Isn't it time....

[StevenGuthmiller]

  On 5/21/2018 at 5:54 PM, Richard Bartrop said:

Do you honestly think the folks at Revell aren't going to look at the pile of moulds they just acquired from Revell USA, look at the US market and think, "Y'know, we should really do something with these..."

Way back when, AMT was owned for a while by the English company Lesney, and universe  still kept going, and let's not forget that Round 2 and Moebius aren't dead yet.

We've seen the Japanese put out their share of American iron,  and what did Trumpeter make when it decided to get into model cars?  That's right, big ol' American cars.

If the American model companies shut their doors, don't be surprised if foreign companies fill the void.

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I understand that Revell would most likely keep on producing the kits that they have in their coffers & Round 2 & Moebius will likely be around for some time yet, (although word is that Moebius has just recently been sold) but as Round 2 has already demonstrated, there will likely be very little for "new" product coming from them if they bite the dust.

As for the Japanese makers producing big American cars, you're correct, but we have seen the quality of those kits & lets just say that in general, the results have not been good.

Trumpeter tried & basically failed with most of the American cars that they have produced & I have seen zero indication that any of the other Japanese firms show any interest in jumping into that segment of the market.

Not to say that it can't happen, but unless I want to be pushing up daisies soon, I won't hold my breath.

You have to look at the flip side and consider how confident that you would be with the prospect of Revell or Moebius picking up the slack if Tamiya & a half dozen other foreign kit producers went down the drain.

You might worry a bit I'm guessing.

As for me, I don't really care all that much anyway.

I've bought very few new kits in recent years in favor of the old annuals that I enjoy & I'm at that point in my life where my building years are waning, but for most of us, if the troubles of the American model kit companies is not a concern, I think they should be.

 

Steve

[SfanGoch]

  On 5/21/2018 at 11:33 PM, StevenGuthmiller said:

(although word is that Moebius has just recently been sold)

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Old nooze.

[StevenGuthmiller]

  On 5/21/2018 at 11:48 PM, SfanGoch said:

Old nooze.

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Sorry, I'll be the first to admit that I don't always keep up with this stuff.

I picked up a little information this past weekend at the NNL North show & it actually sounded encouraging.

Seems that some of these purchases have been by people who have a little more cash to throw around than the original owners.

But changing hands does not always mean that things carry on as we would hope.

There are always circumstances where a new owner quickly runs a business into the ground.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that things get better rather than worse.

 

I was also told that there will be some interesting new resin parts & tire producers coming in the future.

 

Steve

[Force]

IMHO classic US cars are not only for the US market, the interest and market for them are World wide and if the new owners of Revell should stop doing US cars...wich I doubt...they wouldn't last long.
Hopefully they will continue doing some new kits per year as they are far between otherwise, Round 2 doesn't do much other than reissues nowadays and since Moebius was sold to Pegasus Hobbies a couple of months ago it hasn't been anything new from them lately either.

[DrSprue]

hmmm ignore plz

Edited May 22, 2018 by DrSprue

[Casey]

WOW. 

 

Edited May 27, 2018 by Casey

[Oldcarfan27]

  On 5/21/2018 at 5:54 PM, Richard Bartrop said:

We've seen the Japanese put out their share of American iron,  and what did Trumpeter make when it decided to get into model cars?  That's right, big ol' American cars.

If the American model companies shut their doors, don't be surprised if foreign companies fill the void.

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Not if the Japanese kits of American cars keep being as bad as they have been in the past.

Don't they understand that we don't build model cars with electric motors, shallow interior buckets and generic chassis pans with giant steering mechanisms and zero correct details. 

Does anybody remember the Hasegawa American 66 series? Great subject matter, Deplorable execution! Ripoff AMT or Johan curbside bodies and generic interiors and chassis. And offered at TWICE the price of domestic kit prices. How about the Sunny Cobra 427 debacle? Or the Marui/Tilt Cannonball Run, American Violence series? Why do they still think that we still want kits with electric motors and battery boxes instead of real engines (not engine inserts) and opening hoods?

Japanese model companies can do amazing things with Japanese subjects, but it seems they just can't get good examples of American cars to measure from or get blueprints for. They always seem to choose to design them from memory instead, with incorrect proportions and outright wrong details.

"Fill a void"? I'm not so sure. I personally shy away from their offerings of American cars - I've been burned too many times before. 

[Luc Janssens]

  On 5/26/2018 at 5:59 AM, Oldcarfan27 said:

Not if the Japanese kits of American cars keep being as bad as they have been in the past.

Don't they understand that we don't build model cars with electric motors, shallow interior buckets and generic chassis pans with giant steering mechanisms and zero correct details. 

Does anybody remember the Hasegawa American 66 series? Great subject matter, Deplorable execution! Ripoff AMT or Johan curbside bodies and generic interiors and chassis. And offered at TWICE the price of domestic kit prices. How about the Sunny Cobra 427 debacle? Or the Marui/Tilt Cannonball Run, American Violence series? Why do they still think that we still want kits with electric motors and battery boxes instead of real engines (not engine inserts) and opening hoods?

Japanese model companies can do amazing things with Japanese subjects, but it seems they just can't get good examples of American cars to measure from or get blueprints for. They always seem to choose to design them from memory instead, with incorrect proportions and outright wrong details.

"Fill a void"? I'm not so sure. I personally shy away from their offerings of American cars - I've been burned too many times before. 

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you're talking pre-90s Japanese kits of US subjects.

In the past (two) decade(s) the market has changed from a toy to speciality hobby, consumers became very demanding, IMHO the car hobby is now where the military and plane model kits were in the '80-90s.

When or if US companies cease to exist, others will take over,  and probably pick subjects of US vehicles which can be sold globaly, where the domestic companies, only looked at North America.

Again look at the military and plane modelers, yes the big companies are still there, but the driving force are the tiny or newer companies, who force the big and or old ones to up their game, the difference bestween enthusiast steered companies as oposed to big top heavy corporations.

Also one has to realise that the US isn't the center of the world....

Edited May 26, 2018 by Luc Janssens

[Classicgas]

  On 5/26/2018 at 8:42 AM, Luc Janssens said:

you're talking pre-90s Japanese kits of US subjects.

 

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No not really. None of Trumpeter's kits of US subjects are correct. None of them. What other Japanese manufacturers are doing American cars?

[Luc Janssens]

  On 5/26/2018 at 11:40 AM, Classicgas said:

No not really. None of Trumpeter's kits of US subjects are correct. None of them. What other Japanese manufacturers are doing American cars?

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To my knowledge Trumpeter isn't a Japanese company, and yes....they did screw up....the reason why....maybe someday Don Banes, may tell what went wrong there...

[Classicgas]

yeah I know it isn't Japanese, but it is a foreign kitmaker. I still don't know of any Japanese kitmakers making US cars currently.

[Luc Janssens]

  On 5/26/2018 at 11:53 AM, Classicgas said:

yeah I know it isn't Japanese, but it is a foreign kitmaker. I still don't know of any Japanese kitmakers making US cars currently.

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There probably isn't any reason to do so, but it "looks like" the deck of cards is being shuffled.

BTW Beemax a few years back did a Racing version of the Chevy Cruze, was that a US vehicle, or just a Daewoo with a Chevy badge?

 

Edited May 26, 2018 by Luc Janssens

[Snake45]

It's a surprise and a shame that we haven't seen more Chinese kitmakers jump into the popular/competitive priced 1/25 American car market. They're doing it with airplanes and armor. And we know they have the car research in China because most if not all of the 1/24-1/25 diecasts are made there. No, they're not all perfect but some of them are QUITE nice and would be welcomed here as plastic kits if they could compete on price point with R2/AMT and Revellogram. 

[Luc Janssens]

  On 5/26/2018 at 12:30 PM, Snake45 said:

It's a surprise and a shame that we haven't seen more Chinese kitmakers jump into the popular/competitive priced 1/25 American car market. They're doing it with airplanes and armor. And we know they have the car research in China because most if not all of the 1/24-1/25 diecasts are made there. No, they're not all perfect but some of them are QUITE nice and would be welcomed here as plastic kits if they could compete on price point with R2/AMT and Revellogram. 

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You're already buying Chinese kits, since Revell, Moebius and Round2 have thier new kits designed and produced there, they only provide the Research and 3D files.

[StevenGuthmiller]

  On 5/26/2018 at 11:49 AM, Luc Janssens said:

To my knowledge Trumpeter isn't a Japanese company, and yes....they did screw up....the reason why....maybe someday Don Banes, may tell what went wrong there...

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So, there are zero Japanese companies making American cars.

You just made Lee's point.

 

Steve

[Snake45]

  On 5/26/2018 at 3:56 PM, StevenGuthmiller said:

So, there are zero Japanese companies making American cars.

You just made Lee's point.

 

Steve

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I can think of a couple that did, at one point (Hasegawa and Otaki), but can't come up with any in the last decade or two. 

[Luc Janssens]

 

  On 5/26/2018 at 3:56 PM, StevenGuthmiller said:

So, there are zero Japanese companies making American cars.

You just made Lee's point.

 

Steve

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No not realy, Lee is living in the past, he's "thinks" that if Japanese model companies today design kits of US vehicles, they will be motorised or disproportioned.

A lot of asuming there....while in fact we don't know anything (except maybe guys like Jonathan Stevens

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

  On 5/26/2018 at 7:33 PM, Luc Janssens said:

 

No not realy, Lee is living in the past, he's "thinks" that if Japanese model companies today design kits of US vehicles, they will be motorised or disproportioned.

A lot of asuming there....while in fact we don't know anything (except maybe guys like Jonathan Stevens

 

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Well, whatever you may think that Lee's point was, I cannot think of any older American car subjects being currently produced by a Japanese company, can you?

 

Steve

[Luc Janssens]

  On 5/26/2018 at 7:42 PM, StevenGuthmiller said:

Well, whatever you may think that Lee's point was, I cannot think of any older American car subjects being currently produced by a Japanese company, can you?

 

Steve

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Indeed they don't, so we just don't know, and that is the point I'm trying to make.

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

  On 5/26/2018 at 7:47 PM, Luc Janssens said:

Indeed they don't, so we just don't know, and that is the point I'm trying to make.

 

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I'm pretty sure that we can agree that the possibility that a Japanese company will likely miraculously start pumping out dozens of American car kits any time in the near future are zero to none.

I for one do not have much confidence that there is much hope that they would fill any void left by any failing American companies.

At least not to our satisfaction.

 

Steve

[Luc Janssens]

  On 5/26/2018 at 7:58 PM, StevenGuthmiller said:

I'm pretty sure that we can agree that the possibility that a Japanese company will likely miraculously start pumping out dozens of American car kits any time in the near future are zero to none.

I for one do not have much confidence that there is much hope that they would fill any void left by any failing American companies.

At least not to our satisfaction.

 

Steve

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IMHO A lot will depend on the evolution on pricing of auto kits in the US, and the notion that a company like Round2 can undermine any effort of tooling up something new, just by re-releasing old wine in new bottles, undercutting any chance of turning a profit.

A reason too, IMHO exclusive rights when having the license to tool up something are the way to go...but come at a added cost too, which brings us back to my first statement, a lot will depend on the evolution of pricing....

Edited May 26, 2018 by Luc Janssens

[StevenGuthmiller]

  On 5/26/2018 at 8:12 PM, Luc Janssens said:

IMHO A lot will depend on the evolution on pricing of auto kits in the US, and the notion that a company like Round2 can undermine any effort of tooling up something new, just by re-releasing old wine in new bottles, undercutting any chance of turning a profit.

A reason too, IMHO exclusive rights when having the license to tool up something are the way to go...but come at a added cost too, which brings us back to my first statement, a lot will depend on the evolution of pricing....

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I can agree with that.

Don't get me wrong, I would absolutely love to see a full detail Tamiya 1958 Pontiac Bonneville, or anything of the like, & I have no issue with paying $50.00 for it.

Tamiya produces terrific kits from what I have seen, but I don't hold much hope that it will take place.

There is a substantial possibility that the Japanese companies would likely "throw us a few bones" if most of the American manufacturers went belly up, but I doubt that it would ever be anything of the scale that we see today.

I don't think that very many of us "old American car" enthusiasts would be pleased with a dozen options or so of the types of subject matter that we desire.

 

Steve

[Luc Janssens]

  On 5/26/2018 at 8:26 PM, StevenGuthmiller said:

I can agree with that.

Don't get me wrong, I would absolutely love to see a full detail Tamiya 1958 Pontiac Bonneville, or anything of the like, & I have no issue with paying $50.00 for it.

Tamiya produces terrific kits from what I have seen, but I don't hold much hope that it will take place.

There is a substantial possibility that the Japanese companies would likely "throw us a few bones" if most of the American manufacturers went belly up, but I doubt that it would ever be anything of the scale that we see today.

I don't think that very many of us "old American car" enthusiasts would be pleased with a dozen options or so of the types of subject matter that we desire.

 

Steve

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Steven, I'm glad we somewhat agree

 

Edited May 26, 2018 by Luc Janssens

[StevenGuthmiller]

  On 5/26/2018 at 8:29 PM, Luc Janssens said:

Steven, I'm glad we somewhat agree

 

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It is, or at least should be, all about discussion on these forums.

We don't always need to be in agreement, but we can always be civilized & open to others opinions.

 

Steve

[Luc Janssens]

  On 5/26/2018 at 8:36 PM, StevenGuthmiller said:

It is, or at least should be, all about discussion on these forums.

We don't always need to be in agreement, but we can always be civilized & open to others opinions.

 

Steve

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Indeed