larrygre Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 SOUTH BEND, Indiana – 11/30/2011 –Round 2, LLC, announced today that they have acquired all rights to industry leading model kit brands AMT, MPC and Polar Lights from TOMY International, Inc. (formerly RC2 Corporation). Round 2 acquired the brands from TOMY International after manufacturing branded model kits under a licensing agreement since 2008. “We’ve had a great relationship with TOMY International for a long time and it has been a pleasure working with them as a licensee and now as a buyer,” said Thomas Lowe, President of Round 2 LLC. “We feel extremely fortunate to be acquiring these brands,” continued Lowe. “These are some of the industry’s most iconic brands and our acquisition represents a significant strategic fit with our initiatives and where we believe the industry is headed, in the near and long term. This deal is a win for Round 2, TOMY and most importantly, the modelers.” “We are pleased to have been working with Round 2 as a licensee the last 3 years, and now as the buyer,” said Pete Henseler, president of TOMY International. “We wish them continued success in the model kit business and expect their expertise and passion for the hobby model kit business to drive these brands in the years ahead.” The history of the model kit brands goes back as far as 1948 when AMT, which stands for Aluminum Model Toys, was founded as a promotional toy company. Model Products Corporation, MPC, was started in 1963 and focused on bringing even more automotive subject matter to market in kit form. Founded in 1996, Polar Lights has focused on figural, horror and pop culture genres. The acquisition gives Round 2 tooling and materials that date back into the 1950s. The tooling and artwork also represent an opportunity to bring back classic model kits in original-styled packaging, increasing the desirability and nostalgia. “I grew up building models. Not in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined I’d someday own the brands I was building as a kid,” said Lowe. About Round 2 Round 2, LLC is an innovative collectibles company located in South Bend, IN. The creative team at Round 2 is dedicated to producing detailed, high quality collectible and playable items appealing to the young and young at heart. Round 2 brands include Polar Lights®, AMT® and MPC® model kits, Auto World® slot cars, Forever Fun™ seasonal products and the licensed brands American Muscle®, Ertl Collectibles® and Vintage Fuel™ die cast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony T Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Well, that is just cool news! Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slantasaurus Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Really, I hadn't noticed..... http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=50663 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Guess who's walking on sunshine? Yep, me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatz4u Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 me 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Didn't that happen a long time ago??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 This means lots of new kits coming out soon. The better for us. They'll make the money, and we'll respond by giving it to them gladly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Really, I hadn't noticed..... http://www.modelcars...showtopic=50663 It's always the second punch that attracts the ref's attention. Either way, I guess this is god news for modelers, but I really have no idea what the specifics of Round2's previous license with Tomy were, so we'll have to wait and see what the future holds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatRedmond Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 THIS I don't think it means anything of the sort. The way I read it, what it means is Round 2 is now a totally independent company that doesn't have to pay royalties and leasing fees to another company for the use of brand names and tooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Something I find interesting is that TOMY has only owned the AMT, MPC and Polar Lights brands for a few months ... it acquired them when it bought RC2 earlier this year after RC2's stock nose-dived due to some of its Thomas the Tank Engine toys being recalled due to high levels of lead in the paint. Makes me wonder how Round 2 was able to get a deal done with TOMY and not with RC2 ... AMT, MPC, Polar Lights, RC2, Tomy, Round 2.... buyouts, mergers, takeovers... lions and tigers and bears... How in the world do you keep this all straight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funkster Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Just wondering what this means, will some of the yearly kits come back? What else will be made as far as new model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Just wondering what this means, will some of the yearly kits come back? What else will be made as far as new model? Unless we have a psychic here, the answer to that is... we'll have to wait and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I guess, but you know I'm always looking on the bright side. Last time I was at the LHS there were models from the floor to the ceiling, which is a lot more than the last time I walked into a Wal Mart and found the entire section of models (paints and other ######) GONE for good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasman Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 from what I understand Round 2 now owns all the old AMT/MPC/SMP and Polar Lights tools. but I'm assuming they will still be producing the kits in the old RC2 factories. sounds like Tomy has no interest in the plastic model car market. but i'm happy to see they sold the tools, and didn't destroy them. The big reason why Tomy bought RC2 is because they want to bring Tomica cars back into the USA. they also wanted Johnny Lightning and Thomas the Tank engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Well, Ken, all I can say is thank god you have a handle on that, because I am totally lost! Seriously... I don't even try to keep track of that end of the hobby. That's why we have you! Can you imagine what a "family tree" type of diagram of the history of model kit manufacturers would look like? Hey, that might actually make an interesting magazine feature. I bet that most people have no idea of how today's kit manufacturers got to this point. Anyone who's into the history of the business end of the hobby would be interested... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Not that hard, really ... and I used to be a business reporter! By my count, this move means the AMT and MPC brand names are both now in the hands of their seventh owner. Their lineages go a little something like this ... 1. The original Aluminum Model Toy Co. founded by West Gallogly and based in Troy, Mich., which became ... 2. AMT/Lesney at some point in the late 1970s after it was sold it to British manufacturer of Matchbox cars. That became ... 3. AMT/ERTL in the '80s after the company was sold `to the Iowa-based company that had previously been known primarily as a manufacturer of diecast farm toys. Then you had ... 4. AMT/Racing Champions after ERTL sold the brand to the company best known for its diecast NASCAR miniatures. Next was ... 5. AMT/RC2 after Racing Champions morphed into RC2. And then there was ... 6. AMT/TOMY after TOMY acquired RC2. And that leads us to ... 7. AMT/Round 2, which, hopefully, will be the LAST AMT iteration! For MPC, it goes like this ... 1. The orginal MPC, formed by former AMT executive George Toteff. That company is sold to ... 2. Fundimensions, a subsidiary of General Mills, which sells it to ... 3. ERTL, which sells it to ... 4. Racing Champions, which, or course, morphs into ,,, 5. RC2, which sells it to ... 6. TOMY, which sells it to ... 7. Round 2. I'm sure there's some anxiously waiting to correct me if I have any of this wrong! No, I don't think you missed anything. I always thought Racing Champions was a division of Ertl, didn't know that Ertl actually became RC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggon Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Yea, well, it is a long and winding road. What I see as the most important part of this by far, is that Round 2 gives a hoot about us modelers. Note the polls they have on their website about parts packs. We now seem to have 2 American companies that seem to care about what we want to build, and will listen to us. The days of building only what ends up on shelves seems to be gone. Now, if only Revell could follow in Round 2's footsteps and release some parts packs OTHER than engines! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 No, RC acquired ERTL lock, stock and barrel mainly because it was interested in its diecast business ... which goes a LONG way toward explaining why AMT, MPC and PL were so sadly neglected and poorly managed during the period RC/RC2 owned them. Okay, gotcha. I seem to remember reading RC was interested in the model kit manufacturing facilities for injection-molding the plastic parts on their diecasts. As a result they prettty much swept the hobby kits under the carpet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren B Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 (edited) This means lots of new kits coming out soon. The better for us. They'll make the money, and we'll respond by giving it to them gladly! thats what im thinking great news and great releases ahead for us. Especially from Polar Lights..................... Edited December 3, 2011 by Darren B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I don't think it means more new releases. I think (and this is pure speculation on my part) they'll follow a practice much like Revell of late- that is, selling existing kits with new parts, or continuing restoring earlier kits (such as the '25 T) back to original or close to original form. Yes, new kits will appear (and already are in the cards) but don't count on a flurry of activity from Round 2 as far as all-new kits go, at least not right off the bat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Didn't that happen a long time ago??? Nope. They were renting. Now they've bought the house and kicked the landlord to the curb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I don't think it means more new releases. I think (and this is pure speculation on my part) they'll follow a practice much like Revell of late- that is, selling existing kits with new parts, or continuing restoring earlier kits (such as the '25 T) back to original or close to original form. Yes, new kits will appear (and already are in the cards) but don't count on a flurry of activity from Round 2 as far as all-new kits go, at least not right off the bat. Thank you, Karnak the Magnificent... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Thank you, Karnak the Magnificent... I knew you were going to say that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkman Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Hopefully they bring the manufacturing back to the USA and consider to establish a proper export sales network. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 What is the difference between round 2 and rc2? I thought they were the same. Different, separate corporations. Previously, Round 2 "rented" the licenses and molds to produce model kits from RC2, which owned them. Now, Round 2 has bought out RC2 and owns everything outright ... without the middle man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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