I stopped by and asked the local Hobby People and Hobby Warehouse in Lakewood whether they were planning to carry Moebius. Both carry a good selection of plastic model kits. Hobby People said probably not, but Hobby Warehouse said they'd look into it. They previously carried Polar Lights kits.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I previously asked at Prestige Hobbies(Buena Park?) and they had not heard of Moebius. They carry LOTS of kits, including sci-fi.

It makes you wonder if the distributors are promoting these kits as well as they could be. These kits would sell themselves if the hobby shops knew about them!!

Chris.

...These kits would sell themselves if the hobby shops knew about them!!...

All three places asked about what kinds of models Moebius makes. All three sold Star Trek, and other scifi models. FWIW, they also sold the large Revell submarine kits.

While I spoke to the store manager at Hobby People, another guy said Pegasus Hobbies in Montclair might have these things. Since there used to be a Pegasus in Whittier, I know that is probably the most likely "local" shop to have Moebius. Someone here on the board also mentioned Burbank's House of Hobbies.

Those are both across town, through metro-L.A. traffic. It would be cheaper and far less painful, as far as I'm concerned, to order online. :(

my lhs had never heard of either moebius or monarch.
when i mentioned figure kits their interest declined sharply.

I can't understand how the hobbyshops you've mentioned haven't even HEARD of Moebius if the distributors have done their jobs!! Something doesn't gel.........
These are damn good kits, and if the shops don't know about them they don't even have the chance to stock them. What chance does a company have to sell their product if the people they trust to distribute their product doesn't properly promote the product? Am I being naive or stupid, or is something not right?

Chris.

...when i mentioned figure kits their interest declined sharply.
In my talks, I said Moebius does some old Aurora kits, and a 39" Seaview, and similar scifi stuff. The guy at Hobby People remembered the Cyclops kit, so I mentioned the new, large chariot coming out soon.

I really don't know what the problem is but one of our own members on these boards who owns his own Hobby Shop was bemoaning the fact that CultTVman was taking pre orders for the Monster Scenes now, yet he hadn't heard about them from his sources. So in some case (most) the distributer clearly is not doing his job, which is to merchandise these products...but if I owned a Hobby Shop I think the responsibilities of knowing the market is my duty.
Mcdee

Well HiWay hobby in Ramsey definitely knows about 'em.

I really don't know what the problem is but one of our own members on these boards who owns his own Hobby Shop was bemoaning the fact that CultTVman was taking pre orders for the Monster Scenes now, yet he hadn't heard about them from his sources. So in some case (most) the distributer clearly is not doing his job, which is to merchandise these products...but if I owned a Hobby Shop I think the responsibilities of knowing the market is my duty.
Mcdee

I agree Denis, but you have to know that product exists in the first place. Some hobbyshop owners aren't enthusiastic about trying a new product. Others are more interested in the RC or train side of things and only glance over the kit side of things. Yet others have staff that would be more suited to working at McDonalds! Unless the shops aren't being honest with its customers, the distributors aren't letting the shops know about M&M on a steady basis. Maybe their kits are on a generic order sheet where, with all the other hobby related product, it's not too easy to find, especially when they're busy filling it out and getting it sent a.s.a.p. I'm wondering if it'd be a good idea (if it's not done already) to have a flyer or promo sheet included with the order form showing pics of the available kits and, if possible, the next releases. If these are included with the order forms, or even mailed seperately to the hobbyshops, it'd help immensely with sales.

Chris.:)

hey yall just joining the convo l0l i race a 2 speed onroad nitro car drift and race i love it

Hi nitro2speed. Welcome to Hobbytalk!!

Chris.:)

...but if I owned a Hobby Shop I think the responsibilities of knowing the market is my duty.
Mcdee

It's basically the same for many markets. The distributors don't do much of a muarketing push for product. As a four-year veteran of Halloween Express, I can say from experience that the manufacturers don't do a lot either.

For example....
Rubies costume company is coming out with some REALLY cool stuff this year. Like a full Stormtrooper armor costume, a full armor suit of Master Chief from the Halo games, and some totally awesome full-head masks of Frankenstein and the Mummy that are perfect likenesses of Boris Karloff. The only reason that I know about them is that I got to look through their catalog and help decide what we would order for our stores this year. But without seeing the stuff in that catalog, I would have no idea what we could sell. I plan on using posters in the windows of our stores to promote these items and try to sell them on a one-at-a-time basis.

Yeah, there is a show in March in Chicago to show off the new products from the costume companies. But not much is actually seen at that time since the products are not ready. Usually we just get pics of prototypes, just like we do with the model companies.

It makes you wonder if the distributors are promoting these kits as well as they could be. These kits would sell themselves if the hobby shops knew about them!!

Chris.

Distributors don't promote anything. They just ship what the store orders. Most of my distributors are staffed by people knowledgable in what they handle, but they don't know "about" any of it. You can ask if they distribute Moebius, but won't know any particular details. Unfortunately for smaller companies, they may not have the name power to get a lot of orders. Its hard when a company offers only three or four "specialty" kits.

I stock Moebius kits in my shop. I can't say they aren't popular, but they do appeal to a somewhat limited audience. I'd say so far everyone that bought them was an adult, 35 and over. But then most kids won't have $100 for a 3 foot submarine either. It will be nice when the range grows so the Voyager and Dr. Jekyll will have more shelfmates. So far they have been good sellers in about the same range as the Revell Battlestar Galactica repops.

...I'm wondering if it'd be a good idea...to have a flyer or promo sheet...showing pics of the available kits and, if possible, the next releases...

Yes, with the name of the local distributer, and explicit ordering information. Also web addresses where they can see the actual product- in kit form, and fully assembled and painted.

Yeah, there is a show in March in Chicago to show off the new products from the costume companies. But not much is actually seen at that time since the products are not ready. Usually we just get pics of prototypes, just like we do with the model companies.

i must differ about the transworld halloween shows. i have attended most of them since 1986, as both buyer and exhibitor.
almost all the stuff is actually there. everything you mentioned was in the rubies booth(s), and the karloff frankenstein and mummy masks have been on the market for at least 5 years. the very few things only represented by photos are the old stuff that everybody already knows they have.
there are many similarities between the halloween and hobby industries, but in that regard the difference is night and day.
much of the problem in both industries is that the management of the shops is very gray and are wary of new things.

Roy, I have to agree about Burbank's House of Hobbies. It's on Victory @ Alameda, not too far off the 5, spittin' distance from Walt Disney Studios. Also, look into Smith Brother's Hobby Center in Northridge (unless the recent quake has you skittish). David is a sci-fi buff, and keeps up with all the latest stuff.

I know you're in the OC, but come up to The Valley on a Sunday, less traffic to deal with.

I know Rider’s Hobbies in Toledo hadn't heard anything about Moebius or the Seaview. Prior to its release I stopped by and asked if they were going to carry it. Who? What? they said. I asked them to check into it and they said they would give me a call back. Never heard a further word from them. Ended up buying my from Cult and was very happy with the service and shipping. So much for my local hobby shop. BTW just prior to WF I got a letter from them stating they were closing their doors and were having a big sale off. So another one bites the dust.

Rogue

Of course I'm not pointing the finger to either Moebius,Monarch,or Polar Lights,but the main reason that hobby shops have lost contact with the model kit manufacturers,is the simple fact that those same big fat cats model kit manufacturers have favored the big stores such as Wallmart,Toys R Us,etc.to sell their kits over the last 20 years or so,I guess.Those same stores in many cases have either virtually abandoned the sales of kits,or at least have severely reduced the variety of kits they carry in stock.The manufacturers at the same time practically wrote off the smaller hobby shops.I wonder if these idiots finally got it and will once more favor the smaller hobby shops.Is it too late to repair the damages?I wonder if most of the hobby stores in North America and beyond are listed on the internet.I think that basically sending them the same simple communique explaining how they should view the model kit world in order to make better contact with the modelers,and by doing so,improve their business,would be very appreciated by them.Enumerating the benefits of model kit building and how to reach the modelers,etc.,could help a lot.:dude:

I don't really think it's the fault of the manufacturers. They sell to the distributors then the distributors sell to the retailers. The distributors have to do something about promoting their kits to the shops. It's the distributors who favour selling to the big guys because they buy in bulk. Whereas a hobbyshop's more inclined to buy half a carton or a few select items simply due to cost. If they sell more of a particular kit, they'll order more of that one next time. If they find they sit on shelves, they won't order any more of that kit. That's why it's important to let these guys know that Moebius and Monarch are out there. We know the product is good, but the hobbyshops don't, and they're not likely to buy on the recommendation of just one passing modeller. On the other hand, if they have a few enquiries or see the kits first hand, they're more likely to take notice. The magazine ads are a damn good idea as it obviously gives the kits more exposure.

Chris.:)

lets not forget something else: distributors take a fat percentage of a kits wholesale price. now i have a strong feeling that tom lowe and the original pl were working on a much larger scale than m&m from day one, which means a lower per item cost, which means they could afford to sell them to the distributors and the mass market retailers and still make a profit on the item. there are many mom and pop stores who wont stock anything unless they can get it from their distributors, because it takes the hassle out of ordering.

also, do we know if m & m have appealed to the shops directly.. like sending them full color catalogs and flyers promoting their items? these are the sort of things that a manufacturer must have before a retailer pays them any attention. did they display at toy fair in nyc?

the upshot of this is that the retailers might be innocent in not knowing about the new kits and companies, simply because they havent heard of them through their normal channels.

Exactly right on all counts razorwyre. The only problem you might encounter is the distributors allowing the manufacturers to approach the retailers directly. Sometimes (possibly all the time), the distributors will only buy if they have sole rights to sell the product to the retailers. The manufacturer has no effective way to reach all of the retailers without tying up capital that can be used for manufacture or development, therefore they have to use a distributor. Catch 22!! Both ends of the process are under the control of the middleman. And that's where the money's made!!! That's not just with kits of course- it's with every single item that's sold at retail level.
The thing that should concern us as (for want of a better word) alternative modellers is the promotion of our beloved kits. The retailers should already know about these kits and should also be promoting them in the shops. They can't do that if they don't know about them!!
Another thing I've been thinking of is the fact that the distributors had the A-corpse kits on their order forms for over a year. They possibly still do. There were heaps of retailers advertising them as pre-orders and no product was ever delivered. Do you think this could possibly affect the wholesale sales? I don't know as M&M have product on the shelves already whereas A-corpse don't. It's just a thought.

Chris.:)

I sent the following to Hobby Lobby and two semi-local chains:

Hello,

Would you consider carrying kits made by these two companies?

http://monarchmodels.net/

http://moebiusmodels.com/

As far as I can tell, only one hobby shop in my area carries these kits. The manager of this store was surprised at how fast his initial stock sold out. He's still asked about them and from now on plans to carry extra of Moebius and Monarch's kits.

He added that kids who think the usual car and plane models are boring have shown great interest in modeling due to unique and imaginative kits like these.

As a modeler of over 30 years, I own both Monarch and Moebius kits and I can tell you the tooling, design and overall quality are far superior to similar kits I built as a kid.

Thank you for your consideration in helping to revive interest in this hobby among kids. Without them, this hobby will continue to die. Please help save it!

(signed) Will it make a difference? Dunno. Would 100 such emails? dunno. But Wal-Mart just ditched it's whole kit section. I'm sure there are exceptions but every time I've stepped into one of these chain's kit aisles, the only kids there were in the company of their dads, who seemed to be the only interested party.

Now just picture a kid seeing the Ghost of Castlemare box staring them in the face from an eye-high shelf. It'll have the same effect on them that Aurora had on us.

Finger's crossed...
</div>

I wish there was an easy answer. At Moebius, we don't sell direct to retailers. That is a frequent question with new distributors, do you sell direct to our customers? And that is how they see it, their customers are the retailers. We have to give an extremely deep discount to distributors so they can sell to the retailer at the right price. Hard to make everyone happy.

We don't display at Toy Fair. A lot of the hobby manufacturers have bypassed this, as it really is directed at the retailer, and in effect, the end user. iHobby is the annual trade show directly involving the distributor and our relationship with them. Other than that, we do some small shows that keep us displaying most of the year. There are many events that most of you haven't heard of that we attend.

We have a decent budget, but not a big one. Many things have to be taken into consideration when deciding where to go. Will there be attendees at a show that are interested in our product? Consider how many stores stock model kits. Not many anymore. So to do shows just to do them and hope to generate interest isn't in the plan. We have to spend where it will do good. Toy Fair attracts toy retailers and mass market. Both of which are not in our plan. We're just not naive enough to think WalMart would ever consider something like the Seaview. They wouldn't even consider an Iron Man kit if it would have been in time for movie release!

If there was a way to get the word out to local shops easy enough, we would look at it. We have some advertising hitting magazines coming up. Problem is, at some shops if it doesn't interest the owner, he doesn't read the magazine. Model Retailer and Hobby Merchandiser are two trade books that have shown some of our kits, but not all local shops either know about these, or read anything past the train or r/c section.

It will get there. Just remember, we're new. When PL put out the Addams kit, how long did it take for response and more kits? It wasn't instant by any means! Keep bugging those local shops, and we'll keep working on distributors and other ways to get the word out. Thanks in advance for whatever you guys are doing trying to help us!

Here's a suggestion.... if possible, could there be promo flyers for the Moebius kit line available for download at the site?

I print out pics of the new releases and take them to my LHS. Gets him fired up to order the kits, and he contacts his distributor and lets them know he's interested in the kits when they're released. (He's already anxiously awaiting the Monster Scenes kit. He's sure he can sell quite a few of those.) Since we're ALREADY passing the word around as the unofficial "Moebius Models Sales Force", it'd add even more impact if we had "official" flyers to hand out.

Great idea DinoMike! I'd hand them out to the hobbyshops around here for sure! I'd even point out who the Australian distributor is(JB Wholesalers).

Chris.:)

thanks for the info frank. sounds like the hobby industry is a bit more uptight about the distribution thing than my own.
heres a thought.. and if im full of blueberry muffins ignore it: how about a flyer/ small catalog aimed at the lhs's that directs them to contact the distributors, or one that in the place that normally has the contact info, directs them to a webpage for a list of distributors.
in that way you are advertising your product to the shops, but not it directly selling it to them. i know a few of my material suppliers only want to hear from the end customers on technical issues, beyond that they let the distributors handle all the actual selling.

A follow-up: I stopped at Hobby Warehouse to pick up some supplies today. I checked their sci-fi kit section, and saw a lone Moebius chariot. At checkout, I spoke to the same lady I had told about Moebius on my last visit. She said they can't keep them on the shelves, they sell so fast! :) She thanked me for hipping them to Moebius.

The store was closing, so our conversation was cut short. The owner, her husband, complained that there were only two "Lost in Space" kits. I didn't have time to tell him about the Seaview, and the rest of the Moebius line. I'm pretty sure they'd carry more, if they knew what was available.

Trust me, I made sure my LHS knew about Moebius as soon as I found out about you. They are very willing to get in your models and do. I visit the store every week or two. They know my taste, and they usually pull the first kit aside for me and put a couple more for the shelves, and also promptly get sold. So others in my area are buying Moebius kits as well.

After first hearing about the new model companies on here, I went to Venture Hobbies in Wheeling, Illinois (my fav LHS), and asked if they would carry the new kits. They hadn't heard about them, even said they were probably just rumors. Begging to disagree with them, I went into their office with them and showed them HobbyTalk. "Hhmmm.....well, now......I'll definitely look into it", the guy in charge of plastic kits said. And they have carried ALL the kits that have come out. And they have sold what they've gotten in, too!! KEEP 'EM COMIN'!!!!

Wayne

I'm happy to say that I've done the same with my LHS in Capitola; I've filled them in on Moebius kits, they've carried them, and they're successfully selling (to the dads of the kids who come in)!

I walked int my LHS yesterday Chinook Hobbies in Calgary and thought I had stepped back 40 years in time, Where normally I would be met with a display of Star Trek junk...I was eye level with the Moebius Seaview off to the side a row of Pods...a row of Dr.Jekylls'...a bunch of Polar Lights models LIS Cyclops,Wolfmans Wagon, etc, Standing proudly amongst them all, a Monarch Nosferatu...(empty box) and a sign saying 'Glow Nosferatu coming soon'....There were even Resin Figure kits and I picked up a cool Quasimodo ... This was all too much... I turned to the front counter, which was only a few feet away, and exclaimed my utter joy...The owner said he plans on stocking all the newly announced Monster Scenes ,the Ghost, the Invisible Man, etc...turns out he is an 'Old School' Aurora collector himself and he watches the forums. He apologized for the display not being as full as he liked, but he said he had a hard time keeping it stocked!!! and get this, Kids...yes Kids were buying them up! He said the Polar Lights stuff were kits he had in stock for years now, and sold them on Ebay (every now and then) The display is in your face as soon as you enter the store, and he agreed that the Box Art is what catches the eyes of young and old alike! As I was leaving,with my arms full, I told him if he kept this up...I would be seeing him on a regular basis
Mcdee

*sigh* wish my semi-LHS was like that guy, McDee...instead of being sticks in the mud... :cry:

He said the Polar Lights stuff were kits he had in stock for years now, and sold them on Ebay (every now and then)
well therin lays a rather large problem. imagine a hobby shop owner thats not into vehicles, and has had some figure models that havent sold in years. i know of stores that have had horizons still in stock. heck one lhs (as of a year or so ago) had a copy of that monster from relic on the shelf!
now the reasons for the models sticking instead of moving out the door can vary, but the point is that a lot of these lhs owners arent exactly going to rush to stock more figure kits when they cant move the ones theyve got. retailers hate dead stock... too much of it can kill a business... and if they have a type of item that didnt move fast for them, theyll avoid it like the plague afterward.
i think that much of the success of our new heroes at m & m is that while they arent selling directly to us, they are appealing directly to we hard core modelers, which boosts their sales tremendously. had horizon and screamin been able to do that, they might well still be around.

i think that much of the success of our new heroes at m & m is that while they arent selling directly to us, they are appealing directly to we hard core modelers, which boosts their sales tremendously. had horizon and screamin been able to do that, they might well still be around.

We're also helping by spreading the good word in our local hobbyshops. They're more likely to try an order if we show interest in M&M kits. I don't know if the vinyl kits had such a dedicated following.

Chris.:)

Stopped by Prestige Hobbies again- but with my chariot in tow. They mentioned that their current kit distributer did not have Moebius, and they were concerned about minimums.

Stopped by Prestige Hobbies again- but with my chariot in tow. They mentioned that their current kit distributer did not have Moebius, and they were concerned about minimums.Prestige Hobbies' main focus is die-cast products, specifically cars, so their selection of models is primarily car kits. Military and sci-fi/horror seem to be an afterthought for them, so I'm not surprised to hear they don't know about Moebius and/or Monarch. Actually, in my experience they don't seem to know much about anything but die-cast.

Similar story with Brookhurst Hobbies in Garden Grove. Their main focus is military kits, though they do stock car kits and some sci-fi kits. They stocked Polar Lights' kits as well, so they might be open to stocking Moebius and Monarch kits if they discover there's enough demand for them from their customers.

Pegasus Hobbies in Montclair is a different story. The owner is a model builder, so he tries to keep up on the latest news when it comes to model kits and tries to keep a good variety of kits in stock. The majority of their kit stock is cars and military, but they do stock sci-fi and horror kits if they're readily available; they still have some AMT/Ertl Star Trek and Star Wars kits on the shelves. I haven't been there in a while, but it wouldn't surprise me to find Moebius and/or Monarch kits there.

Hey, Seaview...what's the LHS in Capitola called? (yer close to my old stomping grounds, BTW...I grew up in the King City/Salinas area)

Prestige Hobbies' main focus is die-cast products, specifically cars...

True, but they do have sci-fi kits; I bought a 1/1000 Enterprise there. They were interested, especially in the Seaview, and I won't be surprised to see them carry Moebius in the near future.


...Similar story with Brookhurst Hobbies in Garden Grove. Their main focus is military kits, though they do stock car kits and some sci-fi kits. They stocked Polar Lights' kits as well, so they might be open to stocking Moebius and Monarch kits if they discover there's enough demand for them from their customers..

I used to do military, so I'm familiar w/ BH. Just haven't had any reason to go there; I think my last visit was in the late 70's.

...Pegasus Hobbies in Montclair is a different story...it wouldn't surprise me to find Moebius and/or Monarch kits there.

I still miss their Uptown Whittier store! Montclair is not really local to me. I'll leave that "Moebius mission" to someone closer by...

...Pegasus Hobbies in Montclair is a different story...it wouldn't surprise me to find Moebius and/or Monarch kits there.I still miss their Uptown Whittier store! Montclair is not really local to me. I'll leave that "Moebius mission" to someone closer by...I live in Whittier, so I miss it as well; that was the last time there was a decent hobby shop in the area. In fact, that's how I came to know of Pegasus and got acquainted with the owner.

Montclair and Garden Grove aren't particularly local to me either, which is why I don't visit Pegasus or Brookhurst Hobbies often. But, y'know, sometimes you get that itch to actually browse the kits like the good old days instead of buying online, so occasionally they're worth the drive. ;)