What happened to BBI?

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What happened to BBI?

Post by flayrah » Sun Apr 03, 2016 7:56 pm

Years ago, about the same time I left the 1:18 hobby due to other responsibilities, 21st was starting to implode; Admiral had produced the F86 and ME262; Unimax had a few figures; and BBI was manufacturing high-quality figures and aircraft. I know 21st self-destructed; Admiral seems not to have been able to keep up with costs and production; Unimax was a test market only; but what happened with bbi 1:18? Did they just loose interest? It seems the market would be there, even at smaller numbers as bbi is a big company and wouldn't be staking everything on a few 1:18 pieces. From time to time it looks like bbi is still making modern figures, but of lesser quality and no accurate aircraft or armour. There's probably more to the story I don't know.

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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by tmanthegreat » Mon Apr 04, 2016 9:54 am

BBI is still around, somewhat. From about 2010-2013, they produced some very nice repaints/retools of some of their classic aircraft and helicopters. We got a repaint of the F-16; repaint of the F-18; repaint/slight retool of the Blackhawk, repaint of the BF-109G; and repaint of the 1/32 scale F-4 Phantom. They never did any of their other aircraft (Apache, Littlebird, P-51, Zero, Corsair, Hellcat).

The new BBI repaints tended to cost quite a bit more than they did originally. For example, the F-18, which cost about $90 in 2004 now costs about $179 at full retail, nearly twice as much. However, for the higher price, we got more secure boxes and excellent overall quality control on the models. Some retailers will have periodic sales, so its been possible to get items closer to their original prices. Here are some pictures of of the actual products pulled from The Flying Mule's website:

F-16
Image

BF-109
Image

F-18
Image

Blackhawk
Image

F-4 Phantom (1/32 scale)
Image

You can still find these items in stock at several retailers:
http://www.flyingmule.com/range/display ... ite-force/
http://www.aikensairplanes.com/1-18-sca ... ort=newest
http://aviatornut.com/aircraft/118-scale-aircraft
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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by tmanthegreat » Mon Apr 04, 2016 10:20 am

While I hate to double-post, in the intervening years since 21c's demise, there have been a couple companies that acquired some of their old toolings and reproduced the same models. The most prolific of these companies is JS International (JSI) which is distributed in the US by Merit International. Since 2009, JSI released the following repaints of 21c aircraft:
Corsair (Boyington/VMF-214)
Stuka (Rudel)
P-38 (Putt Putt Maru)
F-104 (Luftwaffe)
BF-109E (Galland)
F-86 (Jabara)
ME-262 (Richter)
Huey (2x repaints)
Some of these planes had minor tooling improvements (the F-86 had the wheel wells better detailed and the BF-109E had new accurate 3-piece canopy installed for example). JSI also produced some 1:18 aircraft toolings including the following
F-14 (2 versions)
AV-88B Harrier (2 versions)
JSI also re-released some of the old 21c armor including the Tiger tank, Panther tank, M-16 Halftrack, and 88mm gun as well as the S1 style German troops and 21c US Paratroopers. Some of these JSI planes are now tricky to find at an affordable price, even more so than the 21c aircraft. The JSI planes also tend to have their own QC issues most famously typified by the first F-14 with its garish black spots and weak landing gear.

Merit International has released two versions of the SBD Dauntless in 1:18 scale on its own. The Merit SBD is frequently cited as one of the best 1:18 scale aircraft ever made due to its level of detail, functionality, and overall good QC. There was a "Coral Sea" SBD-1 version in the early war makings and a "Battle of Midway" SBD-3 variant. Both are simply excellent and well worth the purchase.

A third company that has released some 21c toolings is Flight Wing. Thus far, they've released several repaints of the 21c retooled P-51D and the 21c Mig-15. At $140, these are not cheap and some have paint inaccuracies or QC issues. I did get a Flight Wing P-51 in Tuskegee Airman markings, and apart from having to repaint the instrument hood black, was otherwise happy with the quality of the paint job compared to the 21c efforts.

Hope all this gives you a better idea of what is out there :D
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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by scbvideoboy » Mon Apr 04, 2016 12:21 pm

Along with all that was Pegasus with their 1/18 scale offerings. I was hoping they would continue their releases.

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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by Aviatornut.com » Thu Apr 07, 2016 4:06 pm

not sure if bbi is still around or not. they don't answer their phones and they liquidated their inventory. I think the bbi me109 is a great deal.

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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by flayrah » Thu Apr 07, 2016 10:29 pm

Didn't know bbi was out of the 1:18 business also. And maybe out of business. Strange that there is so little being produced in 1:18.

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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by Eddy10440 » Fri Apr 08, 2016 2:46 pm

I've never really understood why JSI/Merit International were not interested in reproducing the 1/18 King Tiger using the old tooling from 21st Century Toys.


That would have been a hit in sales here in the US :flag:
Last edited by Eddy10440 on Fri Apr 08, 2016 8:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by normandy » Fri Apr 08, 2016 7:08 pm

I wonder where the 21st King Tigers are......they were ready to ship after the 88.
Who's got the molds? :evil:

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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by Eddy10440 » Fri Apr 08, 2016 8:41 pm

normandy wrote:I wonder where the 21st King Tigers are......they were ready to ship after the 88.
Who's got the molds? :evil:
The King Tigers should be collecting dust in a warehouse in China


I would like to imagine that the molds should have been sold to JSI along with the others.

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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by digger » Sun Apr 10, 2016 5:40 am

Speaking of BBI, there is word of the elusive 2nd recent wave of modern singles showing up at "5 Below" if you have those in your area. And I believe at $3 or $4 a piece. Happy hunting.

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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by AV-8B Driver » Sun Apr 10, 2016 10:51 am

flayrah wrote:Years ago, about the same time I left the 1:18 hobby due to other responsibilities, 21st was starting to implode; Admiral had produced the F86 and ME262; Unimax had a few figures; and BBI was manufacturing high-quality figures and aircraft. I know 21st self-destructed; Admiral seems not to have been able to keep up with costs and production; Unimax was a test market only; but what happened with bbi 1:18? Did they just loose interest? It seems the market would be there, even at smaller numbers as bbi is a big company and wouldn't be staking everything on a few 1:18 pieces. From time to time it looks like bbi is still making modern figures, but of lesser quality and no accurate aircraft or armour. There's probably more to the story I don't know.
Nothing, they own Hello Kitty.

What happened is a new scale toy did not catch on, there were too many P-51s, Corsairs... and they mostly bailed from the dying scale. Not to mention licensing fees are outrageous today. Merit will be gone very soon. Look how poor Flight Wing turned out.

Ask about IP licensing here, you will be floored ...

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/contac ... ation.html
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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by Razor17019 » Sun Apr 10, 2016 11:25 am

digger wrote:Speaking of BBI, there is word of the elusive 2nd recent wave of modern singles showing up at "5 Below" if you have those in your area. And I believe at $3 or $4 a piece. Happy hunting.
Digger,
We have one of these stores going in this Friday.
What are these 2nd wave of modern figures look like?
Is it Elite Force or some other name?
Thanks,
Razor
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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by Jesse James » Mon Apr 11, 2016 4:55 pm

Thanks for that tip Dig. 5 Below is like fly dirt here. Time to hit 'em up again. They got GOOD Star Wars figures in, in droves, at one point. I was going to every single one clearing them out.

Yeah, I'm that guy. :(

But c'mon! Imp Navy Troopers, Gammie Guards... I went nuts.
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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by Coreyeagle48 » Mon Apr 11, 2016 6:35 pm

AV-8B Driver wrote:
flayrah wrote:Years ago, about the same time I left the 1:18 hobby due to other responsibilities, 21st was starting to implode; Admiral had produced the F86 and ME262; Unimax had a few figures; and BBI was manufacturing high-quality figures and aircraft. I know 21st self-destructed; Admiral seems not to have been able to keep up with costs and production; Unimax was a test market only; but what happened with bbi 1:18? Did they just loose interest? It seems the market would be there, even at smaller numbers as bbi is a big company and wouldn't be staking everything on a few 1:18 pieces. From time to time it looks like bbi is still making modern figures, but of lesser quality and no accurate aircraft or armour. There's probably more to the story I don't know.
Nothing, they own Hello Kitty.

What happened is a new scale toy did not catch on, there were too many P-51s, Corsairs... and they mostly bailed from the dying scale. Not to mention licensing fees are outrageous today. Merit will be gone very soon. Look how poor Flight Wing turned out.

Ask about IP licensing here, you will be floored ...

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/contac ... ation.html
AV-8B Driver:

I would like to know EXACTLY what you have a problem with in regards to Lockheed Martin's statement on licensing.

There are many many companies that do this. And they have a right to protect their name and their industry. I personally, am glad to see a company take this stance rather than allow some off market company in China to use their name and make knock offs that are not licensed by the company. Licensing fees are part of a business model. I work for a theme park in the summer months, all our merchandise is specifically licensed and sold by the park and its parent company. Want something that says our park's name on it, you have to buy it at the park on products especially made for us. Nothing wrong with that.

There are too many armchair folks out there today that are making things and claiming things that aren't true. For example, someone 3-d prints an item and then goes farther and claims they are part of Lockheed Martin themselves. That is not cool. And that is what these licensing agreements are trying to prevent. I made a calendar last year with picture's from the amusement park I work at in it...the park was fine with me doing it and no licensing fee or anything. But I did make sure to say the calendar was not licensed or endorsed by the park or its parent company.

I really do not know what your problem is with a company having licensing agreements, but with so many people today willfully committing copyright infringement, copying items and claiming they are part of an organization when they are not, I am proud of Lockheed Martin for at least making an attempt to try to control it and make sure products that represent their items are of high quality and promote the company in a good way.

Corey
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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by [CAT]CplSlade » Tue Apr 12, 2016 9:47 am

I don't think it is licensing per se he has a problem with, but with the fact that some companies ask amounts that aren't reasonable in some cases, which means no model gets built. Not saying all do, but as only so many manufacturers make warplanes a single company being greedy can eliminate a lot of vehicles from being made into kits that people can afford. Companies that make millions in government contracts don't need to bleed a small model company through licensing.

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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by mountian-man » Tue Apr 12, 2016 11:23 am

AV-8B Driver:

I would like to know EXACTLY what you have a problem with in regards to Lockheed Martin's statement on licensing.

There are many many companies that do this. And they have a right to protect their name and their industry. I personally, am glad to see a company take this stance rather than allow some off market company in China to use their name and make knock offs that are not licensed by the company. Licensing fees are part of a business model. I work for a theme park in the summer months, all our merchandise is specifically licensed and sold by the park and its parent company. Want something that says our park's name on it, you have to buy it at the park on products especially made for us. Nothing wrong with that.

There are too many armchair folks out there today that are making things and claiming things that aren't true. For example, someone 3-d prints an item and then goes farther and claims they are part of Lockheed Martin themselves. That is not cool. And that is what these licensing agreements are trying to prevent. I made a calendar last year with picture's from the amusement park I work at in it...the park was fine with me doing it and no licensing fee or anything. But I did make sure to say the calendar was not licensed or endorsed by the park or its parent company.

I really do not know what your problem is with a company having licensing agreements, but with so many people today willfully committing copyright infringement, copying items and claiming they are part of an organization when they are not, I am proud of Lockheed Martin for at least making an attempt to try to control it and make sure products that represent their items are of high quality and promote the company in a good way.

Corey


Let's consider Merit's SBD Dauntless; beautiful iconic aircraft designed by the Douglas corporation, with wartime production paid for by public tax dollars; Now look at the box: "Boeing officially licensed product". Boeing deserves absolutely zero, zip, zilch, credit for the design of this airplane. The reason Merit has to pay Boeing $$$ is because Boeing bought out Douglas Aircraft Corporation. Some copyright law is limited to 70 years, apparently not in this case. I can assure you Boeing doesn't give two beans about the quality of Merit's product, but rather that if the box is going to say "SBD Dauntless" rather than "Dive Bomber Airplane" they get their fat cut. In turn, a toy company is going to produce fantasy airplanes to avoid paying absurd lisencing fees. The direct affect will be to your wallet when the models you want to buy come at a higher MSRP in a niche market. It's profiteering off of history, not pride that's behind these licensing fees.

In a case of current design, Lockheed Martin should see scale models of their F-35 as PR & Advertising boons, to all help us tax payers swallow their massively over budget and long delayed government contract.

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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by Coreyeagle48 » Tue Apr 12, 2016 2:18 pm

Greetings:

Actually it is not profiting off of history as much as it is as following a protocol for all products within a company.

Boeing may not care about the Douglas SBD Dauntless, or Merit's model of it, but they own the design trademark for that airplane. If let's say, they did not license the Dauntless models, a company could legally challenge this in court say they wanted to model the AH-64 Apache and Boeing tried to charge them a licensing fee. Even though the Dauntless may be a historic aircraft and was not originally one of Boeing's products, I am sure the Boeing legal team has advised the company, as I would, that if you are going to charge a licensing fee for one product, you have to charge one for every product. Just the way it works.

Are there companies that do try to get around this? Of course. Chinese knock offs do it all the time, which is why I think this licensing stuff really hit the high gear in recent years.

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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by digger » Tue Apr 12, 2016 3:35 pm

Razor17019 wrote:
digger wrote:Speaking of BBI, there is word of the elusive 2nd recent wave of modern singles showing up at "5 Below" if you have those in your area. And I believe at $3 or $4 a piece. Happy hunting.
Digger,
We have one of these stores going in this Friday.
What are these 2nd wave of modern figures look like?
Is it Elite Force or some other name?
Thanks,
Razor

Razor, these guys are Elite Force and come on the smaller card that Target carried a couple of years back with $5 singles. They have fewer paint apps and slightly less articulation. I haven't seen for myself in the wild so I cannot confirm but believe it is the wave of singles shown at the FB page, two of which appeared in vehicles already (one guy with the gunboat and one guy with the lousy buggy).
https://www.facebook.com/bbi.EliteForce ... =3&theater

And JJ, no shame in your game brother.

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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by AV-8B Driver » Sat Apr 16, 2016 3:54 pm

You all think that's bad....

Read here.... Page 3

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... mation.pdf

So much for any UK item...this law is horrifying, in so many ways..... and will make most all UK MOD Crowns and 1000's of items illegal to build, design our own.
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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by AV-8B Driver » Sat Apr 16, 2016 4:02 pm

mountian-man wrote:
AV-8B Driver:

I would like to know EXACTLY what you have a problem with in regards to Lockheed Martin's statement on licensing.

There are many many companies that do this. And they have a right to protect their name and their industry. I personally, am glad to see a company take this stance rather than allow some off market company in China to use their name and make knock offs that are not licensed by the company. Licensing fees are part of a business model. I work for a theme park in the summer months, all our merchandise is specifically licensed and sold by the park and its parent company. Want something that says our park's name on it, you have to buy it at the park on products especially made for us. Nothing wrong with that.

There are too many armchair folks out there today that are making things and claiming things that aren't true. For example, someone 3-d prints an item and then goes farther and claims they are part of Lockheed Martin themselves. That is not cool. And that is what these licensing agreements are trying to prevent. I made a calendar last year with picture's from the amusement park I work at in it...the park was fine with me doing it and no licensing fee or anything. But I did make sure to say the calendar was not licensed or endorsed by the park or its parent company.

I really do not know what your problem is with a company having licensing agreements, but with so many people today willfully committing copyright infringement, copying items and claiming they are part of an organization when they are not, I am proud of Lockheed Martin for at least making an attempt to try to control it and make sure products that represent their items are of high quality and promote the company in a good way.

Corey


Let's consider Merit's SBD Dauntless; beautiful iconic aircraft designed by the Douglas corporation, with wartime production paid for by public tax dollars; Now look at the box: "Boeing officially licensed product". Boeing deserves absolutely zero, zip, zilch, credit for the design of this airplane. The reason Merit has to pay Boeing $$$ is because Boeing bought out Douglas Aircraft Corporation. Some copyright law is limited to 70 years, apparently not in this case. I can assure you Boeing doesn't give two beans about the quality of Merit's product, but rather that if the box is going to say "SBD Dauntless" rather than "Dive Bomber Airplane" they get their fat cut. In turn, a toy company is going to produce fantasy airplanes to avoid paying absurd lisencing fees. The direct affect will be to your wallet when the models you want to buy come at a higher MSRP in a niche market. It's profiteering off of history, not pride that's behind these licensing fees.

In a case of current design, Lockheed Martin should see scale models of their F-35 as PR & Advertising boons, to all help us tax payers swallow their massively over budget and long delayed government contract.

They don't care. They are a trillion dollar company. Go ahead and contact them to see what kind of response you get, if any.... Of course they care about the quality of a product. Do you think they want thier name associated with a cheap item that breaks and someone is injured, then sues Boeing ?? They wont even talk to you unless you have a business plan, prototypes, history, insurance, partners, backers, money, and a lawyer. Then they may set up an interview with 10 lawyers in the room.

IP lasts for as long as the entity who made it survives + 70 years, or is passed on. The English company Pathe has been around since the beginning of visual and audio media. See it you can get IP from them.... or Colt...
Last edited by AV-8B Driver on Sat Apr 16, 2016 7:02 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by AV-8B Driver » Sat Apr 16, 2016 4:04 pm

Eddy10440 wrote:I've never really understood why JSI/Merit International were not interested in reproducing the 1/18 King Tiger using the old tooling from 21st Century Toys.

Because Volkswagan and Porsche own the IP, so they would have to pay both.


That would have been a hit in sales here in the US :flag:
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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by AV-8B Driver » Sat Apr 16, 2016 4:18 pm

[CAT]CplSlade wrote:I don't think it is licensing per se he has a problem with, but with the fact that some companies ask amounts that aren't reasonable in some cases, which means no model gets built. Not saying all do, but as only so many manufacturers make warplanes a single company being greedy can eliminate a lot of vehicles from being made into kits that people can afford. Companies that make millions in government contracts don't need to bleed a small model company through licensing.
This is happening all over .... just google it. These companies are also suing the crap out of anyone that sells IP without permission. They are also hunting for it. I have a friend that is a IP lawyer and told me all about it a few a week ago after I asked.

Read This....
© 2009—2016 by Gaijin Entertainment. Gaijin and War Thunder are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Gaijin Entertainment or its licensors, all other logos are trademarks of their respective owners. F-84 Thunderjet, XF5F-1 Skyrocket, XP-50, F4F-3 Wildcat, F4F-4 Wildcat, F4U-1A Corsair, F4U-1B Corsair, F4U-1C Corsair, F6F-3 Hellcat, F7F-1 Tigercat, F8F-1 Bearcat, F8F-1B Bearcat, F9F-2 Panther, F9F-5 Panther, OS2U-1 Kingfisher, OS2U-3 Kingfisher, F3F, P-47D-25 Thunderbolt, P-47D-27 Thunderbolt, P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolt and P-47D-28 Thunderbolt are trademarks of Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation and are used under license to Gaijin Entertainment. LOCKHEED MARTIN, CONSOLIDATED B-24 LIBERATOR, CONSOLIDATED PBY CATALINA, LOCKHEED HUDSON, LOCKHEED MARAUDER, LOCKHEED VENTURA, LOCKHEED P-38 LIGHTNING , LOCKHEED F-80 SHOOTING STAR, MARTIN B-57 CANBERRA, associated emblems and logos, and body designs of vehicles are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Lockheed Martin Corporation in the USA and/or other jurisdictions, used under license by Gaijin Entertainment. P-39 and P-63 emblems, logos, and body designs are trademarks of Textron Innovations Inc. and are used under license by Gaijin Entertainment.

It is out of control .... modeling is coming to an end as we know it. Look at what Disney with 3D scanners and Printers....
Last edited by AV-8B Driver on Sat Apr 16, 2016 4:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by dannyc » Sat Apr 16, 2016 4:34 pm

AV-8B Driver wrote:
[CAT]CplSlade wrote:I don't think it is licensing per se he has a problem with, but with the fact that some companies ask amounts that aren't reasonable in some cases, which means no model gets built. Not saying all do, but as only so many manufacturers make warplanes a single company being greedy can eliminate a lot of vehicles from being made into kits that people can afford. Companies that make millions in government contracts don't need to bleed a small model company through licensing.
This is happening all over .... just google it. These companies are also suing the crap out of anyone that sells IP without permission. They are also hunting for it. I have a friend that is a IP lawyer and told me all about it a few a week ago after I asked.

Read This....
© 2009—2016 by Gaijin Entertainment. Gaijin and War Thunder are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Gaijin Entertainment or its licensors, all other logos are trademarks of their respective owners. F-84 Thunderjet, XF5F-1 Skyrocket, XP-50, F4F-3 Wildcat, F4F-4 Wildcat, F4U-1A Corsair, F4U-1B Corsair, F4U-1C Corsair, F6F-3 Hellcat, F7F-1 Tigercat, F8F-1 Bearcat, F8F-1B Bearcat, F9F-2 Panther, F9F-5 Panther, OS2U-1 Kingfisher, OS2U-3 Kingfisher, F3F, P-47D-25 Thunderbolt, P-47D-27 Thunderbolt, P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolt and P-47D-28 Thunderbolt are trademarks of Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation and are used under license to Gaijin Entertainment. LOCKHEED MARTIN, CONSOLIDATED B-24 LIBERATOR, CONSOLIDATED PBY CATALINA, LOCKHEED HUDSON, LOCKHEED MARAUDER, LOCKHEED VENTURA, LOCKHEED P-38 LIGHTNING , LOCKHEED F-80 SHOOTING STAR, MARTIN B-57 CANBERRA, associated emblems and logos, and body designs of vehicles are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Lockheed Martin Corporation in the USA and/or other jurisdictions, used under license by Gaijin Entertainment. P-39 and P-63 emblems, logos, and body designs are trademarks of Textron Innovations Inc. and are used under license by Gaijin Entertainment.

It is out of control .... modeling is coming to an end as we know it. Look at what Disney with 3D scanners and Printers....

This is all because of 3D printing.
hey av8b driver mind answer pms regarding your BST thread. that would be great feel like im being ignored here

AV-8B Driver
Corporal
Corporal
Posts: 68
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2015 9:46 pm

Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by AV-8B Driver » Sat Apr 16, 2016 5:26 pm

dannyc, Remember these messages ????

Re: Merrill's Battle Pack and updated 1/18 list.

dannyc


Fri Apr 15, 2016 8:13 am

AV-8B Driver wrote:
grunt1 wrote:
PM sent


I'm getting a lot of offers so let me wait a few days and see what happens.

Thanks

Also interested in the dodge weapons carrier, fw190, the dual packs, and the Sherman from the first release

Sent: Fri Apr 15, 2016 7:50 am
View message | Post a reply


Way to disparage me is a public post.
We are poor little lambs, who have lost our way.. Baa... BAA ..baa..

Coreyeagle48
Officer - Brigadier General
Officer - Brigadier General
Posts: 2070
Joined: Mon Oct 04, 2004 11:25 am
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA

Re: What happened to BBI?

Post by Coreyeagle48 » Sat Apr 16, 2016 8:23 pm

AV-8B:

I hate to tell you but this has been going on long before 2009. In the case of Disney, it has been going on for years. I am an educator and I remember hearing stories about Disney running around the Florida area looking for teachers and schools hanging Disney characters the kids made on classroom windows and trying to sue them. I remember Disney also trying to prevent schools from showing their movies during movie days in the school and stuff like that. Disney, as well as some other companies, have taken a very hard line on this. Other companies are not so hard line. It really depends on who you are dealing with.

I really believe the reason companies have began to pursue licensing is because of the money involved and that there are so many knock off products coming in from China these days. It is really bad and companies are getting fed up with it. The bad part of this is, if a company is selling knock off IPhones for example and someone buys one, then it blows up in their face...they aren't going to sue the knock off company, they are going to sue Apple. In many cases these knock offs look so close to the original people don't even know it. It is scary and companies are having to take drastic steps to protect their names and their brand. Licensing is also going to follow capitalism...I am sure if a company charges too much in licensing fees...no one will want to make any products representing their brand and the company will have to rethink how much they charge for licensing. I may be in the minority here, but I would rather buy a product that has been licensed by Boeing, Lockheed Martin because I know the company that made it took the appropriate and legal steps to obtain the rights to make that product. But that is just me. And honestly, I think if someone uses your stuff without permission...you have the right to sue them. I do photography, and if I found any of my copyrighted work in a publication or project without my permission...guess what...the person/company would be ordered to remove it or I would pursue them legally. Period.

I really don't know why you think the hobby is in such decline. I recently went to the bookstore and looked through model magazines. I was also at a recent IPMS meeting. There were many great builds at this show from a variety of people and the excitement and level of interest in the hobby seemed good. When looking through the magazines at the store, there were many great models and accessories available from a lot of great manufacturers. I also think the companies are starting to finally cater to people who want to build models differently. For example, I noticed those prebuilt kits which are advertised for kids to build with parents do really well at airshows I attend. I also noticed the Airfix kits that have everything included do very well at the local Barnes and Noble. I built the Battle of Britain set that I got on clearance and built it straight from the box. It was neat to do and while it wasn't pro quality, it was a fun project and the results were very decent for something built straight from the box. I really hate to tell you but the model interest seems to be alive and well given what I saw at this show and in the magazines I just read.

Now, I have no idea what is going on between yourself and Nick, you and Danny, and I have no clue if you made that Fokker or not. The one thing I do know is that you have a generally negative attitude toward everyone here as well as the hobby. Which makes me wonder, why are you even doing the hobby? If you hate it so much, and its coming to an end, and people are suing and the hobby is dying...why are you involved? If it were me and the hobby made me this upset and angry, I would leave it. You are entitled to your views and no one is saying you aren't, but the negative attitude displayed in some of your posts and toward the members here, some of them long-time members with a wonderful reputation, is disappointing and is not in the spirit of this forum. I would have thought that would have been conveyed to you after your argument with Nick...but I guess the message didn't sink in.

We like having you here, but please stop with the negativity and the attitude. It is uncalled for and not in the spirit of the forum or which it was created.
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