A visit with the folks at Revell

Tanker - Builder

I have had physical technical problems that resulted in hospital

Damit, you get yourself out of the clutches of the medicos and get better!

I did not make it to O-6 and not get to abu-er-exercise my priveledges.  And, be warned, if you use this hospital thing as some sort of excuse to skylark and goldbrick, I'll bring this to the attention of my MYMC (the kids claim he's the one what warned Farragut about the torpedoes in Mobile Bay).

Hello Dr.Tilley !

 The " HOT ROD " Hydroplane and the U.D.T boat were both Late fifties model releases .The " Hydro " By REVELL , and The U.D.T boat from MONOGRAM. Both were basic and reasonably fun .I took the U.D.T boat and built a four cylinder Grey Marine engine for it .

    It also was the basis for many different small workboats till it dissappeared in about 1965 . The "hydro " has been in and out of production for about forty years total now .

    I hope this clears the air for you .  T.B.      P.S. Sorry Folks . I have had physical technical problems that resulted in hospital  ,  Please accept my sincerest apology . and electronic problems that left me confused about what I did or did not reply to . Thank You T.B.

Charlie,

Who among us are you asking?

Bill

I saw a post you made in March 2015 & wanted to follow up.  I have a new non-American 1:96 USS Constitution Revelle model with molded plastic rat lines.  I read you may have sets for sale.  I need a full set for the model.  Bowsprit, foremast, mainmast and mizzenmast, all three levels each.

I am interested in the "oiled" line rat lines as was on the original model.  

Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.

Charlie

That was an excellent read.  Awesome!

That 1/72 USS Skipjack is an excellent kit! As a retired submariner, I really appreciated their effort here.  However, it suffers from a lack of mass appeal that a new company should strive for with a new product.  Let's face it, the most popular subjects for warship modelling seems to begin with battleships and carriers, perhaps destroyers come in 2nd, cruisers 3rd, escort ships 4th, and everything else last.  That is what I would consider if I were starting a new model company.  

Bill

warshipguy

True, Mobius did produce the 1/72 USS Skipjack, but has yet to produce anything else in the years since then.  Merit is a Chinese company that is illustrating my point.  While Mobius manufactured the Skipjack several years ago, Merit is or has produced the USS Yorktown, USS Enterprise, and USS John F. Kennedy.  Trumpeter has also been a most prolific ship model  producer.  Dragon will soon be releasing a 1/350 USS Pennsylvania.  Lindbergh's repackaging the old Eaglewall and Pyro kits hardly bears comparison.

I am simply saying that the American companies seem content to simply repackage kits that over half a century old. Mobius might be an exception, but, to date, they have only released one ship kit that is now several years old.  I am not saying that American companies should simply manufacture ships already released by other manufacturers; on the contrary, I would like to see them jump back into the market with something fresh, something not yet manufactured. But, they seem to be shunning competition with foreign manufacturers instead of jumping into the market and competing with new products. It would be nice to see a new American product!

Merit is an American distributor that has hired a Chinese company. So, while the design and molding work was done in China, it was American capital and risk and therefore I included them. Mobius' Skipjack is a classic example of jumping into the market and competing - sometimes you bring a new subject to market that "under performs" and hurts your return and leaves you with less money to use on the next project. They also contracted out to a Chinese company for the CAD and molding. Airfix has their kits molded elsewhere and I believe that they also contract out the CAD, but I'm not as sure about that. Really, the new model is to hire out, unfortunately.

Thats bad news about Academy leaving the Ship Model genre. I really do like the kits that they made, and they tended to be as good as and more affordable than Trumpeter's offerings.

Airfix has done some nice new stuff in 1/350 ships. I do wish that Revell would follow their lead and do some new tool 1/350 ship kits. Or maybe some larger scale kits of smaller craft.

Hi Proff ;

Listen , the " Hot Rod Hydroplane " was a very early MONOGRAM kit . It came out at the same time as their  1/32 scale Rubber powered ski Boat ( guessing the scale on this one ). They also had the U.D.T boat not long after . Looked good next to LINDBERG's  L.C.V.P. This was in 1958 or thereabouts . At the same time they had the " Midget Racer " and the " Offy " powered Indy Car !     T.B.

OOPs.

I was starting to reply to a post about the AMT Akron / Macon kit but neglected to add the quote about the kit.

Which kit?

Bill

Yesterday I purchased the kit at a local Hobby Town; box has a sticker that says:

" with over over 90 percent US parts."

Tracy,

I understand what you are saying.  And, yes, I am talking about ships.  It was Revell of Germany that originally produced the 1/72 USS Gato; Revell/Monogram simply repackaged that kit.  True, Mobius did produce the 1/72 USS Skipjack, but has yet to produce anything else in the years since then.  Merit is a Chinese company that is illustrating my point.  While Mobius manufactured the Skipjack several years ago, Merit is or has produced the USS Yorktown, USS Enterprise, and USS John F. Kennedy.  Trumpeter has also been a most prolific ship model  producer.  Dragon will soon be releasing a 1/350 USS Pennsylvania.  Lindbergh's repackaging the old Eaglewall and Pyro kits hardly bears comparison.

I am simply saying that the American companies seem content to simply repackage kits that over half a century old. Mobius might be an exception, but, to date, they have only released one ship kit that is now several years old.  I am not saying that American companies should simply manufacture ships already released by other manufacturers; on the contrary, I would like to see them jump back into the market with something fresh, something not yet manufactured. But, they seem to be shunning competition with foreign manufacturers instead of jumping into the market and competing with new products. It would be nice to see a new American product!

Bill Morrison

warshipguy

I was simply referring to the lack of will to engage in competition with the manufacturers from overseas.

I don't really see that, more that the higher costs of doing it here means that it's more of an investment for less net profit. Revell released the 72nd Gato, the 48th PV-1, Mobius did the 72nd Skipjack (If I gotta stay on ships) and a bunch of science fiction kits, Merit has the PTs, OSA, and CV-5 kit (you may count these differently because it's an American distributor hiring an chinese company for design and molding).

If, by "lack of will" you mean bringing out similar subjects as asian manufacturers, well, even the asian manufacturers are trying to avoid that other than Trumpeter. Academy is now out of the ship model business after Trumpeter released two subjects that were similar to theirs. The other manufacturers I have talked to are very conscious of pent up desire for a subject and will target ones where there is no competition first to maximize their revenue.

Amen!

Bill

All these prognostications have one thing in common. We can expect kits to continue getting more expensive.

There is no such thing as Capitalism or Communism only the imply of its existence as history has shown us.

Tracy,

I was simply referring to the lack of will to engage in competition with the manufacturers from overseas.  The aspects of capitalism that you mention well illustrate why I am not a capitalist!

Bill

Excuse me - declining numbers, increasing labor and production costs - how has the consolidation, shut down, and off-shoring of production by American companies NOT been squarely capitalistic? I don 't like it, but there's no willpower to change the entire world enough in the short term. What would work would be for population in the producing countries to realize more wealth (this is happening in China ) and drive up the costs of production in that country. Tamiya has its production done in the Philippines now, and I hear that Vietnam is doing things because it's cheaper than China. As those costs and shipping costs rise, it will become more cost effective at some point to bring the production back to the US.

I just hope there's a company or two left by then!

Don,

I agree that Airfix and Revell are the good guys and I love what RoG is putting out there.  I would just like to see more competition from American sources.  We constantly hear from "Corporate America" about the virtues of capitalism, but American producers are the least responsive to capitalistic forces within our own hobby.  Wouldn't it be nice for all to see Revell/Monogram USA (and Lindbergh, if they can produce anything worthwhile) dive back into the manufacturing market? It's just a thought.

Bill

CapnMac82

Heche en el Norte

Heche en el Norte

Made in Norte America ;)

On the camera front, many of the companies are or have been intermixed in  a fluid, oriental sort of way.

So, Vivitar was Pentax, just headquartered in Hong Kong.  They were building to Pentax specs, but using PRC labor for parts assembly.  Was a staple in BX & PX though, as AAFEX did not care "where from" as much as "how much" for their product.    The Vivtar lenses have some cache out in the photog world, at least in the pro side, rather than prosumer side.

Such national distinctions mean very little in these days of international, web-based trade.  It's the quality of the product rather than the nation of origin.  Which is why IBM does not even bother to relabel Lenovo products.

Well, other than the Las Colonias operation in Mexico.  This is where Border-adjacent cities are set up to use less-expensive Mexican labor to create sub assemblies and parts.  Thse are then trucked over the border for final assembly so that they can have a "Made in America" label.  Which is somewhat spurious as that "made" refers to bolting on wheels and tires; or fastening that last 8 of 16 screws holding chassis and body together (and making a shipping crate or bending a shipping box to suit.

I do believe that Pegasus models are made here in the USA.

Speaking of Round 2 and the reissuing of older molds, I have purchased the Lindberg Blockade Runner and just the other day the AMT USS Akron/Macon Airship. On the boxes of both is a "Made in America" logo. Granted, the fits are still not perfect but it was nice buying something that was made here!

Steve

warshipguy

I would rather buy kits made in the USA if they were produced, especially over Chinese kits. Unfortunately, that is a very rare option.

Bill

I am getting to feel more that way than ever, with the Chinese hacking both our government and businesses.  And Putin threatening us with nuclear war!  At least Airfix and Revell Germany are good guys.

I've been checking sales of lightweight summer clothing in the local sporting goods stores.

There are a lot of clothes being imported from Vietnam.

A long time ago in a neighborhood far, far away..........the Renwall Atomic Cannon and George Washington Class kits were on my childhood unfulfilled wish list.

I purchased the Atomic Cannon a couple of years ago and was surprised that the kit was recently re-issued; must have been quite bit of pent up demand from fellow baby boomers.

The sub kit I purchased a couple of months ago on sale at a local Hobby Town; perhaps the last kit in the Chicagoland area as I noticed the sub kit disappeared just as quickly as the Atomic Cannon.

Must still be a lot of baby boomers out there buying re-issued kits if both Revell and Round Two can either re-use old molds or have molds for old kits reverse engineered.

Putting two and two together...the article that started this thread described two old injection-molding machines that are kept in the room with the old molds, and are only used for "test shots." I wonder if the old Renwal kits came out of one of those machines. That would explain the "Made in USA" labels.

It may be significant that only three ex-Renwal kits still appear on the Revell website: the Patton and Walker Bulldog tanks, and the Ontos. The George Washington-class sub, the Essex-class carrier, and the atomic cannon are gone. I suspect Revell sold out of a rather short production run.

I think most, if not all, RoG kits are molded in either China or Korea nowadays. And I wouldn't be surprised at all if there was an injection-molding plant in Vietnam. About ten years ago I bought a lens for my Pentax camera. Pentax is one of the oldest, and in those days one of the biggest, of high-quality Japanese camera firms. The lens said "Made in Vietnam" on it. I practically dropped my teeth when I saw that.