run almost counter to the economy. Crafts, for example, seem to pick up during economic downturns as people spend more time at home due to layoffs or lack of work. Same thing happens with modeling (but not to the same extent as crafting), especially car modeling, folks are looking for something to do with their free time and will often take up a hobby. I've found that free time is usually a bigger factor than money when it comes to folks taking up a hobby.

Based on Fujimi's history, I'd guess the difference will be no PE.

Car modeling? I'd call it "concentrating"... Fewer modelers, but they're buying more models. Those that are into it are into in a big way. Modeling in general? Compared to the last 5 years or so, I'd say growing slightly, fueled mainly in the Sci-fi genre, which seems to be going through a bit of a renaissance. 1/32 scale aircraft has also been a major growth area over the last few years. The figures from the last industry survey (2011) show the hobby industry shrunk slightly since the previous survey (around 2007 or 2008, IIRC) but the loss was entirely contained within the R/C segment, other areas were flat or grew slightly. I tend to agree with the figures based on what I encounter in my day-to-day line of work. Look, it's not the 1990's anymore, that was the big boom in modeling, maybe even bigger than the 60's boom. I think we've settled into what the hobby market is meant to be. The 1990's-early 2000's and the big-box-store era were an unsustainable anomaly, I doubt we'll ever see those days again, and it's a bit unfair to compare to those times.

I don't really remember snaps being involved, but it has been 30+ years. Or maybe my grandad's wasn't an exact OEM-style top or he had left parts of it out. I just remember the thing was heavy and took 2 adults to handle. It sat in our little-used paint room when it wasn't on the car.

Just the design of the hinge bracket and the weight of that oak bow and plate-glass rear window. Plus once the whole thing is opened up it's sorta like an opened umbrella, it's under tension and holds its shape. Plus it's not really a full-weather top, it doesn't form a weather-tight seal against the body, the originals didn't have side windows or even side curtains (but they were a popular accessory to add, either homemade or aftermarket). I've always though the old roadster tops were more about keeping the sun off you than keeping the rain out. I'm sure the modern convertible-style tops that are designed to stay on the car under a boot or in a hide-away compartment are totally different. But the original top was big and bulky and was really designed to come off when it wasn't going to be needed, it's hard to see behind you with the top on and folded, it stands up so high it blocks your vision. They come off easy, IIRC you don't even need tools, but it's heavy, it's a two-man job for sure. My grandad had a Model A roadster when I was a small child I can remember him putting the top on before trips when it looked like there might be weather that day. If it rained any more than just a light sprinkle, you were getting wet...

The Gearz shows (season 4 ep 15 and season 5 ep 1) with the Rat Roaster's top have the answer. That's a chopped top, but it's made in the same fashion an original top was. Only mechanical connection to the car were the hinge points behind the doors and, IIRC, the top of the windshield frame. The tension from the unfolded frame and stretched fabric does the rest. Linky to relevant videos - http://staceydavid.com/black-book/superior-car-parts

Looking at Fox Sports 1's schedule, it looks like the same ol', SPEED, but with other sports programming replacing the episodic series. Looks like they'll still have the same level of motorsports event coverage. Which is to say every stinking minute that anything NASCAR is in motion on the track (seriously - who watches Truck Series practice?!?!?) with an additional 27 hours of talking heads after they're done, with a little bit of some other stuff thrown in here and there (like MotoGP). No big loss to me, as I never watched the episodic stuff anyway.

Miami Vice Ferraris? Like these? Both have been out for several months... And I don't remember ever seeing a Summer '13 promised date for the Moebius Fords, at least not from Mr. Winspur or Mr. Metzner or anyone officially affiliated with the company. Some hopeful, best-case-scenario, possibly-maybe dates at best... Or perhaps some folks confused tooling dates or production dates with release dates? To add to what Mr Anderson said, a lot of the manufacturing schedule is out of the model companies' hands nowadays. About all they can do is approve the work at each step along the way and keep writing checks and paying the bills during the kits' development. They're at the mercy of the companies doing the actual tooling and production work and their own schedules. BTW, only one model company in the entire industry controls every step from development to manufacturing and packaging of their products in-house, and that company is Fine Molds from Japan. Every other company relies on outside contractors or subsidiaries for some of, if not all of, the work it takes to bring a model kit to market.

There was a really good in-depth thread in On the Workbench when the RoG boxing first came out. - http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=70840&p=879149

Bandai 1/100 Master Grade Zaku 2.0 and related Zaku-based variants from the Mobie Suit Gundam franchise-

And with that, you're back on my ignore list.... That'll be the last time I EVER post anything in one of your threads.

The current, modern Revell has no desire to produce parts packs. The last time they tried it (mid/late '90's), they lost a ton of money and a lot of those decision makers are still with the company and have no desire to try it again. Round2/AMT, on the other hand....

I was going off the top of my head with the model years, I'll trust the VW enthusiasts to correct my mistakes and educate the masses (including me) while they're at it.

Tamiya's is a '67 1300. Revell's is a '68 1500. Revell aren't so much competing head-to-head as they are filling in gaps. See their recent new-tool Mini as another example. Thiers is a 998, Tamiya's is a 1275S.

I've tried it before. Doesn't "bite" or melt into the plastic and will usually leave a hair-line gap around the edge of the filled area (which can be remedied with a further application of Mr. Surfacer - but I guess that defeats the point of using it as a substitute). Doesn't feather out very well, can chip at the edges. Works OK for filling panel lines and sharp, deep scratches (like scriber slips) or things with well-defined edges (like ejector pin marks). Since it doesn't feather out, doesn't work well for shallow depressions or sinkmarks. If you've got some handy, give it a shot - you might like it.

It's a little slab-sided, which is typical for the converted die-cast to plastic bodied kits.

That's exactly what they did. MK's Police Car version should start shipping next week. With the modular design of molds nowadays they can "turn on" and "turn off" parts as they need them by pulling the inserts out or turning them so the runners don't line up (some of the Japanese companies - Bandai especially - use little "valves" they can turn in the parts runners to block of entire areas of part trees). Back in the old days they would just make a spot weld to block off the mold runner, then they'd grind the weld out if they needed the part again.

Great kustom work that would look just as good on a 1:1.