Woah!!

[willimo]

I agree, tonio, you can have whatever opinion about cars you like. What I do not agree with, however, is that anyone has the "right" to think that certain cars have no place in a magazine, and that the people who build them have nothing to offer to the hobby.

[robrex]

The thing is, he is as narrow minded as the very 'group' he is referring to in his post! Some people should just keep their mouths shut... or their pens away!
Prejudice is another word for stupid!!!!!

[hirofkd]

The person must be a victim of so-called group bias.

I kinda doubt that the younger kids are interested in the subjects that were available before their birthdays.

Also if a certain subject is believed to be interesting, the Japanese modelers, for example, don't have to wait for 30 years to get the kit. But here in the US, that's rare (Corvette, Mustang and Viper), pushing the average age even higher. I honestly believe that that will eventually kill (if not already killed) this hobby. It's manufacturers and media's responsibility to promote the hobby to the younger kids. Japan is successful with the Gundam kits which draw so many elementary and junior high kids into modeling each year, why the US doesn't promote the hobby to the teens, with the subject they like? The tuners have a potential.

[2.2 Straight six]

i listen to rap an i still play need for speed underground 2 (new game wont work) i build tuners etc.. we dont get much in the way of american car models here in england. at the moment i building as many of the cars my family has owned that i can get. if he doesn't like tuners then he doesnt have to read about them. why does he need to rant about what we like. oh so should they ban people who like to tune an customise their imports from irwindale ? he's needs to pull his head outa his back-side. some people like tuners an thats nothing to do with him. i highly doubt that he knows the opinon of the "majority of subscirbers" opinons. he needs a slap.

[Layla's Keeper]

Revell and AMT did try to break into the tuner market with their Integra and Fast & Furious kits respectively.

The initial Integra offering did fairly well for Revell, well enough that they decided to continue with the series of kits, tooling a pair of Civics, a Focus, an earlier Civic, an Eclipse, and most recently an RSX and Subaru WRX (and we're still waiting on the CRX).

However, Revell's bread and butter is still muscle cars. Their most successful offering this year has been their 1966 Chevelle wagon(!) alongside of the reissues of their Pro Street 1967 Chevelle and the "California Wheels" series issue of the regular line 1967 Chevelle.

AMT's Fast & the Furious line was an excercise in futility. Admittedly, it didn't help that the Eclipse was very poorly done, but the Supra was quite passable. However, the kit line tanked after only two import issues. Racing Champions, the parent company, looked at the kit sales against the diecast sales, and decided to keep pumping money into the diecast instead.

Which is one of the reasons we didn't get an RX-7 out of the AMT kit range but got a Racing Champions diecast.

Revell has made their "tuner" line a bit more low key in recent years but are continuing because the kits are a nice buoy for sales demographics. However, when a 1966 Chevelle wagon that came mostly from existing tooling (the entire chassis and front clip of the body came out of their 1966 El Camino kit, which in turn was modified from the 1967 Chevelle kits) turns a bigger profit, there's not much encouragement for Revell to make a big push on the tuners.

Especially when whenever Revell issues a tuner kit, all that the builders seem to do is kvetch about the same inaccuracies they'll put up with from Fujimi (at an increased price) and tell everyone around them "Just buy a Tamiya if they offer the same thing.

Revell offers full detail kits with tons of options at a cut price (you can get them for under $10 at Walmart) and they get trashed for it. Why should they push the market if it's barely turning enough profit to pay for the tooling in the first place?

[ImolaEK]

Originally Posted by Layla's Keeper

Revell and AMT did try to break into the tuner market with their Integra and Fast & Furious kits respectively.

The initial Integra offering did fairly well for Revell, well enough that they decided to continue with the series of kits, tooling a pair of Civics, a Focus, an earlier Civic, an Eclipse, and most recently an RSX and Subaru WRX (and we're still waiting on the CRX).

However, Revell's bread and butter is still muscle cars. Their most successful offering this year has been their 1966 Chevelle wagon(!) alongside of the reissues of their Pro Street 1967 Chevelle and the "California Wheels" series issue of the regular line 1967 Chevelle.

Well, Domestics will always sell more in America and Imports will always sell more in Japan, wow. Revell had more success here with their Chevelle, ahem, maybe because its a domestic Go to Japan and you will most likely see the majority are Imports That wasn't hard, but i dont think that was the point I think if your going to make a magazine you have to make it diverse to try to accomondate everyone's taste and points of views, and to have a reader think that it should just focus on what he likes is so stupid

Originally Posted by Tonioseven

Sorry but I have to go dig some more rap music to listen to whilst I build my "tunerz"

Same here,

:Changes his Mike Jones CD to the Purple Haze Camron CD:

[willimo]

Sorry, Layla's Keeper, you're arguing another thread entirely. I posted this guy's letter because I took offense to his view that tuners have no place in modeling and tuner modelers have nothing to offer the hobby. Whether this segment is lucrative for Revell or AMT is a nonissue. We have Aoshima, Fujimi, and Tamiya to make our Japanese kits and Revell and AMT and Polar Lights to make our domestics. FINE. But that's not the point of this thread.

And, by the way, the AMT Supra was BY NO MEANS PASSABLE. Especially with the stellar full detail Tamiya kit available for the same price.

[2.2 Straight six]

how can this guy say they offer nothing to the hobby ? look at the amout of scratchbuilding an detailing people do to "tuners" to make replicas and to make them exactly how they want to cars to be ?

[bhop73]

I just want to mention that I sent a letter to the editors about it. They replied today and said that he seems to have "struck a nerve" and that they have been receiving a lot of responses other than mine.. heh, heh..

[99civichic]

Originally Posted by Layla's Keeper

However, Revell's bread and butter is still muscle cars. Their most successful offering this year has been their 1966 Chevelle wagon(!) alongside of the reissues of their Pro Street 1967 Chevelle and the "California Wheels" series issue of the regular line 1967 Chevelle.

I was always under the impression that their bread and butter was the Nascar models. Talk about low cost-high profits, just change the decals and bam new kit!

I don't think any model company can keep anyone happy. Personally, I don't think Revell makes enough domestic cars; why is that there's only ONE kit for the late-model Mustang and the 4th-gen Camaros? Honestly, what would they have to change to make say, a convertible? or a Mach 1? And dang it, where's my Trans Am??

[/rant]

I'm pretty open minded about the cars I build, but when given the choice of where to spend my hard-earned $15 for a kit, I usually end up with a domestic in my shopping bag. I'd personally rather build a Vette than a Civic, but that doesn't mean I don't like or respect the people who build Civics and the coverage they get.

[willimo]

Originally Posted by 99civichic

I'd personally rather build a Vette than a Civic, but that doesn't mean I don't like or respect the people who build Civics and the coverage they get.

And that's the whole thing there, now isn't it?

[Sticky Fingers]

Okay, maybe it's just me and my cynical little world but have you thought of the possibility that Scale Auto made up this letter to generate interest? Look how many responses it has kicked off in this thread alone!

Just a thought..........

[druid_99]

With import taxes of 300% for cars in my country, that's why I buy Ferraris (24th scale that is)...

For me, I don't think he's being fair to all model builders. I build everything that has four wheels, be it American or Imports. I even build others like planes, tanks and Gundams... The main reason why I build all this is because I enjoy it and it's my hobby. If patriotism should be the issue here, I might as well quit modelling until Tamiya or Fujimi or Aoshima decides to try and sell Proton or Perodua model cars...

Someone should direct that guy here and take a look at our community where imports and muscles are all in the same place with one main reason... THE LOVE OF AUTO MODELLING.

[ozstrider]

Well guys...hes said it....i guess us tuner types will just have to leave.....*sad walk away music from The Hulk*