Attention!!! Model Truck Survey

[chuckyr]

MRC has taken over the North American distribution of Italeri. In several weeks MRC will meet with Italeri at the New York Toy show. MRC has told me that they will discuss truck model kits with Italeri. I have composed a survey questioner to present to MRC concerning what North American truck modelers want as new kits. The survey is now active at Dan’s Model Truck World web site, the site that has taken over the Plastic Cowboy web site. MRC has shown to offer unusual model kits over the years and I think they are receptive to truck modeler’s needs. This may be the only chance for truck modelers to have an unobstructed ear to Italeri as far as US truck model kits.

http://www.danmodeltruckworld.com/index.ph...t&Itemid=70

www.danmodeltruckworld.com

[mackinac359]

Chuck

Thank you for posting this.

Tim

[SpreadAxle]

Yes, thank you Chuck.

[Old Albion]

Chuck,

Thanks also for posting this.

I completed the survey and submitted my results. I,m surprised that companies like Revell, Italeri etc don't use forums like this to test the market place to find out what products people want to buy.????? I think they need a lesson in marketing!

Ray,

Good to see you back on the board again!

[SpreadAxle]

Chuck,

Thanks also for posting this.

I completed the survey and submitted my results. I,m surprised that companies like Revell, Italeri etc don't use forums like this to test the market place to find out what products people want to buy.????? I think they need a lesson in marketing!

Ray,

Good to see you back on the board again!

Thanks Dave.

[asterisk]

This is by no means a criticism of your survey as I appreciate the work you put into your site but I wish Italeri would take another look at daycab or medium duty stuff. For example it's a pain to fabricate a roof for the Volvo VN kit and you can forget about removing the sleeper on any of the newer Aero models if they were to produce one. I would think individual modelers would end up buying more of one kit if they had more applications than just a long-haul highway truck.

Existing examples like the Ford Louisville (probably one of the more continuously available AMT trucks) or Ford C-series. Both offer a huge range of applications from fire apparatus, LTL tractors, bobtails (dumps, box, flatbed), etc.

But again, thanks for your effort in getting the modeler's concerns to the manufacturer.

[Robert Myers]

Thanks for posting the survey link. Went there and put in my two cents worth.

I do agree that a kit enginered to build a day cab or connect to a number of sleepers would be great! I know the new molding machines can produce kits far nicer than anything we are used too.

Maybe they could produce the truck as a day cab, with a removable roof and back wall Their cabs are already multi piece) and sell separate kits of just sleepers with the parts needed to connect them to the cab. I would buy a bunch of each!!!!!! Even a kit of a tank to fit a straight truck with frame extensions or a dump bed kit or an emergency command post kit or just an accurate wrecker bed kit or .... I dream to much.

[SpreadAxle]

Thanks for posting the survey link. Went there and put in my two cents worth.

I do agree that a kit enginered to build a day cab or connect to a number of sleepers would be great! I know the new molding machines can produce kits far nicer than anything we are used too.

Maybe they could produce the truck as a day cab, with a removable roof and back wall Their cabs are already multi piece) and sell separate kits of just sleepers with the parts needed to connect them to the cab. I would buy a bunch of each!!!!!! Even a kit of a tank to fit a straight truck with frame extensions or a dump bed kit or an emergency command post kit or just an accurate wrecker bed kit or .... I dream to much.

I've wished for this for years. Parts packs for trucks would be great. I like your truck body idea, too. Take it one step further:Trailer kits that include the extra parts and instructions to convert to a straight truck body like the Ertl Tri axle dump trailer had.

[Aaronw]

Thanks for the survey, were the questions provided by MRC or selected by you?

This is by no means a criticism of your survey as I appreciate the work you put into your site but I wish Italeri would take another look at daycab or medium duty stuff. For example it's a pain to fabricate a roof for the Volvo VN kit and you can forget about removing the sleeper on any of the newer Aero models if they were to produce one. I would think individual modelers would end up buying more of one kit if they had more applications than just a long-haul highway truck.

Existing examples like the Ford Louisville (probably one of the more continuously available AMT trucks) or Ford C-series. Both offer a huge range of applications from fire apparatus, LTL tractors, bobtails (dumps, box, flatbed), etc.

But again, thanks for your effort in getting the modeler's concerns to the manufacturer.

I agree with you, with as little attention as the truck market gets, the medium duty trucks really get overlooked. Like you said Ford C and Louisville. No IH S1600-1700, FL60-70, GM Top Kick, Ford F600-800 etc. The trucks you see almost everyday.

What I would love to see and think it could have broad enough appeal to sell pretty well for a truck would be a modern class 6 or 7 single axle eliptical tanker, (FL, IH, GM, Sterling?). A 3 or more in 1 kit, fire department water tender, construction site water truck, and a small commercial bulk liquids truck (perhaps a heating oil delivery truck). The truck would not have to change much between these three. Just some decal options and some optional parts for each. Probably emergency lighting, spray bars, dump valve and draft hose hose for the tender, some of the emergency lighting, and spray bars for the water truck, and DOT placards for the fuel truck.

[Robert Myers]

What I would love to see and think it could have broad enough appeal to sell pretty well for a truck would be a modern class 6 or 7 single axle eliptical tanker, (FL, IH, GM, Sterling?). A 3 or more in 1 kit, fire department water tender, construction site water truck, and a small commercial bulk liquids truck (perhaps a heating oil delivery truck).

You could use PVC pipe that is available in most stores that carry lawn sprinler system parts. It makes a great round tank, it is CHEAP and you can either make flat ends or build your own as fancy as you please. Just a note use an epoxy glue on the PVC, don't use model glue, it won't hold and don't use PVC cement, it will eat the plastic so fast the fumes won't have time to get you. OR TRY THIS.....

Back in the mid-1980s Steve Port and I sold an eliptical tank. It was long enough for a replacement for the round tank on an AMT trailer or it could be cut down to any lenght for a straight truck chassis. Ours had flat ends (sheet Plastic). It was made from remolded white PVC pipe like you use for plumbing.

You can do the same as we did. Go and get a steel pipe that will fit inside the PVC pipe. Take the steel pipe to a metal shop and have them reform it to the eliptical shape you want. Slip the steel pipe inside of the PVC, yes the PVC will bend, and dip it in a barrel of hot oil for about ten minutes. Take it out and let it cool. When you pull out the steel pipe, the PVC will keep the eliptical shape. Prime it with Krylon or your favorite primer make some ends and you have the tank. (if you don't have a barrel of oil, you can use a BIG pan of water boiling on your stove, just increase the dipping time to 15 minutes)

We sold hundreds at $9.00 each. I can't remember the issue, but there was an article in a model car magazine featuring our tank on a straight truck. It was in Quaker State Oil livery. The builder did a great job!!!!!!!

Edited January 12, 2008 by Robert Myers

[chuckyr]

The results of the Model Truck Survey have been posted. Thanks to those that participated.

Model Truck Survey Results