When will we know for sure if 21st C is dead or not ???

coreystinson · Post by **coreystinson** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 11:47 am

aferguson wrote:why are shipping costs still high? Oil is down quite low.....i''m tired of hearing about high shipping costs. That's ancient history now.

Is it? The USPS just raised their rates again on January 18.

CENT-ONE · Post by **CENT-ONE** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:00 pm

Worst Case Scenario - 21st goes out of business.

Question

What happens to all the mold tooling? is it just melted down and recycled or is it sold?

digger · Post by **digger** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:09 pm

One thing is for sure is that the tooling is too valuable to be destroyed. It's fate is surely not etched in stone. Many businesses close while still in posession of valuable assets. They could be sold (this would be great for us I say), leased, held for investment or even future use. They could be used to settle debt, or any number of things. If they were to be destroyed it would be downright criminal.

kduck · Post by **kduck** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:21 pm

While the molds certainly wouldn't be intentionally destroyed that doesn't mean that another company would snap them up and start producing products from them. If you look at some of the model manufacturing companies that went out of business in the 70s like Aurora and Frog many of the molds for their kits sat dormant for many years before anyone decided to start using them again. Many of the old kits were never reissued even though there was a demand for them.

GooglyDoogly · Post by **GooglyDoogly** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:23 pm

coreystinson wrote:
aferguson wrote:why are shipping costs still high? Oil is down quite low.....i''m tired of hearing about high shipping costs. That's ancient history now.
Is it? The USPS just raised their rates again on January 18.

They always do. Even without a gas crisis.

CENT-ONE · Post by **CENT-ONE** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:25 pm

digger wrote: If they were to be destroyed it would be downright criminal.

I definitely agree but consider that the vast majority of tooling for consumer products is scrapped and recycled for re-use. The logistics of storing and maintaining tooling for every injection molded piece of plastic in consumer products is insane. In most goods once the product line has finished it's retail run the tools are considered worthless. Especially with rapid prototyping technology, 3-D laser scanning, and CNC CAD milling can crank out a mold in no time and you don't have the cost of storing the mold in a moisture and salt free enviornment.

Hopefully this is all a moot point though and 21st will once again rise from near death and surprise us with the KT!

Rogue · Post by **Rogue** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:36 pm

Stug45 wrote: As much as i love 1/18, i'm starting to go over to 1/32.

If I go back to 1/32, it will be to the scale models.
There's plenty kits in 1/32 and Ill build what I want.

I still have a Revell Ki-61 in the closet and their N1K1 George is awesone.

Stug45 · Post by **Stug45** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:41 pm

I wish 21st would come out and tell us whats going on. Come one 21st give us some info, and up date your site if your not going to up date it shut in down.

Rogue · Post by **Rogue** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:09 pm

Dauntless · Post by **Dauntless** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 5:48 pm

...it's over when the fat lady sings.

but really if there's nothing out there for us military toy guys, I will buy other scales. I'm just happy that 1:32 still has some life in it, though that could go too, and the scales get smaller and smaller.........

Small Scale Military Headquarters

When will we know for sure if 21st C is dead or not ???

21C

Re: 21C