Small Scale Military Headquarters

I was thinking today (always dangerous) and I was struck with a thought: How long will it be before the toy companies we love so much run out of different things to produce? I mean WWII only gave us so many different vehicles so it can't be possible to keep churning out new toys at the rate they are. Even if you do every paint scheme for every type of vehicle used in the war, you'll eventually run out of new things to do right? So wadda y'all think will happen then. Will they go back to square one and start re-producing the first tanks/planes /soldiers they made? Or will they just stop. Share your input ( I may be way off base here )

It would take years to run out of schemes.. There were hundreds for the Mustang and Bf-109G alone... But if you are talking about popular/famous schemes, then yes, it would probably be limited to 10 or 20 more, but on the plus side, it could mean we will see rarer planes down the road.. Kate torpedo bomber anyone???

How long will it be before the toy companies we love so much run out of different things to produce?

I dare say it won't happen in my lifetime.

Also, there are new collectors entering the fray all the time, so, new customers call for more re-paints.

Philip hit the nail on the head. With new collectors filling the ranks everyday there will always be a demand for this stuff.

Mark

Don't forget 21st and other companies keep improving their old models. Just look at 21sts Mustangs and BF 109 and the newer armor. I'd like to see 21st revisit some of their earlier offerings using their new methods.

schizuki wrote:In 1/32 scale, we've got one - count 'em, one - Soviet tank after how many years? At this rate I expect to see a JS-II in 2030.

That soon? I was thinking 2050. Anyway... French tanks? English tanks? Italian, Japanese. Arab-Isreali war 1956, 1967, 1973, Beka valley. Tons of cool vehicals.

David

I would actually be more worried about the companies going out of business (think 21c or even Admiral) than I would repaints or new vehicles to make. You also have to remember that some vehicles (the Sherman and Panzer IV come to mind) have specialized variants, so there's really tons of vehicles still yet to make.

tmanthegreat wrote:I would actually be more worried about the companies going out of business (think 21c or even Admiral) than I would repaints or new vehicles to make. You also have to remember that some vehicles (the Sherman and Panzer IV come to mind) have specialized variants, so there's really tons of vehicles still yet to make.

As always you are correct T-man. I think it is more a matter of who would buy a Bergepanther than the fact that one has not been made.

Lets be honest, if 21D did a Sherman revision would we buy it? Yes. If they did a calliope? Yes. A DD version? Yes. Sorry, I didn't mean to speak for all of us but I am a sucker for 1/32!

olifant wrote:Lets be honest, if 21D did a Sherman revision would we buy it? Yes. If they did a calliope? Yes. A DD version? Yes. Sorry, I didn't mean to speak for all of us but I am a sucker for 1/32!

Of course we would!

As for 1:32 Ruskie armor, how about a sweet IS-2? Yummy! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IS-2

What about some trucks and some additional armored cars?
Anyone else like to see a Bren Carrier? or a Puma? What about Deuce and a Half?
My mouth waters at all the variety still available.
But honestly, assuming 21C can continue in business, I expect to see periodic bursts of new models, interspersed with repaints of existing models.
Gee, isn't that rough?

Yes, a Puma, Greyhound and a Deuce and a half would be nice.

Thirty years or so ago, the plastic model companies lead by Tamiya started giving the consumer military models in 1/35th scale. There aren't many but there are still a few things not made in 1/35th. With only about three current 1/18 manufactures releasing only a couple new releases a year. you will be old and gray before they run out of subjects.

eventually all the major subjects will be covered and most companies won't be willing to risk mass producuction on lesser known items like M13/40's or japanese chi-has and will just produce reissues and repaints with perhaps the very occassional new item which is a bit more off beat. (1/32 has been a going concern for many years yet there has only been one russian tank made, as a case in point...and only one british tank as well.....i don't count the firefly sherman.)

Long before that happens the market will probably get so inundated with new companies all vying for the same subject matter that many companies will go belly up.

AT was very serious about getting into 1/32 but changed their mind it seems....Jason even said that they weren't very enthused about the future market for 1/32 because of all the competition.

So, it will go in a cycle, ebb and flow.

There are alot of subjects to cover still. But that being said there are those that are the mainstream variety that everyone knows and loves... Like a Corsair, Mustang, Tiger tank and so on. I think that it is likely to see remakes of some of these items with all new levels of detial and accuracy. I see that as being part of a larger plan in the future.

Hi,
I agree with TKO. We've only scratched the surface thus far. Besides all the cool subjects, theatres, actions, etc. that havent been replicated yet, the replicating process itself keeps getting improved upon every few years. Have you ever looked at some of the military vehicles offered in the 50s and 60s and compared them with the same subjects offered today? Dinky, Authenticast, and others simply cant compare with even some of the all-plastic vehicles being produced today. Yes, the prices keep going up, but there's still tremendous value in what's being offered today.

The problem, as I see it, is that the manufacturers have to justify the costs of producing some of the more obscure weaponry based upon the market's demands. If there arent enough collectors out there willing to plunk down the money for a lesser known piece of armament, then the manufacturers will probably keep defaulting to the model market instead of offering pre-built replicas.

My guess is that you will see another paradigm shift of sorts, occurring within the next five years, whereby more manufacturing is resited to say Mexico or South America as opposed to China if costs continue to rise. By moving manufacturing closer to the North American marketplace, manufacturers may be better able to conduct QA on their products, keep a closer eye on things in general, and perhaps solve the cross-border incursions occurring along the southern border.

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.net

schizuki wrote:No offense, but I think a coyote with a pick-up truck would be a better distribution system than what they have now. Maybe the guys hanging outside of Home Depot will be able to sell me a Marder III.

That deserves my special prize.

schizuki wrote:I haz prise!

I doubt if we will ever know but I wonder what combined sales are for the Pz38T-based line that 21C has just released. It seems like BCA has had a tough time keeping these in stock. My guess is they are as savvy as anyone in the industry at gauging the supply and demand of these things. If they are surprised that makes me think that more people are coming out of the woods to buy 1/32. Between the slow down in 1/18, increased quality and the fact that I personally spend more money on military hardware than most South American countries business must be good.

TKO, interested in weighing in on this?

Bring on the 1:32 Maus!