Art Anderson Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Bottom line, Round 2, Revell and Mobieus will continue focusing on subject matter that appeals to the older generations as they are a majority of model buyers in the US. It's an unfortunate situation, but that's just the way it is. It will be interesting to see how the hobby looks in 10 years. Gee Rob! 15yrs ago, some of the "luminaries" of this hobby were predicting it's complete demise by Y2K--guess what? That didn't happen. Stick around, this hobby is gonna be on the block for a lotta years yet. Art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Another thing to consider is that model kits of the cool exotic cars just do not sell well in the US, outside of major metropolitan areas (that was my experience as a hobby shop owner in Lafayette IN 1984-1992). Most of the hinterlands of the USA are still Ford-GM and Chrysler country, believe it or not, at least as it comes to model cars. What about ordinary non-exotic mainstream import subjects--even in the 'hinterlands', it's not just the big 3...Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, VW etc are pretty common across the US...would be nice to see more mainstream modern subject matter beyond the usual Mustang, Corvette, Camaro, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garryrenfro Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Who knows where the hobby may be going? One of these days, you'll be able to afford your own Rapid Prototype printer, and download and modify software for almost anything you want to build, at whatever scale your printer is capable of producing. A fellow Tennessean echos my thoughts. Technology has changed our hobby significantly in the past three decades, and will continue to change the nature of the manufacturing and marketing of our hobby. In the not too distant future, 3-D printers will be within the means for a model club, small group of entrepreneurs, or a hobby shop owner to purchase. There is now at least one seller on Ebay, offering a computer generated short-nosed D-Jaguar body in 1/24th and 1/25th scale at $30-40. This will eventually replace the resin market, and as costs come down and table-top units are available, and software for creating patterns is reasonably priced, perhaps manufactured kits also. Revell and aftermarket vendors may be selling software, and charge the customer every time it is accessed to fabricate a part. Revell, et al, may even be selling a machine and consumables specifically engineered for model makers. A prediction, but one that is garnered from what is pervasive in the market. Especially the graphics, film, and music industries, where I have spent my career since 1971. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickey1938 Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I'm back again, with just a few more words, Modeling in Minature is a Awesome thing to me, having seen it from come from Wood into plastic, and no extras at that time, I'd save my pennies to be able to get a 59 cent model, once a month, then plastic got bigger and bigger, Planes Boat , Tanks, etc. as the years past they became better each year, then the Semi Trucks came into the picture in the 60's, and different Scales were born, AMT was on top back then Revell a close second, Jo-Han came aboard, and blew everybody out of the Water, they were perfect in everyway. So now were here in 2012, the same 60's cars are still being made, of course at a much higher cost, I should say a much much higher cost, and with little retooling being done, it doesn't make sence to me. Today, there's items like Resin, Wires, all sorts of things to make a outstanding build, Spray Paint, Air Brushng, again ETC. The Gentleman who spoke up about owning a Hobby Shop, mentioned RC Models, I too was into that, I raced everything except for Planes, Kits were almost $100.00 complete with Radios, I raced 1/10 scale Trucks with the NR/CTPA for years my truck cost me $150.00 for a Hand made Chassis for the Clod Buster, today your looking at $1200.00, so you see I had those good old days. Today, the Scatch Builder is the will never give up this Hobby, Chuck Most is in for the long Haul, he does wonders with his builds, he turns a kit around a full 360, and I enjoy his humor, But kids today, have way to many things to do, they have to be doing things all the time not just sitting around with a model, we've come from enjoying a sit on the front pourch to going to the Malls, Facebook, I Pads Cell Phones, Costs of making new Models is awful, yet it takes one person to take measurements another to put them into a computer, another to make them 3D and then into a Machine that costs who know what, then the model is poured and there's the cost out the window. I have to hand it to the Resin Designers, they do wonders for our hobby, and most are very reasonable, some well, their high, there again the cost of materials drives prices up!. Automobiles used to cost $ 2000.00 now there outrages! so goes this World, Yes people I do miss the GOOD OLD DAYS, having had 6 Major Back Surgies, a Double lung Transplant, and a Neck Surgery that took the use of my right hand, now I make models with one hand, not show models, but I'm trying, so you see times have gotten to the point were Big Business has raised the Prices of everything, while the little guy that did the work for those big Companies and the little guy can't and won't b able to buy those high priced items. On EBay guy's are buying kits tearing them apart and selling them piece by piece, Greedy, I'd say so, just like the Doctors that Operate on me, they've paidof their Medical Equipment years ago, but yet they charge more each year using their same Equipment, go figure! I know many of you couldn't care less about what I'm saying, and think that I want everyone to feel sorry for me, which isn't the case at all, I just want those of you who think that us Old Timers are wimps, were not, it's just that when we were young and sitting around the Radio on Sunday Nights listening to the Lone Ranger, or on the Front Pourch as a Family, that worked lived and played together, will never know how good it was. Sorry for the missed spelled words, as never finished HighSchool, I was a Marine at the age of 16, and yes I built Models in the Corps. mickey1938 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Gee Rob! 15yrs ago, some of the "luminaries" of this hobby were predicting it's complete demise by Y2K--guess what? That didn't happen. Stick around, this hobby is gonna be on the block for a lotta years yet. Art Amen to that, Art. I think you are right, besides I am expecting a pendulum to swing back and we'll see lots of cottage industries and mom and pop places come back once the populace gets sick and tired of the mega (dirt cheap) stores where everything is plastic or throw-away-as-you-break, etc . . . . It's like eating fast food. You do lots of that when you are young and foolish and then your body starts to tell you you better start eating more vegetable and REAL better food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Cole Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 What on earth is a "Fuselage Mopar"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I would like to be (and stay) more optimistic about the hobby in that yes, it's a gold age for some of us older builders, but I think the hobby will survive because people will always look for ways of entertaining themselves that has nothing to do with new technologies. Geez, television was a new technology not so long ago, right? Model building parents need to continue to expose their children to the beauties of building model cars. Or models, period. It doesn't have to be cars. As long as people are building models, model cars will be around as a subject matter. great again Dr. I'm with you. I think that parents (builders) better said US have the chance to keep this art going and going while we are here and later. Our responsibility is to expose our children to this art instead of putting them in front of a tv with a video game. That's my goal even though I still don't have children besides that as some of you know I'm in the very beginning of a magnificent model building trayectory. The reason is because I moved to the U.S 6 years ago n back in my country you don't see anything about building models. So my point is, if we immerse ourselves in this beautiful realm our children will something to learn from us and something to share with their friends. So what will be the result??? If you teach one person n that person teaches two an those two to four equals EXPANSION and a longer life of this fantastic world of building and creation. Hope u didn't fall asleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 What on earth is a "Fuselage Mopar"? My guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 "Fuselage" styling is a term associated with late 60s to early 70s full size Mopars like Imperials, Newports and Furies. http://www.fuselage.de/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 (edited) Or, I Googled this :http://fuselage.de/i...e.de/links.html Go to bottom of page and click "home" Edited April 26, 2012 by Greg Myers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Or, I Googled this :http://fuselage.de/i...e.de/links.html That's the same website I just posted the link to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 What on earth is a "Fuselage Mopar"? '69-73 C-Body Mopars....Monacos, Polaras, Imperials, Furys, 300s, etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Ya got me phadna, too slow on the draw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 They've been around for along time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Ya got me phadna, too slow on the draw. Looks like ol' Rob Hall is a mite slow on the draw too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Looks like ol' Rob Hall is a mite slow on the draw too... Whatever. I was more specific. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Anyway, might as well close down the thread. Nothing new going on. So by this time next week, we should know the Fall 2012 releases? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Cole Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Close this down? It's just getting good! Thanks for the info on "fuselage". Learned something new here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Not gonna lock up this ol' corral just yet. No reason to so far... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadillacPat Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 (edited) I keep hearing the word "nostalgia" popping up as if it's some kind of neurologic disorder that takes over the body and brain of anyone over 30 and renders them a mindless Zombie, eyes rolled back to the whites, babbling and drooling about days of yesteryear. Nahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That sounds like the same kind of spin left wing politicians put on everything. A number of us who build Models (Car Models) were kids and teens in the 50's and 60's, the time when plastic Model Cars exploded onto the scene. We don't wax nostalgic or reminisce about Glory Days, we just happened to be at a specific place in time when Cars, real cars, molded our outlook on just about everything. Each year, each manufcturer, each model spoke to us with a different voice screaming, "Look at me Man." The interiors and dash layouts were as beautiful as the artisan sculpting of the sheet metal bodies. Body styles changed dramatically each year promising us that our love for automobiles would always be rewarded with new fantastic designs. Engine and power options were unlimited from the factory or the aftermarket. The cars were drop dead gorgeous, completely functional and fun to drive. We simply were part of the most fantastic 2 1/2 decades ever of American Automobiles and once the failsafe switch was pushed in '73 there was no returning to cars being made as they were. It is not nostalgia that makes us want to build Models of the cars we once knew, it is the eternal beauty of those cars. I build examples of cars I like because I would never even think about building any of the computer mouse shaped jokes being manufactured today. Nor would I purchase a real one. I would rather build 10 G.T.O.s with 10 different paintjobs than any single one of the bed pan shaped turrrrdddds that are indistinguishable from each other. At least I would be building Cars and not shopping carts. If anything dilutes or harms the hobby of building Model Cars it will be the manufacture of little egg shaped cars to try and catch a younger market. Don't be so quick to try and label a person's choice of subject matter as "nostalgic", there are many of us who think that choice is a matter of style since we actually lived it and continue to. CadillacPat Edited April 26, 2012 by CadillacPat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 (edited) Blah blah blah '50-60s are the best'....'anything modern is ugly'...blah blah..same tired argument. You don't seem to comprehend that some of us like the cars of the last 40 years and today...the past is gone, you can stick w/ your rose colored glasses view of the past, but I'm more interested in the subjects of my own lifetime and today.. Edited April 26, 2012 by Rob Hall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinfan5 Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Blah blah blah '50-60s are the best'....'anything modern is ugly'...blah blah..same tired argument. You fogies don't seem to comprehend that some of us like the cars of the last 40 years and today...the past is gone, you can stick w/ your rose colored glasses view of the past, but I'm more interested in the subjects of my own lifetime and today.. Thats what I have been trying to say to Rob, I have nothing against the cars of 50's and 60's, but I want to build cars from my era, and there is nothing wrong with that, well there is if say that on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 (edited) Thats what I have been trying to say to Rob, I have nothing against the cars of 50's and 60's, but I want to build cars from my era, and there is nothing wrong with that, well there is if say that on here. I'm just tired of the attitude so many of the older crowd have towards anything modern, be it cars or technology. They are free to live in the past and wallow in their nostalgia, but I'm more interested in the subjects of my era that are underserved by the model companies....equally legitimate kit subjects as the older subjects. Edited April 26, 2012 by Rob Hall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadillacPat Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 (edited) Blah blah blah '50-60s are the best'....'anything modern is ugly'...blah blah..same tired argument. You don't seem to comprehend that some of us like the cars of the last 40 years and today...the past is gone, you can stick w/ your rose colored glasses view of the past, but I'm more interested in the subjects of my own lifetime and today.. Oh but I DO comprehend it GrassHopper, and why are you getting so angry? Like I said, there have been no Cars produced in YOUR lifetime, only tiny silly inartistic boxes built by Government regulations. In case you haven't noticed, even the backseat of cars in YOUR lifetime is only functional for carrying groceries and small dogs. But hey, if that satisfies your needs and your taste, buy the Models that represent them. CadillacPat Edited April 26, 2012 by CadillacPat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Oh but I DO comprehend it GrassHopper, And like I said, there have been no Cars produced in YOUR lifetime, only tiny silly inartistic boxes built by Government regulations. In case you haven't noticed, even the backseat of cars in YOUR lifetime is only functional for carrying groceries and small dogs. CadillacPat ABSOLUTE NONSENSE. That's your opinion...that's not FACT. Lots of room in the cars of today that I have... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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