[Whiter]

I know that PL had some type of license for Disney because I picked up some Disney Christmas characters at the warehouse sale, and The Black Hole was a Disney movie that had model kits produced by MPC which I think AMT/RC acquired. So, RC now owns PL which means that they should have all the tools in place to re-pop the Cygnus and the robots, correct?


Whiter

 

[Arronax]

And they would do this because?

Jim

 

[Whiter]

I wish it.

Whiter

 

[beck]

that would be cool . they also should have access to the PotC tools .

 

[Trek Ace]

that would be cool . they also should have access to the PotC tools .

...as well as the FonZ tools!

AAAAAaaaaaayyyyyyy!!!

 

[heiki]

And they would do this because?

Jim

Because the movie has been re-released on DVD! Or cause the marketing folks are in the bathroom and somebody snuck in and placed the kits on the to do list!

 

[lonfan]

Who did the Buck Rogers (Gil Gerard) Ship Kits? (One was the Maruder right?) lets get those rereleased!

JOHN/LONFAN

 

[BEBruns]

Who did the Buck Rogers (Gil Gerard) Ship Kits? (One was the Maruder right?) lets get those rereleased!

JOHN/LONFAN

I remember in the late '80s, a model company re-released the Buck Rogers ship, molded in black, advertised as a stealth fighter.

 

[Lloyd Collins]

The Black Hole and Buck Rogers models, now I have forgotten about them. It would be good if some company would come out with these kits but I have a better chance of winning the lottery.

 

[Arronax]

Who did the Buck Rogers (Gil Gerard) Ship Kits? (One was the Maruder right?) lets get those rereleased!

Monogram (pre Revell-o-gram).

Jim

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Hate to say it folks but I had the Cygnus kit. Never finished it and eventually trashed what was built (it was that bad). A real waste of good plastic. The movie wasn't that great and the robots were so lame I just couldn't bring myself to spend the money on them even when they were on the dollar discount table.

 

[John P]

I had the Roddy McDowell robot model. feh. I think I still have his claws in my spares box.

The Cygnus might have been cool on screen, but there was no practical way to do a cheap styrene kit of that thing.

 

[falcondesigns]

The question was asked why do these models again,well because it would bring profits without much investment.The molds are done and piad for so it would take a small amount of money to re-release them again.I know that Ertl has the molds and was thinking of re-releaseing them in the late 90's because i have a test shot of the Cygnus.They shot plastic to see if the molds were good.The drawback would be if Disney were asking too much for the license.

 

[Arronax]

The drawback would be if Disney were asking too much for the license.

It's not really a question of whether Disney would ask too much for the license, it's a question of whether they want the public to be reminded of the movie. Disney makes a lot of money from re-releasing and re-re-releasing old stuff in the theaters (not so much these days) and on DVD. They pull DVDs from release, hang on to it for 7 years and re-release it for "a whole new generation."

I just don't think Disney sees "The Black Hole" as cash cow that will continue to provide profit. I don't think you'll see the DVD yanked off the shelves and held for 7 years for a new generation. But I do think that if Disney did grant the license, the word "discount" would not be in the agreement.

And I would have to assume that RC2/ERTL sees it the same way. It's not as though they can put the kits out on the shelves for nothing. Having the moulds is only part of the expense.

Jim

 

[Ignatz]

Well, they did a SE release of Tron a while back. In many ways,that was a stinker too. I have the SE Tin Box of "The Black Hole" (VHS format). Watched it recently. For some reason, it was more watchable now than when I saw it in the theaters! I don't know the logic. I don't think there's much broad, mass appeal to the Invaders UFO or Irwin Allen's Flying Sub either. They couldn't be aiming at the hardcore/sci-fi/model nuts, are they? I often forget that the entire "plastic model kit thing" is probably a very niche play for the toy producers anyway. What makes a kit worth producing, packaging, and allowed to take up valuable retail shelf-inches?

 

[Whiter]

Yeah, the movie isn't great but it is "neat" and I ocassionaly watch it. The kits I thought were cool (I like robot kits) and the Cygnus model usually goes for over $100 when it shows up on the e-place. I say make em'

Whiter

 

[flyingfrets]

Wal-Mart & Disney are the cancer of corporate America.

My sister is a manager for "The Disney Store" and was informed that Disney is selling them to another company. Oddly, there will be no name change...they will still be known as "The Disney Store."

Their philosophy is that operating costs are too high for the return on their investment, so they are in effect franchising the chain so that someone ELSE eats the operating costs, but Disney still collects their franchise fee regardless of whether the stores are profitable or not. Talk about having your cake and eating it too...

Don't expect Disney to license these kits at any cost that any model kit company would find reasonable, or could expect a profitable return on THEIR investment.