What is good with Motormax?
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They are focusing on the American Graffitii line, look for 1/43 and 1/24 stuff and some dioramas. They also have a line of 1/64 out in exotic cars. That's about all I've seen. They also have large 1/43 scale collection, but you can't find them in stores for some reason, check ebay for what is out there
Gerald,
The Exotic Rides series is from earlier this year and there has been only like 3 - 4 dioramas produced new since like March 09. If this trend continues I expect Motormax to fall by the wayside. That's a total of like 3 - 5 new tools since the initial cheap release (plastic tires and not rubbers) of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren way back in Late 07-Ear 08. No new 1/64's on either the collector of cheap fronts
My complaints about the following :
1. Jada Toys (Battle Machines, you gotta be kidding me) No new models from them on the 1/55 - 1/64 front in nearly 2 years. KMart delisted them early 09, TRU delisted the smaller ranges in Mid 08-Ear 09.
2. Maisto (From being pretty well nationwide in late 07/Ear 08 they have been delisted from KMart and not too much confidence can be put into Target and TRU to carry them, totally near absent from Walmart. Pretty well the only place they have a strong hold on is Pharmacies. Even delisted apparently from 2 grocery store chains local to me (Shop Rite-Inserra Supermarkets and PathMark/The Great American Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company). When grocery don't want you there must be a problem.
3. Greenlight - From having a dominant presence being in every retailer and outlet that would be willing to carry them they have since been delisted from both Target and KMart can't be too good for the health of this newbie.
4. Yatming - From having half asleep designed cheap models to launching that set of classical American pickups and American cars from between 1929 - 1948 with full detail, rubber tires to boot went from being the next big thing to this washed up has been that has literately slowed to a snail's pace.
5. Realtoy - From producing half brained designed lisences in the mid 1990's to debuting more then one model from a pleathura of companies such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche to basically dissapearing overnight, No new stock seen in roughly 2 years.
On the international front Welly seems to be fading slowly.
I guess our favourite manufactuers are as frusterated as we are when it comes to not finding the new product and may be moving in the direction of just totally abandoning retail altogether in favour of online only as why should they ship literately hundereds of thousands of dollars of merchandise to a particular retailer just to go broke convincing the stores to keep their products stocked while generating no sales in the process because the retailer won't stock your product.
Big Box Retail was sold to America as being this great thing and it's caused way more problems then it solves. That's why for it's quirps and oddity factor is why I liked KB Toys, because you never knew who they were going to stock.
The Exotic Rides series is from earlier this year and there has been only like 3 - 4 dioramas produced new since like March 09. If this trend continues I expect Motormax to fall by the wayside. That's a total of like 3 - 5 new tools since the initial cheap release (plastic tires and not rubbers) of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren way back in Late 07-Ear 08. No new 1/64's on either the collector of cheap fronts
My complaints about the following :
1. Jada Toys (Battle Machines, you gotta be kidding me) No new models from them on the 1/55 - 1/64 front in nearly 2 years. KMart delisted them early 09, TRU delisted the smaller ranges in Mid 08-Ear 09.
2. Maisto (From being pretty well nationwide in late 07/Ear 08 they have been delisted from KMart and not too much confidence can be put into Target and TRU to carry them, totally near absent from Walmart. Pretty well the only place they have a strong hold on is Pharmacies. Even delisted apparently from 2 grocery store chains local to me (Shop Rite-Inserra Supermarkets and PathMark/The Great American Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company). When grocery don't want you there must be a problem.
3. Greenlight - From having a dominant presence being in every retailer and outlet that would be willing to carry them they have since been delisted from both Target and KMart can't be too good for the health of this newbie.
4. Yatming - From having half asleep designed cheap models to launching that set of classical American pickups and American cars from between 1929 - 1948 with full detail, rubber tires to boot went from being the next big thing to this washed up has been that has literately slowed to a snail's pace.
5. Realtoy - From producing half brained designed lisences in the mid 1990's to debuting more then one model from a pleathura of companies such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche to basically dissapearing overnight, No new stock seen in roughly 2 years.
On the international front Welly seems to be fading slowly.
I guess our favourite manufactuers are as frusterated as we are when it comes to not finding the new product and may be moving in the direction of just totally abandoning retail altogether in favour of online only as why should they ship literately hundereds of thousands of dollars of merchandise to a particular retailer just to go broke convincing the stores to keep their products stocked while generating no sales in the process because the retailer won't stock your product.
Big Box Retail was sold to America as being this great thing and it's caused way more problems then it solves. That's why for it's quirps and oddity factor is why I liked KB Toys, because you never knew who they were going to stock.
I miss KB Toys for the same reasons. In addition to a W-I-D-E selection of HW and MBX every trip to KB was met with a different selection of 1/43 or 1/64 models of various manufacture. They bridged the gap between the big box outlets with their corporate mandates and the small hobby shops carrying Trains, RC and in diecast, Corgi and First Gear, and not much else.
I always left KB with a lighter wallet up until the day they closed their doors.
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"I guess our favourite manufactuers are as frusterated as we are when it comes to not finding the new product and may be moving in the direction of just totally abandoning retail altogether in favour of online only as why should they ship literately hundereds of thousands of dollars of merchandise to a particular retailer just to go broke convincing the stores to keep their products stocked while generating no sales in the process because the retailer won't stock your product."
Great comment, I might add that the Big Box stores abandoned the manufactures, not the other way around. When costs went up and they had to raise prices, merchandise didn't move. If they can't sell it, they don't order it. You can't "convince" stores to keep products on the shelf if they can't sell them. I've talked to some of the manufactures, they can't get the stores to order the product. They are trying.
Great comment, I might add that the Big Box stores abandoned the manufactures, not the other way around. When costs went up and they had to raise prices, merchandise didn't move. If they can't sell it, they don't order it. You can't "convince" stores to keep products on the shelf if they can't sell them. I've talked to some of the manufactures, they can't get the stores to order the product. They are trying.
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I still don't understand why the big-box stores keep their diecast pegs empty for so long. You can't sell products that just aren't there!
To me, empty pegs means that the product has sold out, so why not order more?
I just don't get it. Our KM pegs have been virtually empty for over a year. Both TRUs have been virtually empty until just a few weeks ago. (The only clogged TRU pegs currently seem to be GL Black Bandits.)
Our Targets aren't much better. Most non-HW & non-MB pegs stay nearly empty for months at a time. (If a peg designed to hold eight or so cars is down to one or two, I think it's time to re-order!)
My nearest WM seems to be the only one that tries to keep up with new releases. Unfortunately, M2 has stalled there by sending out a bunch of the high-hoods, which aren't selling. Their earlier releases were moving quickly, though, even the oddly colored customs.
But I also don't understand why WM clearances popular items such as the JL 1/24s, which always sold out here within about six weeks of each new release. They don't seem to be selling well at TRU for $19.99 each.
Perhaps the reordering at both store and warehouse levels of the big boxes is done by people who do not understand the product and its buyer. I shop in three Targets, two Walmarts, two Kmarts and one Toys-R-Us. The TRU and one of the KMs are the only two in which diecasts are properly merchandised. Nobody is paying attention at the other stores. Has anyone ever gone to a Mickey D's that has run out of French fries? Where is management?
My answer to that question (and this is only my opinion), is nothing anymore. I loved the Fresh Cherries and American Graffiti lines in 1/64. The 70s and 80s "everyday" cars were a refreshing change from the endless Mustangs, Camaros, 57 Chevy's etc. that every other company does over and over.
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I dug up this old post because it seems that not much has changed in 5 years with retailers seemingly unwilling to stock diecast other than HW and Cars. Could the Auto World 1:64 line be going the way of the 1:64 lines of Motormax, Yatming, Realtoy, and others? Can the success of the Johnny Lightning mid-'90s reboot ever be duplicated?
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Lots of pegs labeled "AW" at my nearest WalMart... Unfortunately, I recently found out that they were for "Adventure Wheels"!
The ones I've seen are for Auto World 1/64. A partial set of REL 2 Licensed is hanging in the York store.
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(In my best Ben Stein impression voice) "Anyone found any REL 3 at retail yet? Anyone? Anyone?"
VERY good point you have made here 72Chall.
Makes you wonder why a company even bothers to make diecast, given the history you've pointed out.
Don't get me wrong, I really like what AW is doing.
M2 always seems to make a big flashy intro to a new model, then it never comes.
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I have found several. They were at a hobby shop, not a big box store. Unfortunately, I haven't been back there in a few months, so they're probably all long gone by now.
I have not seen any Auto World R3 cars at retail anywhere .
Only online . I pre ordered a set & got them , but almost no red chase cars have shown up either . So where are the rest of them ??? Hobby Lobby & WalMart occaisionaly put out some R2 cars , & thats all I see .
M2 & Greenlight seem to be the only ones with new product hitting retail ... But not in a timely manner . Stuff seems to hit ebay long before it ever is seen in a store ...
Only online . I pre ordered a set & got them , but almost no red chase cars have shown up either . So where are the rest of them ??? Hobby Lobby & WalMart occaisionaly put out some R2 cars , & thats all I see .
M2 & Greenlight seem to be the only ones with new product hitting retail ... But not in a timely manner . Stuff seems to hit ebay long before it ever is seen in a store ...
On swiftysgarage Mike G from AW recently announced a new model; 64 Barracuda in series 4 . He gave assurances that AW is alive and well. New models are coming, but he is not yet permitted to say more. It irks me greatly to read posts without fact predicting the demise of any company! We as collectors have to be very patient. This new model is shown on the AW Garage.
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I certainly hope AW continues to produce 1:64 diecast models that have not been done before. But I would think any company that has the distribution issues they are having would not be able to stay in that line of business very long.
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