1958 Studebaker Commander Hardtop
1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk
1963 Studebaker Avanti
1950's Studebaker Champion Starliner Coupe
1950's Studebaker Starlight Coupe
Frankenstude custom hot rod

If RC2 made these, would you buy them?

Dan

Woah! Dejavu! Ditto!

Yep yep Yep

Roger Corrie

Yes all plus the ' 58 Packard Hawk too !


:dude:

Sure!

posilutely!

Why, as a matter of fact, YES!

Marty

I certainly would!!!!

Mike

If you had to narrow it down to three of the ones listed here, which ones would you like to see?

Dan

got my vote

If you had to narrow it down to three of the ones listed here, which ones would you like to see?

Dan

Do you have pictures of the 1:1 cars?

Do you have pictures of the 1:1 cars?
Here's a good resource...

oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Studebaker/

You got 6 listed...a 12-car set, with each car coming in two colors. Would be cool to have some Studebaker slots. JL already made the '57 Golden Hawk for the car-in-a-tin when you joined the club last year.

Are you taking pre-orders?

Are you taking pre-orders?
just looking to see if there's any interest...

"If its old its GOLD"...

I would buy them for sure. :thumbsup:

Jeff

just looking to see if there's any interest...

Well, there is 9 of us... :freak:

Scott

10 of us

11 Of Us :)

Make it 12, I'd buy them. Especially the 57' Hudson Hawk. :cool:

13. The Avanti and the Hawk for sure.

--rick

14! Keep 'em comin.I'll keep buyin!

same here, i'll buy anything they put out. the Frankenstude sounds cool, i'd love to see a pic of it.

and that is 15 now. Is that enough to make'm? :)

and that is 15 now. Is that enough to make'm? :)
minimum order is 3600 pieces of any one body style in one color...

Lenny, is this with clear glass and chrome bumbers and post to mount on a TJET

Lenny, is this with clear glass and chrome bumbers and post to mount on a TJET
Yes, why?

minimum order is 3600 pieces of any one body style in one color...

c'mon guys, we only need 3585 more now... tell your friends...

:D

--rick

Ok, that is down to 240 cars each... :lol:
But seriously... For an someone to do an exclusive they would have to expect to take a few years to sell them all.
Right SCJ?
Let me go post this on a slotboard to drum up some interest...
Scott

Lenny you should talk to the Big sellers Like Bud'd HO, SCJ, JAG Hobbies etc and see how many they will take. I don't know what your break even point is but it should get you closer. Also don't forger REH they helped take quite a bit of the inventory for the AFX 18" radius curves.

Roger Corrie

As far as I know, RC2 will make exclusive production runs as described for anyone willing to pony up the cash. At one point, and it could still be in effect, Tomy would do the same thing but I think their minimum number was 5000.

They all sound good to me. How much will you be asking for them?

I don't know what your break even point is ...

Roger Corrie
It would be a substantial up-front dollar committment and the break even point would be high. Aside from the basic vehicle cost there would be licensing costs, molding costs (these would be brand new body molds), shipping costs and probably a few costs I haven't considered... To be able to do a project like this and still maintain a reasonable retail price of around $14.99, it wouldn't leave much room to wholesale them out.

Dan

Definitely these two

1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk
1963 Studebaker Avanti

Studebaker Pickup from 50's would be great in addition.
dreese

Studebaker Pickup from 50's would be great in addition.
dreese
I wouldn't even consider doing a pickup truck, unless it was a remake of a vintage Aurora mold. Trucks in general aren't good sellers...

You bet I would! Probably several of each.

Bryan Birtwell
San Pedro Speedway
Palominas, AZ

Definitely these two

1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk
1963 Studebaker Avanti

I agree...
(The Avanti is one ugly car. But it is the right kind of ugly. If that makes sense..)
Scott

You know, 3600 of one body style in one color is quite a lot of cars for this hobby. Selling a few hundred of these to the HT board participants would still leave you with a lot of excess inventory to sell off.

It really comes down to rolling the dice on your body selection. In my opinion, the absolute nicest slot car body that has hit the streets in the past 5 years is the Tomy Cobra Daytona. It is a wonderful rendition of one of the most legendary race cars of all time. Yet I still see these warming pegs in hobby stores. I'm sure that every vintage race car enthusiast HO collector has already purchased a set (or two) of these. The operative phrase being "vintage race car enthusiast," which leaves out a large segment of slot car collectors. Widespread appeal is key, which is why a small segment of us get a bit bored with some of RC2's body selections, yet they continue to sell. I do think that doing a Studebaker body would elicit a very enthisiastic response from Studebaker collectors and fans, a decent response from vintage American car fans, and little to no interest from the rest of the community. To some of us, seeing another Nomad or Willys in a production run is a ho-hum situation. But I know why they are in there; they sell.

I am very excited by the prospects of independent distributors like yourself (and others I'm aware of) considering exclusive runs on the JL slot cars. It may just turn out to be the force that keeps the JL production line going even if RC2 backs away from supporting their traditional multi-car production runs. Perhaps in the future a consortium of distributors and investors could get together to put together multi-car production runs and share the investment risk, and somehow, the profits. Could the HT community be an "investor pool?" Hmmmm.............

Is there more here than you sort of speculating out loud in a public forum about what might be a viable car to take on a RC2 limited production commitment? I'm sure there are other distributors who are in a similar position, especially the ones who deal in larger sales volumes and can support having an inventory on hand for a longer period of time. On a scale of 1 to 10, what is the probability of this Studebaker deal actually coming together? (Feel free to say "I don't know.")

By the way, the last I heard, RC2 was raising the MSRP of their slot cars to $17.99 due to increased costs and to bring them more in line with what they view as their competition. This becomes another factor in the decision.

You know, 3600 of one body style in one color is quite a lot of cars for this hobby...
I know. I've tried to have RC2 'persuade' the factory to lower their MOQ, but to no avail.

It really comes down to rolling the dice on your body selection. ...
Widespread appeal is key, which is why a small segment of us get a bit bored with some of RC2's body selections...
To some of us, seeing another Nomad or Willys in a production run is a ho-hum situation. But I know why they are in there; they sell.
One of the problems as I see it is that we are exiting a period of ignorant over-production by pre-RC2 JL, which has depressed the price so much so that I've actually seen board members complain that a new release is 'steep' at some dealers retail price of $120 an inner, or essentially $10/car. That's not good news. It doesn't help matters that RC2 decided to dump a certain amount of their Fast & Furious stock a few months ago for 50 cents a car either...


As mentioned in an earlier post, the costs involved with doing a new body mold as well as licensing, etc., push the costs up to a level where a 'traditional' distribution chain is not feasible, there just isn't enough margin to go from me to other distributors, then to dealers then to retail to keep everyone happy.

Regarding 'cars that sell'... Will a repaint of the Nomad or Willys be a strong seller at $17.99??? I don't think so. Look at the Mooneyes and Big John Willys, or at the Nomads from X-Trac 1. or even the Shelby from X-Trac 1. These can all be picked up on eBay (http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-1606754-2202639)http://www.awltovhc.com/image-1606754-2202639 for less than $10/each. In the case of the Willys, you can blame over-production for the depressed price, but the same cannot be said about the Nomads and Shelby...



Is there more here than you sort of speculating out loud in a public forum about what might be a viable car to take on a RC2 limited production commitment? On a scale of 1 to 10, what is the probability of this Studebaker deal actually coming together? (Feel free to say "I don't know.")
Right now it's speculation regarding Studebakers, I would put the probability of this happening at 6 and falling. There are other nameplates out there that would have greater appeal and I'm exploring the possibility of those as well, but some of them have licensing fees and requirements which put the project out of reach.

By the way, the last I heard, RC2 was raising the MSRP of their slot cars to $17.99 due to increased costs and to bring them more in line with what they view as their competition. This becomes another factor in the decision. ...see above comments regarding retail price...

Dan

The real thing would be to pick cars that appear to have mass appeal. Then decide if your going after the AFX/Xtraction market or the T-Jet market.
I personally think that $100.00 would be the right area to expect an investment to begin, which would require just 50 souls that were willing to take on a Risk/Reward to see this type of thing come to market. The wise thing would be to go with molds that RC2 has on hand ( look at the pullbacks, to keep costs down ) - My guess is the Corvettes sell the best out of this line. Followed by Mopar products then Ford products. I don't see the Amc products as having mass following. If it was up to me I'd vote for the Corvette Convertible Thunderjet and do it in a Red with White highlites.( the thunderjets were done in Pink, Purple, Blue Chrome, Gold in this model ) Why the Thunderjet and not the Thunderjet 500 - well, the AFX market is pretty strong and if you can slide a hot new car in your gonna be O.K. - the Thunderjet gives you access to that market.

Dan, I'm very impressed by your candor and openness. I've heard the same exact sentiment from other people who deal with RC2. The overproduction and price collapse of some of the earlier releases has skewed the market and dealt a minor blow to traditional sales channels. I'd be a little gun shy if I were stocking these cars in a brick & morter hobby or toy store.

As money paying consumers we always want to see lower prices and higher quality - all at the same time. But at the same time, as enthusiasts and lovers of the hobby we want to see it achieve a level of sustainability over the long run. RC2 is trying to make some mid course corrections but the tide may have already turned. Other slot car companies, notably BSRT, have taken a more active role in selling their wares through online channels including (egad!) E-Bay. I'd hate to see RC2 start selling stuff directly on E-Bay.

I do hope for the best. If RC2 deals fairly with their distribution channel partners and continues to build a compelling product for a fair price I think we will all continue to support them. I recognize that the F&F situation was an anomoly. I will continue to support the distributors and hobby stores that have been good to me in the past, without feeling like I'm being taken advantage of because of some of the lowball prices that we've seen. Sustained good health is much better than feast and famine.

The real thing would be to pick cars that appear to have mass appeal.
THERE'S a revelation...


I personally think that $100.00 would be the right area to expect an investment to begin, which would require just 50 souls that were willing to take on a Risk/Reward to see this type of thing come to market.
This is a joke, right? What do you expect to get done for $5,000, knowing that ANYTHING you did would require at least 3600 copies.

The wise thing would be to go with molds that RC2 has on hand ( look at the pullbacks, to keep costs down ) - My guess is the Corvettes sell the best out of this line.
Why is this 'wise'? Do you LIKE seeing repaints all the time? As for Corvettes, those are some of the WORST sellers, as evidenced by how poorly the Corvettes from Bowtie Brigade sell, with maybe one notable exception... I'd do Mopars before Vettes any day...

IT HAS BEEN STATED $5000.00 PER CAR PER RUN. (Unless that's a misquote, I'm taking that as a fact)

IT WAS DISCUSSED ABOUT TRYING TO GET THE BOARD TO DEFRAY SOME OF THAT COST OF A PRODUCTION RUN. (seems to me that if you can get each person of this board to part with $100.00 you might just have a chance to do something - but that's about investing)

On e-bay - Corvettes sell for about three times as much money as the other pullbacks. ( of course that's just conjecture as it may be higher than that )

You seem to know alot about the things that are wrong with my statements.

How about some hard facts then:

I can tell you Risk/Reward is how any serious investor will assess the level of his or her risk in any venture.

I think that RC2 has the Mopar thing well in hand, since they have loaded the market with Mopar products and have more coming.

Re-paints that haven't been done, Yeah I like them. Re-paints that would sell quickly - I think most of the industry would welcome.

I can also tell you this............my goal was to help. I don't think my goal and your goal had much in common.

regards....

IT HAS BEEN STATED $5000.00 PER CAR PER RUN. (Unless that's a misquote, I'm taking that as a fact)
It's a fact you have no idea what you're talking about, show me where you saw this... So you think you can get these made by RC2 for $1.50/ea???


On e-bay - Corvettes sell for about three times as much money as the other pullbacks.
Really??? Show me some of these auctions where the Corvettes sell 3 times higher than other pullbacks...

( of course that's just conjecture as it may be higher than that )
...and in reality is probably much LOWER than that...


I can tell you Risk/Reward is how any serious investor will assess the level of his or her risk in any venture.
And I guess doing some actual RESEARCH helps too, but obviously not in your case...

I think that RC2 has the Mopar thing well in hand, since they have loaded the market with Mopar products and have more coming.
So the only Mopar's you deem worthwhile producing have been done already and if they keep repainting those half dozen molds 6 or 7 times, you're OK with that, huh???

Re-paints that haven't been done, Yeah I like them. Re-paints that would sell quickly - I think most of the industry would welcome.
Well, RC2 will LOVE you!! Why invest any more money in new molds when you can just repaint the same old crud 6 times and shove it down your throat??? And how many of these repaints would you spend $17.99 a piece on??

I can also tell you this............my goal was to help. I don't think my goal and your goal had much in common.
Your 'goal' was full of mis-information and your own opinions, which aren't based on any facts I've seen.

I don't mean to be harsh, but you come onto this thread pretending to know what you're talking about. Your statment "I personally think that $100.00 would be the right area to expect an investment to begin", which would require that 50 people 'risk' $100 each to get a product to market is absolutely absurd. You go on to blast AMC products as not having a following, which is again another opinion not based in fact and does a huge dis-service to the AMC collectors in the crowd.

Your 'guess' that 'Corvettes would sell best out of this line', is exactly that; a guess.

Do some research first and know what you're talking about before you respond to this post... Better yet, talk to RC2, tell them you want to produce 3,600 of your little Corvettes and ask them for a price. Then come back here and let us all know what they told you...

Dan

Why such an attitude? Instead of trying to teach - you attack. I wonder if it makes you feel good ripping me? I hope you have a justification for your actions.

Here's some research from your web site -

Your selling Xtractions release #1 @ $4.17 each, but that's in a case of 72 cars. Your not losing money on these, so you have to buying for less than that.

Can we assume RC2 is charging you less less than your selling them for.

For arguement sake 3600 x $4.17 ( and we know it's less) = $15012.00 for a production run based on your current selling price ( x-traction release #1.)

Now let's see I would need 150 people at 100.00 to cover costs of one car.
That would include shipping (again based on what your selling them for )

Your also selling T-Jets (release #s 3-4-6-7) for the same price.

So there's some facts on costs - Now lets see you want facts on what else?

You wrote:
You go on to blast AMC products as not having a following, which is again another opinion not based in fact and does a huge dis-service to the AMC collectors in the crowd.

I said, I don't think (my thoughts) AMC has a mass following - like a Mustang, Corvette and some Mopar Products - If that's blasting them so be it. To me it would be about turning product - as long as investors were part of the deal.

Your quote :
Do some research first and know what you're talking about before you respond to this post... Better yet, talk to RC2, tell them you want to produce 3,600 of your little Corvettes and ask them for a price. Then come back here and let us all know what they told you...

I've done some of the research already - But I'll do more.


Regards,

Why such an attitude? Instead of trying to teach - you attack. I wonder if it makes you feel good ripping me? I hope you have a justification for your actions.
Because you posted so matter-of-factly incorrectly, you flat out don't know what you're talking about, but you think you do...


Here's some research from your web site -

Your selling Xtractions release #1 @ $4.17 each, but that's in a case of 72 cars. Your not losing money on these, so you have to buying for less than that.

Do a little 'research' on what I wrote earlier in this thread about RC2 blowing out JL's overstock mistakes. The price that's stated on the website is for some of the aforementioned overstock that RC2 was blowing out since they bought Playing Mantis. Many dealers were getting these for well under $4 for the past year. But I'm sure you knew that...



For arguement sake 3600 x $4.17 ( and we know it's less) = $15012.00 for a production run based on your current selling price ( x-traction release #1.)

Now let's see I would need 150 people at 100.00 to cover costs of one car.
That would include shipping (again based on what your selling them for )

Your also selling T-Jets (release #s 3-4-6-7) for the same price.

So there's some facts on costs - Now lets see you want facts on what else?
again, you have no clue what you're talking about. Do you see Mopar Muscle or Bowtie Brigade anywhere on my site for close to these prices? No, you don't. You have no idea what it costs RC2 to make a slot car, and even if you did, you would still think that that's what they would sell a 3600 piece exclusive run to YOU for. Try getting RC2 to do a car for you for $1500. After they stopped laughing, they'll probably just hang up...


I've done some of the research already - But I'll do more.
whatever you 'think' you've done for research, you couldn't be more off the mark. Try YOUR cost of $6 to $8 PER CAR depending on how much the licensors will want. This is a fact. Call the RC2 premiums department and verify this before you make yourself look more idiotic. you want to create ANOTHER repainted Cuda, it'll cost you AT LEAST $6/car but probably closer to $7. You want to create a brand new mold of something a little more exciting than yet another repaint, add an upfront cost of $7,000 to 10,000 PER CAR for molding charges. At 3600 pieces, thats an additional cost of $2 per car. So for one car, it will cost you $21,000 to $32,000 depending on whether you repaint the same overused mold or create a new car. A far cry from what you claim to know... But you did your research...

Let's see, we'll go with your repaint scenario... 3600 times $7, add in freight to deliver to you... You better line up some more 'investors', bubba, 'cuz you're a little short...

So as I read it, RC2 blows out cars it can't sell...lost money on them...and now are making MORE!? Can I buy stock in this company?

So as I read it, RC2 blows out cars it can't sell...lost money on them...and now are making MORE!? Can I buy stock in this company?
who said they lost money on them? (aside from the 50 cent fiasco with some FF2 cars)

So RC2 can make these for less than $4 each?