Why Does AMT keep Releasing Same Kit With A Different Box

[5.0man]

Just to name a few 70 Camaro, 67 Mustang, 69 Cougar etc.

When will they tool same different cars?

-Dwayne

[jbwelda]

Why? Pretty much the same reason laundry soap manufacturers keep marking their boxes "IMPROVED!" when there is no viable improvement at all.

jb

[Harry P.]

Because the tooling for those reissued kits was already paid for by previous sales. It's a lot cheaper to print a new box and throw in an old kit vs. tooling up a brand-new kit... especially with kits that already have a track record as good sellers. Reissuing an old kit is almost pure profit; tooling up a new kit is expensive up front (the design, engineering and tooling costs). Like jb said... if you can sell the same old stuff with a "new and improved" box cover, why bother creating new product?

As long as consumers keep buying reissues, the kitmakers are going to keep reissuing them. Over and over and over again.

[martinfan5]

Sometimes , they could also be a modified reissue, fixing issues with the kit, trying to make it better from the original tooling

[Harry P.]

Another favorite trick the kitmakers use is to reissue an ancient kit in a new "collectible" box and slap a ridiculous MSRP on it. Again, way cheaper to manufacture a new box to hold an old kit than to manufacture a new kit.

Yet another gimmick they use: an old kit with a new decal sheet. Again, it's far cheaper to print up new decals than tool up a new kit.

BTW... I'm not criticizing the kit manufacturers for doing these things. On the contrary, it's good business! As long as the old kits disguised in new boxes continue to sell, hey, why not keep reissuing them, right? Ultimately it's the consumer who is voting for all of these reissues.

[Danno]

And, as Harry would know, times change and the styles that attract attention ~ and therefore sell ~ evolve. Different box art may attract new buyers as well as enticing old buyers to invest again in old, familiar kits. Either way, repackaging "freshens" old product. It's marketing.

[clovis]

It does freshen up the product line.

If you see the same kit in the same box for 9 years straight in your LHS, you will never pick it up. But you will pick up the Camaro since it is in a new box, and often buy it.

[pharoah]

Yep.. Because they can.

Has anybody heard when they're going to reissue the 1961-62 Chevy Apache pickup w/trailer/stake bed and the 1960 Chevy wagon?

Anybody?

[jbwelda]

> Either way, repackaging "freshens" old product. It's marketing.

exactly what I was referring to, but a bit more on target than my somewhat flippant remark.

jb

[Greg Cullinan]

To grow their consumer base. Have a modern product available (at least the package). I am happy to buy the repops as I haven't been Involved in this hobby for long and I do not have most of these reissues in my inventory/stash.

[Nick Winter]

To sell things that have proven good sellers in the past to fund other projects (IE Pacer, Vans ETC)

Nick

[Craig Irwin]

A lot of it boils down to running what they've got, new tools cost money and the economy ain't so good. (despite what you hear on the news). And it doesn't help that we are a shrinking market.

[Force]

There is nothing new here, all manufacturers have been re-issuing older kits periodiclally since the very beginning and some kits have been issued over and over and over again, but they have also done new kits at the same time.
The previous owner of AMT Racing Champions also known as RC2 Corporation wasn't into the model kit business that much, I think they just were after the licensing for their die-cast line when they bought the AMT/Ertl company...they laid off some of the people who knew anything about kit making and just did re-issues of old kits with little or no interest at all in what they did...they also did some new parts and some modifications to older tooling and many weren't that good.

Round2 who now owns the AMT/MPC/Polar Lights/Lindberg brands on the other hand is model people and they have lifted the brands a lot since the RC2 days, they are going through the tooling bank and have re-issued some kits that hasn't been out in many many years and also more recent good sellers with new boxart and some new or improved parts...and that's fine with me.

They probably want to build up some capital before starting to do new kits wich is very costly and I think we will see some new kits sometime in the future from them...it's just a matter of time.

[disabled modeler]

I know it may cost them a bit more but if they re-issue a kit one good selling point would be for it to have all the original issue parts and accessories or building options...gets me to buy them and the extra parts promote buying another kit to use them with or on so the builder can use their imagination more.

Edited December 29, 2013 by disabled modeler

[Ace-Garageguy]

And there are some of us old fossils who will jump at the chance to have a freshly-minted version of a favorite kit from the dim recesses of time, rather than hacking into an original-issue that we overpaid for in the belief they were gone forever...

[Agent G]

One prominent Chinese manufacturer reissues armor kits from the late 90's - early '00's, adds a set of figures, reboxes them and offers them at good prices. "Value line" marketing makes sense.

G

[southpier]

to encourage new builders?

[Danno]

All of these ideas and suggestions and guesses are good and valid. There probably is no single 'right' answer; they are probably all part of the equation.

And, as others have said, as long as it means old kits previously thought lost to time are re-issued and available again, it's all good!!

[Agent G]

And, as others have said, as long as it means old kits previously thought lost to time are re-issued and available again, it's all good!!

There in lies the draw, for me at least.

G

[Harry P.]

to encourage new builders?

New builders don't care whether a kit is new or a reissue... they're all new kits to a beginner. The reason for reissues is $$$, plain and simple. Once a kit sells enough units to recoup its initial costs, all further sales are gravy. If they can keep reissuing a kit many times after that kit's initial investment has been paid back, it's pure profit. And if you can put an old kit in a "collectible" box and actually raise the MSRP to a point way higher than the kit would normally sell for, even better.

Like I said earlier, good business sense.

[Agent G]

That's what I'm talking about.

DML has long since amortized the cost of the CyberHobby "Orange Box Value Line" kits. Include the figure sprue at a nominal cost, add some PE, sell the stink out of them and it's all good.

We get a unique subject, some modern details and figures for the spares box for less than what the kit cost 10 years ago.

G

[Danno]

Re: Harry's last post ("Quote" feature not working today).

And, all of that "good business sense" builds capital reserves (for a company that was virtually penniless a couple of years ago) with which they will eventually be able to afford to invest in new tools. It's all good.

For the naysayers, it's also important to remember you can be 'victimized' by repackaged older kits ONLY IF (1) that's the way you choose to look at it and (2) only if you buy them.

[slusher]

They still are good sellers and we keep buying them...

[Luc Janssens]

If it were me, I would offer every kit as a "two in one, (decal version)", the first half of the run prominently showing version "A" last half, version "B"

Ha!

;^)

[Greg Myers]

Re: Harry's last post ("Quote" feature not working today).

And, all of that "good business sense" builds capital reserves (for a company that was virtually penniless a couple of years ago) with which they will eventually be able to afford to invest in new tools. It's all good.

For the naysayers, it's also important to remember you can be 'victimized' by repackaged older kits ONLY IF (1) that's the way you choose to look at it and (2) only if you buy them.

What about the repackaging in the new manufacturer's Brand Logo? Is it Revell or is it Monogram ? Or maybe Renwal ? Or Aurora ? Lots of fodder for the board.

AMT or MPC ?

Edited December 29, 2013 by Greg Myers