21st Century Toys 1:18 Information Q&A (Area-21 Pres)

boyx30 · Post by **boyx30** » Wed May 10, 2006 10:01 am

Hello TKO,

A while back I ask about the Me110 and you said you would pose the question to Roy (as he had mentioned it in his interview with you a year or so back) any word on this?

Also thanks for the great information (and thank you 21st century) for the up coming planes great choices on the horizon!

thanks
Scott

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Wed May 10, 2006 9:44 pm

Hey guys here are some answers.

Hideous One-
The e-mail suggested to you should do the trick! If not let me know and I will make certain someone sees it. Good Luck! I would love to see the finished piece!

Moth-
Good question on russian stuff. Right now the new 1:32 scale figures and MiG-15 are the only russian things I am aware of. If they do well there might be more?

Shin-
1. Big Beautiful Doll is currently planned to be the first with the Gun bays. Others will certainly follow but most likely not till 07?

2.The Wal-Mart distribution is one of my favorite subjects. I find it amusing that anyone thinks they can tell Wal-Mart what to do!

To answer your Q. directly though, You really never know what is going on there. They seriously do whatever they want. Sorry there just isn't a good answer for that question. My stores gets new stuff all the time and sells out all the time with no problems... Go figure?

3. Roy is aware of the requests for weathering on the new P-51. It is such a popular plane I am certain we will get our share of what ever scheme and style in the long run. This Model is going to enjoy a long life. Sabre? not sure yet.

4. Next jet is the Me-262 which was annouced a little while ago. After that... 21st is being pretty quiet.

5. TRU is a totally different animal (as I understand it) All I do know is that Wal-Mart is a FAR BIGGER company than TRU. So much bigger it isn't even funny. So yes that is a major difference. Wal-Mart might be a frustration for us fans but trust me we want 21st to be in Wal-Mart! It is good for everyone REALLY.

Boyx-
Roy is simply not talking about this project right now? I honestly do not know what that means. I hope we see one someday. I like almost anything with wings though! What I do know is that 21st ALWAYS has something going on. Often times a year or more in the timeline of a project is developed in secret.

Timbo · Post by **Timbo** » Wed May 10, 2006 10:11 pm

Wal-Mart might be a frustration for us fans but trust me we want 21st to be in Wal-Mart! It is good for everyone REALLY.

Your right, where else can you find products that have been all but destroyed by employees and customers? Where else can you buy products that maybe only one coast or the other might happen to get? Where else can you ask if in item happens to be in stock only to be told that it doesn't exist, there's no record of it, etc...? YAY for Wal-Mart. Seriously 21st should tell Wal-Mart to shove it and open an online store. I've given up on the one that is close to me and the one my wife gets groceries at hasn't had anything since the red nosed 109. I'm just not desperate enough to drive to each one in hope that I might find something cool.

Moth · Post by **Moth** » Wed May 10, 2006 10:14 pm

"Right now the new 1:32 scale figures and MiG-15 are the only russian things I am aware of. If they do well there might be more"

You hear that people!!!

YOU MUST BUY THE MIG-15, AND FIGURES!
WE NEED MORE RUSSIAN STUFF!
THE FUTURE OF RUSSIAN TANKS, PLANES, AND FIGURES DEPENDS ON YOU!

lol, thanks

ostketten · Post by **ostketten** » Thu May 11, 2006 7:27 am

Seriously 21st should tell Wal-Mart to shove it and open an online store.

Personally, I think it would be great, but you would still have to deal with shipping costs whether you buy direct from 21C or any other online retailer, and that's where Walmart is probably going to save you some money when they actually have the stuff that you want in stock. Believe me, I completely understand how frustrating the whole Walmart thing can be, but I am fortunate enough to have something like 25-30 Walmart stores including several "supercenters" within about a 100 mile radius of my home in the metropolitan Baltimore/Washington DC area. Now, I understand that for some people driving 100 miles for a toy is just not something they are willing to do, but most of these stores are within a 1 hour drive for me, and eventually I plan to visit them all. So far, I have hit about ten or so of the "available" stores closest to my home, and I have managed to find at least one or two items that I needed or wanted at each store. I suppose it all boils down to what your budget and free time will allow, and for me at least, when I have the time and some extra cash on hand I look forward to these forays as a sort of challenge and adventure.

luftpanzer · Post by **luftpanzer** » Thu May 11, 2006 9:05 am

Be patient. Soon there will be a Walmart on every street corner!

stv9000 · Post by **stv9000** » Fri May 12, 2006 1:10 pm

Roy, any thoughts about X planes X-1, X-15 ect.....?
How 'bout an F117?

parrish333 · Post by **parrish333** » Fri May 12, 2006 2:06 pm

WM is absolutely frustrating when it comes to collecting XD, but they are absolutely also a blessing. Putting XD in WMs assures 21C of having a very big outlet for sales, which means $$$ in their pockets to keep making new stuff. I really wonder if 21C would be doing half as well if their product was only available online.

My bet is that it is a lot about expectations for us. If 21st C came out with 1/2 the new product they did now, it was only available online, and it cost 30% more, we'd probably think things were good, if that's all we ever knew. We'd know what to expect, and we'd live peaceably with it.

But because there's more new product, and it is sometimes available cheap at WM, it creates hopes and expectations that just can't (or won't) be met consistently. Hence leading to immense frustration that it's "out there" but not anywhere that we can find.

It is very hard to live in the middle ground of the whole issue --- which is appreciating the cash flow WM produces for 21C, meaning more great stuff gets made, but being able to not care if your particular set of WMs doesn't have it that time around and just sucking it up and getting it online instead.

It's kind of like most technology -- it's great when it works so we come to rely on it. Then when it breaks it drives us absolutely nutty. But would we rather not have it at all? Probably not. So I just try to be optimistically-pessimistic about stuff like this --- I try to assume it won't work well, and then when it does I'm pleasantly surprised. So I have hope it will work sometime with something, I just try not to pin those hopes on too many specifics.

Take for example the new Avenger coming out. I don't put my hopes on it being released at a WM near me anytime in the next eon. If it does, great. If not, if it's really a keeper and is worth it, you guys will say so and I'll buy it online eventually. If it never comes out period, then that's ok because I didn't clear a spot on my shelf for it anyhow. But some cool plane made by some company will get made, and I'll take that one in the meantime.

ostketten · Post by **ostketten** » Sat May 13, 2006 5:34 pm

I really wonder if 21C would be doing half as well if their product was only available online.

The answer to that question is almost certainly NO. Having your product sold in Wamart stores is the holy grail for a company like 21st century, whose product line is very much in a "special interest" category to begin with. I mean it's not the same as with a "mega" corporation like for example, Proctor and Gamble, or any one of a dozen other big name corporations whose products are on the shelves at everything from mom and pop country stores to the big box chains like WM, they could afford to not have their products sold in WM's and it probably would not affect their bottom line all that much, but it would have a serious negative impact on an outfit like 21C, there's no doubt about it in my opinion.

Loki · Post by **Loki** » Wed May 24, 2006 1:46 pm

TKO,
At KB Toys today I saw some 32X cold steel tanks, some of the 32X planes and the micro tanks. I haven't seen any 21st Century products for sale at KB since the heyday of the 1/6th scale line. Are they again going to be an official retailer for 21st Century Toys, and are they going to be caring 1/18th scale items as I didn't see any?

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Sun May 28, 2006 1:10 pm

like other have already stated... WM might be frustrating but really the fact that 21st distributes through them is a huge benefit to us as collectors. The bottom line is that we get more products built because of the power of mass retail support. On-line sales simply do not have the ability to solely support a toy company for the long term. Especially when you talk about larger 1:18 type products. They are expensive to develop.

I have a great deal of respect for the people who choose to make and develop toys in today's market. It takes a ton of guts & money!

Moth · Post by **Moth** » Sun May 28, 2006 4:38 pm

TKO, Do you know if turbine blades are visible from the intake and exhaust on the new Mig and Sabre?

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Tue May 30, 2006 12:00 am

I am not sure about the turbine fan. all I do know is that the opening in the intake is very open and very deep. The turbine fan would be a great detail but frankly I am just happy that it isn't plugged.

Perhaps the next round of pictures will shed some light? I know more are coming.

Moth · Post by **Moth** » Tue May 30, 2006 8:09 am

Thanks!

Will there be some public information about a tank soon, or has 21st Century droped the armor division?

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Tue May 30, 2006 4:05 pm

There is going to be some new developments in the armor department from 21st. It is still a little to early to talk about it yet but for sure there will be some news on this topic in the near future.

Airplanes are still a number 1 seller so obviously they will get the lions share of the exposure most of the time.

hope that helps

Moth · Post by **Moth** » Tue May 30, 2006 5:06 pm

Help it does!

Thanks TKO!

Shin Densetsu · Post by **Shin Densetsu** » Tue May 30, 2006 9:04 pm

TKo

is there any way for 21st to go back to TRU? They can make more profit by going with 2 major retailers rather than 1 alone. Besides....if the luftwaffe aircraft and armor are an issue, maybe they can be walmart exclusives? And to balance out some repaints would be exclusive@TRU.

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:26 am

I think 21st would like to be back in TRU full time... It's more up to the retailers to decide to carry the product.

The last test run was for the merrills delux set, which sold very well and was a huge success. I can't really comment on more details for this part of the business because I really don't know.

I wish there was a number or e-mail for the TRU buyer to launch a "demand for product campaign". I would fully support a TRU purchase as I did in the past!

Moth · Post by **Moth** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:00 am

TKO, Is there anything you can say on the Whittman Tiger that we saw a while back?

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 4:56 pm

Whittman!!! I totally forgot about that one. I will ask around on that. I know that back around toy fair time (feb) the project had a green light. I will ask Roy.

-TKO

Morian Miner · Post by **Morian Miner** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 5:10 pm

TKO,

Can you give us any updates on the Platoon figures? Things going good? Bad? Stuck in some legal bugaboo?

Moth · Post by **Moth** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 5:14 pm

Thanks!
Good Luck

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 6:04 pm

Platoon...

Yeah, that line seems to be plagued by the same thing as Sahara... Hollywood! I checked on this last week and the word from 21st land is that Platoon is still a go. but I would not mark any date in 2006. I think it is going to spill over into 07.

A temp setback and a bummer I know. But I did get a strong positive feeling from 21st that we will see them late 06 - early 07.

Morian Miner · Post by **Morian Miner** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 7:14 pm

tko211 wrote:Platoon...

Yeah, that line seems to be plagued by the same thing as Sahara... Hollywood! I checked on this last week and the word from 21st land is that Platoon is still a go. but I would not mark any date in 2006. I think it is going to spill over into 07.

A temp setback and a bummer I know. But I did get a strong positive feeling from 21st that we will see them late 06 - early 07.

<INSERT EXPLICATIVES HERE>!!!!!! Well, so much for ComicCon. I was really hoping 21C would pull a major rabbit out of the hat and have them for sale there. Bummer.

So, will we be seeing any other carded figures coming out this year *cough* besides SS set *cough*?

Razor17019 · Post by **Razor17019** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 8:35 pm

TKO,
Okay, we won't see Platoon figures till late 2006 more like 2007.
So, is 21st Century going to reissue the M48 Patton, Jeeps, and Huey with the figures are they just gonna have to fight the war on foot?

Wouldn't be a great time to introduce some Russian made vehicles and tanks for Platoon line?? or is it more of a 3 figure blurb?

TKO, see what dirt you can dig up on this for us...
There will be a little something extra in your paycheck this week, if you can! (zero x zero = zero)

Small Scale Military Headquarters

21st Century Toys 1:18 Information Q&A (Area-21 Pres)

Yes, WM is good for us