So What does Revell Have up Their Sleeves?

[jaydar]

Didn't the other rag do an article on the Red Alert fairly recently? I forget who did it or what kit they used, but I agree with the assessment that the Revell snapper is the best looking out of all of them.

It was the Oct 2011 issue. They used the AMT 70 454 kir.

Joe.

[Brett Barrow]

Wow this thread lasted like what ? 4 months ? LOL

I think Revell announced not too long ago a Mustang Notchback (and I cheered out loud I think) and a finally corrected 70 Cuda (Hemi if I recall).

I'm waiting for those, especially the Mustang. I'm hoping to get a peek at NNL east like they did last year with the 62 Corvetter and 57 FOrd

Yeah, the 'cuda and Mustang were announced last fall for release this spring/summer (Mustang will be out in late May, still no official date on the Cuda, it's not on the schedule yet, which right now runs through June). What we're speculatin' on now is what announcements will be made this spring for release this fall. Fall releases are usually just straight reissues or modified reissues, but there is a slim chance there might be a new-tool kit(s) announced. They usually announce the new tools in the fall, at or around the iHobby show. We'll find out for sure May 1st...

[Gluhead]

Hear, hear!

But if I were Revell - I'd let the 62 go for another year or so, and reissue the 59 as this instead - the Purple People Eater -

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad9/tramhl/Plastic%20Models/Reference/Monogram/futurista.jpg

Yes Revell, do this one instead of yet ANNOTHER Orange Hauler .

I know it's futile, but I still want to see them reissue the old C cab series. I won't feel complete until I have a T-Bone Stake, and I can never manage to catch one before they sell on the rare occasions they do come up.

[Brett Barrow]

It's only three weeks....keep digging and prodding in the meantime, please.

I'll keep digging but I won't get anything out of them. I just hope they start letting some rumors drop at the NNL's this month. I could start a few, but it'd be too easy to figure out who I heard it from and who he heard it from and who he heard it from... and there could be NDA's and contracts and stuff involved and I don't want get anybody in trouble. But if/when I start seeing rumors floating around I'll start spilling the beans .

I could be persuaded with models, though... Anybody willing to trade a mint Jo-Han 60 Desoto Adventurer for a couple industry secrets?!?!?

[niteowl7710]

The only one I'm waiting for is the Jeep Rubicon. Finally, a kit that's not muscle or exotic. Wish they would come out with more everyday modern vehicles. Dodge Ram SRT-10, Ford Raptor, Subaru STi's, Evo's, etc.

Look across to the Japanese my friend. Aoshima did kits of the last generation of WRXs and the Evo X. Heck I'm pretty sure with some digging (some are out of production) you can get kits of most of the WRX and Evo generations.

American companies are never going to make kits of those Asian subjects. Heck the only reason we see ANY foreign manufacturer represented in "American" model boxes is Revell has a German counterpart (now I suppose it's a Division since Hobbico owns them both) that the North American Revell resells in "our" boxes. Otherwise there'd be nothing but old American cars with a sprinkling of occasional current Big 3 sports cars.

[martinfan5]

Look across to the Japanese my friend. Aoshima did kits of the last generation of WRXs and the Evo X. Heck I'm pretty sure with some digging (some are out of production) you can get kits of most of the WRX and Evo generations.

American companies are never going to make kits of those Asian subjects. Heck the only reason we see ANY foreign manufacturer represented in "American" model boxes is Revell has a German counterpart (now I suppose it's a Division since Hobbico owns them both) that the North American Revell resells in "our" boxes. Otherwise there'd be nothing but old American cars with a sprinkling of occasional current Big 3 sports cars.

James is 100% correct, all the kits James listed can be found on Ebay for starters, old and new, most for around the $20-30 mark, just depending on how greedy the seller is

[1930fordpickup]

I would rather have a good Wills Knight , Wippet Studebaker,Nasht,Rambleror any other independent, than any car from Over Seas .

[slantasaurus]

Look across to the Japanese my friend. Aoshima did kits of the last generation of WRXs and the Evo X. Heck I'm pretty sure with some digging (some are out of production) you can get kits of most of the WRX and Evo generations.

American companies are never going to make kits of those Asian subjects. Heck the only reason we see ANY foreign manufacturer represented in "American" model boxes is Revell has a German counterpart (now I suppose it's a Division since Hobbico owns them both) that the North American Revell resells in "our" boxes. Otherwise there'd be nothing but old American cars with a sprinkling of occasional current Big 3 sports cars.

Is it any wonder Revell won't make any kits of Asian cars ?? About 10-15 years ago they tried with a Honda Civic and Acura Integra and those sold soooooo well.

[martinfan5]

Is it any wonder Revell won't make any kits of Asian cars ?? About 10-15 years ago they tried with a Honda Civic and Acura Integra and those sold soooooo well.

Go try and find one of those Civic kits now , good luck finding one for under $30, there is a demand for them now, well it looks that way, I could be wrong

[Draggon]

I'm with ya Gluehead ( but I reject the reality that it is your name and will substitute my own ) I have one of the five, tho I cant remember the name, and it is buried deep in the pile. Not the Meter Cheater, Moon Mixer, Guber Wagon, nor T-Bone Steak. That being said, I'd love to own all five.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Well. If they come right in at the meat of a hot trend instead of waiting till it nearly dies out, and then mold the kits in a scale the target builder gives a gen-u-ine solid spit about, it might all play out better next time.

I could relate the anecdote about our little Petaluma Hobbytown build-'n-bull - where of all the finished bits I had on display, it was the Aoshima Evo X that managed to get any admiration from people in the store under forty - and try to quote that as "evidence" of some kind. Makes no less sense than trying to vindicate my opinion with sales figures that might ultimately fail to tell the whole story.

Edited April 6, 2013 by Chuck Kourouklis

[niteowl7710]

As Chuck points out the "Tuner" Series that Revell attempted was well after that style peaked. If you remember they've been (Caution Sarcasm Ahead!) RIGHT on top of the Lowrider and DONK trends too.

The other major problem for those that build JDM style (Hella Flush, Stanced, etc) is that Revell decided to "Americanize" the scale and do them on 1:25, and yet pretty much every wing set, seat set, decal, and wheel & tire combo for JDM "Tuner" style is in 1:24!

Go ahead explain the sales rationale to me. Mold kits that are in the old codgers scale that they simply aren't interested in, and alienate the target buyer because they can't use any modification parts they own. A brilliant Revell fiasco all around.

[martinfan5]

As Chuck points out the "Tuner" Series that Revell attempted was well after that style peaked. If you remember they've been (Caution Sarcasm Ahead!) RIGHT on top of the Lowrider and DONK trends too.

The other major problem for those that build JDM style (Hella Flush, Stanced, etc) is that Revell decided to "Americanize" the scale and do them on 1:25, and yet pretty much every wing set, seat set, decal, and wheel & tire combo for JDM "Tuner" style is in 1:24!

Go ahead explain the sales rationale to me. Mold kits that are in the old codgers scale that they simply aren't interested in, and alienate the target buyer because they can't use any modification parts they own. A brilliant Revell fiasco all around.

Now James, you cant go an argue with logic and common sense, you know thats not allowed here,

[LoneWolf15]

Correct me if I'm wrong . Revell molds in " The old codger scale " , I'm guessing you mean 1/25th scale here ? Right ?

The aftermarket parts companies design their parts for 1/24th scale and this is Revell's fault how ? Seems to me if I produced aftermarket parts to use with existing kits , common sense would tell me to design the parts in the scale of said kits . I certainly wouldn't expect the manufacturer to change their scale to suit my whims .

To be honest , I really didn't know this problem existed . Or , are these aftermarket parts being produced predominately for the foreign manufactured kits , which , if I recall , are almost all 1/24th scale . This would make more sense to me , now that I think about it .

In answer to a previous post .... There are far more old codgers coming back into the hobby than the youngsters . Revell is placing their bet on where the money is ..... Thus the reason for the kits being offered .

It's Old School money that is driving the industry and has been for quite some time now . I don't see this changing anytime soon , if ever . There simply aren't enough younger modelers to justify producing kits of latter day cars . Revell's bet placement seems to be working out quite well , we are seeing a consistent flow of new kits .

I have stated this numerous times ! This is truly a golden age for car modelers , we've seen more new releases just in this decade then I can remember with others combined . I plan on enjoying it to the fullest !

[Casey]

The aftermarket parts companies design their parts for 1/24th scale and this is Revell's fault how ? Seems to me if I produced aftermarket parts to use with existing kits , common sense would tell me to design the parts in the scale of said kits . I certainly wouldn't expect the manufacturer to change their scale to suit my whims .

I think James is referring to the Fujimi Wing and Muffler type aftermarket parts sets, which were designed to be used with Fujimi and Tamiya kits, almost all of which are in 1/24, not 1/25 scale. If Revell had designed their "tuner" kits to fit in with the existing kits which are pretty much all from Japanese companies and in 1/24 scale, they may have been more warmly welcomed and accepted.

It would be akin to Aoshima releasing an all-new '70 Dodge Charger R/T kit in 1/24 scale. Considering Revell's heavy investment in 1/25 for the '68-9 Chargers, people would cry "why didn't they do it in 1/25 scale!?!?". Would it have helped? Beats me, but I think the fact that Revell's Civic and Eclipse F&F kits were die-cast body kit based worked against their success from the start.

[martinfan5]

I think James is referring to the Fujimi Wing and Muffler type aftermarket parts sets, which were designed to be used with Fujimi and Tamiya kits, almost all of which are in 1/24, not 1/25 scale. If Revell had designed their "tuner" kits to fit in with the existing kits which are pretty much all from Japanese companies and in 1/24 scale, they may have been more warmly welcomed and accepted.

It would be akin to Aoshima releasing an all-new '70 Dodge Charger R/T kit in 1/24 scale. Considering Revell's heavy investment in 1/25 for the '68-9 Chargers, people would cry "why didn't they do it in 1/25 scale!?!?". Would it have helped? Beats me, but I think the fact that Revell's Civic and Eclipse F&F kits were die-cast body kit based worked against their success from the start.

Yes, that is what James is trying to say, it would made sense for Revell to , oh, I dont know, do some research on what you are to tool up, maybe look at the after market world, but Revell decided to keep their head up their collective rear ends and release them in 1/25th scale, so then you add on that they a few years late after the whole tuner bubble pop, and gee, sales were bad, no kidding

Its called smart business planning, and sometimes I dont think the Revell has any at times

Brett can throw out numbers tell the cows come home and do a dance , but the fact is , half of the sales blunders that have come from Revell in the past decade are their own bloody fault.

Brett, no offense to you, dont take it that way please, was not trying to offend you , just an example

[Draggon]

Perhaps if one could build a Foose car straight out of the box to looks awesome ( that highriding 69 Firebird be damned ) or a Shakotan/Boso/Granchan iimport, it might make things simpler. Even a good tuner that had real 1:1 proportions would be good. Where I live, the subject matter is not as important as the style and attitude. After 50 years, I am still waiting for a 29 to 32 hotrod that is true to the real thing without a load of mods.

[Brett Barrow]

Yes, that is what James is trying to say, it would made sense for Revell to , oh, I dont know, do some research on what you are to tool up, maybe look at the after market world, but Revell decided to keep their head up their collective rear ends and release them in 1/25th scale, so then you add on that they a few years late after the whole tuner bubble pop, and gee, sales were bad, no kidding

Its called smart business planning, and sometimes I dont think the Revell has any at times

Brett can throw out numbers tell the cows come home and do a dance , but the fact is , half of the sales blunders that have come from Revell in the past decade are their own bloody fault.

Brett, no offense to you, dont take it that way please, was not trying to offend you , just an example

Considering the Revell as we know it today has only existed since around 2008 when the changes instituted by new owners Hobbico began to take effect, what blunders exactly are we talking about?

The Tuner kits sold well, very well in fact, but what good are they to them now? The problem was that Revell and its ownership at the time continually tried to chase the next big thing for tweens and lost sight of their core business, which is making models, specifically making models that have staying power. VEX Robots, 24th scale NASCAR R/C cars, Spin-Drive slot cars, Mag-Clik magnetic jewelry, R.A.M.S., Power Modeler CD-ROMs, - you want to talk about some blunders? I know that just Power Modeler and Mag-Cliks cost them a combined $11 Million, as they occured during the time Revell-Monogram was a publicly traded company. That's what Revell's owners before Hobbico chose to do with all that dough they were raking in from selling models to WalMart and other chain stores (Revell actually used to have 2 full time employees working in Bentonville at WalMart HQ just to handle their purchasing). Where are the classic kits from that era, where are the Tom Daniel and Ed Roth kits of that era? Where are the Lil' Coffins and Boot Hill Expresses of that era?

Revell of 2013 doesnt have 12' of shelf space in every big-box department store in the country now, they can't count on WalMart to guarantee every kit they make will turn a profit on the first run. They have to make choices that can be spread out over multiple releases over several years to amortize the tooling costs. That's the reality of today.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

I'm a little confused now, Brett - I thought earlier you had some of those Revell tuners listed in the context of a mistake.

When Monogram announced its '59 Cadillac was gonna be 1/25, it actually gave me pause. I'd have liked having that car match the scales of all my international stuff and my favorite Monogram muscle. If I had my druthers, the standard scale would be 1/24 'n that would be that.

But I got over that pause quickly, because in the end, I figured not having things in my exact scale would be one of the more imbecilic reasons I could come up with to screw myself out of some great new tooling.

I'll stop, teetering, a gentle breeze shy of tossing "old codger" around. And Monday morning quarterbacking with those 20/20 hindsight specs is an easy indulgence for sure. But these tuners were not muscle cars. They were never going to be geared for the traditional 1/25-or-die crowd, as the great majority here delights in pointing out over and over again.

And while we'll never know for sure, many of us can't help wondering what would have happened if Revell waded into the field a little earlier, matching the typical Japanese scale for these mostly Japanese subjects, and offered their powertrain detail edge in that context. Sell well, did they? Mighta sold even better.

What a pity they apparently felt so badgered into 1/25 they may have missed a key forest for the trees here. And while we're at it, what a crying shame a pretty magnificent piece like the 1/12 GT500 should apparently turn out to be such a pearls-before-swine exercise, if their current stance on big scales is any indication.

Edited April 7, 2013 by Chuck Kourouklis

[niteowl7710]

I'll call 1:25 old codger scale because while I certainly enjoy muscle cars, classic cars and the like with the exception that was Monogram the only way to get a WIDE variety if modern vehicles is to go into the deep dark eeeeevil that is foreign manufacturers and 1:24 scale.

Although I ponder a bit of either xenophobia it lingering anger over Pearl Harbor because I can't think of one single time where anyone here has ever complained that Revell AG kits are "the wrong" scale. Not one "Man I'd buy that Ferrari 458 Italia if Revell would have made it in 1:25". But oh my those terrible Japanese kits are all the wrong scale, and bad cars, and too expensive, and curbside, and from OVERSEAS! - yada yada yada.

Nevermind that most Aoshima & Tamiya offer a more satisfactory building experience (unless you enjoy pretending to be Chuck Norris at your workbench), the majority of new members here lately who declared their age have been mid-30's guys who like my own mid-30's self would like to build more cars we see on Top Gear and grew up "driving" on Grand Turismo & Forza Motorsports than the 65th variation of the '69 Camaro tooling.

Old Money is indeed the driver at the moment. But the Gen X guys are coming into our top earning potential in the next 10-15 years, whereas a lot of you (no offense just reality) are heading onto a fixed income. Revell is making their money no doubt, but I hope they have a better "big picture" view of the future than their product line indicates.

Edited April 7, 2013 by niteowl7710

[martinfan5]

I'm a little confused now, Brett - I thought earlier you had some of those Revell tuners listed in the context of a mistake.

Me to Chuck

[Brett Barrow]

I'm a little confused now, Brett - I thought earlier you had some of those Revell tuners listed in the context of a mistake.

Me too, Chuck

A mistake in 2001 or whenever it was they came out? Not at all. Would it be a mistake to go down a similar path in 2013, given the way things are now? Most certainly yes. The days of being able to amortize a new kit on the first run are over. And it's really hard to stay on top of trends when your product takes 2 years to go from concept to store shelves. They've already cut steel on a series of kits they haven't even announced yet, and probably won't be on the shelves before the end of the year. I've known about them for 6 months.

I guess the problem we're having here is that when I talk about "Revell" I speak about the current Revell, not the Revell that made the Orange Crate or the Revell that made the 59 Cadillac, or the Revell that made those tuner kits, it's a different ownership, and different people in charge now, and for the most part they've done a pretty decent job pulling the brand out of the mess it was in.

Let's look at a couple kits they came out with shortly following the Hobbico purchase (both kits were in development before the sale). Take their 49 Mercury Custom and the 05 Mustang. Both kits sold like crazy when they came out. The 05 Mustang led to the Bullitt version and the GT-H, and the GT 500 KR, it was a good choice, they were able to get several successful variants off of one platform before it ran its course. But it's run its course, they moved on to a new platform (and got burned by a re-style). Late model cars are a crapshoot, they got lucky with the Mustang, but what good is it now? And then they got burned by trying to keep it going with the 10. The Mercury, however, without so much as a change in the decal sheet (though they did change the box from the original flat box to the normal square box) continues to this day to be a strong seller, and will continue to sell well for years I'm sure.

[martinfan5]

A mistake in 2001 or whenever it was they came out? Not at all. Would it be a mistake to go down a similar path in 2013, given the way things are now? Most certainly yes. The days of being able to amortize a new kit on the first run are over. And it's really hard to stay on top of trends when your product takes 2 years to go from concept to store shelves. They've already cut steel on a series of kits they haven't even announced yet, and probably won't be on the shelves before the end of the year. I've known about them for 6 months.

I guess the problem we're having here is that when I talk about "Revell" I speak about the current Revell, not the Revell that made the Orange Crate or the Revell that made the 59 Cadillac, or the Revell that made those tuner kits, it's a different ownership, and different people in charge now, and for the most part they've done a pretty decent job pulling the brand out of the mess it was in.

Let's look at a couple kits they came out with shortly following the Hobbico purchase (both kits were in development before the sale). Take their 49 Mercury Custom and the 05 Mustang. Both kits sold like crazy when they came out. The 05 Mustang led to the Bullitt version and the GT-H, and the GT 500 KR, it was a good choice, they were able to get several successful variants off of one platform before it ran its course. But it's run its course, they moved on to a new platform (and got burned by a re-style). Late model cars are a crapshoot, they got lucky with the Mustang, but what good is it now? And then they got burned by trying to keep it going with the 10. The Mercury, however, without so much as a change in the decal sheet (though they did change the box from the original flat box to the normal square box) continues to this day to be a strong seller, and will continue to sell well for years I'm sure.

I am not disagreeing with what you said, and there are two different Revells we are talking about, I think there still is some good in the Mustang kits, its one of those iconic cars if you will. I really want to make a comparison to your comment on taking two years for project, but I think its going to fall on the lines of comparing apples to oranges so I will refrain.

I am not surprised that new stuff/late model subjects are a crapshoot, which I get why Revell wouldn't want to try and do current stuff, makes sense

I wonder if Revell has got the licensing sorted out for a subject they wanting to get back into, hmm

Brett, I am curious who you work full, maybe everyone else knows, and I dont, but I am just curious, if you feel like telling me, PM me

[niteowl7710]

They got burned with the new Mustang because they tried to cheap their way out (as usual) and make it a '10 and NOT an '11 which yes would have required an actual new engine rather than laying out the old engine in a different runner orientation. The lack of making the Coyote 5.0 mill was an epic fail. The fact they didn't fix that problem and release a '12 or better yet a '13 (another mild along tweak) with the right engine - it would be a popular engine to out source into a variety of build styles - and then do a Boss/Laguna Seca version(s) in mind numbingly frustrating.

That development cycle needs to be fixed and the apparently broken relationship with the factories rectified. Otherwise go and fold up the tents on the Under 50 crowd. When the Asian manufacturers can release kits at almost the same time as the actual vehicle launches - and it's not just Japanese cars, look how fast Fujimi got the F 12 Berlinetta to market - I'm tired of hearing excuses.

Edited April 7, 2013 by niteowl7710

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Alright then, Brett - it's just that with the particular way you brought them up in the 2014 Camaro thread, it was easy to confuse those tuners for a failure from the start.

I'm still stuck agreeing on one thing, though - two years late ain't viable. Long as Revell can't get that stuff out as quickly as they used to or as the Japanese continue to do, current releases are iffy at best.

Edited April 7, 2013 by Chuck Kourouklis