[BatFanMan]

Hello,

Is Lori S. still at PL? I've tried for the past two weeks to get hold of either her or Dave Metzner and have had no luck at all. Seems that I've been able to leave a message on Dave's voice mail, but that's it.

Can you help? I'd appreciate it.

Thanks!

Fred DeRuvo
Modeler's Resource®

 

[dreamer]

Fred, word is that Lori is gone.

 

[BatFanMan]

Hey Dreamer,

Well, that would explain it. Any idea who took her place?

- Fred

 

[John P]

Nobody, far as I can tell.
I'm not even sure RC2 knows there IS a PL bboard.

 

[tim casey a third time]

I would imagine PL will be on autopilot until it crashes into a mountain in a remote part of Tibet.... that's usually what happens to websites after mergers.

 

[Just Plain Al]

Didn't Lori leave before everything started?

 

[BatFanMan]

Well, it's just pretty weird when I can't even get Dave Metzner to return a call and I've left two messages on his answering machine at work...

The other weird thing is that there is not one "live" person answering any phones there. When I called the customer service number, the recording said they were busy helping other customers and after waiting a long time, another recording simply told me that they would not be able to get to me and I should call back another time, then hung up.

I hope we're not witnessing the implosion of PL...

- Fred

 

[John P]

Fred, last I heard, Dave doesn't work there any more either.

 

[JamesDFarrow]

Lori was gone at the beginning of the takeover.

Dave, as far as I know, is only working on the Trek stuff now.
I think it is part time, maybe from home. Not sure. Just rumors.

And if you worked for RC, and were perusing this board, would
you say "Hi" and get bombarded with questions, e-mail, complaints,
insults, etc..., etc...? I wouldn't!

James

 

[Ziz]

And if you worked for RC, and were perusing this board, would you say "Hi" and get bombarded with questions, e-mail, complaints, insults, etc..., etc...? I wouldn't!

No, of course not. That'd mean you were a true human being who took an interest in doing his job right and cared about what customers wanted.

 

[higgprime]

Dave isn't really physically there on a regular basis anymore. He's still going to be doing work though. And yes, Lori was gone right when the merger took place. I was one of the last to be let go a couple weeks ago, so now there's just a skeleton crew for The Company Formerly Known as Playing Mantis. So far as the toll free Customer Service phone number, that's been redirected to RC2. No one is answering phones at the PM offices unless you dial their direct extension. Hope that clears some stuff up.

 

[Warped9]

The more I hear of this the more discouraged I get. RC2, they name is Predator.

 

[Nighteagle2001]

Dave isn't really physically there on a regular basis anymore. He's still going to be doing work though. And yes, Lori was gone right when the merger took place. I was one of the last to be let go a couple weeks ago, so now there's just a skeleton crew for The Company Formerly Known as Playing Mantis. So far as the toll free Customer Service phone number, that's been redirected to RC2. No one is answering phones at the PM offices unless you dial their direct extension. Hope that clears some stuff up.

What that says to me is, Be afraid....be VERY afraid. and alot of us are...

 

[Captain-Raveers]

Why do companies like RC2, and Paramount want to stop companies like Polar Lights from producing Star Trek kits and giving the public what we WANT? Do they enjoy tearing the Star Trek hobby away from us? Do they enjoy loosing sales and customers because they're destroying companies like Polar Lights??

Trent

 

[BatFanMan]

Why do companies like RC2, and Paramount want to stop companies like Polar Lights from producing Star Trek kits and giving the public what we WANT? Do they enjoy tearing the Star Trek hobby away from us? Do they enjoy loosing sales and customers because they're destroying companies like Polar Lights??

Actually, if anything goes, I don't think it'll be the Trek stuff. I'm more inclined to think that the models that WILL go will be the Aurora repops and some of the other items. The Trek models will probably continue, but it's anyone's guess. That's mine.

- Fred

 

[Ziz]

But in what form...the PL form or the Ertl/RC2 form?

I'll give ya three guesses...the first two don't count.

 

[Captain-Raveers]

IF RC2 had their way I'm sure they'd suspend Polar Lights from making any more Trek kits.

Trent

 

[Nova Designs]

And of course, everyone was telling us NOT to talk about this because we had it all wrong about RC2. :freak:

BS. This is just another cash sell-out to a corporate piranha eating up any competition in the market. The people telling us not to "jump to conclusions" are just protecting the last few months of their jobs. I guess I can't blame them for wanting to do that, but the lack of integrity and honesty really burns my butt.

Whomever wants to play that game can say what they want to, but so far everything we have seen and heard (that has been more than rumor) points to PL going the same route at Ertl did. Bye bye. I always trust my instincts and experience. No weak online PR will change my mind.

Well, I'm just glad I bought a case each of the TOS E and Klingon kits while they were available.

Corporate America sucks and will bring this country down.

 

[AFILMDUDE]

Actually, if anything goes, I don't think it'll be the Trek stuff. I'm more inclined to think that the models that WILL go will be the Aurora repops and some of the other items. The Trek models will probably continue, but it's anyone's guess. That's mine.

- Fred

Aurora repops already WENT. None last year. And MAYBE one (Cap) this year to help save face.

 

[tim casey a third time]

Polar Lights was a great company. They gave me a chance to buy almost ALL the monster models from my days as a kid, in the original boxes (let's not talk about the "Bellringer"). Though I had to buy a Phantom in a cruddy monogram day-glo box (actually, I bought it before PL started doing these correctly) and I spent bigger bucks on the Jekyll/Hyde kit from Retro Resin (if I remember correctly), PL delivered big time. (The only thing that would make me happier is to have EMI/Apple release all the Beatles albums again in their mono AND stereo configurations, mastered by Steve Hoffman from the now-defunct DCC.)

Unfortunately, I forget the name of the guy who started the whole thing at PL (was the Bride the first kit?), but if he's reading this, he should know how much his efforts were appreciated by an awful lot of fans. Yeah, capitalism sucks, but get over it. That's the way of the world. At least we got the kits and PL had some fun.

(By the way, don't mourn "Star Trek". It's big, and it'll be big for another twenty years. You'll always be able to buy more Star Trek stuff than you could possibly want. It's these old black and white films that are turning into museum pieces.)