Small Scale Military Headquarters

Jnewboy wrote:Where the hell is it????

Still prototype
I saw it in person few month back..it is a long way out

Black_Dragon_One wrote:

Jnewboy wrote:Where the hell is it????

Still prototype
I saw it in person few month back..it is a long way out

Color me surprised

Black_Dragon_One wrote:

Jnewboy wrote:Where the hell is it????

Still prototype
I saw it in person few month back..it is a long way out

Its been like that forever

There's a long-time employee at my local Hobbytown USA store who deals regularly with Merit and apparently knows the president of the company. I heard from him (third-hand) that the FW-190 is due either later this year or early next year. Again, what I have may be only considered scuttlebutt at this time, but is the most reliable info I've received.

tmanthegreat wrote:There's a long-time employee at my local Hobbytown USA store who deals regularly with Merit and apparently knows the president of the company. I heard from him (third-hand) that the FW-190 is due either later this year or early next year. Again, what I have may be only considered scuttlebutt at this time, but is the most reliable info I've received.

The crazy thing is I was looking back at my videos Ive made and I realized that the first Hitler Video I made about it was in Dec of 2013! then the second one was July of 2014! It has literally been years in the making. I hope Merit wont mind if Hitler makes a new video soon, of course they blamed him for the production delay so another video might destroy any hope at all

I had to put them back on YouTube, they are just to good!

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSDeIdPeGQQ

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHyb_JA4HbU

I THOUGHT THAT THE ADMINISTRATOR SPECIFICALLY STATED NO MORE REFERENCES TO THE HITLER VIDEOS,I GUESS RULES AND PROCEDURES MEAN NOTHING,LETS KEEP HARASSING THE MANUFACTURERS ,YAY

tmanthegreat wrote:There's a long-time employee at my local Hobbytown USA store who deals regularly with Merit and apparently knows the president of the company. I heard from him (third-hand) that the FW-190 is due either later this year or early next year. Again, what I have may be only considered scuttlebutt at this time, but is the most reliable info I've received.

Had to look at the date of this message to make sure it was August 2015....not August 2013

Keith B wrote:I THOUGHT THAT THE ADMINISTRATOR SPECIFICALLY STATED NO MORE REFERENCES TO THE HITLER VIDEOS,I GUESS RULES AND PROCEDURES MEAN NOTHING,LETS KEEP HARASSING THE MANUFACTURERS ,YAY

Jnewboy outranks you, Mr. All caps.

[CAT]CplSlade wrote:

Keith B wrote:I THOUGHT THAT THE ADMINISTRATOR SPECIFICALLY STATED NO MORE REFERENCES TO THE HITLER VIDEOS,I GUESS RULES AND PROCEDURES MEAN NOTHING,LETS KEEP HARASSING THE MANUFACTURERS ,YAY

Jnewboy outranks you, Mr. All caps.

LMAO Well Said Old Chap.
It's pure Entertainment .

Cheers
Studly

Jnewboy outranks you, Mr. All caps.[/quote]


LMAO Well Said Old Chap.
It's pure Entertainment .

Cheers
Studly[/quote]

You guys are pure entertainment too!

You guys are great!!

There is always the occasional stick in the mud but for the most part this forum has some of the best guys you will find anywhere!! Thanks to all of you for keeping this hobby in the sky!

Keith B wrote:I THOUGHT THAT THE ADMINISTRATOR SPECIFICALLY STATED NO MORE REFERENCES TO THE HITLER VIDEOS,I GUESS RULES AND PROCEDURES MEAN NOTHING,LETS KEEP HARASSING THE MANUFACTURERS ,YAY

Considering this has literally been YEARS in the making, and no further news than the same prototype kicking around, think poking some fun at the "manufacturer" is harmless.

If Jim or Merit get offended by some Hitler Youtube vids about a model that has been dragging on for years, think they need to lighten up.

Matter of fact, they should be happy we are still talking about it.

snake wrote:
Matter of fact, they should be happy we are still talking about it.

Bam!!!

The customer who rants and complains is the one you probably won't lose. The one you lose is the one that doesn't say a thing and just walks out disgusted. ...From 40 years retail experience.

There may be those who were pumped up but now will yawn when it comes out since they have moved on and lost interest. Heck, there are probably some who have abandoned 1/18 all together since the initial announcements. It's the kind of thing that can spark hope initially and then after a couple years of waiting be a final straw.

Indeed.

People can (and will) get tired of waiting.

As a former 1/32 armor guy I can personally attest to that fact. If it wasn't for my 32X planes and my two 1/18 German tanks I would probably not be surprised if I got chased out of here as an outsider.

I looked into the future and saw no return of 21C or anyone to fill their void, and I lost faith in Forces of Valor to produce anything beyond a trickle of repaints of the same tired molds from 2009. So now a 1/35 modeler am I.

My biggest question is why the Harrier before the FW-190. The FW-190 is one of the handful of important and recognizable WWII aircraft or vehicles that remains to be seen as a pre-built 1:18 model and would be welcomed by many collectors. So why produce one and not the other?

We all know that developing a 1:18 model is enormously expensive. There are costs incurred from developing and refining the prototype; developing the moulds and tooling for production, producing the plane, marketing it, packaging and sending it to retailers, then selling enough to break even or generate a profit. Merit is not Hasbro, cannot afford not to sell a few thousand aircraft, and takes a loss for every plane it does not sell.

I identified 3 factors that could help or hinder sales of the FW-190 and which may be behind the tardiness of its release. I tried to see things as sensibly as I could from Merit's perspective. My thoughts all purely speculative and may not even reflect reality, but would be things I'd consider if I was in the shoe's of the Merit's CEO...

Collector Base Appeal
The FW-190 appeals to WWII aviation fans, historians, and model builders (pretty much the type of people that frequent this particular forum) but those people are a minority among toy and model collectors at large. The Harrier will have a broader fan base. Its a modern jet, so will appeal to most general and military aviation fans, model builders, etc. However, it also could draw in more people from the GI Joe and even SciFi crowds. A review of the GI Joe forums will reveal that they tend to buy and/or customize the modern military stuff before WWII stuff. I don't see Cobra Commander flying a Messerschmitt BF-109, but I could see him in a Harrier.

Pop Culture Recognition
The Harrier also has more popular appeal and recognition. Just watch action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger fly one in the blockbuster film "True Lies" and you'll see what I mean. I think the jet has appeared in other action films as well. I'm sure it's in those Call of Duty video games. Then there are the airshows where the Harrier is frequently a hit, news coverage, and even USMC commercials that have featured the plane. Remember the Pepsi contest to win one from a number of years ago? Lots of popular appeal and the general public will recognize the plane.

Poor Sales History of the FW-190
Traditionally, pre-built 1:18 items have not sold well in general, even when they were cheap, and that brings up the 21st Century Toys FW-190D9 fiasco... Everyone remember that? When the plane was available at mass retail in 2004-2005 for $40, it sold poorly. So poorly that 21c had to have a contest to get collectors to clear the shelves. It was a neat contest, but really a pathetic move for a company to have to make. Even more so as the 21c FW-190D9, while certainly not their best work, was still far from their worst effort and is not a bad model overall. But if that couldn't sell when times were good, it may be even harder to push an FW-190A now when items cost more to produce and the collector base is down.

Again, this is all speculation, and does not take into account many other factors, including personal decisions and preferences with Merit's leadership, but I think I offer some sound rationale for why the FW-190 may be taking so long...

You fellas are spot on! the ironic thing is Merit may think Im trying to bash them but in reality I really do want to see it produced! I will buy one or more where as some others that may be quick to criticize me wont. At least Hitler has not given up on his Fw-190!

I know what you are saying T-man, I was really surprised the first time I saw the 1/18 Fw190D at a Wal-Mart so many years ago now….

I was amazed that a company would create such a niche aircraft in such a large scale, it led me to believe that they would obviously have a Fw190A on the way and maybe other niche aircraft to follow. It said to me that this company is really dedicated to the scale and it may have been why I got into it as much as I did. I thought it was just a matter of time before they would make every plane that they already made in 1/32 scale into 1/18. When months turned into years with no Fw190A I was astounded! Then they make another niche aircraft, the Me-262NJ which was awesome for major collectors but was still not well known like the Butcher Bird.

Yeah, I just remembered the 21c FW-190 fiasco and that seemed a good reason why, as the owner of a similar company also intent on producing an FW-190, I would hold off until I was absolutely certain that it would be a success across a broad spectrum. Lots of factors went into making the FW-190D9 a poor seller in its day... It was more definitely a "niche" aircraft as you noted, not generally recognizable to the general public, and was apparently a personal favorite of 21c's owner, so of course it got made over perhaps more common sense choices. I want to see the FW-190A get produced as much as any of us. I like my 21c FW-190D9s and have 3 of them, but the A variant was the classic version of that plane and is necessary in 1:18 scale!

No idea why the Focke Wulf 190 didn't sell back in the day ?

And to be honest, don't think it had aything to do with it being a Dora version.

In my opinion, the Dora looks better than the A model, and has better lines, with a more powerful/ faster look to it. My opinion.

I personally think it had to do with where it was sold, and to who.

These were sold at Walmart, and Toys R Us, so doubt your customer base are historians, or aviation enthusiasts.

Sold more as " toys" than accurate military models.

And given that market, with a clear American base, think that most potential buyers would instantly recognize the Messerschmitt 109, but not so much the Focke Wulf.

Again, look at where they were sold, and I believe the vast majority of " Walmart shoppers" were ignorant as to the the history and contribution of the FW 190.

Even people with the most basic knowledge of aircraft know of the Spitfire, the Mustang, the Me 109, and the Zero.

Focke Wulf 190, not so much.

That's my thought, and find it hard to believe they had trouble moving these at $40

snake wrote:No idea why the Focke Wulf 190 didn't sell back in the day ?

And to be honest, don't think it had aything to do with it being a Dora version.

In my opinion, the Dora looks better than the A model, and has better lines, with a more powerful/ faster look to it. My opinion.

I personally think it had to do with where it was sold, and to who.

These were sold at Walmart, and Toys R Us, so doubt your customer base are historians, or aviation enthusiasts.

Sold more as " toys" than accurate military models.

And given that market, with a clear American base, think that most potential buyers would instantly recognize the Messerschmitt 109, but not so much the Focke Wulf.

Again, look at where they were sold, and I believe the vast majority of " Walmart shoppers" were ignorant as to the the history and contribution of the FW 190.

Even people with the most basic knowledge of aircraft know of the Spitfire, the Mustang, the Me 109, and the Zero.

Focke Wulf 190, not so much.

That's my thought, and find it hard to believe they had trouble moving these at $40

I totally agree about the "Wal-mart Shoppers" point, I always thought Target would have been a better fit but even then like you said, after the Me109 most people cant name another German aircraft (most cant even remember the 109)

I got three of those Doras. It seemed they were the last of the 1:18 planes that languished at the Wallfarts for quite a while. I know I at least got two on sale or clearance.

I think with the earlier Butcher Bird, if the 1:32 version was any indicator, it would have been far better detailed. I would expect the same from Merit. Maybe they are a little gun shy about releasing it because of 21st sales if they looked into it?

I do think an allied fighter would have been a better choice if past sales were a factor. While there was and still is a glut of P-51D's with a release of four more, there never was a P-51B/C, or for that matter a P-40E or N Warhawk. A lot more choices of color schemes and different countries who flew them, thus a little more worldwide appeal maybe.

Don't get me wrong, I am still looking forward to the FW-190 if it finally appears. No Harrier for me thanks.

re Harrier
first rule in collecting: GET'em while you can! 10 years from now, you might be kicking yourself:) Especially a first edition!

scbvideoboy wrote:re Harrier
first rule in collecting: GET'em while you can! 10 years from now, you might be kicking yourself:) Especially a first edition!

Got mine

This has taken so long that I have seriously been thinking about building my Skyjerks mod version. Just looked at it today and boy is it tempting

Jnewboy wrote:Where the hell is it????

I'm with you Jnewboy, been draggin their heels way to long on this Iconic Luftwaffe Eagle