Small Scale Military Headquarters

It was good while it lasted.

It was a lot of fun - the Walmart hunts, buying tons on clearance.....
I have a feeling we will see most of the items again - just a bit more expensive -
still silence on the KT is a great sign -

So according to TKO, we might have gotten the F-4 fiasco backwards?

I knew they had to be working on a 1:18 P-51B, I just knew it! Too bad.

Zach. YES, keep the avatar. Almost nostalgic.

On the topic of graphics Zach. What do you think of the new JSI packaging? I actually like those "pocket" packs those figures come in.

I miss the late nineties economy that seemed to inspire us to dream big. They were producing some wonderfully insane 1/6 scale models as well.

Yeah less than 30 Tender Terrors and I think numbers 29 & 30 were in the 21c vault. I have number 28. So Its only those 28 in the hands of the public.

I think I might keep the Avatar. Reminds me of better days with the 21C gang.

The design jobs kept me in the loop of new intel and it was a natural fit for me to head up the news front. Everyone else at 21C land was sooo busy so it just worked. Sometimes it was really hard to know about stuff and have to sit on it for the green light. But I always tried hard to push 21C to let me give up intel. Fun days!

King Tiger was all ready to roll behind the 88 S1. But sadly the entire run of 88's never happened as thing got put on perma hold waiting for news from Wal-Mart. the big 8000 pound gorilla decided not to renew any product and it killed everything. KT included. I think Roy had 1 production sample and that might be the only one. But it was ready! Wonder if someone else bought it up too?

Yeah, the F-4... Would have been hella cool! 21C was pretty shocked to see a 3rd me too offering from Admiral. there was little that could have been done. Planes were reaching a point where the choices left were fairly obvious and 21C wanted to continue past century jets but not into the world of all grey schemes. that made the F-4 pretty much an obvious choice when you consider schemes it actually harder to limit selection down to 5-6.

JSI packaging... It's so so. It could be far better. Could be worse... Depends a lot on if they have mass retail aims or direct on line only. I would do things a little different though. I just want more planes. I don't care if they come in paper bag!

Yeah the kettenkrad and komet was going to be a 2 pack vehicle offering with a pilot and driver.

Roy was deadly serious about red devils. Very excited about those.

Also- totally forgot. there was lots of talk about a 1:32 B-17! it was going to be packaged like a 1:18 fighter. Would have been VERY cool.

Oh well...

Where is that darn F-14 already!

Great info TKO, I have heard rumors that some KT were actually produced and boxed for shipment; but never left the dock in China due to 21st inability to pay for them. Any truth to this?

tko211 wrote: Also- totally forgot. there was lots of talk about a 1:32 B-17! it was going to be packaged like a 1:18 fighter. Would have been VERY cool.

Dammit!!!!!!!!!

We had discussed that very thing here! How it could possibly fit in a 1:18 box.

That would have been a sure hit with some of your graphics on the box to sweeten it up.
Just goes to show ya, you guys were thinking possibilities like us.

tko211 what figures did 21st have up their sleeve??

viewtopic.php?t=16821

Oh, the things that were and the things that could have been. I am still amazed at the sheer amount of stuff we did get from 21st, and it kinda makes me smile to hear about the plans those guys had. They were dreaming big, that's for sure.

Thanks for all the insight, TKO. If anyone from 21st would care to write an in-depth history of the company, I might even pay a few bucks to read it.



Jeffrey

Stug45 wrote:tko211 what figures did 21st have up their sleeve??

viewtopic.php?t=16821

Well specifically, Red Devils for sure. Roy was all amped about the weapons, the uniforms, the color and such. He talked about those to me a bunch months before he left. I think he had them far enough that some sculpts already in the works.

There was a lot of discussion about the 2 pack figure idea. It was launched with the 2 packs that we know today... Essentially reworked / repacked into 2 packs. BUT the plan all along was to do exclusive figures at that price point that could only be purchased in 2 packs. That spawned suggestions of Russian Sniper / Spotter ALA "enemy at the gates" style. It also included plans to expand vietnam era with the co-pilot huey figure and a door gunner with M-60 mount designed to attach into the huey itself. There was discussion of a water cooled US machine gun nest team. US soldier with field medic figure and other cool gear. Same thing for Germans.
We might have seen a ground crew chief figure packed with a pilot in his officer cap / flight jacket but not suited up to fly.

There was solid plans to move ahead on something like 10 new fallschrimjaeger figures. That as Roy put it "would put to shame the older FJ figures" They were to be all new from head to toe with the new preposed feet options packed along with the articulated ones. Those legs also had new positions planned so they were not just a bent knee. They were going to be more action posed I guess.

Stuff like that was in various stages. I think the Red Devils, the new FJ figs and a couple of the 2 pack ideas were actually in development. We would have had them right about now I think. Red Devils and FJ figs at least!

tko211 wrote:Well specifically, Red Devils for sure. Roy was all amped about the weapons, the uniforms, the color and such. He talked about those to me a bunch months before he left. I think he had them far enough that some sculpts already in the works.

There was a lot of discussion about the 2 pack figure idea. It was launched with the 2 packs that we know today... Essentially reworked / repacked into 2 packs. BUT the plan all along was to do exclusive figures at that price point that could only be purchased in 2 packs. That spawned suggestions of Russian Sniper / Spotter ALA "enemy at the gates" style. It also included plans to expand vietnam era with the co-pilot huey figure and a door gunner with M-60 mount designed to attach into the huey itself. There was discussion of a water cooled US machine gun nest team. US soldier with field medic figure and other cool gear. Same thing for Germans.
We might have seen a ground crew chief figure packed with a pilot in his officer cap / flight jacket but not suited up to fly.

There was solid plans to move ahead on something like 10 new fallschrimjaeger figures. That as Roy put it "would put to shame the older FJ figures" They were to be all new from head to toe with the new preposed feet options packed along with the articulated ones. Those legs also had new positions planned so they were not just a bent knee. They were going to be more action posed I guess.

Stuff like that was in various stages. I think the Red Devils, the new FJ figs and a couple of the 2 pack ideas were actually in development. We would have had them right about now I think. Red Devils and FJ figs at least!

Does that include 1/32 figures? I know you guys had some 1/32 red devils in the pipeline, far enough to show us the all-metal master sculpts. I really wish we would have been able to get those figs. And dare I ask, what else have we missed out on getting (1/32 and 1/18 vehicles?)?


-Kevin

Yeah, the 1:32 line seemed to last a little longer at Walmart, and did very well in my area. Particularly the planes. You guys were coming out with some really good ones there at the end, The Spitfire and Mustang B/C, not to mention the reworked Mustang D which was outstanding. All the Me- 109G's and F's.

Were there any plans (besides the B-17 OMG!) for more single engine fighters, or twin engine or four engine besides what we know and got?

Dauntless wrote:
We had discussed that very thing here! How it could possibly fit in a 1:18 box.

Well, a 1/32 B-17 has a wingspan only ~10" wider than the 1/18 262 nightfighter, so the box wouldn't have to be that much longer with them unassembled. Maybe 6", a little bigger on the sides. Doable.

EDIT: Of course, it would need a full crew.

I miss 21c, but welcome the new companies.

I do hear people complain about the quality control ... and I didn't have any major issues. Perhaps I'm lucky, perhaps I'm not as discerning ... in either case, I think it good QA is an extremely reasonable thing to want and demand.

As for the distribution, I never once had a problem finding and ordering a 21c plane from an online dealer.

I miss 21C as well, but if All Go is a re-birth of 21st I'm looking forward to their products in the coming years.