One other thing, the chap had a lot of stuff in his shop. A lot of stuff. The Japanese are big on hobbies and collecting. But that car was the only Bond item. He told me that Bond stuff always sells as soon as it comes into his shop. Nice to hear.
Okay, I'll leave the post alone to the serious car collectors now.
No, Dalkowski110, didn't mean to suggest you advocated subscribing! Sorry if it came across this way.
You are correct, Bissett is an independent company and they distribute all partworks in Australia (as far as I know), regardless of manufacturer. So, in theory, they may also decide not to go for the extension, even if Fabbri wanted to. Although most probably Bissett will do whatever Fabbri decide (they must be be getting paid for it after all). And you are also correct again that the parties involved still have about a month to decide. It will be interesting to see what the decision will be.
You are correct, Bissett is an independent company and they distribute all partworks in Australia (as far as I know), regardless of manufacturer. So, in theory, they may also decide not to go for the extension, even if Fabbri wanted to. Although most probably Bissett will do whatever Fabbri decide (they must be be getting paid for it after all). And you are also correct again that the parties involved still have about a month to decide. It will be interesting to see what the decision will be.
I very much agree. Bissett, if they've distributed most or all Australian partworks, likely has much better business sense than G.E. Fabbri. I googled and sure enough, on ANZACPlastic, they say they were the Australian distributor of the infamous Combat Tanks partwork (first referenced on this board by maz as an example of what not to do) that everyone associates with DeAgostini (although Altaya also apparently distributed it as the Panzer Collection). Seems they went relatively far in, too: it goes from the tanks that were promised up until things like German assault guns (which were at least acceptable) but then starts to jump the shark with light armored cars and even trucks and I think someone made a Jeep and trailer. Bissett saw where this was going and evidently bailed after Issue 60 (I think the anger boiled over around that time).
If they're not afraid to jump off a partwork they see presents a financial risk like Combat Tanks/Panzer Collection, then I don't think they'd be too different about the JBCC. Especially now that we're seeing all the backlash against not only just about everything Ixo did NOT COUNTING the cars themselves and also everything UH did starting with Issue 95 (albeit not counting the magnificently done Phantom III Sedanca de Ville), but also they must be reading either this thread or something like this thread. They're obviously doing their own market research with Fabbri playing such a big gamble, and they may very well just really not like what they see.
The problem, as I start to think of it, is that Fabbri themselves have started to see the benefits of "cross-marketing" (with the secondary market big sellers that Ixo's models were), and I think they're taking it to an extreme. Too much of anything...be it car-centrism or (believe it or not*) Bond-centrism...will wreck the collection. They've swung one way, brought the collection out of balance, and whilst I will happily cherry-pick off eBay, I do genuinely feel sorry for the individuals who didn't sign up for this (although what I mean by that is diorama-weak Ixo models, not the TB Thunderbird...that was just flat-out awful by anyone's standards).
*What I mean by this is if they start making things in 1/72 scale and smaller, their secondary market sales are gonna start to fall apart and you're going to see those individuals who just wanted cars...recognizable Bond cars, but still cars or at least things capable of travelling on land nonetheless...start to drop their subscriptions. If we have, say (and simply because no one's suggested this and I don't want to tick anyone off), the DC-3 Daniel Craig flies in QoS or the GoldenEye Satellite from the film of the same name, I can see a few individuals enthusiastically going after those, but poor sales with the Newsagents and virtually no secondary market. Are they from Bond? Heck yeah. Are they cool and frankly deserve their own collection? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that yes, they do. An entire film plot revolves around the latter. But are they deviating a bit too far from the stated goals of the collection and just as likely to make sales take a nosedive as a real nice Ixo model on a bland diorama? Yes, I think that too.
With that said, from the info I have...which is admittedly scanty...it sounded like Fabbri was in talks with Ixo whilst the Impala Custom Coupe had already been produced. Hence the diorama and lack of figures.
On that note, I've thought about releasing the T-Bird. If UH releases back-to-back models for Issues 110 (confirmed as the DBS) and Issue 111 (possibly the TB "Turkey-Bird"), they wouldn't be so much as buying Ixo time for car moulds (since we know Ixo can do those) as they would for diorama moulds and figure moulds...areas where Ixo really DOES need time to catch up. At the very least, it bears watching.
I must say I do not collect tanks, but can still occasionally see some of the tank collection ay some newsagents. I was under the impression that this is an ongoing collection, but maybe it’s just old, unsold items? Would not be surprised, as my local newsagent had the JBCC Range Rover Sport on the shelf until a week or two ago!
Whenever I speak to Bissett, and this included some of their supervisors, not just bottom level customer service, they are very helpful, but do not give me the impression of people who know a lot. When I had asked if they were to release the Bond DB5 in Oz they said that there were no plans and it all depended on Fabbri – and some two weeks later there were ads on TV. When I told them that Fabbri announced extension to 130 in the UK, they were genuinely surprised. Their usual explanation is “we’re JUST the distributor”. So I really doubt if anyone from Bissett is watching this forum. And if they cancelled the Tank Collection early, it could have easily been Fabbri’s decision due to poor sales, perhaps taken on Bissett’s advice. Of course, this is all my speculation only.
Welcome to the forum, K1W1 Kollecta - thanks for giving us the angle from NZ. Sounds like you guys are only 1 issue ahead of us here in South Africa. Maybe another reason why issues 75 thru 80 are in short supply in the UK.
For the record, the modus operandi of the collection here in South Africa is just like that in Australia and New Zealand, as mentioned by Jag & K1W1 Kollecta respectively. We also have a local distributor which handles partworks for a number of publishers. In our case it is Jacklin Enterprises, who are the distributer for Hatchette, De Agostini, Eaglemoss, AmerCom, etc. - http://www.jacklin.co.za
The collection was similarly launched (back in June 2008) with the usual TV ad blitz and displays in the newsagents.
This is the first partwork I've gone with and it will definitely be the last I do in its entirety, thanks to the multiple extensions! The DIY DB5 didn't interest me at all. I did start cherry-picking from De Agostini's Tank Collection and AmerCom's Fighter Collection, but I'm thinking of ditching both of those as looking ahead to the releases in the UK I can see that both are starting to go "off-topic".
@scurr01: I've long since run out of display space This collection is already fighting for space with my other 1/43 models (Minichamps/Vanguards/Ixo/Norev etc).
Now that this collection is going to 130 I've started building in underneath our house (1920's Queenslander) just to house it:))
Yes I have my collection in 5 plastic boxes and will have to get a 6th I think.
I could do with getting about 10 plastic replacement cases for broken/cracked ones.
Does anyone in the UK know if Fabbri will supply them and what is their phone number for that?
The Wikipedia site on the Collection lists a possible 4 more future models.
The Ford Thunderbird.(TB), The Laser Gun Ambulance (GF), Locque's Merc 450SEL(FYEO),
and the VAZ-2106 (Jeep?)(GE).
I must say I do not collect tanks, but can still occasionally see some of the tank collection ay some newsagents. I was under the impression that this is an ongoing collection, but maybe it’s just old, unsold items? Would not be surprised, as my local newsagent had the JBCC Range Rover Sport on the shelf until a week or two ago!
Whenever I speak to Bissett, and this included some of their supervisors, not just bottom level customer service, they are very helpful, but do not give me the impression of people who know a lot. When I had asked if they were to release the Bond DB5 in Oz they said that there were no plans and it all depended on Fabbri – and some two weeks later there were ads on TV. When I told them that Fabbri announced extension to 130 in the UK, they were genuinely surprised. Their usual explanation is “we’re JUST the distributor”. So I really doubt if anyone from Bissett is watching this forum. And if they cancelled the Tank Collection early, it could have easily been Fabbri’s decision due to poor sales, perhaps taken on Bissett’s advice. Of course, this is all my speculation only.
I tend to agree with your speculation. With that said, the Tank Collection, from what I can gather, is dead and gone. DeAgostini likely distributed it in Australia (the only country Fabbri was tasked with distributing it in was, perhaps ironically, Russia...). It stopped at 60 in Australia and is well past that elsewhere, it seems. With that said, DeAgostini probably realized what a massive mistake they made and told Bissett to nix the collection, not the other way around from what it sounds like is going on.
For the record, the modus operandi of the collection here in South Africa is just like that in Australia and New Zealand, as mentioned by Jag & K1W1 Kollecta respectively. We also have a local distributor which handles partworks for a number of publishers. In our case it is Jacklin Enterprises, who are the distributer for Hatchette, De Agostini, Eaglemoss, AmerCom, etc. - http://www.jacklin.co.za
Very interesting. I wonder if they prematurely ditch the collection or, alternately, have no problems keeping it because you're about 30 issues behind. Jacklin would certainly have a lot of time to see how everything plays out and see if Fabbri either hits a dead end or somehow revitalizes the collection. Likewise with New Zealand (and welcome, K1W1 Collector! Hope you stay with us either as a cherry-picker or a subscriber!).
The military 4x4 is the UAZ-31512 (not yet announced). The VAZ-2106 is the St. Petersburg Militsia GAI Police Car (you may also know it as the Lada 1600).
By the way, I was thinking...if roughly half the collection will be re-used or partially re-used Ixo moulds that have NOT appeared in a Bond film, I think they probably CAN maintain their output of a fortnightly release without the need for Issues 110 and 111 (which I'm prsuming is the "Turkey-Bird") to buy them time for cars, but simply for the development of figures and dioramas. After 111, you get either 10 new Ixo moulds staggered with 9 partially re-used ones or vice versa. They're certainly capable of not only doing it, but also giving us enough variety and three-star cars to keep us interested, especially if they go with 10 new and 9 partial or complete re-uses. The partial or re-used moulds would be solely on merit...
-GF Mercedes-Benz 180D "Chase Car"
-GF Dodge M43 Ambulance (confirmed)
-LALD 1973 Chevy Bel Air Sedan "Louisiana State Police"
-FYEO Mercedes-Benz 450SEL "Locque's Mercedes" (confirmed)
-OP Scaldia-Volga M24 Luxe Sedan "Orlov's Staff Car"
-GE UAZ-31512 4x4
-GE VAZ-2106 Sedan "St. Petersburg Militsia GAI" (confirmed)
-TWINE Lada Niva 1600 w/truck mirror option
-DAD Aston-Martin Vanquish "Vanish" (Just completely chrome it)
Another option would be the oft-asked-for TB Lincoln Continental Lehmann-Peterson Limousine or the Willys Jeep Kish drives in GF.
Each of the cars I've listed is either a 3-star on IMCDB (admittedly not perfect) OR has been requested a few times (and not just by me). We've seen these moulds in modified form outside the JBCC, yes, but we haven't actually seen them in it. Further, if Ixo does indeed develop figures and dioramas as I believe they will, these would all look nice in terms of having dioramas. Plus you'd get ten new moulds from Ixo being released at the rate of one per month (since they'd be staggered with the re-used but not seen in the JBCC moulds). Thoughts on the plausibility of this?
[.....each of the cars I've listed is either a 3-star on IMCDB (admittedly not perfect) OR has been requested a few times (and not just by me). We've seen these moulds in modified form outside the JBCC, yes, but we haven't actually seen them in it. Further, if Ixo does indeed develop figures and dioramas as I believe they will, these would all look nice in terms of having dioramas. Plus you'd get ten new moulds from Ixo being released at the rate of one per month (since they'd be staggered with the re-used but not seen in the JBCC moulds). Thoughts on the plausibility of this?
Seems very plausible, but not an ideal outcome. I would prefer to see 20 new vehicles.
From your list I think chromed vanish (vanquish) would be better served with a first class diorama of the disused underground station , figures of Q and Bond and wait for it , the best version of an invisible vanquish would be no model. This would work perfectly . I just dont like chromed models or gold plated etc. This would be such a good special and or free gift. Done correctly this would be a winner !
A few posts back you mentioned the LALD AEC regent III. This is such an iconic 'bond moment' and should feature in the collection. Like you, like many I did not see the link to the London Bombings and thought it was a lame excuse for a non release. Before people think I am insensitive to the bombings I am not the only resemblence was yes it was a bus. The AEC in LALD lost its roof to a low bridge , believe it or not unfortunately still a frequent bus accident in the UK. Two last year in my county alone. In this age of political correctness probably a number of issues should have been not released due to some resemblence to some attrocity. Seriously though, I think it was down to numbers and they could not produce a vehicle of that size 1/43 even 1/50 to fit in the £7.99 formula. My suggestion is they revisit the idea as a double issue/special . I think some of the more interesting models have been the non cars. This bus more so as Bond himself drove it and it featured for alot longer than many of the previous releases even more so than some of the Astons!
Lastly a suggestion for the wish list. What about the camper van in 'AVTAK'
PS I like your term 'Turkey Bird' or how about 'Blunder Bird'
hi, i have been reading the comments for a while and since the anouncement of the extention, i simple cannot believe what i have been reading.......we should all be applauding fabbri, not complaining, without them, we would all be looking at a couple of dozen "same old, same old" models from the usual manufactures....fabbri have made some outstanding cars, nebver available anywhere else....for 7.99........i for one , as a bond collector, stand up and give them a big cheer....the collection is incredible and the prospect of another 20 models is brilliant
i am not stupid, i know its a commercial decision, but lets stop complaining and be thankful......20 more bond cars!!!!! lighten up
i know some earlier posts pontificate about subscribers, but here in england ( like it or not, the primary driver of the whole series) its pure and simply the subscribers who have allowed the series to be continues......anyone who had tried to buy them in a regular newsagent will know, they are very hard to get hold of unless you subscribe........from issue 6 the series stopped being "sale or return" and the primary distribution ( through COMAG through W H Smith) is a system that consistently fails to deliver.......the only guaranteed way to get these retail issues is through a regular supplier who has been a dealer from issue 6....or subscribe.....virtually impossible to get one through a newsagent without a regular order ( subscription)
so, without all us subscribers, i am afraid the series would have finished a long time ago both here in the Uk and WORLDWIDE
i understand that they might be re-using mould and we get the occasional turkey, but on the whole, the series is first class
I am not intending to disrespect any of the previous comments, and i am not too concerned if a model does not have the correct lights or wrong angled wing mirrors but lets get it in perspective everyone, these are BOND CARS, in dioramas, with magazines...if we were left with other manufactures,, we would have 20 or 30 models.......we now have 110 and 20 more to come.......WELL DONE FABBRI...........and before anyone says i am working for them, rubbish, i am simple a bond collector who is happy with the extention.
hi, i have been reading the comments for a while and since the anouncement of the extention, i simple cannot believe what i have been reading.......we should all be applauding fabbri, not complaining, without them, we would all be looking at a couple of dozen "same old, same old" models from the usual manufactures....fabbri have made some outstanding cars, nebver available anywhere else....for 7.99........i for one , as a bond collector, stand up and give them a big cheer....the collection is incredible and the prospect of another 20 models is brilliant
i am not stupid, i know its a commercial decision, but lets stop complaining and be thankful......20 more bond cars!!!!! lighten up
i know some earlier posts pontificate about subscribers, but here in england ( like it or not, the primary driver of the whole series) its pure and simply the subscribers who have allowed the series to be continues......anyone who had tried to buy them in a regular newsagent will know, they are very hard to get hold of unless you subscribe........from issue 6 the series stopped being "sale or return" and the primary distribution ( through COMAG through W H Smith) is a system that consistently fails to deliver.......the only guaranteed way to get these retail issues is through a regular supplier who has been a dealer from issue 6....or subscribe.....virtually impossible to get one through a newsagent without a regular order ( subscription)
so, without all us subscribers, i am afraid the series would have finished a long time ago both here in the Uk and WORLDWIDE
i understand that they might be re-using mould and we get the occasional turkey, but on the whole, the series is first class
I am not intending to disrespect any of the previous comments, and i am not too concerned if a model does not have the correct lights or wrong angled wing mirrors but lets get it in perspective everyone, these are BOND CARS, in dioramas, with magazines...if we were left with other manufactures,, we would have 20 or 30 models.......we now have 110 and 20 more to come.......WELL DONE FABBRI...........and before anyone says i am working for them, rubbish, i am simple a bond collector who is happy with the extention.
From your list I think chromed vanish (vanquish) would be better served with a first class diorama of the disused underground station , figures of Q and Bond and wait for it , the best version of an invisible vanquish would be no model.
In answer to this, I think you'd get a LOT of division over how well executed the model was, even if the figures are perfect. You'd get a lot of people thinking it would be a brilliant novelty and also a lot of people thinking they were getting ripped off, with very little inbetween. For some odd reason, until Ixo came along (and with that, it was more a Bond-centric vs. car-centric debate, whereas this would definitely not be), I got the impression that Fabbri avoided models it thought were polarizing where you had one side loving it, one side hating it, and no inbetween at all.
Before people think I am insensitive to the bombings I am not the only resemblence was yes it was a bus.
Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I don't think the bus bombings were EVER a concern to Fabbri. I think they were an excuse. I'm absolutely 100% convinced that they had UH do a model during their "slide-down" period, UH did a model, and it came back looking SO bad that not even Fabbri wanted to release it. I mean, imagine the "damage" and "wear" we're going to have given to us on Issue 110 on a model in some crazy, oddball scale with declining quality control.
Remember, UH can be fairly accused of Dinky 48'ing. I don't think anyone will disagree with that. Now suppose they do a model in 1/50 scale (as the bus was believed to be) and it turns out its like 1/64 scale or something; whatever was necessary to squeeze it into the case and with figures badly out of scale, if they're even there. I believe that UH, at that point, could have completely ruined the bus, Fabbri couldn't produce a better excuse not to release, and now they're stuck. Ixo can probably do one as a special. But they're still stuck with that statement. If it is released, the only way I see it being released is as a special to subscribers with some statement about "due to overwhelming, near-universal demand for this model, it will be given as a free gift to subscribers only". And that's my best case scenario for it. You (and I don't specifically mean you, Diecast007, I mean anybody) can take it or leave it, but that's what I believe happened and what I believe might happen on the subject of the decapitated bus.
I think some of the more interesting models have been the non cars.
Depends. If you mean "1/43 or 1/50 [because Fabbri DID try to make the tank in 1/43] vehicles capable of travelling on land," then there's no disagreement. But if we start taking proposed non-car releases like my two examples, the QoS DC-3 and the GoldenEye Satellite, then remember how I wrote it was basically a two-way street? I disagree and think things like that overstep the parameters of the partwork. We were promised the James Bond Car Collection. Not the James Bond Plane/Ship/Satellite Collection. Does all that stuff deserve a partwork? Yes, as I said, it does. In fact, if Fabbri literally stopped the JBCC at 130 (please?) and then started making planes/trains/ships/satellites/missiles, I think they'd have a huge success on their hands. But I don't think this is the way to market it. Give these awesome "others" a partwork of their own. I think it would sell and there are no car-centrics around to rip it apart, really. You have to look at it from a marketing perspective: the JBCC currently relies on income from both Bond-centrics AND car-centrics. This would be a PURE Bond-centric partwork. To borrow your favorite phrase, nothing's impossible.
i am not stupid, i know its a commercial decision, but lets stop complaining and be thankful......20 more bond cars!!!!! lighten up
No, obviously not, but you can't just start accepting TOTALLY substandard, no-effort-involved models, either (such as the Turkey-Bird). That leaves the marketer and the manufacturer alike complacent. I don't see anyone saying the collection was a mistake. I'm seeing people criticizing certain efforts, not the entire collection. Or in other words, people criticizing certain efforts because they don't want to see the collection they spend their hard-earned money on fall apart, know Fabbri is reading, and try to get it on the right track.
You've got to keep Fabbri on their toes. Complaining about a model that fails literally every aspect of the collection's aims is to get Fabbri on track, not destroy them. The criticism of the "Turkey-Bird" has for the most part been constructive; we've even allowed for the possibility it might be buying time for another modelmaker to do a better job. Dropping subscriptions in protest by some is I imagine intended to be a wakeup call, not a sign of "your entire collection is awful." Fabbri is far from immune from criticism. After all, one of the first things my marketing professor taught me in my senior year of college (yes, I put it off quite a while...) was "While the customer naturally isn't always right, neither is the business."
There's no doubt that it's ultimately the subscribers that deserve the credit for this series being extended - and you guys also deserve some form of reward for your continued loyalty to the collection. (I say this as a non-subscriber myself.)
But, rather than just lamenting the lack of corporate recognition here on this forum, have any subscribers actually mailed Fabbri and requested or demanded that their continued custom be rewarded by further exclusive bonus models, for instance? And if so, what was the response?
Likewise, has anyone actually sent Fabbri the future models wish list, and was there any reply issued?
I'm honestly not trying to wind people up, but if I was an original U.K. subscriber, I'd be hounding these guys for some sort of loyalty bonus in recognition of my ongoing custom - or else I'd be threatening to cancel my subscription!
There's no doubt that it's ultimately the subscribers that deserve the credit for this series being extended - and you guys also deserve some form of reward for your continued loyalty to the collection. (I say this as a non-subscriber myself.)
But, rather than just lamenting the lack of corporate recognition here on this forum, have any subscribers actually mailed Fabbri and requested or demanded that their continued custom be rewarded by further exclusive bonus models, for instance? And if so, what was the response?
Likewise, has anyone actually sent Fabbri the future models wish list, and was there any reply issued?
I'm honestly not trying to wind people up, but if I was an original U.K. subscriber, I'd be hounding these guys for some sort of loyalty bonus in recognition of my ongoing custom - or else I'd be threatening to cancel my subscription!
KS, there's an account called JohnSteed (for all I know, it might be more than one person) that lurks around this thread and the DB5 partwork. The JohnSteed account has been confirmed by the moderators as actually representing G.E. Fabbri. Fabbri also actively asks you to post your ideas on the JBCC's Facebook page OR to PM them via Facebook with ideas. I know people that have posted on this thread have done this.
EDIT: I believe someone else said a while back Fabbri's marketing staff were reading this as guests. There also could be other Fabbri accounts that simply aren't confirmed.
Just had a look at the Bissett despatch info page, and it says:
"The Combat Tanks Collection
VIC, TAS, NSW & QLD: Issues 59-60 were despatched on July 26th. Issues 61-62 are scheduled for August 26th.
SA & WA: Issues 36-37 & a Display case were despatched on July 5th. Issues 38-39 are scheduled for July 29th."
I am in SA and just today I saw tank #38 at a newsagent's. Is this a different collection? I don't think so. That would suggest that your information about Bissett completing this partwork at issue 60 is incorrect. Unless you got read something wrong and it was only meant to say that 60 models were issued in Australia SO FAR?
It's great to see the forum continue with renewed vigour and focus. Let's hope the collection does this well!!
Regarding "USING EXISTING MOULDS: OHMSS VW Beetle as the OP or QOS one." posted the day before yesterday, I think the OHMSS Beetle diorama is absolutely one of the best in the collection (watch the scene in the film and see if you agree).
However, the VW model is the wrong one ... while it would be perfect for the Octopussy Beetle (a VW 1302 model), the 1969 OHMSS film car looked to me to be a VW1300 (as stated on IMCDB) or possibly a VW1500 Beetle, not the Super Beetle body shape that we were presented with on Issue #74 (that shape only appeared in 1971!). Ditto the QoS Beetle wouldn't be right using the 'existing' mould.
(Fabbri - hope you are still listening, we do spot these things as you well know. Get the model right or don't bother, IMHO.)
There seems to be quite a bit of confusion about this series and how it is retailed in the UK. It has been impossible to subscribe to this series for months at a guess from around issue 75. The subscribe option was pulled from the website months ago. However you can still buy back issues from the web site or by phone BUT only if you have the number for the collection since that was removed from the website months ago too. Emailed Fabbri direct about that - they said they would investigate nothing happened.
If getting issues through the newstrade is so difficult how are the internet vendors getting theirs to sell on? Certainly not as back orders since they get made available/sent about a month later. Basically they are probably just savvy individuals who know how to use the comag order system properly unlike your local newsagent. You see the same guys at big swapmeets in UK with tables full of bond models.
When you deal with the JBCC phoneline you are dealing with a fulfillment company based in Hampshire called the Database Factory who are also responsible for the web site. You are not dealing with Fabbri who only publish they don't distribute. To get to FAbbri you need to find the collection editor's email at Fabbri and I've not cracked it yet and they certainly dont make it easy to find.
As to being brilliant value for £7.99 yes I am sure we would all say most are but as others have said here before some of the models are no even as good as some new rays seling at half the price. And certainly the T-Bird is not worth that since it is downright wrong. The impala looks to be well worth that to a car collector to a bond collector the lack of figures and diorama would be a let down.
I am pretty sure the number of subscribers has fallen steadily and will continue to fall but are high for a collection reaching over 100. BUT I bet back orders and newstrade orders have increased as the collection became car centric. Would be very intersting for Fabbri to tell us what the sales of the Cadillac hearse were for each stream for example - but they wont.
If you want to look at a series that consistently did diorama or setting look at the French Route Bleu series on Altaya's web site - lots of dioramas there and nice cars. Altaya use IXO heavily so a lot were made by IXO too. BUT the retail price is 50% higher than car only collections to cover the diorama.
Like others have said we should encourage Fabbri to do a good job not sit there complacently and let them just take the easy way out.
I am in SA and just today I saw tank #38 at a newsagent's. Is this a different collection? I don't think so. That would suggest that your information about Bissett completing this partwork at issue 60 is incorrect. Unless you got read something wrong and it was only meant to say that 60 models were issued in Australia SO FAR?
Misread it. Apparently, they let the website go dormant for a while beyond 60 issues, which in turn fueled tons of speculation that they were pulling out. Said speculation was wrong.
As to being brilliant value for £7.99 yes I am sure we would all say most are but as others have said here before some of the models are no even as good as some new rays seling at half the price. And certainly the T-Bird is not worth that since it is downright wrong. The impala looks to be well worth that to a car collector to a bond collector the lack of figures and diorama would be a let down.
Starting here and down to the end of your post, I have just one word: AMEN!
Just received the LaSalle hearse today after ordering it as a back issue about 2 months ago. All I can say is if you are a subscriber and haven't got it yet, you have a treat in store. It really is one of the best of the JBCC models IMHO.
On the subscribers feeling a bit ripped off theme, there's a point which I don't think has been mentioned so far: I'm a cherry-picker but my 'cherry-picking' is actually reversed - selecting a minority I don't want as against selecting a few that I do. Admittedly that's not the outlay of a subscriber but I do have about 85% of the collection to date, which is still a significant sum of money spent. If there are others like me, who buy into the series quite heavily, then I would guess our back issue buying ought to lend some degree of moral support to all the subscribers who may feel they're taking the strain by themselves. I guess the difference is that 'completeist' subscribers may be thinking 'Oh God when will this end' whereas collectors like myself think 'here we go again, they've made even more that are too tempting not to buy'.
The overall point being, that even if you weren't a subscriber, you may well have still have spent a small fortune (quite willingly) as a cherry picker!
Just received the LaSalle hearse today after ordering it as a back issue about 2 months ago. All I can say is if you are a subscriber and haven't got it yet, you have a treat in store. It really is one of the best of the JBCC models IMHO.
I agree.... Not much room in the box for a diorama either given its size though figures might have been nice to give it that film touch.
On the subscribers feeling a bit ripped off theme, there's a point which I don't think has been mentioned so far: I'm a cherry-picker but my 'cherry-picking' is actually reversed - selecting a minority I don't want as against selecting a few that I do. Admittedly that's not the outlay of a subscriber but I do have about 85% of the collection to date, which is still a significant sum of money spent. If there are others like me, who buy into the series quite heavily, then I would guess our back issue buying ought to lend some degree of moral support to all the subscribers who may feel they're taking the strain by themselves. I guess the difference is that 'completeist' subscribers may be thinking 'Oh God when will this end' whereas collectors like myself think 'here we go again, they've made even more that are too tempting not to buy'.
The overall point being, that even if you weren't a subscriber, you may well have still have spent a small fortune (quite willingly) as a cherry picker!
I agree my cherry picking assumes I will buy the model unless it really has no interest and I do have quite a number now.
On the subscribers feeling a bit ripped off theme, there's a point which I don't think has been mentioned so far: I'm a cherry-picker but my 'cherry-picking' is actually reversed - selecting a minority I don't want as against selecting a few that I do. Admittedly that's not the outlay of a subscriber but I do have about 85% of the collection to date, which is still a significant sum of money spent. If there are others like me, who buy into the series quite heavily, then I would guess our back issue buying ought to lend some degree of moral support to all the subscribers who may feel they're taking the strain by themselves. I guess the difference is that 'completeist' subscribers may be thinking 'Oh God when will this end' whereas collectors like myself think 'here we go again, they've made even more that are too tempting not to buy'.
The overall point being, that even if you weren't a subscriber, you may well have still have spent a small fortune (quite willingly) as a cherry picker!
I agree my cherry picking assumes I will buy the model unless it really has no interest and I do have quite a number now.
Now that this collection is going to 130 I've started building in underneath our house (1920's Queenslander) just to house it:))
How much are you insuring the collection for - in case of a flood, of course...
Yeah, we live in Ipswich but survived high and dry. If our place ever floods so will most of south-east Queensland. Got me out of work for a few days though.
Comments
Crikey!
Thanks for that.
One other thing, the chap had a lot of stuff in his shop. A lot of stuff. The Japanese are big on hobbies and collecting. But that car was the only Bond item. He told me that Bond stuff always sells as soon as it comes into his shop. Nice to hear.
Okay, I'll leave the post alone to the serious car collectors now.
Thanks again.
You are correct, Bissett is an independent company and they distribute all partworks in Australia (as far as I know), regardless of manufacturer. So, in theory, they may also decide not to go for the extension, even if Fabbri wanted to. Although most probably Bissett will do whatever Fabbri decide (they must be be getting paid for it after all). And you are also correct again that the parties involved still have about a month to decide. It will be interesting to see what the decision will be.
Oh, it's nothing. No need to be sorry.
I very much agree. Bissett, if they've distributed most or all Australian partworks, likely has much better business sense than G.E. Fabbri. I googled and sure enough, on ANZACPlastic, they say they were the Australian distributor of the infamous Combat Tanks partwork (first referenced on this board by maz as an example of what not to do) that everyone associates with DeAgostini (although Altaya also apparently distributed it as the Panzer Collection). Seems they went relatively far in, too: it goes from the tanks that were promised up until things like German assault guns (which were at least acceptable) but then starts to jump the shark with light armored cars and even trucks and I think someone made a Jeep and trailer. Bissett saw where this was going and evidently bailed after Issue 60 (I think the anger boiled over around that time).
If they're not afraid to jump off a partwork they see presents a financial risk like Combat Tanks/Panzer Collection, then I don't think they'd be too different about the JBCC. Especially now that we're seeing all the backlash against not only just about everything Ixo did NOT COUNTING the cars themselves and also everything UH did starting with Issue 95 (albeit not counting the magnificently done Phantom III Sedanca de Ville), but also they must be reading either this thread or something like this thread. They're obviously doing their own market research with Fabbri playing such a big gamble, and they may very well just really not like what they see.
The problem, as I start to think of it, is that Fabbri themselves have started to see the benefits of "cross-marketing" (with the secondary market big sellers that Ixo's models were), and I think they're taking it to an extreme. Too much of anything...be it car-centrism or (believe it or not*) Bond-centrism...will wreck the collection. They've swung one way, brought the collection out of balance, and whilst I will happily cherry-pick off eBay, I do genuinely feel sorry for the individuals who didn't sign up for this (although what I mean by that is diorama-weak Ixo models, not the TB Thunderbird...that was just flat-out awful by anyone's standards).
*What I mean by this is if they start making things in 1/72 scale and smaller, their secondary market sales are gonna start to fall apart and you're going to see those individuals who just wanted cars...recognizable Bond cars, but still cars or at least things capable of travelling on land nonetheless...start to drop their subscriptions. If we have, say (and simply because no one's suggested this and I don't want to tick anyone off), the DC-3 Daniel Craig flies in QoS or the GoldenEye Satellite from the film of the same name, I can see a few individuals enthusiastically going after those, but poor sales with the Newsagents and virtually no secondary market. Are they from Bond? Heck yeah. Are they cool and frankly deserve their own collection? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that yes, they do. An entire film plot revolves around the latter. But are they deviating a bit too far from the stated goals of the collection and just as likely to make sales take a nosedive as a real nice Ixo model on a bland diorama? Yes, I think that too.
With that said, from the info I have...which is admittedly scanty...it sounded like Fabbri was in talks with Ixo whilst the Impala Custom Coupe had already been produced. Hence the diorama and lack of figures.
On that note, I've thought about releasing the T-Bird. If UH releases back-to-back models for Issues 110 (confirmed as the DBS) and Issue 111 (possibly the TB "Turkey-Bird"), they wouldn't be so much as buying Ixo time for car moulds (since we know Ixo can do those) as they would for diorama moulds and figure moulds...areas where Ixo really DOES need time to catch up. At the very least, it bears watching.
Whenever I speak to Bissett, and this included some of their supervisors, not just bottom level customer service, they are very helpful, but do not give me the impression of people who know a lot. When I had asked if they were to release the Bond DB5 in Oz they said that there were no plans and it all depended on Fabbri – and some two weeks later there were ads on TV. When I told them that Fabbri announced extension to 130 in the UK, they were genuinely surprised. Their usual explanation is “we’re JUST the distributor”. So I really doubt if anyone from Bissett is watching this forum. And if they cancelled the Tank Collection early, it could have easily been Fabbri’s decision due to poor sales, perhaps taken on Bissett’s advice. Of course, this is all my speculation only.
How much are you insuring the collection for - in case of a flood, of course...
For the record, the modus operandi of the collection here in South Africa is just like that in Australia and New Zealand, as mentioned by Jag & K1W1 Kollecta respectively. We also have a local distributor which handles partworks for a number of publishers. In our case it is Jacklin Enterprises, who are the distributer for Hatchette, De Agostini, Eaglemoss, AmerCom, etc. - http://www.jacklin.co.za
The collection was similarly launched (back in June 2008) with the usual TV ad blitz and displays in the newsagents.
This is the first partwork I've gone with and it will definitely be the last I do in its entirety, thanks to the multiple extensions! The DIY DB5 didn't interest me at all. I did start cherry-picking from De Agostini's Tank Collection and AmerCom's Fighter Collection, but I'm thinking of ditching both of those as looking ahead to the releases in the UK I can see that both are starting to go "off-topic".
@scurr01: I've long since run out of display space
Yes I have my collection in 5 plastic boxes and will have to get a 6th I think.
I could do with getting about 10 plastic replacement cases for broken/cracked ones.
Does anyone in the UK know if Fabbri will supply them and what is their phone number for that?
The Wikipedia site on the Collection lists a possible 4 more future models.
The Ford Thunderbird.(TB), The Laser Gun Ambulance (GF), Locque's Merc 450SEL(FYEO),
and the VAZ-2106 (Jeep?)(GE).
Bleuville.
I tend to agree with your speculation. With that said, the Tank Collection, from what I can gather, is dead and gone. DeAgostini likely distributed it in Australia (the only country Fabbri was tasked with distributing it in was, perhaps ironically, Russia...). It stopped at 60 in Australia and is well past that elsewhere, it seems. With that said, DeAgostini probably realized what a massive mistake they made and told Bissett to nix the collection, not the other way around from what it sounds like is going on.
Very interesting. I wonder if they prematurely ditch the collection or, alternately, have no problems keeping it because you're about 30 issues behind. Jacklin would certainly have a lot of time to see how everything plays out and see if Fabbri either hits a dead end or somehow revitalizes the collection. Likewise with New Zealand (and welcome, K1W1 Collector! Hope you stay with us either as a cherry-picker or a subscriber!).
I would agree that cherry-picking is what I would most likely do, even if I were in a country where a subscription was available.
The military 4x4 is the UAZ-31512 (not yet announced). The VAZ-2106 is the St. Petersburg Militsia GAI Police Car (you may also know it as the Lada 1600).
By the way, I was thinking...if roughly half the collection will be re-used or partially re-used Ixo moulds that have NOT appeared in a Bond film, I think they probably CAN maintain their output of a fortnightly release without the need for Issues 110 and 111 (which I'm prsuming is the "Turkey-Bird") to buy them time for cars, but simply for the development of figures and dioramas. After 111, you get either 10 new Ixo moulds staggered with 9 partially re-used ones or vice versa. They're certainly capable of not only doing it, but also giving us enough variety and three-star cars to keep us interested, especially if they go with 10 new and 9 partial or complete re-uses. The partial or re-used moulds would be solely on merit...
-GF Mercedes-Benz 180D "Chase Car"
-GF Dodge M43 Ambulance (confirmed)
-LALD 1973 Chevy Bel Air Sedan "Louisiana State Police"
-FYEO Mercedes-Benz 450SEL "Locque's Mercedes" (confirmed)
-OP Scaldia-Volga M24 Luxe Sedan "Orlov's Staff Car"
-GE UAZ-31512 4x4
-GE VAZ-2106 Sedan "St. Petersburg Militsia GAI" (confirmed)
-TWINE Lada Niva 1600 w/truck mirror option
-DAD Aston-Martin Vanquish "Vanish" (Just completely chrome it)
Another option would be the oft-asked-for TB Lincoln Continental Lehmann-Peterson Limousine or the Willys Jeep Kish drives in GF.
Each of the cars I've listed is either a 3-star on IMCDB (admittedly not perfect) OR has been requested a few times (and not just by me). We've seen these moulds in modified form outside the JBCC, yes, but we haven't actually seen them in it. Further, if Ixo does indeed develop figures and dioramas as I believe they will, these would all look nice in terms of having dioramas. Plus you'd get ten new moulds from Ixo being released at the rate of one per month (since they'd be staggered with the re-used but not seen in the JBCC moulds). Thoughts on the plausibility of this?
Seems very plausible, but not an ideal outcome. I would prefer to see 20 new vehicles.
From your list I think chromed vanish (vanquish) would be better served with a first class diorama of the disused underground station , figures of Q and Bond and wait for it , the best version of an invisible vanquish would be no model. This would work perfectly . I just dont like chromed models or gold plated etc. This would be such a good special and or free gift. Done correctly this would be a winner !
A few posts back you mentioned the LALD AEC regent III. This is such an iconic 'bond moment' and should feature in the collection. Like you, like many I did not see the link to the London Bombings and thought it was a lame excuse for a non release. Before people think I am insensitive to the bombings I am not the only resemblence was yes it was a bus. The AEC in LALD lost its roof to a low bridge , believe it or not unfortunately still a frequent bus accident in the UK. Two last year in my county alone. In this age of political correctness probably a number of issues should have been not released due to some resemblence to some attrocity. Seriously though, I think it was down to numbers and they could not produce a vehicle of that size 1/43 even 1/50 to fit in the £7.99 formula. My suggestion is they revisit the idea as a double issue/special . I think some of the more interesting models have been the non cars. This bus more so as Bond himself drove it and it featured for alot longer than many of the previous releases even more so than some of the Astons!
Lastly a suggestion for the wish list. What about the camper van in 'AVTAK'
PS I like your term 'Turkey Bird' or how about 'Blunder Bird'
i am not stupid, i know its a commercial decision, but lets stop complaining and be thankful......20 more bond cars!!!!! lighten up
i know some earlier posts pontificate about subscribers, but here in england ( like it or not, the primary driver of the whole series) its pure and simply the subscribers who have allowed the series to be continues......anyone who had tried to buy them in a regular newsagent will know, they are very hard to get hold of unless you subscribe........from issue 6 the series stopped being "sale or return" and the primary distribution ( through COMAG through W H Smith) is a system that consistently fails to deliver.......the only guaranteed way to get these retail issues is through a regular supplier who has been a dealer from issue 6....or subscribe.....virtually impossible to get one through a newsagent without a regular order ( subscription)
so, without all us subscribers, i am afraid the series would have finished a long time ago both here in the Uk and WORLDWIDE
i understand that they might be re-using mould and we get the occasional turkey, but on the whole, the series is first class
I am not intending to disrespect any of the previous comments, and i am not too concerned if a model does not have the correct lights or wrong angled wing mirrors but lets get it in perspective everyone, these are BOND CARS, in dioramas, with magazines...if we were left with other manufactures,, we would have 20 or 30 models.......we now have 110 and 20 more to come.......WELL DONE FABBRI...........and before anyone says i am working for them, rubbish, i am simple a bond collector who is happy with the extention.
I agree.
In answer to this, I think you'd get a LOT of division over how well executed the model was, even if the figures are perfect. You'd get a lot of people thinking it would be a brilliant novelty and also a lot of people thinking they were getting ripped off, with very little inbetween. For some odd reason, until Ixo came along (and with that, it was more a Bond-centric vs. car-centric debate, whereas this would definitely not be), I got the impression that Fabbri avoided models it thought were polarizing where you had one side loving it, one side hating it, and no inbetween at all.
Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I don't think the bus bombings were EVER a concern to Fabbri. I think they were an excuse. I'm absolutely 100% convinced that they had UH do a model during their "slide-down" period, UH did a model, and it came back looking SO bad that not even Fabbri wanted to release it. I mean, imagine the "damage" and "wear" we're going to have given to us on Issue 110 on a model in some crazy, oddball scale with declining quality control.
Remember, UH can be fairly accused of Dinky 48'ing. I don't think anyone will disagree with that. Now suppose they do a model in 1/50 scale (as the bus was believed to be) and it turns out its like 1/64 scale or something; whatever was necessary to squeeze it into the case and with figures badly out of scale, if they're even there. I believe that UH, at that point, could have completely ruined the bus, Fabbri couldn't produce a better excuse not to release, and now they're stuck. Ixo can probably do one as a special. But they're still stuck with that statement. If it is released, the only way I see it being released is as a special to subscribers with some statement about "due to overwhelming, near-universal demand for this model, it will be given as a free gift to subscribers only". And that's my best case scenario for it. You (and I don't specifically mean you, Diecast007, I mean anybody) can take it or leave it, but that's what I believe happened and what I believe might happen on the subject of the decapitated bus.
Depends. If you mean "1/43 or 1/50 [because Fabbri DID try to make the tank in 1/43] vehicles capable of travelling on land," then there's no disagreement. But if we start taking proposed non-car releases like my two examples, the QoS DC-3 and the GoldenEye Satellite, then remember how I wrote it was basically a two-way street? I disagree and think things like that overstep the parameters of the partwork. We were promised the James Bond Car Collection. Not the James Bond Plane/Ship/Satellite Collection. Does all that stuff deserve a partwork? Yes, as I said, it does. In fact, if Fabbri literally stopped the JBCC at 130 (please?) and then started making planes/trains/ships/satellites/missiles, I think they'd have a huge success on their hands. But I don't think this is the way to market it. Give these awesome "others" a partwork of their own. I think it would sell and there are no car-centrics around to rip it apart, really. You have to look at it from a marketing perspective: the JBCC currently relies on income from both Bond-centrics AND car-centrics. This would be a PURE Bond-centric partwork. To borrow your favorite phrase, nothing's impossible.
The latter can't be shortened to "T-Bird."
No, obviously not, but you can't just start accepting TOTALLY substandard, no-effort-involved models, either (such as the Turkey-Bird). That leaves the marketer and the manufacturer alike complacent. I don't see anyone saying the collection was a mistake. I'm seeing people criticizing certain efforts, not the entire collection. Or in other words, people criticizing certain efforts because they don't want to see the collection they spend their hard-earned money on fall apart, know Fabbri is reading, and try to get it on the right track.
You've got to keep Fabbri on their toes. Complaining about a model that fails literally every aspect of the collection's aims is to get Fabbri on track, not destroy them. The criticism of the "Turkey-Bird" has for the most part been constructive; we've even allowed for the possibility it might be buying time for another modelmaker to do a better job. Dropping subscriptions in protest by some is I imagine intended to be a wakeup call, not a sign of "your entire collection is awful." Fabbri is far from immune from criticism. After all, one of the first things my marketing professor taught me in my senior year of college (yes, I put it off quite a while...) was "While the customer naturally isn't always right, neither is the business."
But, rather than just lamenting the lack of corporate recognition here on this forum, have any subscribers actually mailed Fabbri and requested or demanded that their continued custom be rewarded by further exclusive bonus models, for instance? And if so, what was the response?
Likewise, has anyone actually sent Fabbri the future models wish list, and was there any reply issued?
I'm honestly not trying to wind people up, but if I was an original U.K. subscriber, I'd be hounding these guys for some sort of loyalty bonus in recognition of my ongoing custom - or else I'd be threatening to cancel my subscription!
KS, there's an account called JohnSteed (for all I know, it might be more than one person) that lurks around this thread and the DB5 partwork. The JohnSteed account has been confirmed by the moderators as actually representing G.E. Fabbri. Fabbri also actively asks you to post your ideas on the JBCC's Facebook page OR to PM them via Facebook with ideas. I know people that have posted on this thread have done this.
EDIT: I believe someone else said a while back Fabbri's marketing staff were reading this as guests. There also could be other Fabbri accounts that simply aren't confirmed.
Just had a look at the Bissett despatch info page, and it says:
"The Combat Tanks Collection
VIC, TAS, NSW & QLD: Issues 59-60 were despatched on July 26th. Issues 61-62 are scheduled for August 26th.
SA & WA: Issues 36-37 & a Display case were despatched on July 5th. Issues 38-39 are scheduled for July 29th."
I am in SA and just today I saw tank #38 at a newsagent's. Is this a different collection? I don't think so. That would suggest that your information about Bissett completing this partwork at issue 60 is incorrect. Unless you got read something wrong and it was only meant to say that 60 models were issued in Australia SO FAR?
Regarding "USING EXISTING MOULDS: OHMSS VW Beetle as the OP or QOS one." posted the day before yesterday, I think the OHMSS Beetle diorama is absolutely one of the best in the collection (watch the scene in the film and see if you agree).
However, the VW model is the wrong one ... while it would be perfect for the Octopussy Beetle (a VW 1302 model), the 1969 OHMSS film car looked to me to be a VW1300 (as stated on IMCDB) or possibly a VW1500 Beetle, not the Super Beetle body shape that we were presented with on Issue #74 (that shape only appeared in 1971!). Ditto the QoS Beetle wouldn't be right using the 'existing' mould.
(Fabbri - hope you are still listening, we do spot these things as you well know. Get the model right or don't bother, IMHO.)
Cheers,
Rhinoman B-)
its a miserable day here in South Wales, but FRWL is on later !!!!!
so is the collection going to 130 ??? is it a definite ???
If getting issues through the newstrade is so difficult how are the internet vendors getting theirs to sell on? Certainly not as back orders since they get made available/sent about a month later. Basically they are probably just savvy individuals who know how to use the comag order system properly unlike your local newsagent. You see the same guys at big swapmeets in UK with tables full of bond models.
When you deal with the JBCC phoneline you are dealing with a fulfillment company based in Hampshire called the Database Factory who are also responsible for the web site. You are not dealing with Fabbri who only publish they don't distribute. To get to FAbbri you need to find the collection editor's email at Fabbri and I've not cracked it yet and they certainly dont make it easy to find.
As to being brilliant value for £7.99 yes I am sure we would all say most are but as others have said here before some of the models are no even as good as some new rays seling at half the price. And certainly the T-Bird is not worth that since it is downright wrong. The impala looks to be well worth that to a car collector to a bond collector the lack of figures and diorama would be a let down.
I am pretty sure the number of subscribers has fallen steadily and will continue to fall but are high for a collection reaching over 100. BUT I bet back orders and newstrade orders have increased as the collection became car centric. Would be very intersting for Fabbri to tell us what the sales of the Cadillac hearse were for each stream for example - but they wont.
If you want to look at a series that consistently did diorama or setting look at the French Route Bleu series on Altaya's web site - lots of dioramas there and nice cars. Altaya use IXO heavily so a lot were made by IXO too. BUT the retail price is 50% higher than car only collections to cover the diorama.
Like others have said we should encourage Fabbri to do a good job not sit there complacently and let them just take the easy way out.
I've noticed this too. In the not too distant future I intend to sit down with all my bank statements and work out whether I'm in credit to them.
Misread it. Apparently, they let the website go dormant for a while beyond 60 issues, which in turn fueled tons of speculation that they were pulling out. Said speculation was wrong.
Starting here and down to the end of your post, I have just one word: AMEN!
I do!
On the subscribers feeling a bit ripped off theme, there's a point which I don't think has been mentioned so far: I'm a cherry-picker but my 'cherry-picking' is actually reversed - selecting a minority I don't want as against selecting a few that I do. Admittedly that's not the outlay of a subscriber but I do have about 85% of the collection to date, which is still a significant sum of money spent. If there are others like me, who buy into the series quite heavily, then I would guess our back issue buying ought to lend some degree of moral support to all the subscribers who may feel they're taking the strain by themselves. I guess the difference is that 'completeist' subscribers may be thinking 'Oh God when will this end' whereas collectors like myself think 'here we go again, they've made even more that are too tempting not to buy'.
The overall point being, that even if you weren't a subscriber, you may well have still have spent a small fortune (quite willingly) as a cherry picker!
I agree.... Not much room in the box for a diorama either given its size though figures might have been nice to give it that film touch.
I agree my cherry picking assumes I will buy the model unless it really has no interest and I do have quite a number now.
Same here!
Yeah, we live in Ipswich but survived high and dry. If our place ever floods so will most of south-east Queensland. Got me out of work for a few days though.
Double Post.
Thunderbird = Thunder Turd