sjordan2 Posted June 4, 2012 Posted June 4, 2012 I wonder if model manufacturers like Moebius, etc., could improve their offerings if they included a CD-ROM in the kit, or made more things available online, with extra material for builders They could offer backup instructions, a copy of the car's original dealer brochure, a build journal, other reference material, etc. I would figure that the car manufacturers could include the rights and information in the licensing fees - the sort of stuff you find in "premium" versions of kits, DVD bonus material, etc., that might be boxed in metal or other special edition products. OF COURSE it's more expensive. But why would this be a bad idea?
Harry P. Posted June 4, 2012 Posted June 4, 2012 Most of the stuff you mentioned is already available for free online. It's all just a google search away. The kit manufacturers would have a very hard time convincing us that a CD-ROM of "extras" is worth paying for, when we can get it all for free online.
TooOld Posted June 4, 2012 Posted June 4, 2012 I have to agree with Harry . While it would be nice to have all the info on a disc , I wouldn't buy it if anyone offerred it , and certainly don't want to pay extra for a kit just to have it included . Any info I need is just a few clicks away . And if I can't find something I'm sure someone on this forum would be able to help .
sjordan2 Posted June 4, 2012 Author Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) Of course all of this stuff is available online. You can find anything you want if you look long enough and hard enough, knowing what you're looking for. You can spend weeks and months gathering information, and I've done that myself. But what's wrong with a kit manufacturer gathering information and giving their customers a head start, with information builders may not have thought of? This doesn't keep builders of any skill level from looking further online. And not every builder is as resourceful as many of our members. Manufacturer information doesn't have to give the builder everything they could possibly want or need, but they could help with guidance and a certain amount of other help, and earn a lot of friends in the process. Military and aircraft modelers have relatively easy access to all kind of materials, much of it in book form, that offer "walkaround" reference for individual examples, with exhaustive reference for cockpits, engines, landing gear, etc., that you won't find in any single place for most model cars unless you search really, really hard. If you find something as exhaustive on a Chrysler C-300, it's taken you a while, and I've posted on this forum what I've found. And while other members occasionally do so, most other builders don't. Why shouldn't a kit manufacturer give you some extra help? Or is there such a thing as too much information? Edited June 4, 2012 by sjordan2
Jon Cole Posted June 4, 2012 Posted June 4, 2012 I have to agree that everything (well, most everything) is on Google. As an alternative, how about the kit manufacturers use their own web sites to have an 'Updates' section, where any questions on the kit or the instructions could be posted.
sjordan2 Posted June 4, 2012 Author Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) I have to agree that everything (well, most everything) is on Google. As an alternative, how about the kit manufacturers use their own web sites to have an 'Updates' section, where any questions on the kit or the instructions could be posted. Exactly. As I proposed, it could either be a CD included with the kit or posted online, or both. The advantage of online is the ability to update at any time (though most manufacturers wouldn't do so and would want to be one and done. That's understandable.) Edited June 4, 2012 by sjordan2
Harry P. Posted June 4, 2012 Posted June 4, 2012 Why shouldn't a kit manufacturer give you some extra help? Or is there such a thing as too much information? The snag is like I said: any information the manufacturers could put on the disk is already on the web, free for the asking. Reference photos? Hundreds, probably thousands. Restoration sites that chronicle the restoration of a car in step-by-step photographic detail. Old car brochures, paint chips, examples of other people's builds, technical specs, etc. It's all already out there and free for anyone who wants to go get it. That's the problem... not that a disk of that sort of information wouldn't be a nice thing to have, but the fact that most people realize that all that stuff is already available for free. Getting people to pay extra for stuff they can get free would be a very tough, if not impossible, sell for any manufacturer.
Harry P. Posted June 4, 2012 Posted June 4, 2012 Exactly. As I proposed, it could either be a CD included with the kit or posted online, or both. The advantage of online is the ability to update at any time (though most manufacturers wouldn't do so and would want to be one and done. That's understandable.) Exactly! There's no way a kit manufacturer would pay a staffer or staffers to search for information, post it on a web page, and constantly update it, for every kit they made! Unless they could charge for the information (as in a pay-per-view site or some sort of subscription), there's no way they would go to the trouble, time and expense to supply those resources to us at no charge. And if they did charge for it, how many people do you think would be willing to pay for it, again, given the fact that it's all out there already... for free! Your idea is good in theory... lousy in "real world" practicality.
southpier Posted June 4, 2012 Posted June 4, 2012 i think it's a great idea. hobby time is at a premium for a lot of us. having some information presented could be a great asset to those who tend to become sidetracked easily. it might even allow shelves of old reference material to be replaced with a box of memory sticks.
sjordan2 Posted June 4, 2012 Author Posted June 4, 2012 Okay, I never said that a manufacturer should present everything that could possibly be known about a car or kit. I just said they could help. As for all the people who don't want help or think they can find everything they need immediately on the Web, good luck. It ain't that easy, and this thread is not intended for you. Over and out.
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