Like clockwork, Hobby Master added another flock of warbirds to its growing arsenal of diecast military aircraft. While no new toolings were unveiled, several new models are almost certain to turn heads, many of which have been requested for some time by ardent collectors. Here now the latest additions due out in July 2023.
Recently, the Association of Women Surgeons celebrated forty doctors under the age of forty for their achievements in the field of surgery. My eldest daughter, Linda, was included in the list and, according to their statement, will be profiled in-depth shortly along with each of the other luminaries. Considering there are just shy of 14,000 women surgeons in the United States, I’d say that’s a tall accomplishment and one we’re very proud to acknowledge that takes into account all of the schooling, work and effort she put in to achieve this professional nod. Well done Linda!
Incidentally, Linda is an accredited trauma surgeon at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Three years ago, she was promoted to Medical Director of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU). So, if this was November 22nd, 1963, well, just saying…
After talking about it for some time, it finally appears as if we have a date for our move to Florida – January 1st. Our new home will likely be completed by the end of November, but packing up and attempting to move 1,100 miles during the busiest time of year is simply not in the cards. It wasn’t planned to take this long so this is probably the best course of action we can take given the issues confronting us.
Our original plan was to run a clearance sale just before our move, which was supposed to occur last month. The delay isn’t anyone’s fault and is largely due to the inability of our builder to obtain certain finished materials from China in the wake of the PRC’s Zero COVID policy. Be that as it may, we will now run our clearance sale during the peak holiday shopping season, which will hopefully lessen the amount of “stuff” we have to transport. And with hopefully lower transportation costs, we won’t be confronted with a huge fuel surcharge on top of everything else.
So what does this mean to you? Beginning Thanksgiving we will be running a 25% off sale that will continue through the holiday season and end, more or less, right before Christmas. Said discount will only apply to in-stock merchandise and may not be applied to back ordered or pre-order merchandise. In light of the new MAP enforced policy for recently released Hobby Master products, we will have to adjust their prices accordingly.
When the sale ends, we will stop shipping out product and use the holiday lull to pack up our remaining stock in preparation for our move to Florida. I’m not certain when we will resume shipping. Depending upon the mover, it can take them up to three weeks to actually make it down the eastern corridor to our new digs then several more days before we are set up and ready to resume business. Obviously, we will delay any inbound shipments until such time as we can accept them. Of course, you may place new orders on our sites during this hiatus, however, it is with the understanding that they will not be reviewed or addressed until we are back up-and-running in January.
Please do not ask us to apply this clearance sale discount to any orders you are contemplating placing in the near term. For now, the prevailing discount of 15% will remain in place until Halloween. Also, we will not hold any merchandise until the clearance sale has begun. Keep in mind we sell limited edition collectibles so if an item or two sells out before the clearance sale, well, then you’re out of luck. Lastly, any orders that combine in-stock and pre-ordered merchandise will simply be cancelled outright. During the holidays we simply do not have the time to explain this to every customer and with the increased activity we anticipate this sale will generate there is no point in reiterating everything that has already been discussed. Sorry, but there’s only so much we can or are willing to do. Peace out!
As the holiday season looms large, more and more new products are making the transition from simple line art drawings to actual photographed images. In the case of Panzerkampf, the manufacturer recently posted pictures of their upcoming M1083 medium tactical vehicle, an important workhorse of the US Army over the last few years that is often seen hauling troops and supplies to and from the front lines.
The Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) is based on an Austrian truck, the Steyr 12M18, but considerably re-engineered to be available as the 4×4 2.5-tone Light Medium Tactical Vehicle (LMTV) and the 6×6 5-tone Medium Tactical Vehicle (MTV). Both models have over 90 percent of components in common such as the cab, engine, drive train, tires, wheels, front suspension, axles, etc, and involve many commercial components. There was also an 8×8 heavy tactical vehicle, however only a couple of its prototypes were built and it never reached mass production. The basic LMTV is the M1078 cargo carrier while the 6×6 baseline model is the M1083.
Thus far two versions have been shown to the public – one in the familiar NATO woodland camouflage and the other in the obligatory desert sand scheme. Two other releases, both sporting machine guns atop the passenger compartment (and one featuring a single rear axle) are likely due out later, perhaps nudged into early 2023 due to supply chain issues. Ironic, yes?
Pursuant to their announcement of a new 1:16 scale King Tiger tank, Waltersons has since indicated in their Facebook posting that the tentative price for the upcoming King Tiger will be between $899.99-$949.99, although this could change based upon market conditions. We’re assuming that their newest vehicle will not ship with the heavy wooden crate that came with the Unimax version a couple of decades ago. As a result, the likely weight of the vehicle and its attendant accoutrements will probably be in the neighborhood of 35 pounds. Its anyone’s guess how that will translate into shipping cost since the rates for all the major carriers keep changing, but expect to fork out an additional $100 or more for domestic shipping within the Continental 48 states since this vehicle will not qualify for our free shipping discount. Having said all that, it looks like a sale will probably set you back close to $1,100 US if you feel you really must own their latest entrant in the Extreme Metal series. That’s a pretty price to pay for a diecast collectible that may or may not appreciate in value based upon all sorts of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, from sell through to global demand. Food for thought if you really want this upcoming vehicle but don’t mind raiding the piggy bank to do so.
So why do I bring all of this up now, when the vehicle may not be available for a year or more? Essentially, I’m a pro, having learned and practiced successful marketing techniques for well over four decades. In college, my major was industrial psychology, an offshoot of traditional psychology that attempts to quantify why people do what they do when they make purchasing decisions. Back in the day, a book entitled Future Shock came out in different softbound packaging, using different colors to help determine why a consumer might pick up say a red book jacket as opposed to an orange or even a green one. That’s my academic background.
I learned a lot of things back then, which includes the use of restive colors on our web site to help increase its so-called “stickiness” — the length of time a customer spends on a web site which could but does not necessarily increase the likelihood of making a purchase. The use of certain fonts, category landing pages, multiple exposures to a product all help to contribute to added sales and a healthier balance sheet.
Your point being? Its simple, really. An item such as the upcoming King Tiger is, for many, a major purchase that could set them back for several months or more before they are once again able to make a follow-on purchase. Moreover, many collectors are hoping to get in on the ground floor of the next “shooting star” – that one collectible everyone seems to be talking about that may or may not appreciate in value far in excess of its original selling price. Yes, some of the earliest entrants in this series have appreciated in value far above its original asking price. On the other hand, their Sherman tank has “tanked” — figuratively as well as literally — meaning you can probably pick one up nowadays for less than its initial selling price.
In a round about way what I am trying to say is that my tradecraft is in marketing and I will use this prowess to help sell this item once we have learned more about it. It is up to you, the consumer, to take everything we and others say about this item with a grain of salt, then determine why you are looking to purchase this item. If its to sit on a credenza for all the world to ogle then you have already made the decision to covet this item purely as a collectible. However, if you are looking to purchase this item in the hopes that it will radically appreciate in value and help fund your child’s education then I seriously suggest you look at this item purely from a speculative stance much like crypto currency. It could go up in value, it could remain the same or it could decrease in value. There is no barometer that will faithfully predict its value in two, three or ten years. Please make sure you understand that to its fullest if you are contemplating making a purchase. As I said in a previous post, caveat emptor.
As promised, Corgi unveiled the third and last installment in their 2022 product roll out earlier this month. Several new aircraft are being introduced that are largely tapping into existing ranges, be they WWI fighters or WWII fighters. That said, one new range was launched — WWII: War Under the Sun, which, as its name implies, looks at aircraft flown by both sides of the conflict in the expansive Mediterranean Theatre of Operations. Here now the aircraft you can look forward to treating yourself this holiday season.
We learned today that Panzerkampf’s upcoming Pantsir S-1 Mobile Self Defense System will carry a MAP of $114.99, a bit higher than where we thought it might be pegged when it was officially announced. Also, only one version will make it out the door in 2022. Six versions were originally displayed in their 2022 catalog but we’re guessing the manufacturer wants to see how the initial roll out goes before committing to the other schemes they touted.
It’s a bit difficult to forecast how the Pantsir will do at retail as compared with, say, their recently released M1070 heavy equipment transporter, a so-called “no-brainer” by some in the industry that will likely sell exceedingly well for the foreseeable future. For one its Russian as opposed to a US built piece of equipment, although that shouldn’t be considered a strike against it. Second, the inaugural vehicle sports the infamous “Z” plastered across it, which was used by Russian forces during the opening stages of their attack into Ukraine back in February 2022. Its a bit like hawking models of German Messerschmitts on September 2nd, 1939, with those big flamboyant swastikas adorning the aircraft’s tail fin. And lastly, there’s the price tag to consider, which is a bit more than we thought it would weigh in at prior to its main bout debut.
So, if you’re interested in this item, I would suggest pre-ordering soon because we will likely stock this item in very limited numbers for the holiday season. And, with our upcoming move to Florida, we cannot predict when we will have it available for restock should sales not live up to expectations.
When Waltersons resurrected the Forces of Valor brand some six years ago, we were under the impression that they would immediately bring back many of their fan favorites, including their beastly 1:16 scale Extreme Metal series. Previous releases in the series now command $3,000 or more in the marketplace, so consumer interest is, to say the least, quite voracious given its value as a collectible and importance as a piece of military history. For one reason or another, however, that was the last we heard of the sub brand — at least until today.
In a surprise Facebook posting, the manufacturer indicated they would be bringing back the 1:16 scale series beginning with their King Tiger heavy tank. According to Waltersons, the newest vehicle will be available some time in 2023 although little else is known about the model including its cost, what it will look like, which extras will be included, etc. In other words, we have little to go by other than to say that a new King Tiger is in the offing.
Rather than speculate further, we are providing the following link so you can put your sleuthing skills to the test and help us ascertain more information about the vehicle. Obviously, we will hold off accepting pre-orders until we have more concrete information to go by.
One last thing. Before you reach for your wallet or log in to your PayPal account, there are some important points to consider. Their last 1:16 Tiger I tank came out way back in 2006 and initially fetched $400; their last King Tiger was unleashed in 2005 and also carried a $400 sticker price. Both now command prices well in excess of these figures. However, their last 1:16 scale release, a Sherman medium tank, was unleashed in 2008 and also carried a $400 price tag. How did that do? We had to help Unimax sell off their remaining stock of Shermans for around $100 a pop, otherwise they would have sat in inventory til the cows came home. Its anyone’s guess where a King Tiger in today’s market will initially sell for — as a guess closer to $1,000 or possibly more plus shipping. So, if you’re looking to turn this around and make some quick cash I would suggest you evaluate the marketplace as best you can and decide if spending that kind of dough, possibly during a recession, will pay off handsomely in the short term, long term or if at all. Caveat emptor, my friends.
For some time now, there are several diecast manufacturers who require retailers selling their product to adopt a MAP policy that is aimed at preserving the value of their merchandise. MAP, or Minimum Advertised Price, isn’t exactly a uniform policy that applies to all manufacturers nor does it mean the same thing to everyone concerned. Indeed, there are some manufacturers that politely ask you to advertise their product for a stipulated period of time to avoid discounting their product in the marketplace. Others are more stringent and may, quite possibly, stop selling you their product if you are routinely out of compliance.
There are, as you might have guessed, all sorts of problems with the usage of MAP in the global marketplace. While a MAP policy might have worked years ago when two retailers were located across the street from one another in Anytown, USA, the issue become a bit murky when a retailer such as ourselves ends up competing with retailers from around the world. In mainland China, for instance, where many diecast collectibles are made, oftentimes we see fly-by-night retailers selling a product well below the stipulated MAP, even if their shipping fees may seem excessive. They may be retail arms of the manufacturer or they could be underselling other retailers because their currency could be undervalued against the US dollar. So, while we may be asked to sell an item for say $99.99, it doesn’t necessarily mean a retailer in China, Bangladesh, or Indoneisa is being asked or even required to follow that same policy.
In my mind, and perhaps I’m being mistaken, a MAP means that the retailer may not “ADVERTISE” said item for less than the stipulated price. It does not mean they must “SELL” the item at that price, particularly if they may be running promotions that permit their customers to purchase an item at a reduce price. I oftentimes use the analogy of a Keurig K-cup coffemaker being sold at Bed, Bath and Beyond as a means of demonstrating my position. Keurig may require Bed, Bath and Beyond to sell their newest coffeemaker at $199.99. But we all know that Bed, Bath and Beyond regularly bombards their customers with fliers and other marketing paraphernalia containing discounts that may offer 15% or 20% off of a single item or perhaps a dollar figure off the entire sale. These coupons can then be brought into the store or used online, which, in effect lowers the price of the item by the redemption amount. To sum up, the manufacturer, retailer and customer are all happy with this format.
This article attempts to discuss the idea of MAP pricing in greater detail.
I bring all of this up because we seem to have run into an issue with Hobby Master. Hobby Master has always indicated that their products are to be sold at MAP and that this policy must remain in effect for six months following the item’s release. No problem. When their sales literature is sent out, we list each item at the MAP indicated and, because these are limited edition collectibles, rarely if every lower its selling price depending upon supply and demand. Oftentimes, we increase the selling price as we start to run low on inventory. We are, after all, in the collectibles business. Back in the day, I used to be a coin collector, I fully recognize I cannot expect to walk into a coin dealer’s shop and demand that they sell me an 1878 Morgan Dollar for one dollar. They’ll laugh me out the door and my lonely dollar bill will end up going back in my pocket along with some hurt feelings.
Last week, things changed a bit. Our Hobby Master distributor has changed their stance somewhat which has led to the reason why I am writing this blog post. We are no longer required to indicate that our customers may not apply a discount to a Hobby Master item, however, the final selling price cannot fall below the MAP price. This means we now have to go back to all of the upcoming Hobby Master products and adjust their selling price so that customers clearly see they may not purchase or pre-order the product for less than MAP. Of course, once the MAP has expired, it also means that customers can now freely apply any sales discounts we may be running to whatever price is posted, meaning they can still obtain said item at less than MAP. Great, right? Yes and no. By the time the MAP has ended, its quite possible we could have sold out of the item, so they may be waiting for naught.
While I’m not a big fan of this strategy, and loathe having to deal with MAP. I understand its intentions. But, it also means we must manually go through our listings, month-by-month, to adjust the selling price each time we decide to run a promotion. The revised price must take into account whatever the sales discount is pegged at. So, if we are running a 15% off sale, we must increase the MAP to reflect this discount. On the other hand, if no promotion is being run, it means we must change the price back to the MAP, item-by-item, month-by-month, until we are in compliance. Not only is this confusing but extraordinarily time-consuming since this must be done expeditiously and accurately to avoid any further issues. With hundreds of upcoming items, its a tedious process. I took a break from this re-pricing format to pen this blog post in part to explain what is going on and hopefully give us more time until a more elegant solution can be found.
Please note that this policy change affects all retailers that stock Hobby Master products within North America. No one is permitted to sell upcoming or newly released Hobby Master products below MAP. If someone is failing to follow this policy or is in flagrant violation, we would appreciate learning who it is so we can pass along this infraction to our distributor.
It was forty years ago when the Royal Navy was forced to steam thousands of miles away into the South Atlantic in an effort to liberate the British territory known as the Falkands Islands — a relatively small chain of islands off the South American coast that was claimed and forcibly seized by Argentina. The Malvinas, as the Argentinians called them, were unexpectedly occupied in 1982 as a means of diverting political attention away from failed domestic policies at home and an attempt at galvanizing a nation beset by all manner of turmoil.
To celebrate their achievement, Forces of Valor plans on relaunching one of the key warships involved in the conflict — the HMS Invincible, a medium-sized aircraft carrier that proved instrumental in providing air support for the Royal Marines. Thus far, the manufacturer has released this lone picture of the warship, and haven’t as yet indicated its retail price or expected date of delivery. Nevertheless, we’ll keep an eye on this new release and update our site once information is passed along.
In other news, we’ve been told by our distributor that the September shipment of Forces of Valor product has been pushed back until October. As a guess, they are still awaiting some items to be completed so they can fill a container. We aren’t sure if this will the last container from FOV for the 2022 calendar year based upon performance to date. Moreover, we do not know if several items, such as their recently announced waterline version of the Yamato, will be repackaged for their English-speaking audience, or if it will be solely available in Japan. Lots of speculation at this point and little to go by.
