It's his opinion that the schedule is an effort to get back in the good graces of subscribers
I wonder if he meant UK subscribers or those in other countries who follow a few numbers behind? Purely from a personal point of view, I've never been particularly concerned about when these cars are released as long as it's not 6 months apart or something equally ridiculous, but then I'm in the UK and have been receiving them pretty much as soon as they are issued. From that perspective, when it now seems the series is much more likely than ever to end soon (months rather than the years it's been going) I'm in no rush to see the last model issued. Obviously the car-centrics can move on to other pastures, and for the 'completeists' amongst us it will be a huge relief that they have every JBCC model in the collection and can finally close their wallets. But for some, if not a great many, there's nothing appearing on the horizon as remotely interesting as the JBCC, so I think the end will be fairly bittersweet - a bit like getting the benefit of losing weight at the expense of seeing your favourite restaurant close down.
I just found myself a new store where they sell them, so I will be purchasing the cars from #116 onwards from there. IT's more expensive in the long run, but for me, spending 12,99 per 2 weeks is more manageable than paying 77,- at once.
He did, MCF. Sorry I didn't make that clear. Basically, his theory is similar to FACT's (and yes, I'm aware you're in South Africa/some issues behind, FACT, but I think the principle you've hit upon is pretty much universal), that being that people are basically starting to succumb to collector fatigue and want the collection to just end as soon as possible, yet still get all their issues "[no matter] if they're in it for the cars, or the films, or whether they subscribe or not". His personal viewpoint on that was something akin to trying to have your cake and eat it, too, and he was very much for returning to the old schedule, believing the new one might create even more significant quality control issues.
I'm nowhere near as vehement as he is in returning to the old schedule, especially since we HAD some quality control issues when we had the slowed down schedule, but I do think his point merits some consideration, plus he confirms FACT's opinion about "collector fatigue". He emailed me that this was based on other customers basically asking him when it would all end, and that in at least two instances, his customers (and these people sound like textbook examples of completists) will be more relieved than anything else. I'm firmly in your camp...take all the time you need so long as it isn't something silly...but it appears that there at least a decent-sized number of people are in the "I want it RIGHT NOW" camp.
He did, MCF. Sorry I didn't make that clear. Basically, his theory is similar to FACT's (and yes, I'm aware you're in South Africa/some issues behind, FACT, but I think the principle you've hit upon is pretty much universal), that being that people are basically starting to succumb to collector fatigue and want the collection to just end as soon as possible, yet still get all their issues "[no matter] if they're in it for the cars, or the films, or whether they subscribe or not". His personal viewpoint on that was something akin to trying to have your cake and eat it, too, and he was very much for returning to the old schedule, believing the new one might create even more significant quality control issues.
I'm nowhere near as vehement as he is in returning to the old schedule, especially since we HAD some quality control issues when we had the slowed down schedule, but I do think his point merits some consideration, plus he confirms FACT's opinion about "collector fatigue". He emailed me that this was based on other customers basically asking him when it would all end, and that in at least two instances, his customers (and these people sound like textbook examples of completists) will be more relieved than anything else. I'm firmly in your camp...take all the time you need so long as it isn't something silly...but it appears that there at least a decent-sized number of people are in the "I want it RIGHT NOW" camp.
Surprise Surprise I disagree, I dont think People want the collection to end. We the subscribers are always anticipating the next delivery. How soon we forget the last delivery when there is news of the next. The wish list, the sneak peaks, this forum all fuelled by our inner desire to own another in our weird and wonderful world of collecting diecast. To be honest when i ask when is the collection concluding I am really hoping it has been extended. We have had this debate time and time again at the end of the collection then bang an announcement and it is all systems go again. This collection has legs for many more vehicles in the James Bond genre under the JBCC banner and i dont mean cars. Why draw a line with cars? There has been missed opportunities but still time to restore the broken promises of specials. Business is business and if i was managing this collection i would be looking to keep my subscribers as that is gauranteed income and could be the difference in a business making a profit or going under. More so in this current economic climate. Skyfall is due to be released very soon this surely will inspire a new batch of collecting enthusiasm. Scale, box size does not matter if the product is presented well , there will be buyers, new ones, existing alike. Come on we all want more lets campaign , lets aim for another 15 to take us to 150 !!!
Does anyone know where I can get hold of issues 88, 92, 94, 96, 98, 101, 106, 108, 111 and 113 of this collection? They're all sold out at GE Fabbri in the UK. I know that I could probably buy most of them on ebay, but I don't fancy paying the £25 (plus postage) per issue that the sellers are asking.
Is there anyone from Australia or South Africa reading this who knows whether any of these issues are available as back issues in those countries? If they are available, I'd be happy to reimburse anyone who bought any of these issues for me and sent them to me in the UK (and I'd add an extra payment to show my gratitude).
Surprise Surprise I disagree, I dont think People want the collection to end.
But here's the thing: instead of basing this on emotional investment (as I usually do) or Eaglemoss' current business practices, I'm actually trying to collect an accurate sample size as to how people in general feel about a possible end to the collection. I would want the collection to continue as well, actually, as a non-subscriber. However, the data provided to me by two dealers (one of whom is a large-scale eBay guy, the other of whom works on a smaller scale) would indicate that there is at the very least a significant plurality and almost certainly a modest (not large) majority of people where collector fatigue is setting in. In roughly this order, I've been able to determine (with the help of said two dealers) who wants the collection dead and gone, demographic-wise, and who wants it to stay.
1) Former subscribers who cut their connection to the collection after Issue 40. The former subscribers, in both dealers' cases, showed not only a desire to see the collection end, but an overwhelming desire, numerically. Note that from what I gathered, the categories we'd recognize as "Car-Centric" and "Bond-Centric" were roughly evenly represented here.
2) What amounted to Bond-Centrics who were not ever subscribers or subscribed prior to Issue 40.
3) What amounted to Car-Centrics who were not ever subscribers or subscribed prior to Issue 40.
I don't think "1" should surprise anyone; former subscribers that recently cancelled are by their nature, usually but not in all cases not happy that the partwork is going in the direction that it is. However, the fact that non-subscribing Bond-Centrics outnumbered non-subscribing Car-Centrics in wanting to end the collection sooner shouldn't surprise anyone, either. In many of their opinions, the former thought that Fabbri or Eaglemoss had reached a point where they jumped the shark. The latter, in more cases, basically simply decided to ride the collection out because they could find use for the cars.
Another conclusion we reached was that the late announcements of extensions annoyed EVERY demographic (Former Subscriber, Bond-Centric Non-Subscriber, Car-Centric Non-Subscriber) in a significant majority. It was by far the one thing that the most people agreed on.
We tried for some subscriber data as well, but four people do not to me represent a significant or representative sample size. All four had basically gotten collector fatigue and wanted to see the collection end at some point before 150.
But there was one other demographic that showed up disproportionately large amongst the Car-Centrics. If you guessed us Yanks, you'd be right.
Why draw a line with cars?
Well, for one thing, it is the James Bond Car Collection. But seriously, this is where we revert to debate vs. empirical data. However, once again, Ixo does not like making things it can't repeatedly profit off of. Unless you find a new manufacturer (doubtful given that Ixo is likely signed on for "probables", as has been mentioned), you're not going to get ships, subs, etc. Further, you bring up the point of the economy. And we'll get back to that in a moment...
There has been missed opportunities but still time to restore the broken promises of specials.
Under new management with new people signing off on the final decisions with a new manufacturer, there is indeed in theory time, but is there a desire to do so on the parts of Eaglemoss and Ixo vs. Fabbri and UH? As I mentioned, if Ixo can't find some other way to resell it eventually, they're hesitant to make it. If you want to take East Bloc cars out of the debate entirely, you can still use the example of some of Ixo's Mercedes-Benz moulds (particularly the W111 and W108) that are re-used to the point of actual visible wear on the finished product!
Business is business and if i was managing this collection i would be looking to keep my subscribers as that is gauranteed income and could be the difference in a business making a profit or going under. More so in this current economic climate.
But under the current economic climate, you can (and Eaglemoss seems to be doing this) make more money with the "secondary market first" approach that Eaglemoss is taking. It no longer inhibits you from selling within a rigid system where one issue could bomb and they could lose a few subscribers that way (Blunderbird, anyone?) or one schedule extension could cause collector fatigue and cause subscribers to drop (the "To 110" and "To 130" extensions, anyone?). Subscribers are guaranteed income, but they're not a large source of guaranteed income. Releasing safe designs...a sort of automotive travel log within the Bondiverse with broad appeal and cross-genre appeal guarantees the sale of vehicles via secondary market sources. Ixo already knows that certain cars will sell well in certain markets. Since Issue 92, which was when we thought we'd have the "alternating" Ixo and UH issues, we have had (and this includes planned issues)...
-American Cars/Light Trucks, pre-1980: 13 (I'm including the Chevrolet C-10 Ambulance, as it was an American design built from a CKD)
-British Cars, non-Rolls-Royce (including Astons): 9
-British Cars, Rolls-Royce: 5
-East Bloc/Former East Bloc Cars: 5
-Mercedes-Benz cars (the only German make they've done/planned): 5
-American cars, post-1980: 3
-Other Vehicles: 3
If you do it by country, the split is even more radical...
American Cars/Light Trucks: 16
British Cars/Light Trucks: 14
Soviet/Russian Cars: 5
German Cars: 5
Other Vehicles (in other words, the Osprey 5 Hovercraft, Kawasaki Z900 Motorcycle, and Bondola): 3
The fact that Eaglemoss is 1) pursuing the marketing strategy it is, 2) has had produced more American cars than British cars, despite having plenty of opportunities at making British cars (the TB Triumph Herald, the OHMSS Rolls-Royce "Proto-Corniche" by Mulliner-Park Ward, the OHMSS Ford Escort, the FRWL Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, etc, etc...that I'd love to see made, btw...), and 3) the empirical data showing that Americans are both buying the collection using the "secondary market strategy" and happen to trend Car-Centric does actually ensure that they'll be making money so long as they get the cars well-designed. I think you can draw your own conclusions from there being 8 of the next 13 cars not counting the 200D being American with the other 5 being British. They see the secondary market policy, they make low-risk/high-reward cars, and that's how you keep it going. At the frankly-inexcusable downright ignoring your subscribers, by the way, but you asked about making profits in this economy.
Surprise Surprise I disagree, I dont think People want the collection to end.
.......... I think you can draw your own conclusions from there being 8 of the next 13 cars not counting the 200D being American with the other 5 being British. They see the secondary market policy, they make low-risk/high-reward cars, and that's how you keep it going. At the frankly-inexcusable downright ignoring your subscribers, by the way, but you asked about making profits in this economy.
No i still have to disagree, then why would the same company consider starting new partworks with themes with individual items that can only be produced once, scooby doo, Cars 'PIXAR', Ben 10 ??
I think your theory would be correct looking at the diecast market late 1980's through to mid 1990's when models were produced in big volumes and repeated albeit in different colours. Corgi Classics were a perfect example of this and i am sure other British collectors will agree with this. Corgi , LLedo, Dinky (Matchbox) all produced a limited range of diecast models for the collector and released them multiple times with a different colour. The Bedford OB bus , Morris Minor, Ford Zephyr/Zodiac for example then they realised the market was being saturated so the big runs of 6000 of the same model soon became smaller runs of different models hence i guess the diversity in the Corgi range we are seeing now. My point being the company who is running the JBCC now has a customer base of subscribers why cull a guaranteed income and start a new partwork which needs marketing etc etc when with little investment and thought you could rejuvenate a closing, successful, diverse collection with new models and i dont mean lets pick cars we have in our range that also appeared in James Bond. If that was the case we would not see part works based on Star Wars, Star Trek etc . Also i am anticipating most of the JBBC subscribers not all, fall into a certain age range of 35 plus. What I am saying as this collection has a target audience most of which have bought into it because of the love of Bond movies . I for one love anything cars , i am a diecast collector but i subscribed because this was a James Bond Car Collection, there have been other car related part works but even as a big big car fan they have not interested me in the sameway as the JBCC has.
The James Bond link is the primary interest for all the subscribers hence opportunity to release more non cars within the collection which I will argue generate more revenue for the collection than plucking another yank tank or british not another morris yawn and putting it in the collection. Yes do this to bulk the collection but not all the time. Yes it saves money but in the long run this is what is undermining the collection and causing subscribers to cancel. I do not believe the issues are being chosen solely on ok we have x and y in our range have they appeared in James Bond ? As these models could be released anyway without ever being in JBCC. If that was the case the collection would have stopped years ago.
As I said already, this collection has a guaranteed income from loyal subscribers who are in it because of Bond hence we all got excited when the oddities were announced bondola, Dragon Tank etc etc even with the flaws but yawned at the prospect of another Morris Minor and the Blunderbird when it appeared to name but a few.
This collection has legs for many more issues if we read 'Cars' as vehicles. How exciting/interesting would the collection be with the prospect of more of the weird and wonderful from the world of Bond . This is the definitive collection never to be repeated with a new bond film on the horizon, if i was JBCC this is not the time to close the book on the part work but step up a gear and announce the gems we have been waiting for and also release the forgotten specials. More cars, trucks, the boats, the bikes, the aircraft , the military vehicles, specialised vehicles, loads to choose from.
Does anyone know where I can get hold of issues 88, 92, 94, 96, 98, 101, 106, 108, 111 and 113 of this collection? They're all sold out at GE Fabbri in the UK. I know that I could probably buy most of them on ebay, but I don't fancy paying the £25 (plus postage) per issue that the sellers are asking.
Is there anyone from Australia or South Africa reading this who knows whether any of these issues are available as back issues in those countries? If they are available, I'd be happy to reimburse anyone who bought any of these issues for me and sent them to me in the UK (and I'd add an extra payment to show my gratitude).
I was a little bit surprised at your info from Fabbri. Last time I rang the Database Factory (back orders) they told me that ALL of the previous issues would be available for the duration of the series and up to 3 months after it finally finishes. It might be that these issues are only temporarily out of stock, in which case I'd phone them again to place some long term standing orders for the numbers, as and when they come back in. You can always cancel/ammend the order if you get hold of any of them in the meantime.
Failing that, or JJS's kind offer, I'd get online and check out larger 'Toy Fair' venues in your area, they very often have JBCC models at realistic prices.
All I can say is that if you're going to debate empirical evidence from two actual dealers, one of whom does business on a very large scale, then all we can do is agree to disagree. I don't think you'll disagree with this, however...
Another conclusion we reached was that the late announcements of extensions annoyed EVERY demographic (Former Subscriber, Bond-Centric Non-Subscriber, Car-Centric Non-Subscriber) in a significant majority. It was by far the one thing that the most people agreed on.
At the very least, I'm sure you'd like to see an announcement, say, ten issues in advance as opposed to two issues in advance.
then why would the same company consider starting new partworks with themes with individual items that can only be produced once, scooby doo, Cars 'PIXAR', Ben 10 ??
It's apples and oranges. The JBCC, even from the start, had a remarkable cross-genre and very broad appeal. You can take the cars right off the diorama stands and add them to your own collections in all kinds of ways. We have tons of these cars sold at train shows in the US. In that way, the JBCC's quite different from these other collections. You can't take the Mystery Machine and put it on your layout by just swapping out the license plates, put a Batmobile into your regular flow of traffic and expect it to blend in, or take a cartoon car and make a serious automobile out of it (well...you can, but it requires Code 3'ing skills that are pretty significant!). I think the JBCC is truly unique with regard to how many people it appeals to. I know everyone from extreme Car-Centrics with little interest in Bond to extreme Bond-Centrics that care almost nothing for the sub-four-stars-on-IMCDB issues and all these people, at the very least, can look back on this collection and I'm sure basically say at least 60 out of 122 issues were terrific.
All I can say is that if you're going to debate empirical evidence from two actual dealers, one of whom does business on a very large scale, then all we can do is agree to disagree. I don't think you'll disagree with this, however...
Another conclusion we reached was that the late announcements of extensions annoyed EVERY demographic (Former Subscriber, Bond-Centric Non-Subscriber, Car-Centric Non-Subscriber) in a significant majority. It was by far the one thing that the most people agreed on.
At the very least, I'm sure you'd like to see an announcement, say, ten issues in advance as opposed to two issues in advance.
Yes that is true more notice would be good and this maybe the case with these two dealers and maybe a reflection on how they do business but my interest is with the source to whom i subscribe, the dealers are a secondry market.
If it wasnt for the demand set by subscribers the collection would not have continued beyond the 40, 70 , 90 , 110 and beyond. The subscribers are dictating the life span of the collection, the ebayers , the dealers are secondry. This is my point in any business it is easier to keep customers with a well defined product than trying to create customers with a new unproven product. The James Bond Car Collection will attract on more levels than say just a car collection. I for one would not have invested the last six years and nearly £1000 in a simple collection of cars and I am carcentric . The hook for me is james Bond and for JBCC to wind things up now especially in light of the new movie, the then DVD release i feel does not make business sense.
I liken it to when last week Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney were stopped performing when the promoters pulled the plug at the concert in London. There were many disappointed fans . In the short term the damage could cost the promoters 000's of lost revenue to disappointed concert goers, merchandise sales etc etc.
If and I say IF the collection ends at 135, as we have been at this juncture before how many of the subscribers will re subscribe to a new collection compared to how many will stop subscribing if the collection was to continue.
I predict and I have predicted before correctly the collection will continue beyond the planned conclusion . If I am wrong then I am wrong but then JBCC will be the losers as I certainly will not start a new part work with GEFABBRI Or whoever nor will many other subscribers i guess. The dealers will obviously have a market beyond the conclusion, but ultimately you can only demand high prices on a product that is sought after and in vogue there after they become other part works amongst the many.
Come on we all want more lets campaign , lets aim for another 15 to take us to 150 !!!
Gets off soap box
PS But not another aston DB5 . Thanks
My position:
Ok, sign me up to 150, but I really don't want anything in any scale other than 1:43. The Bondola would have been good in 1:43 but it's no use to me in the scale they chose. And I would tolerate another DB5, it was the 3 x DBS V12 that was slightly more annoying as it wasn't a very good model, and the DB5 was.
A model of the Antonov 124 in 1:500 scale for example would not be of great interest to me in this collection. As it so happens I have a 1:500 model of the AN-124 made by Herpa, as I also like aircraft, but deviating from 1:43 in this collection makes the whole collection more toy like, and they wouldn't do such a good job as Herpa.
BMW R1200C would be good. Some of the water vehicles would also be good - wetbike, OP escape pod , TSWLM sub - these can be done in 1:43.
with these two dealers and maybe a reflection on how they do business but my interest is with the source to whom i subscribe, the dealers are a secondry market.
Not really regarding the two dealers. Here's one thing you have to know: dealers talk with one another, even if they are trying to sell the same products (especially if one dealer is geared toward selling overseas while another is selling to continental Europe while another is going for the UK, etc., but even competing for a target market). The other dealers that these two gentlemen spoke with shared their experiences, basically. I will admit I have nothing to go on but their words, but think of this: why would they, of all people, want the collections to stop when they get away with selling tons and tons of these models for a HUGE markup?
I also am not sure if you get the meaning of how I'm using the term "secondary market". The way I'm applying it, I'm simply saying that the buyers are not buying factory direct, but rather using what amounts to a middleman.
the dealers are secondary
In name only. With the literal exception of the last issue (due to scheduling problems), the dealers have gotten first dibs on every issue since the middle of the UH-only days. The subscribers actually get their cars later. The dealers also buy in bulk...think anywhere from a dozen to five dozen cars depending on the size of the dealer...discounted from a subcriber price and then marked up more than a subscriber can get them for. At this point, you have many, many dealers that operate this way and buy exclusively for resale. It's a good way to invest...while the individual sales don't amount to much, it starts to add up. Now multiply it by any number of issues; even 10-15 issues with a dozen cars and both the dealer and Eaglemoss are making a killing.
As for the extensions, I can't agree on that. We all saw how many subscribers from this forum alone just up and quit when the collection went beyond 110 with near-outrage from some. Eaglemoss is obviously doing marketing research and they're trying to produce what they believe will sell and make the most money. They knew they would lose subscribers following the post-110 extension (and remember: former subscribers actually made up a large enough demographic that we decided to count them on their own); hence why almost every issue since has been basically Car-Centric/Broad-Appeal/Cross-over Appeal. That's just basic market research and if Eaglemoss isn't doing that, I'd be shocked; you ALWAYS look at the sales figures of prior issues and subscriber numbers to determine the content of what goes into a partwork series. Basically, the only way I can think of posing it to you is this way: why are they going almost radically to Car-Centric/Broad Appeal/Cross-Over Appeal cars and light trucks if they're doing really well amongst the much-more-likely-to-be-Bond-Centric subscribers?
but ultimately you can only demand high prices on a product that is sought after and in vogue there after they become other part works amongst the many.
But that's the key to it all regarding the dealers. They're not demanding high prices. They're not looking to sell one car for $50 USD; they're looking to sell a dozen for $20-$30 USD each.
I think your theory would be correct looking at the diecast market late 1980's through to mid 1990's when models were produced in big volumes and repeated albeit in different colours.
If you delete the part about large volumes, then Ixo still operates like this, albeit via partworks. Some of their Mercs (especially), French cars, and East Bloc cars have over a dozen models using the same basic mould if you add the different partworks together.
If that was the case we would not see part works based on Star Wars, Star Trek etc .
But you seem to be missing the point: Ixo doesn't make those. Other companies do, but Ixo doesn't. To Ixo's management, recycling moulds and milking every car mould by reusing it multiple times is standard practice. It's just the way the company happens to work. I know you don't like the East Bloc cars, but if you looked at the East Bloc partworks and the cars sold there individually, you would see this mentality carried out to an extreme (the 30+ different GAZ-M21/GAZ-21-series Volgas they've made, for example...).
As for raw numbers/the collection ongoing, the current marketing strategy, I'd like to see it keep going, too. But based on raw empirical data that admittedly you've chosen not to believe to be representative, plus Ixo's mentality toward...well, anything, it's gonna end at either 135 or 140. It's also important to note that Ixo is now expanding its two best-selling partwork in the former East Bloc, SSSR AvtoLegendy and Kultowe Auta PRL-u. The announcements were timed within only two or three weeks of the "135 or 140" reveal regarding the JBCC, as well. These particular models get produced in HUGE numbers for partwork cars and basically, something's gotta give.
I have worked most of my professional life with marketing companies or marketing departments of companies. Unfortunately in almost all cases, they haven't had a clue about collecting valid opinions or what to do with them. In one case I remember, a company sent canvassers out onto the street during working hours to collect opinions from shoppers about work-related matters. What no-one had thought of was that they would be out and about when most people were at work, so the only opinions they got were from the unemployed or retired. Guess what? The marketing company used the results anyway.
Marketing companies love 'pigeon holing' people and if people don't fit into their 'pigeon holes' it throws them into confusion, where they will either try to figure out what's going on or more likely, try and push a square peg into a round hole and hope for the best.
In the case of the JBCC, I don't think they have understood that they have tapped into an unusual type of customer vein – people who have taken the bait on multi levels as against just one. For instance, the new Star Trek series will attract Star Trek fans, simple, but the JBCC has hooked people who love cars, people who love James Bond in all its forms and people who love the intriguing dioramas. What's worse is that those who are hooked can't all be separated into 'pigeon holes' because many are a partial combination of each area of interest.
I would go further than Diecast007, and estimate that the majority of customers here are probably in their 40s, which in the UK, is the group with the most spending cash available in terms of hobbies and pursuits. If EMFabbri are finding this '3 way interest' group to be one they'd like to keep, they seriously need to understand it properly. Two out of the three groups will probably walk away from a new partwork that is just cars, or Disney, whatever. An ordinary partwork won't have that clever 3-way mix. The worst possible conclusion their marketing dept could make is that 'this is just another car partwork – finish it and they'll all buy into a new car partwork'. I would say EMFabbri should come up with either a new movie or TV vehicle related partwork, or introduce something similar to La Route Bleue with dioramas, maybe a US 'Route 66' version, or continue with the JBCC despite the complaints. 'Collector Fatigue' is a well known phenomenon, some people act on it and others moan about it but ultimately can't stop themselves - collecting is a minor addiction after all. I would imagine EMFabbri have only heard from disenchanted subscribers in relation to the JBCC so probably are making judgements on that alone. How many people would phone up a company and say "I love your product!! Keep it going!!"? They probably don't hear positives from the other side, and certainly don't ask for them from non-subscribers at least. No-one at The Database Factory has ever asked me if I'm pleased with the product or mentioned upcoming releases - a simple quick sales technique any decent marketing dept would have its operatives use when talking to customers.
My starting point - Car centric non-subscriber who has bought most recent parts and always buys through official channel because its cheapest.
My position. Finish at 135 if you cant do more than 2 Skyfall cars (swap Minor for UAZ though), finish at 140 if you can. Dont want planes etc though 1:43 Motorbikes are acceptable.
Why? Toy fairs - and often EBay too - prices for Bonds are dropping to below issue price in many cases a sure sign that interest is waning in the collection. A good effort for Skyfall might have given a bit of impetus but that doesnt look like its coming. Eaglemoss didnt originate this series and for all we know they simply sacked all the Fabbri staff that did. They can only run so many part works and if they think their resources are best spent on a "jumpers of the rock stars" collection or a build your own lunar lander that is what they will spend time on. Do even database warehouse want to go on doing fulfillment or the packing firm want to go on doing the mailing at the type of contract rates set 3 years plus ago??? Even in France the number of car based part works has reduced so maybe this is just the end of a cycle.
BTW the new series like Cars would not be made by IXO they would be sourced from the companies that make the cars for Disney Shops in US I guess or mattel that does them in the UK.
Well that's my turn on the soap box so over to the next person- I shall certainly miss all the discussion on this board if we end at 135....
Is there anyone from Australia or South Africa reading this who knows whether any of these issues are available as back issues in those countries?
Back issues in South Africa have to ordered through the newsagent, and are not available directly from the distributor like in the UK. I believe the situation in Australia is the same. So it's generally a waste of time - if I want a missing or extra copy of an issue I ask a mate in the UK to source it for me there and post to over here.
That said, the next issue due here is 100, which might explain the low stocks of some in that range in the UK at present!
As MCF said earlier, they might get stocks again later - in this case when the unsold copies are returned from SA. There was a similar problem a year ago with issues in the upper-70s, some of which I see are now truly sold out in the UK.
The bad news is that I couldn't find a copy of Issue 98 locally, so that one clearly is in short supply.
I would go further than Diecast007, and estimate that the majority of customers here are probably in their 40s, which in the UK, is the group with the most spending cash available in terms of hobbies and pursuits. If EMFabbri are finding this '3 way interest' group to be one they'd like to keep, they seriously need to understand it properly.
Yes, I would agree that this is demographic still hanging in, as older collectors would probably have switched to cherry-picking by now, if they are still buying at all, whilst most younger collectors would have lost interest around issue 40 when the "glamour" cars gave way to the likes of the TB Ford Thunderbird and the TMWTGG AMC Matador (grandad's cars).
I think your theory would be correct looking at the diecast market late 1980's through to mid 1990's when models were produced in big volumes and repeated albeit in different colours. Corgi Classics were a perfect example of this and i am sure other British collectors will agree with this. Corgi , LLedo, Dinky (Matchbox) all produced a limited range of diecast models for the collector and released them multiple times with a different colour. The Bedford OB bus , Morris Minor, Ford Zephyr/Zodiac for example then they realised the market was being saturated so the big runs of 6000 of the same model soon became smaller runs of different models hence i guess the diversity in the Corgi range we are seeing now.
Yes, I had to smile at this this. I have a Corgi Vanguards Ford Escort Mk.1 "One of 11,000 pieces" and an early-1990s Corgi Classics set containing those exact three you mention as "Limited Edition of only 13,000 worldwide" - really stretching the definition of "limited edition" there....
To me the one valuable aspect of model partworks is that they keep the diecast factories in business, retaining valuable skills, in this age where model collecting in a Western context is a hobby that is struggling to attract new fans due to the weak global economy and competition from other pursuits. As was said on another (car-centric) forum recently, another problem is that cars today - especially at the economy end of the price scale - are too generic to whip up any enthusiasm in their owners to want to have a model of them (or for their sons to want a model of dad's car).
I'm not saying that is a dying hobby, but it is a hobby that clearly has challenges. Minichamps seems to be going the route of introducing more resin models (quicker and cheaper to develop) whilst Corgi seems to be angling at themes (motorsport heroes and popular TV shows) to attract sales.
I actually agree with both MovieCarFan and Maz in almost everything said. However, the one thing that MCF said that basically can't be stressed strongly enough...and I'll get to your point about market research, because I agree with the gist of it, albeit in a somewhat unorthodox way...I just believe you hit the nail completely squarely on the head with this comment right here and I'm also bolding the most important part...
In the case of the JBCC, I don't think they [Eaglemoss] have understood that they have tapped into an unusual type of customer vein – people who have taken the bait on multi levels as against just one. For instance, the new Star Trek series will attract Star Trek fans, simple, but the JBCC has hooked people who love cars, people who love James Bond in all its forms and people who love the intriguing dioramas. What's worse is that those who are hooked can't all be separated into 'pigeon holes' because many are a partial combination of each area of interest.
I would go further than Diecast007, and estimate that the majority of customers here are probably in their 40s, which in the UK, is the group with the most spending cash available in terms of hobbies and pursuits. If EMFabbri are finding this '3 way interest' group to be one they'd like to keep, they seriously need to understand it properly.
Although I'd argue that Eaglemoss has (unfortunately probably too late) misunderstood rather than not understood at all their customer base, you're completely dead on here. Despite being the stand-in for the representatives of hard-line Car-Centrism here, there are cars I would not normally have gone out of my way to purchase or lobby a company to make had they not appeared in a Bond film. The Range Rover Convertible? Wouldn't have it. The Ford Bronco II? Wouldn't have it. The Chevy C-10 Ambulance? Nope. Even the cars I'm most enthusiastic about I for the most part would not have asked for. In that way, this partwork not only drew me in because I loved cars, but also because I'm a huge Bond fan, albeit not a Bond memorabilia collector (I had two Corgi Astons prior to this series' release, including the gold-colored one...to prove I have one, I'll photograph it next to any one of 700+ East Bloc vehicles... ) But that was it.). One of the things I'm NOT developing is Collector Fatigue. I love this collection! But it is something I've been observing. Still going to address marketing, but first a slight digression.
Try as I might thinking about it, I was not able to add a fourth category to the the three you set forth. Although I believe the Diorama people have probably been pretty alienated by this point, unfortunately.
Now, market research. The thing is, car partworks...at least the ones I'm familiar with...tend to have different methods of doing the market research, even if it's the same company putting out different partworks at the same time. Let's take DeAgostini since I am familiar with them. Yes, these are all East Bloc partworks, but I'm not going to get into the cars. What I am going to get into is how they're doing market research, from the terrific collector's dream to the terrible collector's nightmare.
Example 1. SSSR AvtoLegendy. The way these guys conduct market research is to have the project manager posting on two of the largest 1/43 collecting forums in the former Soviet Union and asking what people who are seasoned hobbyists what would they would like to see appear. A similar marketing strategy is employed for the "sister series" Avtomobilni na Sluzhbe. In fact, people from these two forums are welcome to contribute information that winds up in the magazines. This, to me, is basically some of the best market research you can possibly do and why the collections are incredibly strong sellers. I think all of you would agree that having this sort of arrangement with the JBCC would be pretty awesome.
Example 2. Masini de Legenda. Yep, another East Bloc partwork, this one in Romania. The way they attempt market research here is basically to monitor blogs with future requests, which they made clear in Issue 1 that they encourage. Thus far, they've seemed to do a number of non-Romanian East Bloc cars that were common in Romania, but one thing that's both surprising and welcome is going out of their way to make sure that if the car is rare or foreign, then to make it look just like a correct example they found in Romania. They also encourage suggestions (one example of a car that wasn't planned but wound up in the series anyway was the Trabant P50, the infamous P601's predecessor...it sold well in Romania and was thus included, despite not having a current example of the car [although rest-assured, a color photo was found to give the car a proper Romanian livery]. The ZIS-110 limousine included featured the license plates ["740-B"] of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, Romania's communist dictator before the psychotic Nicolae Ceausescu came to power; this too was a write-in suggestion to help make the car, which had already been moulded three times, a bit more unique.). Again, even though there's less direct input, you have a terrific marketing strategy in partwork that is really selling well.
Example 3. Kultowe Auta PRL-u. This Polish partwork was initially infamous for how little input the subscribers had, unless it had to do with the series' unique (for East Bloc partworks) special issues. However, as time went on, more and more suggestions began to be accepted. The recent reveal of an extension was to accomodate those suggestions. I remember how disappointed I was when we were told that there would not be a ZUK A-05 Panel Van (these were really common). Well, lo and behold, in the announced extension, we finally get the ZUK A-05, as well as some other models people were/are surprised (happily) to see. This, I suspect, is what most of the people here hoping for an extension to, say, 150 hope to see as it applies to the JBCC...just having Eaglemoss do an about-face and then announce they're taking suggestions.
Example 4. Kultovni Auta CSSR. This is a Czech partwork that generates a decent bit of money. But there are NO special issues, NO subscriber input, and the partwork not only takes all the moulds from Kultowe Auta PRL-u, it even re-uses the colors! Although not taken to Kultovni Auta's extreme (we ARE getting a little bit better than this, admit it... ) ), Kultovni Auta is still purchased pretty widely and I suspect a lot of people here may draw at least some analogy to the Kultovni Auta CSSR partwork after reading this as to what Eaglemoss is doing to us.
Unfortunately, there's really no way as to gauging Eaglemoss' exact marketing strategy. We can make educated guesses, and MCF, I'd say yours is very nicely done and comes with plenty of experience; likewise, my own educated guess is something where I at least tried incorporating some kind of information-gathering effort. Is Eaglemoss watching us? Basically, as Maz essentially concludes with his summary about JohnSteed's unknown status, "maybe, maybe not."
Guess what? The marketing company used the results anyway.
I never said their marketing research was necessarily good...don't get me wrong...but they have to be getting the results from somewhere. As Maz points out in his response post, even all of us can tell from flagging prices as well as increased dealer purchases but lower dealer prices (i.e. sell in quantity vs. sell at a high price) that something is causing waning interest. I'll leave that italicized something to you, whoever is reading this, to decide from your own POV.
However, Maz also raises a strong point regarding waning interest or no waning interest. If one is to count the Mercedes-Benz 200D, then we're currently either 13 (if 135) or 18 (if 140) issues away from the end of the JBCC. If they can't take advantage of Skyfall/fill it up to 140 with SF issues, then that's the end of the collection. On the other hand, if they do take advantage of SF and release their final issues up to 140 as SF, they could get a resurgence of interest and at least end on a high note and at most, extend the collection to 150. But then, are they going to be willing to pay the likely-astronomical SF licensing costs? I think only time will tell.
I also agree with FACT very strongly on this point...
To me the one valuable aspect of model partworks is that they keep the diecast factories in business, retaining valuable skills, in this age where model collecting in a Western context is a hobby that is struggling to attract new fans due to the weak global economy and competition from other pursuits. As was said on another (car-centric) forum recently, another problem is that cars today - especially at the economy end of the price scale - are too generic to whip up any enthusiasm in their owners to want to have a model of them (or for their sons to want a model of dad's car).
I'm not saying that is a dying hobby, but it is a hobby that clearly has challenges. Minichamps seems to be going the route of introducing more resin models (quicker and cheaper to develop) whilst Corgi seems to be angling at themes (motorsport heroes and popular TV shows) to attract sales.
And you can even extend that to other makers: Ixo has the East Bloc (and the reason why I think they can get away with 30+ different, good-selling Volga 21 models using the same body is because that market actually HAS warmed to "your grandfather's car"...or truck, or bus...), Norev gets France and Italy, Neo switches completely to resin (remember, they grew out of Replicars), Ebbro gets Japan's classic cars (now that Norev's partwork is winding down), Kyosho gets the Japanese sports cars, Spark Models gets German resin, Corgi Vanguards and Oxford Diecast do increasingly crazy stuff for the UK in addition to their normal ranges, Trax and Biante fight over Australia while adding surprise premium lines that have actually proven rather effective, and Brooklin has started making older and older cars (1930's-early 1950's). The "niche marketing" amongst regular large makers has become huge.
Unfortunately, there's really no way as to gauging Eaglemoss' exact marketing strategy. We can make educated guesses, and MCF, I'd say yours is very nicely done and comes with plenty of experience; likewise, my own educated guess is something where I at least tried incorporating some kind of information-gathering effort. Is Eaglemoss watching us? Basically, as Maz essentially concludes with his summary about JohnSteed's unknown status, "maybe, maybe not."
I believe ‘John Steed’s presence on this forum as a secret representative for Fabbri’s marketing research dept was very much for real. The reason being that when number 58 the Quantum Aston DBS was released, some code3 enthusiasts took the door off, damaged the heck out of it and posted photos of the results, all of which were really well received by the forum contributors. Although nothing was said by ‘Mr. Steed’ at the time, what was later announced as being the very last issue (110)? - A damaged Quantum DBS with the door missing. To my mind, that had to be a nod towards the forum’s wishes, but unfortunately it didn’t meet with quite the enthusiasm that Fabbri might have hoped for. That response in itself might have killed off Fabbri’s interest in a low-level form of interaction with the forum but I reckon it was there up to issue 110 at least.
What I would ask is why did the interaction have to be so surreptitious? Was ‘John Steed’s involvement not sanctioned by Fabbri by any chance? In terms of marketing, you have the brilliant interactive type you’ve described such as the supplier joining forums and encouraging feedback, or in the case of Corgi for instance, mailshots, collector clubs and regular newsletters etc , etc . This is usually the work of a separately employed marketing outfit. And then you have another type, almost always a company’s own marketing department. The other type follows a cynical ‘we are the daddy’ ethic that is becoming more and more prevalent in the UK right now, whereby marketing departments treat their customers like children, part the ‘nannying’ culture. This is where the company makes its own decisions over what it produces based on profit factors alone, with little or no interest in the hopes and desires of the childlike customer, who is only there to be fleeced and not heard. The company will decide what sweeties the child can have. (The very worst companies are those where the money making agendas of the directors are totally at odds with their own marketing departments, who very often genuinely share the interest of their customers but aren’t allowed to engage with them, when they 'should be touting for business elsewhere') I wouldn’t say GEFabbri /Eaglemoss have been quite that bad, but unfortunately, when you consider the almost ‘deity’ like mysterious anonymity they have shown in their lack of interaction with their customers, plus the non-reply to your letter, I fear the latter to be nearer the mark. This may be unfair, perhaps they do secretly peruse these pages and take our musings on board, I guess we’ll never know, but it’s the impression they give. As you say, a regular contributor representing the JBCC would have been, and still would be, awesome.
I wouldn't call JohnSteed's participation here surreptitious, MCF - he did say up front that he was the project manager for the JBCC and 1/8 DB5 partworks at GE Fabbri (this might have been in his postings on the DB5 thread).
If that 2007 interview that used to be on the old MI6HQ website was still around we would know his real name, but it disappeared along with the rest of that website two years ago (and isn't available in WebArchive for that site, unfortunately).
I would imagine that he cleared his participation here with SiCo, so I am confident that he was who he claimed to be.
Minichamps seems to be going the route of introducing more resin models (quicker and cheaper to develop)
I think these are some of the reasons that Minichamps are making resin cars, but there are other reasons. Two that spring to mind are 1) Resin models are accepted as being able to carry a higher price. 2) The enormous popularity of Spark models, which are resin.
I wouldn't call JohnSteed's participation here surreptitious, MCF - he did say up front that he was the project manager for the JBCC and 1/8 DB5 partworks at GE Fabbri (this might have been in his postings on the DB5 thread).
If that 2007 interview that used to be on the old MI6HQ website was still around we would know his real name, but it disappeared along with the rest of that website two years ago (and isn't available in WebArchive for that site, unfortunately).
I would imagine that he cleared his participation here with SiCo, so I am confident that he was who he claimed to be.
Apologies if I didn't make myself clear - I was referring to GEFabbri's lack of contact with its customers at the highest marketing/pr level. Apart from the postings by 'Mr. Steed' (not 'JBCC' or GEFabbri') all that we've heard from them officially throughout the series has been the odd little note put in some deliveries to subscribers. This compares to the full, up front, online forum participation Dalko described, or the high level interaction with customers that Corgi engage in. Compared to that, their communication with us has been sparse and incredibly low-key. On this thread was hard to tell whether 'Mr Steed' was giving us official information sanctioned by Fabbri, or inside information as an anonymous user.
MCF and FACT: the discussion on JohnSteed is very timely. I made a point of asking one of the dealers I communicate with if they happened to know if the original staff from Fabbri was being retained. Sure enough, I get this: "everyone* is the same, same jobs, [...] Eaglemoss is trying to keep their hands off what Fabbri started".
*emphasis his
THAT is genuinely interesting, especially Eaglemoss trying to adhere to Fabbri's business model. But also, that would logically indicate that JohnSteed is still there but has stopped posting for reasons unknown.
I will say this: a publisher CAN decide that a person is giving out too much info. RCForum.ru unfortunately experienced this with SSSR AvtoLegendy's Maxim Shelepenkov, who went SO far that he was actually showing prototypes of forthcoming models, telling everyone there what colors the models would be in, etc. Maxim had to dial it back big time, and now he can only discuss future models in much broader terms. Maxim, though, was there BOTH as a collector and as a representative. He loves what he does. JohnSteed is a much more difficult-to-read guy (who knows...he may have even viewed posting here as a chore) and I agree; no clue whether he was "officially" here or not. If Eaglemoss and the old hands from Fabbri don't want anyone knowing their plans, they could simply have a similar policy, only cranked up to the draconian extreme of letting no info out.
Also, regarding my dealer buddy, for the first time, he weighed in on the JBCC in what I would describe as candid terms, offering his own opinions on the company vs. just answering my questions. One thing that repeatedly came up was dishonesty in terms of schedule. He, unlike the other dealer, is NOT sure that the Mercedes-Benz 200D will come in on July 25 and still believes it's coming in August 8 or August 9. He bemoaned conflicting information as well, routinely getting one story from Database Factory and another from Eaglemoss, noting that DBF was usually in possession of obsolete information. Also of note was poor customer service and communication steadily declining and that whoever he spoke with seemed to "pass the buck" in terms of blame if something went wrong.
I wouldn’t say GEFabbri /Eaglemoss have been quite that bad, but unfortunately, when you consider the almost ‘deity’ like mysterious anonymity they have shown in their lack of interaction with their customers, plus the non-reply to your letter, I fear the latter to be nearer the mark.
Well, like I said, I don't think they're as bad as whoever is behind Kultovni Auta CSSR (if for no other reason than you would basically have to TRY to be that bad...), but they're cutting it awful close.
This may be unfair, perhaps they do secretly peruse these pages and take our musings on board, I guess we’ll never know, but it’s the impression they give
I agree here...though I actually think they probably DO peruse these pages given the info my dealer friend gave me.
As you say, a regular contributor representing the JBCC would have been, and still would be, awesome.
If you're reading this, "Mr. Steed", it's not too late. You can come back. And we promise we'll be polite and not make TOO many demands.
Just received issues 122/123 and looking at the back of the Plymouth issue the Bel Air in 124 is the New york version. Btw dioramas back to basics again, white snow look for the Merc and black tarmac for the Plymouth and no figures. Having said that liked both the cars. Will try and get a couple of images up before I leave for work.
Just received issues 122/123 and looking at the back of the Plymouth issue the Bel Air in 124 is the New york version. Btw dioramas back to basics again, white snow look for the Merc and black tarmac for the Plymouth and no figures. Having said that liked both the cars. Will try and get a couple of images up before I leave for work.
YEP Mine arrived too. The Mercedes is great with nice detail of snow chains on a basic snow diorama, the Plymouth is another great model and looks smart in the black. The diorama albeit very simple does the job as the car fills the box. Like the look of 124 as this one from LALD one of my favourites of the bond genre.
Bizarrely though i have missed out on 120 and 121 better phone them
The Volga and Mercedes "450 SEL" are both already available on the back orders section of the JBCC web site I ordered about a week ago and they came today.... Strange since 118/119 have not arrived yet.
Yes the FYEO Merc was a great wall diorama but no Locque villain.
As a non-subscriber I picked up my Volga model on 19 July (get it about a week later) and I see it's a
UH production (not IXO) with the Quetigny,France address on the packaging.
That's why the diorama has a nice bit of railway line on the roadway.
I would say I'm Bond-centric and it's a nice habit to visit the sci-fi shop every 4 weeks to get the next issue.
So I wouldn't mind if it continued on , but I guess it has to stop some time.
The frequency hasn't changed so with another 14 to come, surely that's going to be at least another year of it running?
By the way I can recommend the Designing Bond exhibition at The Barbican centre in London. I spent 2 1/2 hours in there.
it costs £12 for adults, but I had to restrain my spending-but they do have 3 chinese made Bond car models
DB5, white Lotus and modern DBS at £18 each with 3 sound effects,
1. car engine noise and revolving wheels. 2. The james bond music theme. 3. a toot toot! air horn sound.
I only bought the DBS as 3 would've cost £54. They also had JB Paper Clips at £6.50. One clip is 00 and the other is the gun shape to make the 7 in 007.
The 2 cars are on eBay - early pics, hopefully someone will post some better ones soon.
One of the drawbacks about being a cherrypicker in the UK is the looooooooooong wait for the Database Factory to get these cars in stock as 'back orders' and then taking an age to send 'em out. It'll be about a month before I get my Savoy. I'll just have to be patient I suppose.........
Thanks for the pics MCF! It does indeed look like tampo-printing for the 200D's wheels, but very good tampo-printing at that. Mould is re-used Ixo, but they did a very nice job on the car. The Savoy LOOKS terrific, but I'd really have to see it from all angles (and likely in person) to gauge just how well they made it.
As a non-subscriber I picked up my Volga model on 19 July (get it about a week later) and I see it's a
UH production (not IXO) with the Quetigny,France address on the packaging.
That's why the diorama has a nice bit of railway line on the roadway.
Actually, believe it or not, it's still Ixo. It sounds counterintuitive, but let me explain: note that they also re-used the Fabbri name...which no longer exists, technically. I've been told by a couple people (not just my two dealer buddies), including a guy who works for a very prominent Russian hobby shop whose info has yet to be wrong (I'd trust him over pretty much everyone in the 1/43 scale auto hobby, virtually no matter the partwork or regular issue car, at least when it comes to Ixo, Neo, and Hongwell), that they're re-using the bottom cards printed in 2011 that anticipated UH manufacture for the "standard-sized" diorama bases (they printed up a bunch with a 2012 copyright and Fabbri/UH info). Apparently, Ixo had to avoid this on the Mercedes-Benz bases because of licensing issues with the Mercedes-Benz name, but made no attempt at correcting it on other issues that used the standard base with the exception of crudely removing the UH brand name and address on a few early issues of the Volga (one of which I have...my other two both show the Universal Hobbies name and address).
Comments
I wonder if he meant UK subscribers or those in other countries who follow a few numbers behind? Purely from a personal point of view, I've never been particularly concerned about when these cars are released as long as it's not 6 months apart or something equally ridiculous, but then I'm in the UK and have been receiving them pretty much as soon as they are issued. From that perspective, when it now seems the series is much more likely than ever to end soon (months rather than the years it's been going) I'm in no rush to see the last model issued. Obviously the car-centrics can move on to other pastures, and for the 'completeists' amongst us it will be a huge relief that they have every JBCC model in the collection and can finally close their wallets. But for some, if not a great many, there's nothing appearing on the horizon as remotely interesting as the JBCC, so I think the end will be fairly bittersweet - a bit like getting the benefit of losing weight at the expense of seeing your favourite restaurant close down.
He did, MCF. Sorry I didn't make that clear. Basically, his theory is similar to FACT's (and yes, I'm aware you're in South Africa/some issues behind, FACT, but I think the principle you've hit upon is pretty much universal), that being that people are basically starting to succumb to collector fatigue and want the collection to just end as soon as possible, yet still get all their issues "[no matter] if they're in it for the cars, or the films, or whether they subscribe or not". His personal viewpoint on that was something akin to trying to have your cake and eat it, too, and he was very much for returning to the old schedule, believing the new one might create even more significant quality control issues.
I'm nowhere near as vehement as he is in returning to the old schedule, especially since we HAD some quality control issues when we had the slowed down schedule, but I do think his point merits some consideration, plus he confirms FACT's opinion about "collector fatigue". He emailed me that this was based on other customers basically asking him when it would all end, and that in at least two instances, his customers (and these people sound like textbook examples of completists) will be more relieved than anything else. I'm firmly in your camp...take all the time you need so long as it isn't something silly...but it appears that there at least a decent-sized number of people are in the "I want it RIGHT NOW" camp.
Surprise Surprise I disagree, I dont think People want the collection to end. We the subscribers are always anticipating the next delivery. How soon we forget the last delivery when there is news of the next. The wish list, the sneak peaks, this forum all fuelled by our inner desire to own another in our weird and wonderful world of collecting diecast. To be honest when i ask when is the collection concluding I am really hoping it has been extended. We have had this debate time and time again at the end of the collection then bang an announcement and it is all systems go again. This collection has legs for many more vehicles in the James Bond genre under the JBCC banner and i dont mean cars. Why draw a line with cars? There has been missed opportunities but still time to restore the broken promises of specials. Business is business and if i was managing this collection i would be looking to keep my subscribers as that is gauranteed income and could be the difference in a business making a profit or going under. More so in this current economic climate. Skyfall is due to be released very soon this surely will inspire a new batch of collecting enthusiasm. Scale, box size does not matter if the product is presented well , there will be buyers, new ones, existing alike. Come on we all want more lets campaign , lets aim for another 15 to take us to 150 !!!
Gets off soap box
PS But not another aston DB5 . Thanks
Is there anyone from Australia or South Africa reading this who knows whether any of these issues are available as back issues in those countries? If they are available, I'd be happy to reimburse anyone who bought any of these issues for me and sent them to me in the UK (and I'd add an extra payment to show my gratitude).
But here's the thing: instead of basing this on emotional investment (as I usually do) or Eaglemoss' current business practices, I'm actually trying to collect an accurate sample size as to how people in general feel about a possible end to the collection. I would want the collection to continue as well, actually, as a non-subscriber. However, the data provided to me by two dealers (one of whom is a large-scale eBay guy, the other of whom works on a smaller scale) would indicate that there is at the very least a significant plurality and almost certainly a modest (not large) majority of people where collector fatigue is setting in. In roughly this order, I've been able to determine (with the help of said two dealers) who wants the collection dead and gone, demographic-wise, and who wants it to stay.
1) Former subscribers who cut their connection to the collection after Issue 40. The former subscribers, in both dealers' cases, showed not only a desire to see the collection end, but an overwhelming desire, numerically. Note that from what I gathered, the categories we'd recognize as "Car-Centric" and "Bond-Centric" were roughly evenly represented here.
2) What amounted to Bond-Centrics who were not ever subscribers or subscribed prior to Issue 40.
3) What amounted to Car-Centrics who were not ever subscribers or subscribed prior to Issue 40.
I don't think "1" should surprise anyone; former subscribers that recently cancelled are by their nature, usually but not in all cases not happy that the partwork is going in the direction that it is. However, the fact that non-subscribing Bond-Centrics outnumbered non-subscribing Car-Centrics in wanting to end the collection sooner shouldn't surprise anyone, either. In many of their opinions, the former thought that Fabbri or Eaglemoss had reached a point where they jumped the shark. The latter, in more cases, basically simply decided to ride the collection out because they could find use for the cars.
Another conclusion we reached was that the late announcements of extensions annoyed EVERY demographic (Former Subscriber, Bond-Centric Non-Subscriber, Car-Centric Non-Subscriber) in a significant majority. It was by far the one thing that the most people agreed on.
We tried for some subscriber data as well, but four people do not to me represent a significant or representative sample size. All four had basically gotten collector fatigue and wanted to see the collection end at some point before 150.
But there was one other demographic that showed up disproportionately large amongst the Car-Centrics. If you guessed us Yanks, you'd be right.
Well, for one thing, it is the James Bond Car Collection.
Under new management with new people signing off on the final decisions with a new manufacturer, there is indeed in theory time, but is there a desire to do so on the parts of Eaglemoss and Ixo vs. Fabbri and UH? As I mentioned, if Ixo can't find some other way to resell it eventually, they're hesitant to make it. If you want to take East Bloc cars out of the debate entirely, you can still use the example of some of Ixo's Mercedes-Benz moulds (particularly the W111 and W108) that are re-used to the point of actual visible wear on the finished product!
But under the current economic climate, you can (and Eaglemoss seems to be doing this) make more money with the "secondary market first" approach that Eaglemoss is taking. It no longer inhibits you from selling within a rigid system where one issue could bomb and they could lose a few subscribers that way (Blunderbird, anyone?) or one schedule extension could cause collector fatigue and cause subscribers to drop (the "To 110" and "To 130" extensions, anyone?). Subscribers are guaranteed income, but they're not a large source of guaranteed income. Releasing safe designs...a sort of automotive travel log within the Bondiverse with broad appeal and cross-genre appeal guarantees the sale of vehicles via secondary market sources. Ixo already knows that certain cars will sell well in certain markets. Since Issue 92, which was when we thought we'd have the "alternating" Ixo and UH issues, we have had (and this includes planned issues)...
-American Cars/Light Trucks, pre-1980: 13 (I'm including the Chevrolet C-10 Ambulance, as it was an American design built from a CKD)
-British Cars, non-Rolls-Royce (including Astons): 9
-British Cars, Rolls-Royce: 5
-East Bloc/Former East Bloc Cars: 5
-Mercedes-Benz cars (the only German make they've done/planned): 5
-American cars, post-1980: 3
-Other Vehicles: 3
If you do it by country, the split is even more radical...
American Cars/Light Trucks: 16
British Cars/Light Trucks: 14
Soviet/Russian Cars: 5
German Cars: 5
Other Vehicles (in other words, the Osprey 5 Hovercraft, Kawasaki Z900 Motorcycle, and Bondola): 3
The fact that Eaglemoss is 1) pursuing the marketing strategy it is, 2) has had produced more American cars than British cars, despite having plenty of opportunities at making British cars (the TB Triumph Herald, the OHMSS Rolls-Royce "Proto-Corniche" by Mulliner-Park Ward, the OHMSS Ford Escort, the FRWL Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, etc, etc...that I'd love to see made, btw...), and 3) the empirical data showing that Americans are both buying the collection using the "secondary market strategy" and happen to trend Car-Centric does actually ensure that they'll be making money so long as they get the cars well-designed. I think you can draw your own conclusions from there being 8 of the next 13 cars not counting the 200D being American with the other 5 being British. They see the secondary market policy, they make low-risk/high-reward cars, and that's how you keep it going. At the frankly-inexcusable downright ignoring your subscribers, by the way, but you asked about making profits in this economy.
No i still have to disagree, then why would the same company consider starting new partworks with themes with individual items that can only be produced once, scooby doo, Cars 'PIXAR', Ben 10 ??
I think your theory would be correct looking at the diecast market late 1980's through to mid 1990's when models were produced in big volumes and repeated albeit in different colours. Corgi Classics were a perfect example of this and i am sure other British collectors will agree with this. Corgi , LLedo, Dinky (Matchbox) all produced a limited range of diecast models for the collector and released them multiple times with a different colour. The Bedford OB bus , Morris Minor, Ford Zephyr/Zodiac for example then they realised the market was being saturated so the big runs of 6000 of the same model soon became smaller runs of different models hence i guess the diversity in the Corgi range we are seeing now. My point being the company who is running the JBCC now has a customer base of subscribers why cull a guaranteed income and start a new partwork which needs marketing etc etc when with little investment and thought you could rejuvenate a closing, successful, diverse collection with new models and i dont mean lets pick cars we have in our range that also appeared in James Bond. If that was the case we would not see part works based on Star Wars, Star Trek etc . Also i am anticipating most of the JBBC subscribers not all, fall into a certain age range of 35 plus. What I am saying as this collection has a target audience most of which have bought into it because of the love of Bond movies . I for one love anything cars , i am a diecast collector but i subscribed because this was a James Bond Car Collection, there have been other car related part works but even as a big big car fan they have not interested me in the sameway as the JBCC has.
The James Bond link is the primary interest for all the subscribers hence opportunity to release more non cars within the collection which I will argue generate more revenue for the collection than plucking another yank tank or british not another morris yawn and putting it in the collection. Yes do this to bulk the collection but not all the time. Yes it saves money but in the long run this is what is undermining the collection and causing subscribers to cancel. I do not believe the issues are being chosen solely on ok we have x and y in our range have they appeared in James Bond ? As these models could be released anyway without ever being in JBCC. If that was the case the collection would have stopped years ago.
As I said already, this collection has a guaranteed income from loyal subscribers who are in it because of Bond hence we all got excited when the oddities were announced bondola, Dragon Tank etc etc even with the flaws but yawned at the prospect of another Morris Minor and the Blunderbird when it appeared to name but a few.
This collection has legs for many more issues if we read 'Cars' as vehicles. How exciting/interesting would the collection be with the prospect of more of the weird and wonderful from the world of Bond . This is the definitive collection never to be repeated with a new bond film on the horizon, if i was JBCC this is not the time to close the book on the part work but step up a gear and announce the gems we have been waiting for and also release the forgotten specials. More cars, trucks, the boats, the bikes, the aircraft , the military vehicles, specialised vehicles, loads to choose from.
I think....
I was a little bit surprised at your info from Fabbri. Last time I rang the Database Factory (back orders) they told me that ALL of the previous issues would be available for the duration of the series and up to 3 months after it finally finishes. It might be that these issues are only temporarily out of stock, in which case I'd phone them again to place some long term standing orders for the numbers, as and when they come back in. You can always cancel/ammend the order if you get hold of any of them in the meantime.
Failing that, or JJS's kind offer, I'd get online and check out larger 'Toy Fair' venues in your area, they very often have JBCC models at realistic prices.
All I can say is that if you're going to debate empirical evidence from two actual dealers, one of whom does business on a very large scale, then all we can do is agree to disagree. I don't think you'll disagree with this, however...
At the very least, I'm sure you'd like to see an announcement, say, ten issues in advance as opposed to two issues in advance.
Also, I will add my two cents here...
It's apples and oranges. The JBCC, even from the start, had a remarkable cross-genre and very broad appeal. You can take the cars right off the diorama stands and add them to your own collections in all kinds of ways. We have tons of these cars sold at train shows in the US. In that way, the JBCC's quite different from these other collections. You can't take the Mystery Machine and put it on your layout by just swapping out the license plates, put a Batmobile into your regular flow of traffic and expect it to blend in, or take a cartoon car and make a serious automobile out of it (well...you can, but it requires Code 3'ing skills that are pretty significant!). I think the JBCC is truly unique with regard to how many people it appeals to. I know everyone from extreme Car-Centrics with little interest in Bond to extreme Bond-Centrics that care almost nothing for the sub-four-stars-on-IMCDB issues and all these people, at the very least, can look back on this collection and I'm sure basically say at least 60 out of 122 issues were terrific.
Yes that is true more notice would be good and this maybe the case with these two dealers and maybe a reflection on how they do business but my interest is with the source to whom i subscribe, the dealers are a secondry market.
If it wasnt for the demand set by subscribers the collection would not have continued beyond the 40, 70 , 90 , 110 and beyond. The subscribers are dictating the life span of the collection, the ebayers , the dealers are secondry. This is my point in any business it is easier to keep customers with a well defined product than trying to create customers with a new unproven product. The James Bond Car Collection will attract on more levels than say just a car collection. I for one would not have invested the last six years and nearly £1000 in a simple collection of cars and I am carcentric . The hook for me is james Bond and for JBCC to wind things up now especially in light of the new movie, the then DVD release i feel does not make business sense.
I liken it to when last week Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney were stopped performing when the promoters pulled the plug at the concert in London. There were many disappointed fans . In the short term the damage could cost the promoters 000's of lost revenue to disappointed concert goers, merchandise sales etc etc.
If and I say IF the collection ends at 135, as we have been at this juncture before how many of the subscribers will re subscribe to a new collection compared to how many will stop subscribing if the collection was to continue.
I predict and I have predicted before correctly the collection will continue beyond the planned conclusion . If I am wrong then I am wrong but then JBCC will be the losers as I certainly will not start a new part work with GEFABBRI Or whoever nor will many other subscribers i guess. The dealers will obviously have a market beyond the conclusion, but ultimately you can only demand high prices on a product that is sought after and in vogue there after they become other part works amongst the many.
My position:
Ok, sign me up to 150, but I really don't want anything in any scale other than 1:43. The Bondola would have been good in 1:43 but it's no use to me in the scale they chose. And I would tolerate another DB5, it was the 3 x DBS V12 that was slightly more annoying as it wasn't a very good model, and the DB5 was.
A model of the Antonov 124 in 1:500 scale for example would not be of great interest to me in this collection. As it so happens I have a 1:500 model of the AN-124 made by Herpa, as I also like aircraft, but deviating from 1:43 in this collection makes the whole collection more toy like, and they wouldn't do such a good job as Herpa.
BMW R1200C would be good. Some of the water vehicles would also be good - wetbike, OP escape pod , TSWLM sub - these can be done in 1:43.
Not really regarding the two dealers. Here's one thing you have to know: dealers talk with one another, even if they are trying to sell the same products (especially if one dealer is geared toward selling overseas while another is selling to continental Europe while another is going for the UK, etc., but even competing for a target market). The other dealers that these two gentlemen spoke with shared their experiences, basically. I will admit I have nothing to go on but their words, but think of this: why would they, of all people, want the collections to stop when they get away with selling tons and tons of these models for a HUGE markup?
I also am not sure if you get the meaning of how I'm using the term "secondary market". The way I'm applying it, I'm simply saying that the buyers are not buying factory direct, but rather using what amounts to a middleman.
In name only. With the literal exception of the last issue (due to scheduling problems), the dealers have gotten first dibs on every issue since the middle of the UH-only days. The subscribers actually get their cars later. The dealers also buy in bulk...think anywhere from a dozen to five dozen cars depending on the size of the dealer...discounted from a subcriber price and then marked up more than a subscriber can get them for. At this point, you have many, many dealers that operate this way and buy exclusively for resale. It's a good way to invest...while the individual sales don't amount to much, it starts to add up. Now multiply it by any number of issues; even 10-15 issues with a dozen cars and both the dealer and Eaglemoss are making a killing.
As for the extensions, I can't agree on that. We all saw how many subscribers from this forum alone just up and quit when the collection went beyond 110 with near-outrage from some. Eaglemoss is obviously doing marketing research and they're trying to produce what they believe will sell and make the most money. They knew they would lose subscribers following the post-110 extension (and remember: former subscribers actually made up a large enough demographic that we decided to count them on their own); hence why almost every issue since has been basically Car-Centric/Broad-Appeal/Cross-over Appeal. That's just basic market research and if Eaglemoss isn't doing that, I'd be shocked; you ALWAYS look at the sales figures of prior issues and subscriber numbers to determine the content of what goes into a partwork series. Basically, the only way I can think of posing it to you is this way: why are they going almost radically to Car-Centric/Broad Appeal/Cross-Over Appeal cars and light trucks if they're doing really well amongst the much-more-likely-to-be-Bond-Centric subscribers?
But that's the key to it all regarding the dealers. They're not demanding high prices. They're not looking to sell one car for $50 USD; they're looking to sell a dozen for $20-$30 USD each.
If you delete the part about large volumes, then Ixo still operates like this, albeit via partworks. Some of their Mercs (especially), French cars, and East Bloc cars have over a dozen models using the same basic mould if you add the different partworks together.
But you seem to be missing the point: Ixo doesn't make those. Other companies do, but Ixo doesn't. To Ixo's management, recycling moulds and milking every car mould by reusing it multiple times is standard practice. It's just the way the company happens to work. I know you don't like the East Bloc cars, but if you looked at the East Bloc partworks and the cars sold there individually, you would see this mentality carried out to an extreme (the 30+ different GAZ-M21/GAZ-21-series Volgas they've made, for example...).
As for raw numbers/the collection ongoing, the current marketing strategy, I'd like to see it keep going, too. But based on raw empirical data that admittedly you've chosen not to believe to be representative, plus Ixo's mentality toward...well, anything, it's gonna end at either 135 or 140. It's also important to note that Ixo is now expanding its two best-selling partwork in the former East Bloc, SSSR AvtoLegendy and Kultowe Auta PRL-u. The announcements were timed within only two or three weeks of the "135 or 140" reveal regarding the JBCC, as well. These particular models get produced in HUGE numbers for partwork cars and basically, something's gotta give.
Marketing companies love 'pigeon holing' people and if people don't fit into their 'pigeon holes' it throws them into confusion, where they will either try to figure out what's going on or more likely, try and push a square peg into a round hole and hope for the best.
In the case of the JBCC, I don't think they have understood that they have tapped into an unusual type of customer vein – people who have taken the bait on multi levels as against just one. For instance, the new Star Trek series will attract Star Trek fans, simple, but the JBCC has hooked people who love cars, people who love James Bond in all its forms and people who love the intriguing dioramas. What's worse is that those who are hooked can't all be separated into 'pigeon holes' because many are a partial combination of each area of interest.
I would go further than Diecast007, and estimate that the majority of customers here are probably in their 40s, which in the UK, is the group with the most spending cash available in terms of hobbies and pursuits. If EMFabbri are finding this '3 way interest' group to be one they'd like to keep, they seriously need to understand it properly. Two out of the three groups will probably walk away from a new partwork that is just cars, or Disney, whatever. An ordinary partwork won't have that clever 3-way mix. The worst possible conclusion their marketing dept could make is that 'this is just another car partwork – finish it and they'll all buy into a new car partwork'. I would say EMFabbri should come up with either a new movie or TV vehicle related partwork, or introduce something similar to La Route Bleue with dioramas, maybe a US 'Route 66' version, or continue with the JBCC despite the complaints. 'Collector Fatigue' is a well known phenomenon, some people act on it and others moan about it but ultimately can't stop themselves - collecting is a minor addiction after all. I would imagine EMFabbri have only heard from disenchanted subscribers in relation to the JBCC so probably are making judgements on that alone. How many people would phone up a company and say "I love your product!! Keep it going!!"? They probably don't hear positives from the other side, and certainly don't ask for them from non-subscribers at least. No-one at The Database Factory has ever asked me if I'm pleased with the product or mentioned upcoming releases - a simple quick sales technique any decent marketing dept would have its operatives use when talking to customers.
Ok, someone else can have the soapbox now……….
My starting point - Car centric non-subscriber who has bought most recent parts and always buys through official channel because its cheapest.
My position. Finish at 135 if you cant do more than 2 Skyfall cars (swap Minor for UAZ though), finish at 140 if you can. Dont want planes etc though 1:43 Motorbikes are acceptable.
Why? Toy fairs - and often EBay too - prices for Bonds are dropping to below issue price in many cases a sure sign that interest is waning in the collection. A good effort for Skyfall might have given a bit of impetus but that doesnt look like its coming. Eaglemoss didnt originate this series and for all we know they simply sacked all the Fabbri staff that did. They can only run so many part works and if they think their resources are best spent on a "jumpers of the rock stars" collection or a build your own lunar lander that is what they will spend time on. Do even database warehouse want to go on doing fulfillment or the packing firm want to go on doing the mailing at the type of contract rates set 3 years plus ago??? Even in France the number of car based part works has reduced so maybe this is just the end of a cycle.
BTW the new series like Cars would not be made by IXO they would be sourced from the companies that make the cars for Disney Shops in US I guess or mattel that does them in the UK.
Well that's my turn on the soap box so over to the next person- I shall certainly miss all the discussion on this board if we end at 135....
That said, the next issue due here is 100, which might explain the low stocks of some in that range in the UK at present!
As MCF said earlier, they might get stocks again later - in this case when the unsold copies are returned from SA. There was a similar problem a year ago with issues in the upper-70s, some of which I see are now truly sold out in the UK.
The bad news is that I couldn't find a copy of Issue 98 locally, so that one clearly is in short supply.
Yes, I would agree that this is demographic still hanging in, as older collectors would probably have switched to cherry-picking by now, if they are still buying at all, whilst most younger collectors would have lost interest around issue 40 when the "glamour" cars gave way to the likes of the TB Ford Thunderbird and the TMWTGG AMC Matador (grandad's cars).
Yes, I had to smile at this this. I have a Corgi Vanguards Ford Escort Mk.1 "One of 11,000 pieces" and an early-1990s Corgi Classics set containing those exact three you mention as "Limited Edition of only 13,000 worldwide" - really stretching the definition of "limited edition" there....
To me the one valuable aspect of model partworks is that they keep the diecast factories in business, retaining valuable skills, in this age where model collecting in a Western context is a hobby that is struggling to attract new fans due to the weak global economy and competition from other pursuits. As was said on another (car-centric) forum recently, another problem is that cars today - especially at the economy end of the price scale - are too generic to whip up any enthusiasm in their owners to want to have a model of them (or for their sons to want a model of dad's car).
I'm not saying that is a dying hobby, but it is a hobby that clearly has challenges. Minichamps seems to be going the route of introducing more resin models (quicker and cheaper to develop) whilst Corgi seems to be angling at themes (motorsport heroes and popular TV shows) to attract sales.
And my opinion on a possible extension beyond 135 - I would support this only if this IMCDB 1-star car is included
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_60186-Ford-Escort-1995.html
Although I'd argue that Eaglemoss has (unfortunately probably too late) misunderstood rather than not understood at all their customer base, you're completely dead on here. Despite being the stand-in for the representatives of hard-line Car-Centrism here, there are cars I would not normally have gone out of my way to purchase or lobby a company to make had they not appeared in a Bond film. The Range Rover Convertible? Wouldn't have it. The Ford Bronco II? Wouldn't have it. The Chevy C-10 Ambulance? Nope. Even the cars I'm most enthusiastic about I for the most part would not have asked for. In that way, this partwork not only drew me in because I loved cars, but also because I'm a huge Bond fan, albeit not a Bond memorabilia collector (I had two Corgi Astons prior to this series' release, including the gold-colored one...to prove I have one, I'll photograph it next to any one of 700+ East Bloc vehicles...
Try as I might thinking about it, I was not able to add a fourth category to the the three you set forth. Although I believe the Diorama people have probably been pretty alienated by this point, unfortunately.
Now, market research. The thing is, car partworks...at least the ones I'm familiar with...tend to have different methods of doing the market research, even if it's the same company putting out different partworks at the same time. Let's take DeAgostini since I am familiar with them. Yes, these are all East Bloc partworks, but I'm not going to get into the cars. What I am going to get into is how they're doing market research, from the terrific collector's dream to the terrible collector's nightmare.
Example 1. SSSR AvtoLegendy. The way these guys conduct market research is to have the project manager posting on two of the largest 1/43 collecting forums in the former Soviet Union and asking what people who are seasoned hobbyists what would they would like to see appear. A similar marketing strategy is employed for the "sister series" Avtomobilni na Sluzhbe. In fact, people from these two forums are welcome to contribute information that winds up in the magazines. This, to me, is basically some of the best market research you can possibly do and why the collections are incredibly strong sellers. I think all of you would agree that having this sort of arrangement with the JBCC would be pretty awesome.
Example 2. Masini de Legenda. Yep, another East Bloc partwork, this one in Romania. The way they attempt market research here is basically to monitor blogs with future requests, which they made clear in Issue 1 that they encourage. Thus far, they've seemed to do a number of non-Romanian East Bloc cars that were common in Romania, but one thing that's both surprising and welcome is going out of their way to make sure that if the car is rare or foreign, then to make it look just like a correct example they found in Romania. They also encourage suggestions (one example of a car that wasn't planned but wound up in the series anyway was the Trabant P50, the infamous P601's predecessor...it sold well in Romania and was thus included, despite not having a current example of the car [although rest-assured, a color photo was found to give the car a proper Romanian livery]. The ZIS-110 limousine included featured the license plates ["740-B"] of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, Romania's communist dictator before the psychotic Nicolae Ceausescu came to power; this too was a write-in suggestion to help make the car, which had already been moulded three times, a bit more unique.). Again, even though there's less direct input, you have a terrific marketing strategy in partwork that is really selling well.
Example 3. Kultowe Auta PRL-u. This Polish partwork was initially infamous for how little input the subscribers had, unless it had to do with the series' unique (for East Bloc partworks) special issues. However, as time went on, more and more suggestions began to be accepted. The recent reveal of an extension was to accomodate those suggestions. I remember how disappointed I was when we were told that there would not be a ZUK A-05 Panel Van (these were really common). Well, lo and behold, in the announced extension, we finally get the ZUK A-05, as well as some other models people were/are surprised (happily) to see. This, I suspect, is what most of the people here hoping for an extension to, say, 150 hope to see as it applies to the JBCC...just having Eaglemoss do an about-face and then announce they're taking suggestions.
Example 4. Kultovni Auta CSSR. This is a Czech partwork that generates a decent bit of money. But there are NO special issues, NO subscriber input, and the partwork not only takes all the moulds from Kultowe Auta PRL-u, it even re-uses the colors! Although not taken to Kultovni Auta's extreme (we ARE getting a little bit better than this, admit it...
Unfortunately, there's really no way as to gauging Eaglemoss' exact marketing strategy. We can make educated guesses, and MCF, I'd say yours is very nicely done and comes with plenty of experience; likewise, my own educated guess is something where I at least tried incorporating some kind of information-gathering effort. Is Eaglemoss watching us? Basically, as Maz essentially concludes with his summary about JohnSteed's unknown status, "maybe, maybe not."
I never said their marketing research was necessarily good...don't get me wrong...but they have to be getting the results from somewhere. As Maz points out in his response post, even all of us can tell from flagging prices as well as increased dealer purchases but lower dealer prices (i.e. sell in quantity vs. sell at a high price) that something is causing waning interest. I'll leave that italicized something to you, whoever is reading this, to decide from your own POV.
However, Maz also raises a strong point regarding waning interest or no waning interest. If one is to count the Mercedes-Benz 200D, then we're currently either 13 (if 135) or 18 (if 140) issues away from the end of the JBCC. If they can't take advantage of Skyfall/fill it up to 140 with SF issues, then that's the end of the collection. On the other hand, if they do take advantage of SF and release their final issues up to 140 as SF, they could get a resurgence of interest and at least end on a high note and at most, extend the collection to 150. But then, are they going to be willing to pay the likely-astronomical SF licensing costs? I think only time will tell.
I also agree with FACT very strongly on this point...
And you can even extend that to other makers: Ixo has the East Bloc (and the reason why I think they can get away with 30+ different, good-selling Volga 21 models using the same body is because that market actually HAS warmed to "your grandfather's car"...or truck, or bus...), Norev gets France and Italy, Neo switches completely to resin (remember, they grew out of Replicars), Ebbro gets Japan's classic cars (now that Norev's partwork is winding down), Kyosho gets the Japanese sports cars, Spark Models gets German resin, Corgi Vanguards and Oxford Diecast do increasingly crazy stuff for the UK in addition to their normal ranges, Trax and Biante fight over Australia while adding surprise premium lines that have actually proven rather effective, and Brooklin has started making older and older cars (1930's-early 1950's). The "niche marketing" amongst regular large makers has become huge.
I believe ‘John Steed’s presence on this forum as a secret representative for Fabbri’s marketing research dept was very much for real. The reason being that when number 58 the Quantum Aston DBS was released, some code3 enthusiasts took the door off, damaged the heck out of it and posted photos of the results, all of which were really well received by the forum contributors. Although nothing was said by ‘Mr. Steed’ at the time, what was later announced as being the very last issue (110)? - A damaged Quantum DBS with the door missing. To my mind, that had to be a nod towards the forum’s wishes, but unfortunately it didn’t meet with quite the enthusiasm that Fabbri might have hoped for. That response in itself might have killed off Fabbri’s interest in a low-level form of interaction with the forum but I reckon it was there up to issue 110 at least.
What I would ask is why did the interaction have to be so surreptitious? Was ‘John Steed’s involvement not sanctioned by Fabbri by any chance? In terms of marketing, you have the brilliant interactive type you’ve described such as the supplier joining forums and encouraging feedback, or in the case of Corgi for instance, mailshots, collector clubs and regular newsletters etc , etc . This is usually the work of a separately employed marketing outfit. And then you have another type, almost always a company’s own marketing department. The other type follows a cynical ‘we are the daddy’ ethic that is becoming more and more prevalent in the UK right now, whereby marketing departments treat their customers like children, part the ‘nannying’ culture. This is where the company makes its own decisions over what it produces based on profit factors alone, with little or no interest in the hopes and desires of the childlike customer, who is only there to be fleeced and not heard. The company will decide what sweeties the child can have. (The very worst companies are those where the money making agendas of the directors are totally at odds with their own marketing departments, who very often genuinely share the interest of their customers but aren’t allowed to engage with them, when they 'should be touting for business elsewhere') I wouldn’t say GEFabbri /Eaglemoss have been quite that bad, but unfortunately, when you consider the almost ‘deity’ like mysterious anonymity they have shown in their lack of interaction with their customers, plus the non-reply to your letter, I fear the latter to be nearer the mark. This may be unfair, perhaps they do secretly peruse these pages and take our musings on board, I guess we’ll never know, but it’s the impression they give. As you say, a regular contributor representing the JBCC would have been, and still would be, awesome.
If that 2007 interview that used to be on the old MI6HQ website was still around we would know his real name, but it disappeared along with the rest of that website two years ago (and isn't available in WebArchive for that site, unfortunately).
I would imagine that he cleared his participation here with SiCo, so I am confident that he was who he claimed to be.
I think these are some of the reasons that Minichamps are making resin cars, but there are other reasons. Two that spring to mind are 1) Resin models are accepted as being able to carry a higher price. 2) The enormous popularity of Spark models, which are resin.
Apologies if I didn't make myself clear - I was referring to GEFabbri's lack of contact with its customers at the highest marketing/pr level. Apart from the postings by 'Mr. Steed' (not 'JBCC' or GEFabbri') all that we've heard from them officially throughout the series has been the odd little note put in some deliveries to subscribers. This compares to the full, up front, online forum participation Dalko described, or the high level interaction with customers that Corgi engage in. Compared to that, their communication with us has been sparse and incredibly low-key. On this thread was hard to tell whether 'Mr Steed' was giving us official information sanctioned by Fabbri, or inside information as an anonymous user.
*emphasis his
THAT is genuinely interesting, especially Eaglemoss trying to adhere to Fabbri's business model. But also, that would logically indicate that JohnSteed is still there but has stopped posting for reasons unknown.
I will say this: a publisher CAN decide that a person is giving out too much info. RCForum.ru unfortunately experienced this with SSSR AvtoLegendy's Maxim Shelepenkov, who went SO far that he was actually showing prototypes of forthcoming models, telling everyone there what colors the models would be in, etc. Maxim had to dial it back big time, and now he can only discuss future models in much broader terms. Maxim, though, was there BOTH as a collector and as a representative. He loves what he does. JohnSteed is a much more difficult-to-read guy (who knows...he may have even viewed posting here as a chore) and I agree; no clue whether he was "officially" here or not. If Eaglemoss and the old hands from Fabbri don't want anyone knowing their plans, they could simply have a similar policy, only cranked up to the draconian extreme of letting no info out.
Also, regarding my dealer buddy, for the first time, he weighed in on the JBCC in what I would describe as candid terms, offering his own opinions on the company vs. just answering my questions. One thing that repeatedly came up was dishonesty in terms of schedule. He, unlike the other dealer, is NOT sure that the Mercedes-Benz 200D will come in on July 25 and still believes it's coming in August 8 or August 9. He bemoaned conflicting information as well, routinely getting one story from Database Factory and another from Eaglemoss, noting that DBF was usually in possession of obsolete information. Also of note was poor customer service and communication steadily declining and that whoever he spoke with seemed to "pass the buck" in terms of blame if something went wrong.
Well, like I said, I don't think they're as bad as whoever is behind Kultovni Auta CSSR (if for no other reason than you would basically have to TRY to be that bad...), but they're cutting it awful close.
I agree here...though I actually think they probably DO peruse these pages given the info my dealer friend gave me.
If you're reading this, "Mr. Steed", it's not too late. You can come back. And we promise we'll be polite and not make TOO many demands.
Thanks! I really appreciate these as well as the news about the 1973 Chevy Bel Air!
YEP Mine arrived too. The Mercedes is great with nice detail of snow chains on a basic snow diorama, the Plymouth is another great model and looks smart in the black. The diorama albeit very simple does the job as the car fills the box. Like the look of 124 as this one from LALD one of my favourites of the bond genre.
Bizarrely though i have missed out on 120 and 121 better phone them
Tampo-printed on, or did they actually make a seperate part?
Yes the FYEO Merc was a great wall diorama but no Locque villain.
As a non-subscriber I picked up my Volga model on 19 July (get it about a week later) and I see it's a
UH production (not IXO) with the Quetigny,France address on the packaging.
That's why the diorama has a nice bit of railway line on the roadway.
I would say I'm Bond-centric and it's a nice habit to visit the sci-fi shop every 4 weeks to get the next issue.
So I wouldn't mind if it continued on , but I guess it has to stop some time.
The frequency hasn't changed so with another 14 to come, surely that's going to be at least another year of it running?
By the way I can recommend the Designing Bond exhibition at The Barbican centre in London. I spent 2 1/2 hours in there.
it costs £12 for adults, but I had to restrain my spending-but they do have 3 chinese made Bond car models
DB5, white Lotus and modern DBS at £18 each with 3 sound effects,
1. car engine noise and revolving wheels. 2. The james bond music theme. 3. a toot toot! air horn sound.
I only bought the DBS as 3 would've cost £54. They also had JB Paper Clips at £6.50. One clip is 00 and the other is the gun shape to make the 7 in 007.
Bleuville.
Tampo I think??
It would seem your dealers are speculating just like the rest of us with delivery of 122/123 some 10 days earlier than they stated
maybe not as reliable a source of info as you may think ??? :-)
One of the drawbacks about being a cherrypicker in the UK is the looooooooooong wait for the Database Factory to get these cars in stock as 'back orders' and then taking an age to send 'em out. It'll be about a month before I get my Savoy. I'll just have to be patient I suppose.........
Actually, believe it or not, it's still Ixo. It sounds counterintuitive, but let me explain: note that they also re-used the Fabbri name...which no longer exists, technically. I've been told by a couple people (not just my two dealer buddies), including a guy who works for a very prominent Russian hobby shop whose info has yet to be wrong (I'd trust him over pretty much everyone in the 1/43 scale auto hobby, virtually no matter the partwork or regular issue car, at least when it comes to Ixo, Neo, and Hongwell), that they're re-using the bottom cards printed in 2011 that anticipated UH manufacture for the "standard-sized" diorama bases (they printed up a bunch with a 2012 copyright and Fabbri/UH info). Apparently, Ixo had to avoid this on the Mercedes-Benz bases because of licensing issues with the Mercedes-Benz name, but made no attempt at correcting it on other issues that used the standard base with the exception of crudely removing the UH brand name and address on a few early issues of the Volga (one of which I have...my other two both show the Universal Hobbies name and address).
Nope. They were given a different and seperate date, which wound up changing.