I received the milkfloat a couple of weeks ago (from the backorder), and this concludes the JBCC for me.
Did that UK TV ad for a new/extension JBCC really exist? If anyone in the UK contact the publisher regarding their order, would you be able to ask if they know anything at all please?
Are you not tempted by the next issue - 131 Chevy Police?
I suspect Eaglemoss are waiting to see how the Batmobile series pans out before making any decisions on any possible JB re-launch or extension. On the one hand Database will tell UK customers that back issues are only available whilst dwindling stocks last, but on the other hand Eaglemoss are advertising most back issues online as being available. That contradiction it itself suggests they haven't quite finished with the JBCC just yet, especially if it's still generating more interest than the Batman Automobilia series. My bets are on a re-launch in some form, but whether that will include extra models who knows? It's clear that several unseen JB models are already in Ixo's ranges and could be added.
Actually no, the police Chevy does not seem to me to be an essential Bond car, though its not bad and I'd certainly want it if I was into American or police cars. As to the JBCC2, I somehow doubt it will go ahead. Eaglemoss is likely to make more money by releasing an abridged collection in other countries - there are heaps of Bond fans in Eastern Europe, for instance, and they don't need to develop any new models for this. Creating a new JBCC will not probably be worth it, as most of the relevant movie vehicles have already been covered. If the advertising in Scotland was not followed by a test run at newsagents, it probably means that even if they were thinking about a relaunch, they may have changed their mind. Perhaps there was not enough interest?
I guess if Eaglemoss and Ixo have 'thrown all of their toys out of the pram' with each other then any immediate re-launch would have to be a truncated version. If Ixo aren't fulfilling JBCC back-orders it certainly explains why the later (Ixo) issues are generally getting higher prices on eBay than most of the UH issues.
I received an email from Eaglemoss yesterday almost pleading for ex-Batman Automobilia subscribers to rejoin (offering more spread out payments rather than any discount) if any further proof of the series not doing so well were needed. It's obvious most UK customers simply wanted the movie related vehicles and not the comic ones, just as we predicted. I can't understand why these companies don't seem to connect with their customers 'wants' when it would have been so easy to canvas the opinions of collectors online, or through back issues phone inquiries. Personally I reckon a British version of La Route Bleu with classic vehicles from the 50s and 60s would probably have gone down a storm in comparison to the Batmobiles - and still would.
Personally I reckon a British version of La Route Bleu with classic vehicles from the 50s and 60s would probably have gone down a storm in comparison to the Batmobiles - and still would.
I'll give that an amen!
I guess if Eaglemoss and Ixo have 'thrown all of their toys out of the pram' with each other then any immediate re-launch would have to be a truncated version. If Ixo aren't fulfilling JBCC back-orders it certainly explains why the later (Ixo) issues are generally getting higher prices on eBay than most of the UH issues.
From what I'm hearing, it's less Ixo vs. Eaglemoss in general (after all, they are actually making the Batman Automobilia cars at next to no cost) and more Ixo vs. the old Fabbri JBCC project team that Eaglemoss kept on.
This may mean some good news after all.. . It has been discussed here several times before how partwork models don't appreciate well due to the huge numbers being released. Maybe the later Ixo releases will turn out to be rare after all. It could also explain why the Czech version of JBCC is supposed to be so much shorter - they may offer only UH models and perhaps no (or next to nothing) Ixo ones.
No, it's only the UK they're not under contract to fulfill. In South Africa, for example, they have to fill that due to contractual obligation and FACT will wind up seeing the Ixo models. However, I will venture a guess that their models will be in short supply from now on and that only what's absolutely necessary will be produced for the remaining contractual commitments.
Still, I think you are correct about the Czech Republic (which will upset the Czech collectors to no end since they typically like Ixo's stuff). Also, I wonder if they'll try to get Hongwell to produce Ixo moulds. They've done it for some of the Polish Amercom partworks and you can tell that unfortunately they're much more crude (compare Taxis of the World I by Altaya/Ixo and Taxis of the World I by Amercom/Hongwell), but they would likely wind up being scarce, regional issues.
Strange hongwell models are poor they are capable of matching ixo look at abrex stuff for example. I can't see jb2 for awhile. Maybe after next film is made giving them lots of new models to do. Batman stuff is floundering on ebay. Also none at toyfair i went to today to speak of but still a lot of jb but few ixo ones. I think the website site models in UK are just to empty warehouses of surplus stock. I think code 3 will be the main interest for a while yet.
No, it's only the UK they're not under contract to fulfill. In South Africa, for example, they have to fill that due to contractual obligation and FACT will wind up seeing the Ixo models. However, I will venture a guess that their models will be in short supply from now on and that only what's absolutely necessary will be produced for the remaining contractual commitments.
Still, I think you are correct about the Czech Republic (which will upset the Czech collectors to no end since they typically like Ixo's stuff). Also, I wonder if they'll try to get Hongwell to produce Ixo moulds. They've done it for some of the Polish Amercom partworks and you can tell that unfortunately they're much more crude (compare Taxis of the World I by Altaya/Ixo and Taxis of the World I by Amercom/Hongwell), but they would likely wind up being scarce, regional issues.
I agree that Hongwell are able to produce high quality models and at least match Ixo. But the Amercom Taxis of the World were indeed crude. If they were made by Hongwell it probably means that you get what you pay for. In fact all previous Amercom partworks were poor quality, though the current helicopter series seems to be quite well-made. Does anyone know who manufactures those models? The only problem I noticed is the undercarriage and other small details, which are often twisted - looks like they are blister packed before the glue sets! Of course I realise that Ixo has to fulfill existin contracts, and no doubt they will, but if they don't produce anything above the contract then those models are likely to become more rare (and hopefully valuable) than the UH ones.
No, it's only the UK they're not under contract to fulfill. In South Africa, for example, they have to fill that due to contractual obligation and FACT will wind up seeing the Ixo models. However, I will venture a guess that their models will be in short supply from now on and that only what's absolutely necessary will be produced for the remaining contractual commitments.
I hope you are right there, DB110, and I do get all the Ixo models - I certainly wouldn't want to have to try chase down all of those on eBay!
The only Ixo one so far that has appeared to be in short supply here has been the Zil 117 - I found only one example of that issue between the four newsgents that stock the JBCC in my area.
I'll continue to keep you all updated on the progress of the collection here, but at the current rate of 1 issue every 4 weeks it is going to take until around April 2015 to get the last 25 issues ... hopefully the local distributor is able to switch back to fortnightly deliveries at some point in the not too distant future, which would move things along a bit.
My "correct base" DN Ford Anglia finally arrived from England this past weekend, courtesy of a traveling friend. As the Eaglemoss Shop does actually now list this one as Sold Out, I must have secured one of the last ones they had
Looking forward to seeing the Vanish, DC007 (assuming it can be seen, of course!)
My "correct base" DN Ford Anglia finally arrived from England this past weekend, courtesy of a traveling friend. As the Eaglemoss Shop does actually now list this one as Sold Out, I must have secured one of the last ones they had
I'm a little surprised we haven't seen a Code3 of the Anglia in the correct colour, unless I missed it....
This may mean some good news after all.. . It has been discussed here several times before how partwork models don't appreciate well due to the huge numbers being released. Maybe the later Ixo releases will turn out to be rare after all. It could also explain why the Czech version of JBCC is supposed to be so much shorter - they may offer only UH models and perhaps no (or next to nothing) Ixo ones.
The Czech version ist supposed to be much shorter because the natural reaction to 134 issues would be: "Sto třicet čtyři? To musejí být blázni!" ("134? They must be mad!") - that would have been my thoughts if I had known from the beginning that we will end up with 134 models. How many of you would have subscribed anyway? I surely would have been a cherry-picker from the start. Now the Czech have the advantage to research on the internet if this collection has been available elsewhere and make their decision accordingly. I doubt that the JBCC that's starting new in other countries will go anywhere near that high, simply because there won't be that many subscribers once it's known that there are 134 issues to collect.
(I have seen an issue 1 in Greek but not any higher issues. Don't know if starting the collection in Greece was the smartest idea with the crisis down there ... )
But if they have sufficient sales than without doubt the Ixo models will be included. No matter if there were any troubles with the JBCC team, they want to sell cars, and if the quantities ordered are large enough they will be happy to keep their machines running with the old moulds. And if the sales drop they will stop just like in France. If France had stopped with issue 84 just now, we would have concluded that it must be because Ixo won't produce any more JBCC cars - in reality it was stopped there even before Ixo released their first JBCC model.
I also do not expect that the Ixo JBCC issues will hold their high value in the long run. Once the cars have been released as Premium-X the JBCC issues will no longer be that interesting to non-Bond collectors. I have seen the Premium-X Ford Maverick yesterday, and I have to say that I was really impressed by the wheels and side window surrounds and pillars. Also much better than the average Minichamps with their silver paint and Neo with their flat photoetched parts for almost twice the price. Ixo has definitely raised the bar here, and particularly Minichamps will have to improve their product to stay competitive.
So, once the American JBCC cars become available with this kind of detail as a Premium-X, the prices of the corresponding JBCC version will drop inevitably. (Although the wheels of the Country Squire are not really an improvement over the JBCC version.) I don't think that the Slumber Inc. hearse or the flat blue Impala Custom Coupé will be that wanted once more attractive, actual liveries or metallic paints become available.
The only Ixo one so far that has appeared to be in short supply here has been the Zil 117 - I found only one example of that issue between the four newsgents that stock the JBCC in my area.
I'll continue to keep you all updated on the progress of the collection here, but at the current rate of 1 issue every 4 weeks it is going to take until around April 2015 to get the last 25 issues ... hopefully the local distributor is able to switch back to fortnightly deliveries at some point in the not too distant future, which would move things along a bit.
Back issues of the German partwork are also beginning to dry out. I back-ordered a few issues but the Vantage coupé is already sold out in Germany. (Got one cheaper from England though.)
2015: Every code 3 we could think of will have been done, this thread abandoned by everyone but the last mohican FACT who will still be waiting for the final issue to arrive in South Africa. ) Why does it take a month per issue when they just have to distribute the UK magazine?
2015: Every code 3 we could think of will have been done, this thread abandoned by everyone but the last mohican FACT who will still be waiting for the final issue to arrive in South Africa. ) Why does it take a month per issue when they just have to distribute the UK magazine?
I wonder if the delays are a deliberate ploy to pick up on any new or re-newed interest in the JBCC (anywhere world-wide) in the run up to the release of Bond 24?
2015: Every code 3 we could think of will have been done, this thread abandoned by everyone but the last mohican FACT who will still be waiting for the final issue to arrive in South Africa. ) Why does it take a month per issue when they just have to distribute the UK magazine?
I wonder if the delays are a deliberate ploy to pick up on any new or re-newed interest in the JBCC (anywhere world-wide) in the run up to the release of Bond 24?
I think you could be right. We had this leading upto SKYFALL release . The JBCC collection should never have halted that I think we all agree. Eaglemoss made a fatal error and any momentum has been lost the day that cancelled it to concentrate on the inferior batman automobilia . The Jbcc was bigger than just the cars featured in the films. It was a new genre of diecast that covered so many bases and vehicle types. A loose link to a film was not important but the diversity of vehicle types was the attraction . Come on Eaglemoss do the right thing and kill off batman and reinstate JBCC , I would argue the definitive diecast collection
Strange hongwell models are poor they are capable of matching ixo look at abrex stuff for example. I can't see jb2 for awhile. Maybe after next film is made giving them lots of new models to do. Batman stuff is floundering on ebay. Also none at toyfair i went to today to speak of but still a lot of jb but few ixo ones. I think the website site models in UK are just to empty warehouses of surplus stock. I think code 3 will be the main interest for a while yet.
Not really strange. Hongwell, when asked to do models branded as Hongwell (and Abrex, and quite frankly Cararama), will make terrific stuff. However, they seem to get lazy whenever they do partwork models, and especially for Amercom. Jag's right, though...it could be that Amercom is just paying them the minimum/doesn't care if they "mail it in" or not.
I also do not expect that the Ixo JBCC issues will hold their high value in the long run. Once the cars have been released as Premium-X the JBCC issues will no longer be that interesting to non-Bond collectors. I have seen the Premium-X Ford Maverick yesterday, and I have to say that I was really impressed by the wheels and side window surrounds and pillars. Also much better than the average Minichamps with their silver paint and Neo with their flat photoetched parts for almost twice the price. Ixo has definitely raised the bar here, and particularly Minichamps will have to improve their product to stay competitive.
So, once the American JBCC cars become available with this kind of detail as a Premium-X, the prices of the corresponding JBCC version will drop inevitably. (Although the wheels of the Country Squire are not really an improvement over the JBCC version.) I don't think that the Slumber Inc. hearse or the flat blue Impala Custom Coupé will be that wanted once more attractive, actual liveries or metallic paints become available.
Although the Ford Maverick GT is (believe it or not) Brazilian, I do agree they did an incredible job on it. There might be a few cars that "hover" over the rest (I'm thinking the Range Rover Convertible since Ixo chose to mass-produce this one with a regular top and also possibly the Mercedes-Benz Binz Europ 1100 Ambulance since it can be easily customized and the Chevy C-10 Ambulance is desirable in Brazil), but I think you'll ultimately see most although not all making it into Premium X will all kinds of awesome details. The one that may keep SOME of its market value FOR NOW is the Plymouth Savoy, unless they decide to make a taxi or a police variant (I'm sure they will). Apparently, Premium X will do the '59 Belvedere, which is a mugh higher level of trim, and I'm actually really looking forward to seeing that.
The only Ixo one so far that has appeared to be in short supply here has been the Zil 117 - I found only one example of that issue between the four newsgents that stock the JBCC in my area.
That's because you're competing with the entirety of the former Soviet Union. All you need to do is swap out the license plates and add a ZIL hood ornament (easier than it sounds, since several conversion firms are actually making them now!) and you have a perfectly done, virtually flawless Soviet car (they did the same thing with the Lada 2105 Nova 1200). The Lada Niva 1600L was also well-received, although the plans to make a Slovakian Police Lada Niva 1600L for Ist Models probably means that one is going to see a decrease in value. The only Soviet car that might hold value aside from the ZIL-117 (because the Lada 2105 Nova 1200 will be re-released as an Ist Models VAZ-2105 and I've seen the prototype...it's VERY good) is the VAZ-2106 Militsiya GAI Patrol Car because of the St. Petersburg transitional paint scheme. Then again, we have rumors of Ist releaseing a VAZ-2107 in a transitional Militsiya paint scheme (not sure of the city) and quite frankly, they did a nicer job on that car.
2015: Every code 3 we could think of will have been done
Give Premium X some time and they'll probably release the exact cars with different license plates. ) Also, for those wondering, it costs a ton of money, but Century Dragon Models just released the Range Rover Evoque in the same paint we see it in in the film. Let me state that's a very expensive brand, but worth every penny.
Eaglemoss made a fatal error and any momentum has been lost the day that cancelled it to concentrate on the inferior batman automobilia.[...]Come on Eaglemoss do the right thing and kill off batman and reinstate JBCC , I would argue the definitive diecast collection
Before I dissect this, I'll just say that I'm DYING to see the Vanish!
With that overwith, I think you sadly nailed it with your first statement and I think the "how" will be very difficult regarding reviving it. Basically, Ixo wanted price hikes because they couldn't maintain quality control at their going rate, the JBCC's creative team thought they were bluffing (or something to that effect), and of course, Ixo responded with their best Curly Bill Brocius impression as they left the bargaining table. Still, as I understand, their ultimate beef is not with Eaglemoss so much as it is the old team that Fabbri hired and Eaglemoss kept in place. It's possible, I suppose, to revive the partwork using Ixo, but you'd have to hire a whole new creative team. Still, ripping out their entire infrastructure would prove just as costly as finding a new manufacturer, if not more. I'm not sure what's going on with UH, other than it's obvious they're having serious problems right now. Norev and Eligor have the same issues with the creative team. I guess that leaves Hongwell.
Honestly, their best bet, at least in the interrim, would be to kill off Batman Automobilia and replace it with a La Route Bleue-like partwork with British cars and British figures. Different creative team, plus you have Ixo willing to donate their skills and even though the figures are oversized, you still get great dioramas. If that works, stick to it. If it doesn't work, it will at least buy time for a new creative team to gain experience with dioramas and possibly revive the partwork with Ixo.
Vanish update. The commissioned model is ready for collection however due to circumstances out with my control I cannot collect until the 23rd May a whole extra week to wait.
Any other code 3's . I have a number still waiting for components watch this space
Guess we will have to see how well JBCC sells in Greece or Czech Republic, but to me it just looks like Eaglemoss is taking wild potshots just to see if they can flog a few more models after all. Since some of the models are shown as “sold out” in the UK (and other countries where the collection was released earlier), it probably means that their production has finished, and they won’t be offered in Greece. It must be easier to offer the existing, unsold cars in new markets than re-start the collection, especially if a new creative team would have to be assembled only to make a limited number of new models (how many new ones could they come up with – 20 or so?). I really doubt that such high costs would be justified, and in addition the renewed JBCC models would have to cost more, which also means that fewer people would buy them. Whatever we think of Eaglemoss, the most important thing for them is their profits, and no matter what collectors request, they can only offer something if they make enough money out of it. Therefore, I doubt a new JBCC is an option. And frankly, everything has to end, so I have no regrets here.
Guess we will have to see how well JBCC sells in Greece or Czech Republic, but to me it just looks like Eaglemoss is taking wild potshots just to see if they can flog a few more models after all. Since some of the models are shown as “sold out” in the UK (and other countries where the collection was released earlier), it probably means that their production has finished, and they won’t be offered in Greece. It must be easier to offer the existing, unsold cars in new markets than re-start the collection, especially if a new creative team would have to be assembled only to make a limited number of new models (how many new ones could they come up with – 20 or so?). I really doubt that such high costs would be justified, and in addition the renewed JBCC models would have to cost more, which also means that fewer people would buy them. Whatever we think of Eaglemoss, the most important thing for them is their profits, and no matter what collectors request, they can only offer something if they make enough money out of it. Therefore, I doubt a new JBCC is an option. And frankly, everything has to end, so I have no regrets here.
Personally, I think they are buying time by keeping the interest in the JBCC going in various parts of the world so they can keep their options open whilst the Batman Automobilia series seems to be floundering. The one thing that has surprised me (as a comparatively older guy) is how young many JBCC collectors are, and Eaglemoss may be aware of that fact. Combine that with how perennial the appreciation of James Bond movies seems to be, that means the JBCC could be re-launched to a whole new generation who thought Daniel Craig was the only Bond and are still learning about the other Bonds and their cars. In the UK there is a growing interest amongst younger people in classic cars too, possibly due to current US movies that also present older cars as being cool, so there could be a new up and coming generation of 'car-centric' collectors as well.
If Eaglemoss are canny, they should trim the series down to say, 80 popular issues, and re-package it - not just for obvious reasons but also so that collectors like us might be tempted to buy into it again (after all, how many of us have re-bought Corgi or Vanguards models that have simply been reissued in new packaging?) If a re-launch were to be scheduled to start in 2014, not only could more models from Skyfall be tacked on the end, but so could models from Bond 24 or even 25. Whilst new generations of Bond car fans still keep appearing, a series like this could potentially carry on indefinitely IMHO.
Guess we will have to see how well JBCC sells in Greece or Czech Republic, but to me it just looks like Eaglemoss is taking wild potshots just to see if they can flog a few more models after all. Since some of the models are shown as “sold out” in the UK (and other countries where the collection was released earlier), it probably means that their production has finished, and they won’t be offered in Greece. It must be easier to offer the existing, unsold cars in new markets than re-start the collection, especially if a new creative team would have to be assembled only to make a limited number of new models (how many new ones could they come up with – 20 or so?). I really doubt that such high costs would be justified, and in addition the renewed JBCC models would have to cost more, which also means that fewer people would buy them. Whatever we think of Eaglemoss, the most important thing for them is their profits, and no matter what collectors request, they can only offer something if they make enough money out of it. Therefore, I doubt a new JBCC is an option. And frankly, everything has to end, so I have no regrets here.
Personally, I think they are buying time by keeping the interest in the JBCC going in various parts of the world so they can keep their options open whilst the Batman Automobilia series seems to be floundering. The one thing that has surprised me (as a comparatively older guy) is how young many JBCC collectors are, and Eaglemoss may be aware of that fact. Combine that with how perennial the appreciation of James Bond movies seems to be, that means the JBCC could be re-launched to a whole new generation who thought Daniel Craig was the only Bond and are still learning about the other Bonds and their cars. In the UK there is a growing interest amongst younger people in classic cars too, possibly due to current US movies that also present older cars as being cool, so there could be a new up and coming generation of 'car-centric' collectors as well.
If Eaglemoss are canny, they should trim the series down to say, 80 popular issues, and re-package it - not just for obvious reasons but also so that collectors like us might be tempted to buy into it again (after all, how many of us have re-bought Corgi or Vanguards models that have simply been reissued in new packaging?) If a re-launch were to be scheduled to start in 2014, not only could more models from Skyfall be tacked on the end, but so could models from Bond 24 or even 25. Whilst new generations of Bond car fans still keep appearing, a series like this could potentially carry on indefinitely IMHO.
Here here !
Standing back from being a collector . If it was my business surely a product that is selling well with an established market is better than launching a new product that has a narrow field of interest . Ask anyone to name top ten bond cars and I mean anyone and you'll get ten answers. Ask anyone to name top ten batmobiles errrr...... No sorry I can't even do that !
The bond collection was more than bond it covered a period of automobilia , the sixties to the noughties. Appealing to bond fans, car fans, movie fans, diecast fans. I have said this many times before I cannot think of any other genre of automobilia that ticks all four boxes. The models themselves can also be presented in other ranges . The batmobile is a batmobile and that's it . They don't display well either. Especially the comic ones. Eaglemoss deserve to fail as a company for misjudging their customers. A knee jerk decision that I do think they will live to regret as a company unless of course they see sense and relaunch a jbcc2 or similar. Even cars from the movies could incorporate bond cars plus inspire previous Jbcc collectors. As Dal110 a route bleu type collection would be perfect. Iconic cars in iconic scenes from iconic movies. I think MCF suggested this also.
So you guys are thinking that re-packaging and re-launching the same models every few years might work? I'd rather have a collection that was once-off and never to be repeated than Corgi-like products manufactured for 50 years with hardly any changes. Eaglemoss is a partworks publisher, not a modetl manufacturer like Corgi, so they are bound to operate on very different principles. They've explored Bond, now they're exploring Batman, soon they will move into a new territory. Going back to Bond might work for them at some stage, but not too soon, and not in the same format.
So you guys are thinking that re-packaging and re-launching the same models every few years might work? I'd rather have a collection that was once-off and never to be repeated than Corgi-like products manufactured for 50 years with hardly any changes. Eaglemoss is a partworks publisher, not a modetl manufacturer like Corgi, so they are bound to operate on very different principles. They've explored Bond, now they're exploring Batman, soon they will move into a new territory. Going back to Bond might work for them at some stage, but not too soon, and not in the same format.
I think a "Skyfall and Bond 24" partwork should be considered, meaning a possible re-issue of the Aston Martin DB5, but otherwise? Nope. Don't want a million re-issues. Doing one more re-issue due to high demand, which is what Altaya did for Taxis of the World I, is a whole 'nother matter, however. Still, they issued the cars far more quickly the second time around, had fewer issues to begin with, and waited almost five years between the two partworks to restart.
I also, unfortunately, do not think a Movie Partwork would be feasible due to licensing costs. A TV show partwork would be WAY more feasible, and I'm guessing you could still get some really iconic cars out of that where you'd also be able to make money (Kojak's Buick, Thomas Magnum's US market Ferrari, the Peugeot 403 convertible from Columbo, the '58 Buick Special Convertible from Perry Mason during the 1950's, the 1961 Plymouth Belvedere Police Car from Car 54, Where Are You?, MacGyver's '87 Jeep Wrangler, etc.)
Yep a TV part work would work also. But with a little effort and nothing is impossible a movie car part work could work also. The licensing could be a problem , can't be any more difficult than organising the Batman collection.
So you guys are thinking that re-packaging and re-launching the same models every few years might work?
I think in relation to selling the JBCC to new generations of Bond/car fans it would work, but not for most of us, we've 'been there, seen it and got the T shirt'. Where it could be good for us (as Dalko has highlighted) is if any re-launch at some time in the future might include extra models perhaps from Skyfall and Bond 24/25. James Bond is a world-wide phenomenon and to have licensing permission to trade on any part of it (in this case model cars) is a golden opportunity for any business. I just can't see Eaglemoss letting a long term money-spinner like this just fade away, they couldn't be that inept surely?
I think the only way a movie or TV partwork would be possible is by sticking to just one TV or movie organisation to reduce the licensing nightmare. For the movies it could be 'The Cars of Paramount' or 'The Cars of MGM' for instance. A UK TV car partwork would probably be ITV based to include the usual suspects like 'The Avengers', 'Sweeney' etc. but for the US I have no idea if there is one TV company responsible for most of the popular shows - ABC? NBC? Licensing would probably be easier if the TV shows are fairly old and haven't been recently resurrected as movies, so Dalko's suggestions are plausible. I'd throw in oldies like 'The Munsters', 'MASH', 'Route 66', 'Hill Street Blues' - that type of thing.
I can't see any real difficulty with a movie car part work . Off the top of my head corgi must have produced if you include bond near on 40 - 50 cars which have been movie or TV related. If corgi can do it a company such as Eaglemoss could certainly do it especially with the various markets they currently trade.
I strongly believe however their misjudgement with the batman collection, poor customer service and mismanagement of stock and customer of accounts may be the nail in the coffin.
I think the main reason for the Batman collection was to get a foot in the door for the American market. We all thought that the Batmobiles won't sell well and maybe we are correct about this - but is it selling better in the U.S.? Maybe our American members can tell us more? Dalko, care to do some research in your nearest comic book store?
Even if it is not selling well, but the connections made in the U.S. with comic distributors and store chains could still be valuable for Eaglemoss in the future. Imagine Eaglemoss suggesting a "British Route Bleu" partwork there ...
But a comic-related partwork, getting customers used to the partwork concept in the U.S., maybe later selling the JBCC, as it's film-related, in comic book stores does make sense, I guess.
Of course I would have liked to see the JBCC continue. "Everything has to end - no regrets here", as Jag said. I think 134 issues was too many IMO. What I do regret is that after 134 issues there are still notable cars left (FRWL and OHMSS Rolls, Kenworth, Skyfall Defender etc.) yet we got many that were truly forgettable.
I hope we will see something like a TV-/movie car partwork. This could also be sold in the U.S. in comic book stores. Just yesterday saw Minority Report again on the telly, I'd love to have the "2054 Lexus" in 1/43 (there was a 1/24 from Maisto once). Or the Audi RSQ from I, Robot. I am sure such a partwork would be of interest to U.S. comic book store customers, too.
I don't think that licencing costs would be prohibitive. The car makers are eager to associate them with films through product placement (an Audi commercial during Minority Report featured Iron Man's R8 e-tron), and the studios have nothing to lose either. Instead they can make a bit of money for licencing for old films or series which otherwise would no longer be interesting for product tie-ins.
I think the main reason for the Batman collection was to get a foot in the door for the American market. We all thought that the Batmobiles won't sell well and maybe we are correct about this - but is it selling better in the U.S.? Maybe our American members can tell us more?
Even if it is not selling well, but the connections made in the U.S. with comic distributors and store chains could still be valuable for Eaglemoss in the future. Imagine Eaglemoss suggesting a "British Route Bleu" partwork there ...
But a comic-related partwork, getting customers used to the partwork concept in the U.S., maybe later selling the JBCC, as it's film-related, in comic book stores does make sense, I guess.
I'm not convinced Batman fans are really that much into cars to be honest. I'm a frequent visitor to Forbidden Planet in the UK and whereas there seems to be a healthy trade in Star Wars, Star Trek and Dr.Who models, Corgi's Batman offerings seem to just gather dust so I would imagine the Batman Automobilia COMIC vehicles would get similar indifference. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case in The States too. Obviously JBCC models have been available from the UK's Forbidden Planet and have sold well, but that doesn't mean the people buying them are comic fans, it's just a place that happens to sell the series. On that basis, it's possible UK comic shops might have done well selling other partworks too, like the Helicopters or Rally Car partworks. In the UK, most model shops have disappeared from shopping malls, and smaller newsagents don't seem to stock partworks, so people like Eaglemoss could do with more specialist outlets here, that's for sure.
What I do regret is that after 134 issues there are still notable cars left (FRWL and OHMSS Rolls, Kenworth, Skyfall Defender etc.) yet we got many that were truly forgettable.
Totally agree with that. Even if UH had re-issued the Mini Moke in yellow instead of 134 the extra Roller, the series would have ended on a better note.
I hope we will see something like a TV-/movie car partwork. This could also be sold in the U.S. in comic book stores. Just yesterday saw Minority Report again on the telly, I'd love to have the "2054 Lexus" in 1/43 (there was a 1/24 from Maisto once). Or the Audi RSQ from I, Robot. I am sure such a partwork would be of interest to U.S. comic book store customers, too.
I don't think that licencing costs would be prohibitive. The car makers are eager to associate them with films through product placement (an Audi commercial during Minority Report featured Iron Man's R8 e-tron), and the studios have nothing to lose either. Instead they can make a bit of money for licencing for old films or series which otherwise would no longer be interesting for product tie-ins.
If anyone ever thought "When will this *&^%$** JBCC partwork ever end??" you wait and see how long a non-specific movie/TV cars partwork will last. It could go on forever, thousands of cars/bikes/trucks and dioramas could be modelled. If any brave partwork company were to try and deal with all of the licensing hurdles, it could be a golden goose that doesn't stop laying.
Comments
Actually no, the police Chevy does not seem to me to be an essential Bond car, though its not bad and I'd certainly want it if I was into American or police cars. As to the JBCC2, I somehow doubt it will go ahead. Eaglemoss is likely to make more money by releasing an abridged collection in other countries - there are heaps of Bond fans in Eastern Europe, for instance, and they don't need to develop any new models for this. Creating a new JBCC will not probably be worth it, as most of the relevant movie vehicles have already been covered. If the advertising in Scotland was not followed by a test run at newsagents, it probably means that even if they were thinking about a relaunch, they may have changed their mind. Perhaps there was not enough interest?
I received an email from Eaglemoss yesterday almost pleading for ex-Batman Automobilia subscribers to rejoin (offering more spread out payments rather than any discount) if any further proof of the series not doing so well were needed. It's obvious most UK customers simply wanted the movie related vehicles and not the comic ones, just as we predicted. I can't understand why these companies don't seem to connect with their customers 'wants' when it would have been so easy to canvas the opinions of collectors online, or through back issues phone inquiries. Personally I reckon a British version of La Route Bleu with classic vehicles from the 50s and 60s would probably have gone down a storm in comparison to the Batmobiles - and still would.
I'll give that an amen!
From what I'm hearing, it's less Ixo vs. Eaglemoss in general (after all, they are actually making the Batman Automobilia cars at next to no cost) and more Ixo vs. the old Fabbri JBCC project team that Eaglemoss kept on.
Still, I think you are correct about the Czech Republic (which will upset the Czech collectors to no end since they typically like Ixo's stuff). Also, I wonder if they'll try to get Hongwell to produce Ixo moulds. They've done it for some of the Polish Amercom partworks and you can tell that unfortunately they're much more crude (compare Taxis of the World I by Altaya/Ixo and Taxis of the World I by Amercom/Hongwell), but they would likely wind up being scarce, regional issues.
I agree that Hongwell are able to produce high quality models and at least match Ixo. But the Amercom Taxis of the World were indeed crude. If they were made by Hongwell it probably means that you get what you pay for. In fact all previous Amercom partworks were poor quality, though the current helicopter series seems to be quite well-made. Does anyone know who manufactures those models? The only problem I noticed is the undercarriage and other small details, which are often twisted - looks like they are blister packed before the glue sets! Of course I realise that Ixo has to fulfill existin contracts, and no doubt they will, but if they don't produce anything above the contract then those models are likely to become more rare (and hopefully valuable) than the UH ones.
I hope you are right there, DB110, and I do get all the Ixo models - I certainly wouldn't want to have to try chase down all of those on eBay!
The only Ixo one so far that has appeared to be in short supply here has been the Zil 117 - I found only one example of that issue between the four newsgents that stock the JBCC in my area.
I'll continue to keep you all updated on the progress of the collection here, but at the current rate of 1 issue every 4 weeks it is going to take until around April 2015 to get the last 25 issues ... hopefully the local distributor is able to switch back to fortnightly deliveries at some point in the not too distant future, which would move things along a bit.
My "correct base" DN Ford Anglia finally arrived from England this past weekend, courtesy of a traveling friend. As the Eaglemoss Shop does actually now list this one as Sold Out, I must have secured one of the last ones they had
Looking forward to seeing the Vanish, DC007 (assuming it can be seen, of course!)
I'm a little surprised we haven't seen a Code3 of the Anglia in the correct colour, unless I missed it....
I second that
(I have seen an issue 1 in Greek but not any higher issues. Don't know if starting the collection in Greece was the smartest idea with the crisis down there ...
But if they have sufficient sales than without doubt the Ixo models will be included. No matter if there were any troubles with the JBCC team, they want to sell cars, and if the quantities ordered are large enough they will be happy to keep their machines running with the old moulds. And if the sales drop they will stop just like in France. If France had stopped with issue 84 just now, we would have concluded that it must be because Ixo won't produce any more JBCC cars - in reality it was stopped there even before Ixo released their first JBCC model.
I also do not expect that the Ixo JBCC issues will hold their high value in the long run. Once the cars have been released as Premium-X the JBCC issues will no longer be that interesting to non-Bond collectors. I have seen the Premium-X Ford Maverick yesterday, and I have to say that I was really impressed by the wheels and side window surrounds and pillars. Also much better than the average Minichamps with their silver paint and Neo with their flat photoetched parts for almost twice the price. Ixo has definitely raised the bar here, and particularly Minichamps will have to improve their product to stay competitive.
So, once the American JBCC cars become available with this kind of detail as a Premium-X, the prices of the corresponding JBCC version will drop inevitably. (Although the wheels of the Country Squire are not really an improvement over the JBCC version.) I don't think that the Slumber Inc. hearse or the flat blue Impala Custom Coupé will be that wanted once more attractive, actual liveries or metallic paints become available.
I too am eagerly looking forward to seeing this.
Back issues of the German partwork are also beginning to dry out. I back-ordered a few issues but the Vantage coupé is already sold out in Germany. (Got one cheaper from England though.)
2015: Every code 3 we could think of will have been done, this thread abandoned by everyone but the last mohican FACT who will still be waiting for the final issue to arrive in South Africa.
I wonder if the delays are a deliberate ploy to pick up on any new or re-newed interest in the JBCC (anywhere world-wide) in the run up to the release of Bond 24?
I think you could be right. We had this leading upto SKYFALL release . The JBCC collection should never have halted that I think we all agree. Eaglemoss made a fatal error and any momentum has been lost the day that cancelled it to concentrate on the inferior batman automobilia . The Jbcc was bigger than just the cars featured in the films. It was a new genre of diecast that covered so many bases and vehicle types. A loose link to a film was not important but the diversity of vehicle types was the attraction . Come on Eaglemoss do the right thing and kill off batman and reinstate JBCC , I would argue the definitive diecast collection
Not really strange. Hongwell, when asked to do models branded as Hongwell (and Abrex, and quite frankly Cararama), will make terrific stuff. However, they seem to get lazy whenever they do partwork models, and especially for Amercom. Jag's right, though...it could be that Amercom is just paying them the minimum/doesn't care if they "mail it in" or not.
Try Ixo for Altaya's British Cars partwork. It's close but not quite a match in terms of color, but certainly closer than the UH model.
Although the Ford Maverick GT is (believe it or not) Brazilian, I do agree they did an incredible job on it. There might be a few cars that "hover" over the rest (I'm thinking the Range Rover Convertible since Ixo chose to mass-produce this one with a regular top and also possibly the Mercedes-Benz Binz Europ 1100 Ambulance since it can be easily customized and the Chevy C-10 Ambulance is desirable in Brazil), but I think you'll ultimately see most although not all making it into Premium X will all kinds of awesome details. The one that may keep SOME of its market value FOR NOW is the Plymouth Savoy, unless they decide to make a taxi or a police variant (I'm sure they will). Apparently, Premium X will do the '59 Belvedere, which is a mugh higher level of trim, and I'm actually really looking forward to seeing that.
That's because you're competing with the entirety of the former Soviet Union. All you need to do is swap out the license plates and add a ZIL hood ornament (easier than it sounds, since several conversion firms are actually making them now!) and you have a perfectly done, virtually flawless Soviet car (they did the same thing with the Lada 2105 Nova 1200). The Lada Niva 1600L was also well-received, although the plans to make a Slovakian Police Lada Niva 1600L for Ist Models probably means that one is going to see a decrease in value. The only Soviet car that might hold value aside from the ZIL-117 (because the Lada 2105 Nova 1200 will be re-released as an Ist Models VAZ-2105 and I've seen the prototype...it's VERY good) is the VAZ-2106 Militsiya GAI Patrol Car because of the St. Petersburg transitional paint scheme. Then again, we have rumors of Ist releaseing a VAZ-2107 in a transitional Militsiya paint scheme (not sure of the city) and quite frankly, they did a nicer job on that car.
Give Premium X some time and they'll probably release the exact cars with different license plates.
Before I dissect this, I'll just say that I'm DYING to see the Vanish!
With that overwith, I think you sadly nailed it with your first statement and I think the "how" will be very difficult regarding reviving it. Basically, Ixo wanted price hikes because they couldn't maintain quality control at their going rate, the JBCC's creative team thought they were bluffing (or something to that effect), and of course, Ixo responded with their best Curly Bill Brocius impression as they left the bargaining table. Still, as I understand, their ultimate beef is not with Eaglemoss so much as it is the old team that Fabbri hired and Eaglemoss kept in place. It's possible, I suppose, to revive the partwork using Ixo, but you'd have to hire a whole new creative team. Still, ripping out their entire infrastructure would prove just as costly as finding a new manufacturer, if not more. I'm not sure what's going on with UH, other than it's obvious they're having serious problems right now. Norev and Eligor have the same issues with the creative team. I guess that leaves Hongwell.
Honestly, their best bet, at least in the interrim, would be to kill off Batman Automobilia and replace it with a La Route Bleue-like partwork with British cars and British figures. Different creative team, plus you have Ixo willing to donate their skills and even though the figures are oversized, you still get great dioramas. If that works, stick to it. If it doesn't work, it will at least buy time for a new creative team to gain experience with dioramas and possibly revive the partwork with Ixo.
Love it!
Any other code 3's . I have a number still waiting for components watch this space
Personally, I think they are buying time by keeping the interest in the JBCC going in various parts of the world so they can keep their options open whilst the Batman Automobilia series seems to be floundering. The one thing that has surprised me (as a comparatively older guy) is how young many JBCC collectors are, and Eaglemoss may be aware of that fact. Combine that with how perennial the appreciation of James Bond movies seems to be, that means the JBCC could be re-launched to a whole new generation who thought Daniel Craig was the only Bond and are still learning about the other Bonds and their cars. In the UK there is a growing interest amongst younger people in classic cars too, possibly due to current US movies that also present older cars as being cool, so there could be a new up and coming generation of 'car-centric' collectors as well.
If Eaglemoss are canny, they should trim the series down to say, 80 popular issues, and re-package it - not just for obvious reasons but also so that collectors like us might be tempted to buy into it again (after all, how many of us have re-bought Corgi or Vanguards models that have simply been reissued in new packaging?) If a re-launch were to be scheduled to start in 2014, not only could more models from Skyfall be tacked on the end, but so could models from Bond 24 or even 25. Whilst new generations of Bond car fans still keep appearing, a series like this could potentially carry on indefinitely IMHO.
Here here !
Standing back from being a collector . If it was my business surely a product that is selling well with an established market is better than launching a new product that has a narrow field of interest . Ask anyone to name top ten bond cars and I mean anyone and you'll get ten answers. Ask anyone to name top ten batmobiles errrr...... No sorry I can't even do that !
The bond collection was more than bond it covered a period of automobilia , the sixties to the noughties. Appealing to bond fans, car fans, movie fans, diecast fans. I have said this many times before I cannot think of any other genre of automobilia that ticks all four boxes. The models themselves can also be presented in other ranges . The batmobile is a batmobile and that's it . They don't display well either. Especially the comic ones. Eaglemoss deserve to fail as a company for misjudging their customers. A knee jerk decision that I do think they will live to regret as a company unless of course they see sense and relaunch a jbcc2 or similar. Even cars from the movies could incorporate bond cars plus inspire previous Jbcc collectors. As Dal110 a route bleu type collection would be perfect. Iconic cars in iconic scenes from iconic movies. I think MCF suggested this also.
I think a "Skyfall and Bond 24" partwork should be considered, meaning a possible re-issue of the Aston Martin DB5, but otherwise? Nope. Don't want a million re-issues. Doing one more re-issue due to high demand, which is what Altaya did for Taxis of the World I, is a whole 'nother matter, however. Still, they issued the cars far more quickly the second time around, had fewer issues to begin with, and waited almost five years between the two partworks to restart.
I also, unfortunately, do not think a Movie Partwork would be feasible due to licensing costs. A TV show partwork would be WAY more feasible, and I'm guessing you could still get some really iconic cars out of that where you'd also be able to make money (Kojak's Buick, Thomas Magnum's US market Ferrari, the Peugeot 403 convertible from Columbo, the '58 Buick Special Convertible from Perry Mason during the 1950's, the 1961 Plymouth Belvedere Police Car from Car 54, Where Are You?, MacGyver's '87 Jeep Wrangler, etc.)
I think in relation to selling the JBCC to new generations of Bond/car fans it would work, but not for most of us, we've 'been there, seen it and got the T shirt'. Where it could be good for us (as Dalko has highlighted) is if any re-launch at some time in the future might include extra models perhaps from Skyfall and Bond 24/25. James Bond is a world-wide phenomenon and to have licensing permission to trade on any part of it (in this case model cars) is a golden opportunity for any business. I just can't see Eaglemoss letting a long term money-spinner like this just fade away, they couldn't be that inept surely?
Even if it is not selling well, but the connections made in the U.S. with comic distributors and store chains could still be valuable for Eaglemoss in the future. Imagine Eaglemoss suggesting a "British Route Bleu" partwork there ...
But a comic-related partwork, getting customers used to the partwork concept in the U.S., maybe later selling the JBCC, as it's film-related, in comic book stores does make sense, I guess.
Of course I would have liked to see the JBCC continue. "Everything has to end - no regrets here", as Jag said. I think 134 issues was too many IMO. What I do regret is that after 134 issues there are still notable cars left (FRWL and OHMSS Rolls, Kenworth, Skyfall Defender etc.) yet we got many that were truly forgettable.
I hope we will see something like a TV-/movie car partwork. This could also be sold in the U.S. in comic book stores. Just yesterday saw Minority Report again on the telly, I'd love to have the "2054 Lexus" in 1/43 (there was a 1/24 from Maisto once). Or the Audi RSQ from I, Robot. I am sure such a partwork would be of interest to U.S. comic book store customers, too.
I don't think that licencing costs would be prohibitive. The car makers are eager to associate them with films through product placement (an Audi commercial during Minority Report featured Iron Man's R8 e-tron), and the studios have nothing to lose either. Instead they can make a bit of money for licencing for old films or series which otherwise would no longer be interesting for product tie-ins.
I'm not convinced Batman fans are really that much into cars to be honest. I'm a frequent visitor to Forbidden Planet in the UK and whereas there seems to be a healthy trade in Star Wars, Star Trek and Dr.Who models, Corgi's Batman offerings seem to just gather dust so I would imagine the Batman Automobilia COMIC vehicles would get similar indifference. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case in The States too. Obviously JBCC models have been available from the UK's Forbidden Planet and have sold well, but that doesn't mean the people buying them are comic fans, it's just a place that happens to sell the series. On that basis, it's possible UK comic shops might have done well selling other partworks too, like the Helicopters or Rally Car partworks. In the UK, most model shops have disappeared from shopping malls, and smaller newsagents don't seem to stock partworks, so people like Eaglemoss could do with more specialist outlets here, that's for sure.
Totally agree with that. Even if UH had re-issued the Mini Moke in yellow instead of 134 the extra Roller, the series would have ended on a better note.
If anyone ever thought "When will this *&^%$** JBCC partwork ever end??" you wait and see how long a non-specific movie/TV cars partwork will last. It could go on forever, thousands of cars/bikes/trucks and dioramas could be modelled. If any brave partwork company were to try and deal with all of the licensing hurdles, it could be a golden goose that doesn't stop laying.
Let's have some new code 3's . Also vanish will be collected 23rd May now . Will post photos
Cheers