Tales of Transparency

Tales of Transparency – Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

Out of curiosity, we sometimes get asked why we do not have a new item physically in stock even though it may be marked as such on our web site. The simple answer is time or perhaps more to the point, time management. We run a tight ship here at The Motor Pool. When a noteworthy item comes in that has been pre-ordered up the gazoo, we begin the arduous task of searching our ordering system for the item in question then wedding it with other items that may already be held for the customer or other newly received items expected around the same time frame, thereby reducing shipping costs for everyone concerned. For instance, when the 1:32 scale Forces of Valor vehicles start appearing on the horizon, we may need several days head start to address each new item, contacting the customer if we do not have their proper billing information, editing orders to prevent redundancy, adjusting inventory counts, and such. If we waited until the merchandise actually arrived, then we’d get swamped with new orders as well as old, potentially undermining the process of getting product out in the most expeditious manner possible. As we get larger, and make our products available on additional venues, this issue can easily get exacerbated, so we make every effort to keep everything correct, up-to-date and ship-shape, particularly during the hectic holiday shopping season.

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Tales of Transparency – The Importance of Getting it Right

We’re sticklers for getting things right. While we’re the first to admit that some times we goof up from a historical stand point, we also make every effort to get the facts correct as best as we see them, going so far as to research each model from every conceivable angle.

Recently, we noticed that Hobby Master announced two new F-16 Fighting Falcons, both done up in an Iraqi livery (HA3863 and HA3864). Although we knew that the Iraqi Air Force never flew the F-16 prior to the Coalition-led 2003 invasion (Operation Iraqi Freedom), we initially didn’t put two and two together and listed them with the incorrect air force roundel and without fore knowledge as to which unit they are attached to or where they are based. What troubled us most was that, over the years, the Iraqi Air Force has employed a number of different roundels on their aircraft, making it rather confusing to showcase them in the proper light.

The Iraqi Air Force roundel employed from 1931 to 2004

Since the 2003 invasion, for example, the IAF has been using a completely different rounded to denote its aircraft, circular like most other air forces, a red semi-circle on top and black on the bottom. There are three green stars strung out across the center of the roundel with an Arabic inscription interspersed between them.

The Iraqis, looking to distance themselves from the Hussein regime, adopted a new air force roundel in 2004 which continues to be used to this day

Anyway, we think we got it right now, but just wanted to point out that sometimes we go to great lengths to ensure the accuracy of each listing, even if the average layperson may not care about minutia like this or wonder if we’re suffering from an advanced case of OCD.

 

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Tales of Transparency: Of Helicopters and Rotorcraft

Beginning today, we are launching a new section in our blog entitled Tales of Transparency. The ultimate goal is to establish a clear line of communication between the customer and the vendor and reduce the so-called “friction” that can occur as each attempts to understand the other and make any transaction as seamless as possible.

To kick things off, we amended our Diecast Military Helicopter section to reflect the growing use of tilt-wing rotorcraft in many of today’s air forces. With new aircraft coming online soon, such as the Bell V-280 Valor title rotor aircraft, and the increasing usage of drones to spy on and engage the enemy in real-time, we felt it was high time that our web site remained in lock-step with today’s headlines and advances in military hardware. So, we’ve updated the name of the main category, moved around some sub sections, and generally performed some housecleaning exercises aimed at better segregating each type of diecast replica. We hope you enjoy these changes.

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