MFH terminating Ferrari kit sales

[RonCla]

I've just come from Model Factory Hiros' website and there is an announcement that they are terminating all sales of Ferrari kits with immediate effect.

I don't know what has led to this or what will become of kits they are holding in stock.

This will mean their Ferrari Lusso wont see the light of day.


＜End of sale for 1/20 & 1/24 scale FERRARI Kit＞
Thank you for buying from and supporting us.
We are regret to announce that we are going to terminate the sale of all FERRARI 1/20 and 1/24 scale models with immediate effect.
For all sold FERRARI kits, we will still supporting after the termination of sale.
We will keep you updated when new projects are coming out.
2013.10.12 Model Factory Hiro

http://www.modelfactoryhiro.com/new/en

[JeremyJon]

Ferrari lawyer scum, they went after the Ferrari owners clubs (true story) to stop them using the logos & names without paying, but expected cost was insane!

[lovegt40]

they strike back.
few thrust me when I try advise of the power (incredible power) of the lawers dept. from Fiat auto Group...

and the scary stuff is that they are even more powerful than people can think, Worldwide of course.

[da_ashman]

So that effectively halfs their product line! Poor MFH, hopefully they will seek a license

[da_ashman]

On the plus side if youve got an unbuilt MFH Ferrari the value just sky rocketed!!!

[freakray]

On the real plus side, maybe MFH will turn their attention to some of the cars that are just as desirable but haven't received the attention they deserve.

[CrateCruncher]

This is terrible news. I hope it's just a hissy fit or negotiation tactic but it doesn't sound like it. They still show some Alfa kits in stock so let's hope it's isolated and they continue to make other Fiat brands.

[360spider]

Unexpected? Yes. Surprising? Hardly. Sucks, even though I have most of their Ferrari kits, I still wanted to buy another TdF and 330 LMB... on well. Just looked on eBay, and there are very few kits there...

[JeremyJon]

I've learned some more facts (thanks Marshall), turns out MFH did have some licensing agreement in place with Ferrari, and that has expired, so the likely scenario now is that the new expected fees were just to high to renew

This is pretty consistent now with most automotive entities, even Monogram with it's bank tire sidewalls & dropping Nascar products all together

Sadly, most automotive product manufacturers now outsource their legal copyright & licensing to independent law firms, and as such are not only aggressive in their actions - so they can in turn bill more to their clients, but also they are not negotiable in terms of licensing fees, like dealing directly with a manufacturer might be?

[Vric]

I feel a little bit less gilty to have so many mfh kit in my stack.

[MPWR]

It makes it that much harder to be enthusiastic about the Ferrari brand.

[sam01contact]

I feel a little bit less gilty to have so many mfh kit in my stack.

Same here, but I also think I should have bought more

[mattbacon]

Given the extortionate prices of MFH kits (worth every penny, I'm sure) I can't believe that their buyers are THAT price-sensitive. Even if Ferrari wanted $20 per kit license fees, most MFH buyers would still pay, wouldn't they? If Revell is paying the license on kits that they sell for £15, it can't be unaffordable... Maybe they want it all up front for a five year license, and MFH just doesn't have the cash.

If McLaren, Aston Martin and Porsche step in and say that they'll not only waive license fees but give factory support for MFH's kits, then maybe Ferrari will get the message!

bestest,
M.

[Robi J]

Originally Posted by mpwr

it makes it that much harder to be enthusiastic about the ferrari brand.

+1

[nascar49]

Originally Posted by mattbacon

If McLaren, Aston Martin and Porsche step in and say that they'll not only waive license fees but give factory support for MFH's kits, then maybe Ferrari will get the message!

bestest,
M.

Never going to happen