Hobby Lobby re-opening

[Dave Van]

2 minutes ago, mikemodeler said:

I believe it has to do with some of the other kits made by Moebius that HL finds offensive.  Sad, because they would move a lot more kits if they opened up HL to selling them.

Much more to do with the price HL demands and needs so they can offer the 40% off and not loose money. The standard is 40 and 10 off retail. A kit with a MSRP of $20 sells to a hobby shop for $10.80. If that is what Hobby Lobby paid their profit $1.20....not enough to pay he truck that transports, employees to stock shelves and people to check you out.  So Hobby Lobby buyers need more of a discount. With 900 stores  if they just buy 2 kits per store (I know they buy more than that) that's 1800 kits.....that could make or break it for a kit manufacture. I don't know the exact number but I bet Hobby Lobby demands a price more like a distributor gets......more along the lines of what they call 40,20 and 10.  And since they buy more kits than many distributors......it's fair. 

Moebius is a VERY small company. I know every person that works for them (or did before they got sold) I did myself. They have a very different business model than other kit companies....and really they don't need HL. 

This is all personal opinion formed by working in the hobby 40 years from the retail end to the manufacture end. 

[Tom Geiger]

1 hour ago, mikemodeler said:

I believe it has to do with some of the other kits made by Moebius that HL finds offensive.  Sad, because they would move a lot more kits if they opened up HL to selling them.

I think it’s more that Moebius isn’t set up to handle the volume, price and payment terms of HL.  I’ve heard they pay net 90 plus, which is tough for small companies to handle.

Personally I think Moebius is better off not being there and maintaining its position as a premium brand.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Tom Geiger

[stavanzer]

I Do see Atlantis kits at H.L.

In fact that is where I've gotten all the Atlantis kits I've bought.

[mikemodeler]

24 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

I think it’s more that Moebius isn’t set up to handle the volume, price and payment terms of HL.  I’ve heard they pay net 90 plus, which is tough for small companies to handle.

Personally I think Moebius is better off not being there and maintaining its position as a premium brand.

I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night and I don't pretend to know the inner workings of a large retailer or small manufacturing company, but I would guess that if HL wanted to buy Moebius kits and Moebius wanted to sell them, they could come to an agreement on payment terms and order volume. Anyone who has worked in manufacturing understands that terms can be worked out if the justification can be made. 

And as far as a being a premium brand, I don't think limited distribution makes you a premium brand, it is what is in the box. 

[Snake45]

Still no Supernatural '67 Impala at my HL. Used my coupon to buy another can of vanishing MM paint just so the trip wasn't wasted. 

Gonna give up and order the Impala from one of the net joints. I need a couple other things anyway. 

Oh, and no kits on clearance. They did have one '40 Ford sedan at regular price. 

[Tom Geiger]

46 minutes ago, mikemodeler said:

I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night and I don't pretend to know the inner workings of a large retailer or small manufacturing company, but I would guess that if HL wanted to buy Moebius kits and Moebius wanted to sell them, they could come to an agreement on payment terms and order volume. Anyone who has worked in manufacturing understands that terms can be worked out if the justification can be made. 

And as far as a being a premium brand, I don't think limited distribution makes you a premium brand, it is what is in the box. 

It goes like this...

Modelers are um “thrifty” by nature. They’d sell their mothers to get stuff cheap, and expect to get that new release immediately with their 40% off coupon. People have posted outrage that new releases aren’t available at Ollies for $10. No thought to how that would be possible or what damage it would do to the manufacturer, (Or being the coffin nails in the few remaining hobby shops) just the selfish notion of them getting theirs cheap.

As far as “premium brand”, that’s a product only available at close or at the retail price. People know they aren’t getting that Moebius kit at HL, so they’ll go to their local hobby shop and support them with that purchase. 

As I said Moebius probably isn’t set up to detail with big retailer. I have experience with Walmart and their treatment of vendors from when I was in Pharma and over the counter drugs.  Ruthless would be a kind word. There is no negotiating to a happy deal. Walmart is “my way or the highway” and I understand HL is as tough. 

They tell you the volume, price, terms and delivery schedule. First, they pay on a 90 day or greater term. They have a formula for sell through on their shelf space.. 15-30-45 days.  So everything in those stores is essentially still owned by the manufacturers, you didn’t think they rapidly build all those HL stores and paid for all the merchandise in them?  

You miss a delivery date, there’s a give back since they programmed your product for precious shelf space. When your product expires, they dispose of it and you don’t get paid.. that’s right, the manufacturer doesn’t get paid anything for those clearance $8 kits. Same with returns for any reason. The “spoilage”  can be 25% of the product.

So indeed the price Walmart or HL will pay can exceed the manufacturers cost of product, shipping, 90 days interest, and spoilage givebacks.

Avenel Hobbies was a mainly plastic model shop in NJ for 25-30 years. When HL built a store one traffic light away, their kit sales fell to nothing. Adding insult to injury, people were coming into the store demanding they match the HL 40% off coupon. Randy the owner told me that as a small retailer, that was below what he paid for some of  his merchandise.  So he closed the store. The hobby lost a great shop that sold all kinds of kits beyond what HL does, aftermarket, supplies etc.

And that’s the story 
 

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by Tom Geiger

[keyser]

3 hours ago, mikemodeler said:

I believe it has to do with some of the other kits made by Moebius that HL finds offensive.  Sad, because they would move a lot more kits if they opened up HL to selling them.

Agree. My concern over the Impala. Stores really shouldn’t shove beliefs onto merchandise. That’s customers job. But HL incredibly poorly run, just minimal competition. Guys here always use the 40% coupons and still complain about kit prices. If they’ll sell it for 60%, you know they’re paying 35–40% of msrp, right?

I use coupon too. But imo they’re nearly as bad as Walmart, and only non web point of sale for many.
 

I type slowly. What Dave and Tom said. 
Avenel was cool place. Visited ages ago. 

Edited June 24, 2020 by keyser
Too late better replies

[Dave Van]

2 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

I think it’s more that Moebius isn’t set up to handle the volume, price and payment terms of HL.  I’ve heard they pay net 90 plus, which is tough for small companies to handle.

Personally I think Moebius is better off not being there and maintaining its position as a premium brand.

Correct....that's what I meant by 'different business model' They run much tighter margins.  I am sure HL wants a price or about $12 for a $30 MSRP kit.....and not pay for 90 days....not a formula that works for them.

[Daddyfink]

22 hours ago, Classicgas said:

Funny,  the 40 Ford sedan  gasser  has no gasser suspension  parts at all.

Well, not all Gasser type had straight axles or a jacked up stance. 

[keyser]

90 days in good times. Want to bet it’s 120 soon? 
Monopolies an amazing thing when you’re self righteous too  Customers have no idea. I’d rather pay retail than stiff a jobber like that. 
The smaller evil empire. 
Even car dealers have it on their books when shipped. 
 

On the 40 just build up mount for the transverse leaf on the stock axle. Extra block of styrene will get nose up. 
Lots of budget cars didn’t run nose up. 
We won’t tell if you take that shortcut

Edited June 24, 2020 by keyser
Nose up

[Classicgas]

1 hour ago, keyser said:

90 days in good times. Want to bet it’s 120 soon? 
Monopolies an amazing thing when you’re self righteous too  Customers have no idea. I’d rather pay retail than stiff a jobber like that. 
The smaller evil empire. 
Even car dealers have it on their books when shipped. 
 

On the 40 just build up mount for the transverse leaf on the stock axle. Extra block of styrene will get nose up. 
Lots of budget cars didn’t run nose up. 
We won’t tell if you take that shortcut

Learn something new every day.  Every  gasser I've seen was nose high. Well  mine will be mostly stock. I'm debating doing  a moonshine runner with my 40 sedan. 

[Daddyfink]

4 hours ago, Classicgas said:

Learn something new every day.  Every  gasser I've seen was nose high. Well  mine will be mostly stock. I'm debating doing  a moonshine runner with my 40 sedan. 

I know that the most exciting version that is still imitated today is the sky high straight axle fire breathers, but, depending on the class, most where pretty stock

[keyser]

4 hours ago, Classicgas said:

Learn something new every day.  Every  gasser I've seen was nose high. Well  mine will be mostly stock. I'm debating doing  a moonshine runner with my 40 sedan. 

Hubert Platt 38 Chevy

Ohio George's early Willys. Willys with running boards

Gene Adams sleeper Olds

 

Edited June 25, 2020 by keyser

[Classicgas]

Cool pics guys. Thanks for correcting me.

[ewetwo]

They now added the Sonoma 4x4 pickup to the clearance list. Free shipping till the 4th. I figured they are discounting them all 40%.

[Mike999]

[keyser]

https://www.nhra.com/news/2019/saluting-us-nationals-history-ohio-george-montgomery-dominates-early-nationals

Great history of awesome gasser that evolved over the years, and won a couple trophies. 

Probably needs it's own thread, but  figured I'd park it here for the moment. 

[Snake45]

Stopped by TWO HLs this morning. No '67 Impala 4D at either of them. So I bought a can of Krylon Satin Nickel, which is about the closest thing to flat aluminum in a spray can I can find anymore. I used it the other day on an intake manifold, and then topped with satin clear, it gave me almost the look I was going for. 

How I miss Pactra Flat Aluminum and Flat Steel! 

[Spruslayer]

Just back from the local HL to pick up some paint and low and behold what did i see on the shelf?

Dident check the price but im sure after %40 off its far below what i paid online

 

[Mike999]

On 7/1/2020 at 1:07 PM, Snake45 said:

Stopped by TWO HLs this morning. No '67 Impala 4D at either of them...

I also stopped by two last week, the smaller HL closest to me and a bigger store about 20 miles away.  No '67 Impala 4D in either one.  Weirdly, the bigger store seemed to have fewer kits than the smaller one.  Lots more open slots in the shelves. 

The newest kit in both stores was the Revell '69 Boss 302.  I don't have one of those yet. But I'm thinking about getting one and trying to build a "mainstream" non-Boss Mustang fastback.

[Daddyfink]

I just saw two SN Impalas at my local HL. Nothing else new, but, there where some empty spots with no labels. 

Picked up a Die Cast BRE Datsun 240Z. Make nice desk decoration! 

[Dave Van]

How does that Z car scale out???? We ran one like that in SCCA early 1980's......like to make a DC of it if that one scales out well. thx

[Mark]

I have seen exactly one SN Impala kit between the two HL locations in my area, and it left the store in my hands.  The shelf space was labeled "TV and movie assortment", so that space may have an Impala until it sells, then maybe a 007 issue Ford Galaxie cop car or something else.

[mikemodeler]

14 hours ago, Dave Van said:

How does that Z car scale out???? We ran one like that in SCCA early 1980's......like to make a DC of it if that one scales out well. thx

Box says 1:24.

[Mark]

With diecast in particular, the scale printed on the box isn't necessarily the scale of the item in said box...