Birddog: First I have to ask about the up coming Toy Fair, what can we expect to see in February?
Jason: Admiral Toys has a couple new projects lined up. Unfortunately I cannot tell you specifics, but you should see a new aircraft, or two. Furthermore, I know that some on this site may be happy to hear that the 1:72 scale line is progressing, and there will also be examples of that line.
Birddog: You had mentioned on an earlier post that the 1:18th line was slow at this time and that development was not progressing. Has this changed?
Jason: Oh, yes. In actuality we never slowed down the line. It just makes our jobs easier if people do not know that we are developing new projects at fever pitch. If people know we are working on new models they have a tendency to call or email, daily, to find out what the model is. I am only releasing information at this time because we are ramping up for toy fair and it would be nice to start a little buzz in the industry. Have the anticipation factor working for us.
Birddog: Are all the aircraft(s) being shown at toy fair in 1:18 scale?
Jason: Maybe… (drawn out voice) we have not determined if a new line will be exhibited. I can say that we have been working on a new line for over a year. We have not talked about this line because of cost considerations and detail considerations. In other words, we do not know if we can price the models at a selling point that would make the line worth developing. We are pretty sure you will see them at Toy Fair. We need the exposure to see if the market would be interested in carrying this particular line.
Birddog: Can you give us a hint on the scale…?
Jason: Smaller then 1:18th.
Birddog: There have been rumors on this site about an F-5 Aggressor. Do you care to comment on this particular model? And is it one we will see at toy fair?
Jason: The only comment I have is as follows: In my opinion the F-5 is one of the slickest looking aircraft. It just looks like a fighter. Since the late 80’s the F-5 has captured the feel of a dogfighter in the eyes of many, and the youth of today see models that look like the F-5 as the quintessential fighter. We think it will be a strong seller. I cannot say whether you will see the F-5 at the toy fair. It might not be ready for release at that time.
Birddog: How long after toy fair can one expect to see the models you unveil?
Jason: All the models will have been tooled. This means that we are ready to start production. Preproduction work has already started on many of the toy fair projects. It should not be long after toy fair before you see the production model at your favorite store. I am not going to tell you dates, but everything you see at toy fair should be a 2007 release.
Birddog: Really?
Jason: Yes, I narrowed it down to one year, we are covering our bases.
Birddog:
Birddog: Admiral Toys has become very secretive about their releases. However, you have come on this site several times and said “is that a hint”… are those hints?
Jason: Well… sometimes (said with a snicker). I love reading the responses to hints. I myself got caught up in the BBI post regarding the F6F. There are always several creative responses (mine was not one of them). However, I did give you the name of the next aircraft in a post awhile back. It was stated outside of my list of aircraft. The hint is buried in the post itself. I would be very impressed if you can find the hint. So impressed, I will personally buy the first person who can point me directly to the hint that particular aircraft. You have until a week before toy fair to show me the post. Because that week we will start to drop some major hints on what is coming out. Unfortunately you will not know if you got the right answer until the aircraft is unveiled. We do not want to spoil the surprise.
Birddog: You heard him guys and gals, we’ve got about two months, start digging!!!
Birddog: Ok, I think many of the members might have an inquiring mind about my next question. Not including Admiral Toys’ models, what is your favorite model produced to date?
Jason: If I had to choose from another manufacturer’s models, I think it would be Corgi’s B-17. I love the B-17 and think it is a great looking model. Not so much for accuracy and detail as much as I like the size, weight, impact and affordability. Corgi has incredible models.
Birddog: From a different angle, how about your competitors’ models? Which models in 1:18 do you like the most from each, BBI and 21st Century?
Jason: I asked this same question to my brother not so long ago. Jim likes BBI’s Corsair and 21st’s P-38. I like BBI’s P-51 and 21st’s 190. I just love the 190. It is one mean looking aircraft.
Birddog: I think there might be more than one board member who would agree with you on that last comment and those choices..
Birddog: Lets place our focus on manufacturing for a minute. What part of an aircraft is the hardest to engineer, tool and detail?
Jason: For us it would have to be the three “Ws” (wheels, wells and wings). I know this is not just one part, but they all play on each other. The landing gear has to be engineered to hold the weight of the model and retain a modicum of resemblance to the 1:1 subject. The wells have to hold the landing gear in place and retain the shape of the 1:1 subject. The wings should be shaped like the 1:1. This means have as close to correct dihedral, thickness and area. You may say this does not sound all that difficult. But the hidden wrench in the gears of production is the plastics used to make these parts.
I will try to explain: The skin of the wings on a 1:18 scale model is almost the same thickness as a 1:1 aircraft. They use very thin aluminum over steal, wood or aluminum ribs to form the shape of the wings. A 1:18 aircraft has no internal skeleton for support. There are screws with spacers, but not the intricate system that makes up the skeleton of a 1:1 subject. Therefore, the wing’s skin on the 1:18 model must be thicker for rigidity and strength. This means we are trying to fit a strut and wheel that represent the perfect reduction from 1:1 to 1:18 inside a wheel well and wing that have lost almost 1’ of space inside because of the unrealistic thickness of our injected plastic skins. So something has to give.
Do you make the wings thicker? Over scale the model? Under scale the struts, tires and wheels? You have to find a way to engineer the 1:18 aircraft without the inherent restrictions of the plastic injected pieces.
I know some will ask “why not make the wing with the correct skeleton and inject the skins with thinner plastics…?” One, the production, tooling and wastage of a skeleton, never seen on the model, would be very expensive and not feasible. Two, there is yet another constituent to the puzzle that makes the injection of thinner surfaces unfeasible, the plastic itself.
Plastic does not like to be injected into large thin areas. It is not an easy process to inject a very thin sheet of plastic with panel lines, rivets and all the required screw spacers and attachment points. We need the wing half to be thick enough for injection and thick enough to stand up under pressure. If we injected the skin of the wings to a perfect 1:18 thickness, you would be able to put your finger nail right through it. It would be a very fragile piece.
This is why for us the three “Ws” are the most difficult to engineer. And you thought I was going to say the pilot (laughing).
Birddog: Very interesting information to know. Puts things in a great perspective.
Birddog: Admiral Toys has received a lot of complements on your ME 262. Have you reached the limits of detail and design in this model?
Jason: We are very pleased with the response to the ME 262. We stare at every inch of these things for a year or more. However, I have P1 and P2 of the ME 262 sitting in my house and still do not get sick of looking at it.
The funny thing is that many say the ME 262 is light years ahead of our F-86. When in reality they were designed around the same time. We had the F-86, A6M2 and ME 262 in the works from the beginning. We had learned a lot about the process by the time the ME 262 was finished with master modeling and entered tooling. Unfortunately, we learned a lot more after it entered tooling. As you know, once tooling begins there is very little you can change without great expense. I would consider the F-86, A6M2 and ME 262 pretty darn good first attempts. I personally think our new models are better and have more to them. We focused more on what made that aircraft special and highlighted those attributes.
So to sum things up, we are confident that we have just begun to make great models. There is always room for improvement. The day we stop learning is the day we need to get out of this business, because the only way we stopped learning is if we stopped carrying about making our models better. This would not be good for this hobby or the industry. At that point you step aside and let someone who cares about bettering the hobby take the reins.
Birddog: You have mentioned your brother in the past. Do you enjoy working with family?
Jason: Oh, definitely. Jim, as many may know, is the President of Admiral Toys Incorporated’s domestic activities. We unconventionally separate Admiral Toys Incorporated into two entities, domestic and international, or manufacturing. I assumed the title President of Manufacturing. This is a great arrangement because it frees both of us up to focus on one aspect of the toy business. He has his team of employees that deal with all the domestic concerns that this company encounters. From shipping to receiving, sales, customer service, insurance and marketing the domestic group takes care of everything. My primary focus is on the international activities of Admiral Toys Incorporated. There are plenty of things going on overseas to keep me busy. The only domestic duties I primarily focus on are legal issues, such as trademarks, licenses, and etcetera. We obviously keep the other apprised of our daily activities. As separate as each division of Admiral Toys sounds, they are connected by a common goal. Furthermore, it is wonderful working with family because you know them, trust them and can rely on them to look out for your best interest. We actually have several family members working for, or helping with, Admiral Toys. The only down side is there seems to be no family-time anymore. When the family is together we seem to only talk business.
Birddog: Nothing beats having family near though. What is Admiral Toys doing for the holidays?
Jason: Those who are not related are going to spend time with their families. We are not officially working from the 23rd through the 1st of 2007. Emails will be checked but no action will be taken during that time, unless of course it is an emergency. And I am having a hard time thinking of an emergency that involves toys.
The biggest reason we are taking the time off is because LaDonna, the secretary of Admiral Toys Incorporated and our devoted vice-president of distribution is having a baby. She is due on the 28th and we are very happy for her.
After the holidays it will be work as usual. I head to China early next year and then straight to toy fair. Most of the team will be in New York. We hope to see some of you at toy fair.
Sounds like Toy Fair will have some interesting sights. Those of you that make it to Toy Fair, definitely be sure to stop by and say hi to the Admiral Toys team. I don’t believe you’ll find a better bunch of people. I’ve got a warm fuzzy feeling Admiral Toys is stepping up to the plate to knock the ball out of the park next year. So don’t worry if you can’t get tickets to the game, keep tailgating and wear your glove.
A big thanks goes out to Jason for once again lending time out of his busy schedule to sit down and do another interview. Hope you stay safe in your travels Jason.
A special congratulations and warm wishes to LaDonna and her family.
To all at Admiral Toys, Merry Christmas and have a Safe and Happy New Year!!!!
