Badcat: "new rounds of 1:18 and 1:32"

USCGSARdog · Post by **USCGSARdog** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:43 am

I will believe it when I see any of the above in stock and for sale. We all know that just because a company is working on a specific project doesn't necessarily mean it will be produced. I am hoping these subjects see the light of day, I'm just not real optimistic.

Need I mention the 21C A-10 mock-up?

-Rob

Post by **aferguson** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 6:20 am

i can't see a 1/18 Hurricane any time soon. 1/32 maybe. There are still more important planes to be done in 1/18 eg FW-190A, Spit IX, Spit XIV. While welcomed, a Hurricane is a long shot.

Still, if a couple of Spits, a FW 190A, Hurricane and Wildcat are eventually released it will be interesting to see what happens next, as that pretty much covers the well known fighters of WWII. I think they'll be some head scratching among the powers that be as they say 'was nun?'*

* that's german for: what now.

normandy · Post by **normandy** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 7:23 am

Was Nun?.......how about a Me-163 Komet, a Horten IX/GO 229 flying wing or something from Luft "46. http://www.luft46.com/luftart.html

Post by **aferguson** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 8:29 am

fat chance.

Komet probably one day by somebody like Pegasus. The only chance of luft 46 stuff is from cottage industry/after market. Triebflugel and Lerche top of the list.

Jericoeagle1 · Post by **Jericoeagle1** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 8:38 am

I have to agree with Aferg. The manufacturers aren't going to take a chance on anything experimental now. Now is the time for them to produce the smaller aircraft and armor we would like to see such as the A-4, F9F, Wildcat. Maybe start introducing jets into the 1/32 scale line big time now. There are opportunities as well as risks to be taken advantage of as well.

Birddog · Post by **Birddog** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 8:55 am

USCGSARdog wrote:We all know that just because a company is working on a specific project doesn't necessarily mean it will be produced. I am hoping these subjects see the light of day, I'm just not real optimistic.

Need I mention the 21C A-10 mock-up?

-Rob

Way, way, way over due in 1/18...

DropTank · Post by **DropTank** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 11:11 am

I am all for the repaints if they are not going to introduce new A/C any faster than they have been in 1:18 scale lately.. Better to have the opportunity to aquire them - versus - nothing IMO. Lots of opportunities for different schemes used with the P-38, P-51, P-47 as well as the other countries. Lots of different planes from WWII to present could be marketed and developed in 1:32 and used as a test-bed so to speak for upgrade to 1:18. Bombers and Jets, due to their size could be produced and marketed in 1/32 with the cream of the crop perhaps looked at for up-scale to 1:18.
My loyalty is to 1:18 , but smaller is also better than -nothing- to me.

Quixote511 · Post by **Quixote511** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 12:53 pm

I really think we will see a Komet from Pegasus before the end of the year--Call it a gut feeling.

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:50 pm

Update from Badcat's blog:

"Military Toy Manufacturers Getting Hungry

After nearly two years of walled silence, the 1:18 and 1:32 plastic toy airplane and tank manufacturers are talking turkey this week. Eager to boost sagging sales in a poor, inflationary economy, the people who make all the great model airplanes we like to collect have notified us that they are open to suggestions and are ready to produce. In addition, one of our main distributors has let us know that they are also cutting some deals for new military toys. This all adds up to a glimmer of hope for 2008, especially toward the end of the year. This is in stark contrast to the last 24 months where we submitted numerous proposals but seldom got a response or a returned phone call.

Since we are in negotiations, I can't divulge exact subjects but both repaints and new toolings in 1:18 and 1:32 are involved. The main discussion currently surrounds paint schemes I've researched and counter proposed. Naturally, I think my chosen schemes will be more popular than theirs . . . but with a lot of money riding on it for everyone concerned, choosing a popular, home-run paint scheme is really, really important and everyone has to be in complete agreement before anything gets produced. With any luck, we'll have some welcome additions to the long list of planes the 'Cat has introduced in the past like the Blue Angels F-18, Pearl Harbor Zero, F-16 ANG Series, Cripes P-51, Pappy's Corsair, etc..

One of our distributors has also been calling around tallying-up commitment numbers for some of their upcoming projects. One of which is the 1:32 BBI Dauntless we currently up for Preorder. Several other subjects of new toolings have also been mentioned by this distributor but the details are still a little too distant and foggy to at this point for them to make an announcement.

All in all, a very exciting week to be in the toy business. My outlook for the remainder of the year is considerably more positive now than it has been for several months. Start squirreling-away some of that beer money, I have a feeling its going to come in useful."

FieroDude · Post by **FieroDude** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 7:15 pm

To quote one of my co-workers: I'll believe it when it's on my desk. Or at least in a window on my desktop!

olifant · Post by **olifant** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 11:44 pm

Quixote511 wrote:I really think we will see a Komet from Pegasus before the end of the year--Call it a gut feeling.

I like the idea. I don't think this would be much longer or wider than the V-1 they did. I know someone will look up dimensions but I am too tired...

Quixote511 · Post by **Quixote511** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 6:55 am

They are all hungry now to make something when before they were too chicken because they thought they were gonna get scooped by the competition? Oy--my head hurts!

FieroDude · Post by **FieroDude** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 10:12 am

Nobody has made 1/18 WWII Russian diddly squat. Russian figs, armor, and aircraft have long been requested, but those requests seem to fall on deaf ears. The closest we have ever gotten was the Korean War era Mig...

Post by **aferguson** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 10:17 am

was Russia involved in WWII?....i thought it was just the US and Germany.

chunks · Post by **chunks** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 10:32 am

aferguson wrote:was Russia involved in WWII?....i thought it was just the US and Germany.

LOL, that might be since Russia's position in WWII is somewhat odd. They were enemies before they were allies before they were enemies.

dragon53 · Post by **dragon53** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 12:41 pm

I thought the mention of Badcat's "new toolings" would have you guys salivating with your eyes...and credit cards...bugged out.

FieroDude · Post by **FieroDude** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 12:52 pm

I think the past couple years, and 2007 especially, taught everyone some valuable lessons in getting up our hopes and expectations for new product. Right now, I have about 25% confidence that we will even see the KT or 88 before mid-summer. Most new stuff seems to be running 12-18 or more months behind "announced" dates, or has dropped off radar completely. Repaints may come a bit sooner, but only time will tell. Maybe it's time for 21st and others to consider moving their production to a more stable location, like Columbia or Venezuela.

VMF115 · Post by **VMF115** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 12:58 pm

FieroDude wrote:Maybe it's time for 21st and others to consider moving their production to a more stable location, like Columbia or Venezuela.

I hope you are only being sarcastic.

I can just see it now the US does something to piss president Chavez off and all he has to do is say no more 1/18th toys for you, or you know that 1/18th a-10 that is supposed to becoming out by summer of 2009, not going to happen, try 2015.

Or no F-14 why because it’s a symbol of the capitalist pig’s government.

VMF115 · Post by **VMF115** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 1:13 pm

p-39
p-61
F6F Hellcat bbi does not count it’s to cartoonish.
f-4
f-8
f-100 d/f
f-105
A-6
A-4F and with out the "avionics hump" the A-4E
A-7
F-14
F-15
F-111
F-117
Mig-19
Mig-21
Mig-23
Mig-27
Mig-29
Su-17/20/22
Su-25
Su-27
Su-33
Su-34

This is just a few I would like to see made other then whats have been announced so far

FieroDude · Post by **FieroDude** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 1:56 pm

I am being semi-sarcastic, actually. China doesn't qualify as the model of political stabilty or economic equality. 21st's or Admiral's factory could be shut down or confiscated at a moment's notice, just because the Chinese governemt decides it would be more economically viable to use the space to produce diapers and pacifiers. The only reason that so much production is in China now is the cheap labor and the fact that the Chinese government recognizes mass exports are a great way to build currency reserves and become a major economic (and military) power.

Personally, I'd actually be willing to pay a good chunk more for models produced here in the US by American citizens spending their paychecks in America. And it seems like it might actually be a marketing point--you just couldn't sell at WM, since they pretty much refuse to carry anything that's made in the USA.
Like a couple of my clients at work have discovered over the past few years, China's lack of concern for accuracy, quality or regulation can sometimes more than offset the savings in labor and materials. For example, when you have million dollar recall for a product where the savings to produce it in China vs. the US was only $80,000, do the math... And somehow, a part of me does have moral qualms with toys/models representing American war heroes being produced in the country that has hardly been an ally over the years.

King O' Fools · Post by **King O' Fools** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 2:08 pm

dragon53 wrote:I thought the mention of Badcat's "new toolings" would have you guys salivating with your eyes...and credit cards...bugged out.

Several problems with this blog post update:

"This all adds up to a glimmer of hope for 2008, especially toward the end of the year."

Actually, this means the opposite of what it's intended to convey — i.e. that there likely won't be ANYTHING NEW coming out until then. The hang-in-there-folks message is clearly undermined by the "end of the year" qualifier. And then, it's just a possibility. As in 50% chance of this happening. (Of course, we all have a 50% chance of becoming filthy rich by the end of the year too, in theory at least, but I wouldn't quit my daytime job just yet.)

"With any luck, we'll have some welcome additions to the long list of planes the 'Cat has introduced in the past like the Blue Angels F-18, Pearl Harbor Zero, F-16 ANG Series, Cripes P-51, Pappy's Corsair, etc."

Edited for reasons of clarity, the previous sentence would read something like: "With any luck, we'll have some welcome additions to the long list of REPAINTS the 'Cat has introduced in the past."

Now that makes more sense. Of course, I could use some of those repaints myself, but then why not call a spade a spade?

"Several other subjects of new toolings have also been mentioned by this distributor but the details are still a little too distant and foggy to at this point for them to make an announcement."

New toolings are "a little too distant and foggy." I too can see new toolings popping up in my crystal ball sometime in the future. Could be this year or the next. Or right after China becomes a democracy and Free Tibet is anything more than an empty slogan.

So we're talking about REPAINTS that, with any luck, will come out toward the end of the year. But that's just a glimmer of hope (sic) for 2008.

See anything wrong with this kind of announcement? It's like a weather forecast, the more long-term the prediction is, the more unspecific and unreliable.

We've learned how reliable manufacturers can be from past experience. Why should we trust what an etailer says they're telling him?

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:23 pm

I can't deny that 07 has been a strange year with lots of great things and lots of delay and more than a few projects from all of the manufactures that have slipped into the dark.

But lets see if I can shed some light. There has been changes with mass retailer positions with WM scalling back the large planes and even now the large vehicles. TRU though has come on stronger than expected. So it's a been a roller coster. This does also effect on line vendors as well. Basically it causes a rift in the production cycle and planning stages of many many projects. Big projects = big ticket projects become the most risky in the process of shifing around. So that accounts for some of what has happened in 2007.

It seems that others have had challenges as well. There are a couple items that have dropped off radar or appear to be also on delay. It just happens. and everyone is adjusting.

Now for a couple quick updates:

King Tiger: There is news that is going to be posted on AREA-21. late this week to update everyone. But the scoop is that the S1 release is going to be a Special Edition (read special box art). That will be unveiled this week. Delivery is soon so hang in there.

88: This product is also pretty much ready to go. I believe it will ship around the same time (within a few weeks) as the KT.

There are new figs on the way in 1:18 as well. (READ: new subjects!) Cool stuff!

a couple repaints of airplanes: New stuka scheme and one or two more things.

The big planes are (NOT to be talked about ) so I have almost NO information on those.

I do suspect that a couple new things (READ: new tool patterns) have been ordered by 21C in 1:18. I have no idea of the subject/s as of yet or if they have wings or treads or what. But something is brewing over there in 21C land. I hope to learn more soon.

-TKO

normandy · Post by **normandy** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:39 pm

Thanks for the update TKO. I'm looking forward to the King Tiger and it being a Special Edition sounds Cool! New tool patterns???.....With the re-release of the Panther could this be a Jagdpanther??

Now that would be Great news. We'll just have to wait and see.

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:32 pm

Well, we've got the new Stuka repaint up for preorder now, as are the P-40 re-releases. The Stuka sure looks appealing, but it may have to be shelved for some of the potential newer items