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Round 2 Purchases Lindberg/Hawk


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Don't think that will happen. No New tooling from Ropund2 since the Batmobiles!!

That's not true they just did a very comprehensive new tooling for Star Trek that allows you to build the Enterprise pretty much anyway it's ever been featured from the TV Pilot through the movies via "parts packs", decals and fiber optics. It also has a hefty price tag that would frighten everyone out of their rockers around here.

There again is the cliche - automotive modelers are cheap, and for some reason that defies logic (cause let's face it, nostalgia only goes so far before you remember the good ole days weren't that great after all) everyone would rather fight with 50 year old model kits than pay the freight for new tools.

Edited by niteowl7710
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Yea, They did that 1/350 scale Enterprise, but that is not Automotive.

Though I am a TREKKIE (Roddenberry's word) and would love one,

I don't count Sci-Fi kit here unless they are also Automotive.

Not automotive, but still a new tool. Clearly Round 2 doesn't believe there's a good ROI on anything automotive.

The Gremlin Craig brings up is a good example of how retro nostalgia goes wrong. Everyone was soiling their Depends with excitement, then the kit came out and everyone remembered how iffy at best the model really was, and the newly retooled front end didn't actually fit the model, and there's huge gaps where the chassis and body meet. When they released the follow up Gremlin this year...man that was like a fart in church quiet, I barely saw any in the What Did You Get thread, and it's been given a universal yawn and shrug by all but the 8 militant AMC guys in the hobby.

There was a huge outcry that Round 2 save that tool and backdate it to stock, then no one was happy with the results. There wasn't any other piece of tooling they could have modified into a "new" kit (ala Revell's business model) instead of resurrecting the Gremlin. I have to wonder how many people bought it just for the box art and large print that came with it...

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If you think about it, it shouldn't be surprising Round 2 has been mostly about re-issues. They have bought a pile of old model companies MPC, AMT, Ertl, Polar Lights and now Lindberg (Pyro, Palmer, Hawk, IMC others?) It wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to go to the trouble of acquiring all those old tools just to turn around and sink a bunch of money into new tools. They are improving the old molds, cleaning them up, adding new parts, restoring old parts etc, so its not like they are just dragging tired old molds out and dusting them off.

They have turned out a number of totally new kits over the few years they have been in existance, so it is not like they are completely living in the past.

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I really don't see the problem with reissues. I may not buy them all, but apparently others do- otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. I do have to hand it to Round2 for actually doing repair and cleanup of the molds when needed, and giving more than passing thought to the decal sheets, box art, packaging, etc.- that's something that RC2/Learning Curve almost never did. Quality control has gone up by leaps and bounds for the most part since Round 2 stepped in. Sure they'll bring out new and/or significantly revised tools in the future, but in the meantime, I think there's more than enough subject matter already in the hopper (including a bunch of potential reissues of kits which haven't been around in years) to keep them humming along.

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The Gremlin Craig brings up is a good example of how retro nostalgia goes wrong. Everyone was soiling their Depends with excitement, then the kit came out and everyone remembered how iffy at best the model really was, and the newly retooled front end didn't actually fit the model, and there's huge gaps where the chassis and body meet.

Yeah, it's not a great kit, and I knew what I would be getting, but I still bought one. I made major modifications in my build so the inaccuracies and shortcomings weren't a big deal to me, but as far as box stock build potential goes, it's best to pass on this one. However, it really is the only available AMC Gremlin kit in 1/25 scale unless you seek out and earlier F/C version, so it's either $24.99 or no Gremlin model.

When they released the follow up Gremlin this year...man that was like a fart in church quiet, I barely saw any in the What Did You Get thread, and it's been given a universal yawn and shrug by all but the 8 militant AMC guys in the hobby.

I couldn't agree more, and the multiple, very slightly modified reissues of the same kit is the one thing about Round2 which has me a bit concerned. Two Chevy LWB van kits, two Meyers Manx kits, two Gremlins, etc., seems to be more than what the market will support, even if they are released a few years apart.

I have to wonder how many people bought it just for the box art and large print that came with it...

I know at least one. -_- I wanted to check it out, and thought it was an interesting idea, but I wouldn't buy an Original Art Series kit again with the print included.

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If you think about it, it shouldn't be surprising Round 2 has been mostly about re-issues. They have bought a pile of old model companies MPC, AMT, Ertl, Polar Lights and now Lindberg (Pyro, Palmer, Hawk, IMC others?) It wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to go to the trouble of acquiring all those old tools just to turn around and sink a bunch of money into new tools. They are improving the old molds, cleaning them up, adding new parts, restoring old parts etc, so its not like they are just dragging tired old molds out and dusting them off.

They have turned out a number of totally new kits over the few years they have been in existance, so it is not like they are completely living in the past.

Well for new kits for the Automotive genre other than the Batmobile are the CoT NASCAR Snap kits (another release that went no where in a fast hurry). Sure they did the series of Challengers, Corvettes & Camaros, but those are basically unassembled promos, which they are just selling in pieces rather than in promo form. That's not really a "new" kit per se when you are already producing the car anyways for the promo use. That tooling was bought and paid for by GM & Chrysler.

Sure they own AMT, but I refute the idea that AMT is part of that pile of old model companies. It was a perfectly functional and current model company until RC2 trampled all over it. The Lindberg part of Lindberg while under a miserable stewardship in the past half-decade is also a current model company in that it produced new tools in this century. You want to reissue the entire catalogs of the IMC, MPC and old AMT tools be my guest (the Palmer/Pyro stuff should be melted down into a Kia). There are things there I will buy, but you have at least two marquees that should be kicking out at least one new model kit a year.

At what point does restoring all of these old tools outstrip the ROI of the reissue? They've obviously started with the easiest, quickest turn around stuff first, and then it's sorta down the slope of quality and ease of fixing the tools.

I really don't see the problem with reissues. I may not buy them all, but apparently others do- otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. I do have to hand it to Round2 for actually doing repair and cleanup of the molds when needed, and giving more than passing thought to the decal sheets, box art, packaging, etc.- that's something that RC2/Learning Curve almost never did. Quality control has gone up by leaps and bounds for the most part since Round 2 stepped in.

Learning Curve = Round 2, not RC2.

Edited by niteowl7710
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I couldn't agree more, and the multiple, very slightly modified reissues of the same kit is the one thing about Round2 which has me a bit concerned. Two Chevy LWB van kits, two Meyers Manx kits, two Gremlins, etc., seems to be more than what the market will support, even if they are released a few years apart.

The Chevy Van doesn't concern me that much as it's aimed at an entirely different market than the Vantasy is/was, there are plenty of people who want to build the Fire/Police version of the van with the period equipment that came in that kit back in the day.

I more interested in how much positive sales they get out releasing things in multiple colors. Didn't the first run of the Manx come in like 2 or 3 colors AND white. Now the Christine Fury is being molded in white and red, and the Opel GT in white and yellow. How well are those "in-color" kits selling? I know for me it's not 1988 and they're not Monogram, and that plastic is not "Real Metal - Flake!" :lol:

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I know for me it's not 1988 and they're not Monogram, and that plastic is not "Real Metal - Flake!" :lol:

No Turtle Wax packet included, NO THANKS. <_<:D

This is the only Lindberg kit I want to see reissued, and it better be in this box art, with these decals, too!

jjslickslacks.jpg

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Sure they own AMT, but I refute the idea that AMT is part of that pile of old model companies.

Pile of old model companies wasn't meant as a negative thing, perhaps model companies with a long history would be prefered. Polar Lights was a pretty up to date model company as well.

What I was getting at is they have invested heavily in buying existing tooling, so it makes a lot of sense that they are putting most of their money into "new and improved" re-issues instead of new tooling. If they were going to put a lot of effort into new tools they could have skipped over the whole acquiring a large bank of existing kit tools, and gone straight to new stuff.

I'd like to have more new kits available too, but I'm pretty happy to see the older AMT/Ertl big rigs getting re-issued at $30 instead of having to hunt them down on ebay for 2-3x that price.

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I don't mind the reissues, at least if those that might be some of the more wanted kits and can be put back into production at a reasonable cost, that will at least give a war chest for them to fix tools that need more work to make useable, expand their catalogs by purchasing and reviving other old tools, and hopefully getting the rights to produce new kits that aren't unassembled promos.

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I don't want to sound completely negative on the reissues, I've gotten several things I missed in the part of life where real cars, women and work interfered. I could suggest a place to stick the rest of that orange dye, but I was happy to get the '70 1/2 Camaro (how about the B-M Edition with proper decals?), and I just picked up the '67 Shelby GT that I totally missed back in the '90's. Have plans to get the Opel when my LHS can keep one in stock long enough. In full disclosure I have one of the Gremlins too, along with a bunch of other things since Round 2 took over.

I just think (especially since Round 2 outright owns it all now) they're sitting on too much capital - both in a financial and marketing sense not to use it. If they can afford to license a Steven King Movie, Elvis, Texaco, Pepsi, all the new tires, AND buy Lindberg, there's gotta be room for "The First All New AMT Kit in 25 Years". Or at least a new body insert to correct the banana-mobile quality of the '58 Fury.

I was an AMT kid growing up, and it was painful to watch what RC2 did to my "beloved" model company. They don't need to go head-to-head with Revell, but I think there's something to be said for a Moebius approach. One or two carefully crafted new tools a year that offer several variations to amortize the cost over a couple of years, paid for with the GIANT tooling catalog of 6 model companies.

In the mean time I'll be over here in line for the Demon reissue...

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I will tell you, for me anyway, this thread has reminded me of how little, how precious little, either lindberg or especially hawk ever brought to the car modelling table. those stupid "T" kits are a joke and have basically nothing in them of value, way oversimplified, and it seems the same to me for most of lindbergs junk, errr...stuff. there may be some jewels here and there but by and large those two companies and their products could fall off the end of the earth and i doubt i or much of anyone else without a vested interest would give a darn.

round 2 should be investing in new tools of contemporary classics, not dredging up this dreck.

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I just think (especially since Round 2 outright owns it all now) they're sitting on too much capital - both in a financial and marketing sense not to use it. If they can afford to license a Steven King Movie, Elvis, Texaco, Pepsi, all the new tires, AND buy Lindberg

I have read that Round 2 is really big on pursuing pop-culture licenses and tie-ins, considering all the Star Trek and Batman merch, in addition to Pepsi, etc. Agreed new tooling would be great to see, in the short term it seems for car kits it's limited to the curbside unassembled promos...I'm looking forward to the Camaro ZL1 that is upcoming. Anyway, I've been enjoying many of the reissues so far and am looking forward to many of the upcoming ones, esp. the '69 Chevelle conv and '71 Demon.

Edited by Rob Hall
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I thought Learning Curve what RC2 became, shortly before they sold off the AMT/MPC/PL brands to Round 2. :unsure:

Yes...Racing Champions evolved into RC2 then Learning Curve or something like that (through aquisitions, etc). Round 2 is called that I presume because 'Round 1' for Tom Lowe was Playing Mantis.

Edited by Rob Hall
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