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Model Kits: Countdown to Wonderfest T- 5
Here’s more of my Wonderfest model kits preview…
UFO Mystery ship – We’ll have a great buildup done by our pro-builder Jim Small. It’s got tons of great weathering and decals by JT Graphics. This a cool ship design. As I assembled my test shot of it, I fell in love with each additional part.
The look of the build will relate to the new story that will come on the instruction sheet like the classic Leif Ericson, did. We’ll have a mockup of the package as well. Sorry, you’ll have to make up your own sounds of space for this release though.
Model Kits: Countdown to Wonderfest T-6
Again, returning to a preview of our display for Wonderfest ’09 model kits.
1/350 Enterprise 1701A- We’ll have our iHobby buildup with prototype decals on it. Hopefully, we will also have at least a section of the ship built up using the production decals. We’ll also have a sample copy of the kit open so everyone can get a good look at the changes to the kit, the new decals and the accompanying instruction sheets.
Everyone that’s been curious to see the decals and revised base, this is your chance to check it out. The kit will be available very soon. I think the first shipment will arrive in our warehouse this week!
Model Kits: Countdown to Wonderfest T- 7
Starting in earnest, a preview of the cool sci-fi model kits we’ll be showing at our Wonderfest booth.
Robby the Robot- He’s a cool classic of sci-fi. With this release, we have included a new base that better reflects the distinctive detail of Altair 4. Come take a look and see the cool build Jim Small did for us. You can see first hand how he used magnets to make the figure poseable and easy to plug in alternate parts.
The Witch- Man, isn’t she a BEAUTY!?! Well, at least the buildup is. Be sure to take a look and see all of the detailed parts included in the kit. Also, make sure to check out our open box of the kit and check out the optional glow in the dark parts including glow in the dark CLEAR parts.
Enterprise 1701E – If you haven’t landed one of these kits yet, come see what you are missing. We’ll have a buildup featuring the new base. We’ll also have a sample of the new decal sheet to show the additions we’ve made.
Model Kits: Countdown to Wonderfest T- 8
Another preview of our upcoming appearance at Wonderfest.
Cars- While the primary focus of the show is sci-fi and fantasy, there are some attendees that have some interest in other subject matter. Whether they want to build up cars with as much attention as their Enterprise or just want the parts to kit bash like some of the old filming models were, we’ll have a few buildups to show off to them.
There are cars I like (My favorite “real” car is a ’69 Chevelle), but I wouldn’t call myself a “car guy”. I don’t know the ins and outs of them. I don’t know what transmission was used for whatever model but we’ve got guys on staff here that do and they also have a great appreciation for cool car model kits. The emphasis seems to be on the classic/retro, cool/crazy or just the detailed but kind of mundane semi tractor. (mundane to me maybe, gold to you folks who know who you are)
We’ll be showing off builds of…
- Rupp SnoSport
- Lil’ Stogie
- Chevy Titan Cabover
- And maybe a few more.
We should have package mockups of the Royal Rail and a few others.
Model Kits: Countdown to Wonderfest T- 9
Continuing a preview of what you can expect to see at our booth at Wonderfest.
Dinosaur kits- We’ll be showcasing our buildups of these cool snap model kits. We had them built up with nicely detailed paint including some fluorescents. How else would we make the lava glow?
Our Tyrannosaurus Rex kit is already out. Pterranodon should be out by the end of summer. Both kits have great detail and are a ton of fun to put together.
Model Kits: Countdown to Wonderfest T- 10
So, we are gearing up for our second trip to Wonderfest May 16-17. This will be our first time to set up at the usual digs of the newly renovated Crown Plaza hotel. We’re excited to see everyone again and show of our current and upcoming releases. I’ll be making daily blog posts to give a little peek at what we’ll have on display at the show.
First, we’ll have a cool little premium for everyone that stops by and fills out our questionnaire. It will let you give us a little feedback to help in our planning for upcoming releases. It’ll be a simplified form compared to last year and will be well worth your time to both us and yourself. In addition to the premium, by filling out the questionnaire, you’ll be entered into a drawing for some cool model kits.
We’ll be promoting our website by having a computer right there at the show to let everyone take a look around and see everything we have to offer there from release dates to modeling tips.
In addition to that, we’ll have open boxes of all of our kits so you can take a look around and see what changes have been made.
Embarking on a new Star Trek Enterprise model kit
So, we keep hearing that a 1/350 scale Star Trek Original Series Enterprise might be popular. I’ve heard it from a few folks that model builders of all shapes and sizes think it’s a grand idea… well those that have the room anyway. It is probably the most iconic spacecraft (or any vehicle for that matter) of all time and we are giddy as little school children to do it.
So we’ve begun planning, gotten some excellent consultants involved and we’re off and running. We’ve got tons of ideas to make the ultimate Enterprise kit. Now here’s my question to you modeling fans, what would you include in your dream Star Trek Enterprise model kit? Come one, come all and leave your remarks here in the comments area of this blog entry. All ideas will be considered but on the other hand nothing will be promised.
Sci-fi Model Kit Supplemental: UFO Mystery Ship and AMT Mr. Spock.
I’ve got lots of ideas in mind to write about, but occasionally I’ll have to deviate from my plan every now and then to talk about current developments. This is one of those.
Late last week and just this week I received test shots of two long lost kits, the old AMT Spock (with snakes) model kit and the UFO Mystery Ship. Many speculated whether the tools still existed and what shape they were in. We were excited to hear about six months ago that the tools had been found. (We knew they existed but their location in the Dyersville warehouse was not documented) We received photos of the molds themselves about three months ago and went through the task of having them shipped to our factory in China.
UFO Mystery Ship
So the great mystery was “will we find the clear engine parts intact? Or possibly as an insert?” Unfortunately, the answers were “no” and “no”. However we did find the other long lost parts like the nose cone, scout ship landing gear and the opaque parts that were to go between the clear parts. The tool showed no signs that there was a place to put an insert for clear parts. Also missing was any remnant of the original base. The only trace of the previous base is two holes in the bottom of the ship where the base may have been connected. (My best guess having never had the chance to study the underside of a Leif kit)
One significant revelation was seeing how the forward neck section had been divided from the back section. I wondered why the break was made right in the middle rather than at the more logical seem where the neck connects to the body of the ship. The reason for having the break at all was just to fit in the smaller square box style. We’ve speculated why these kinds of decisions were made. We figure it was to make all packages a smaller standard size to fit on retailers shelves or to purely to remove the air from inside the box. Anyway, the split is very even and we can see that this may be a simple thing to reconnect the neck. We haven’t decided whether we should do that at this point or not. If we find any demand at big box hobby retailers, they want everything in standard size model kit boxes. The kit will fit that style as is but definitely wouldn’t if we restore the neck. Whether or not we do it for this release or for the (hopefully) eventual back dating needed to make it a genuine Leif Ericson remains to be seen.
The test shots arrived in fine shape and a quick buildup went smoothly. All of the shots did have a few issues with the 4-pronged nose cone. One of the prongs was bent and the cone had a pretty significant sinkhole in it. The timing of the arrival of the kit was perfect as we are planning our Wonderfest presence. We’ll have a professionally built copy of the kit there. I have to admit as I was building the kit, my attitude towards it went from really like to LOVE. It is such an elegant, believable design. Although it would be great to have engines filling their spots, the ship looks great from every angle. The scout ship is a great design as well. It is prime to be upsized and detailed out into a kit of its own. Even the flimsy base did its job adequately without taking anything away from the design.
AMT Spock
We were really biting our lip on this one. What would be in the tool and what wouldn’t be? Everyone can see that the re-release done for the motion picture was a half-ass job. It had butchered the kit and who knows why such a significant change was made. Sure it made the character the same style as the movie. Why cut the base and eliminate the snakes? Just because they weren’t in the film or maybe they were perceived as hokey? We thought that maybe it was done to fit the standard square style box but found that the kit would have fit that box anyway.
One day we received a DVD full of documentation. We had someone onsite in the warehouse, researching, documenting, photographing the test shots on record and cracking open tools to find kits to potentially re-release whether it be Trek or other possible licenses. I started thumbing through it and with baited breath double clicked the folder named “Mr. Spock”… And what to my wondering eyes should appear but the snake sprue completely intact on the photo of the test shot on record. Hooray! However the base was still the butchered half… Bumpum badum. (like the Price Is Right)
So a couple months pass and we received photos of the actual tool and saw that a section of the original base was ground out and replaced by an insert cutting the base as we know it today. The good news about this was that we can create a new insert to put in its place. That saves us a considerable cost to backdate the kit. Work on the backdating is underway. I’ll post an update once I get revised test shots.
The parts as they exist fit fine. I was heartbroken not to be able to put the snake heads on their spot on the base though. Strangely enough, it would make a great kitbash to have the snakes growing out of the top of Spock’s head…
Model Kits: I’ve been spying on people for almost a year now.
Well, maybe more like 9 months but who’s counting. Like I said earlier, I’ve been poking around the popular sci-fi modeling message boards, taking it all in. Reading what folks have to say about our Star Trek model kits and all of our other offerings (and everyone else’s for that matter) and trying to get a feel for our fans and consumers.
I’ve found that there are lots of talented modelers out there and they all strive for perfection. (okay, maybe occasionally just yearn for a level of fun once in a while) Not everybody is an expert but there are plenty out there with great source material and huge amounts of time invested in determining ship scales by closely comparing one onscreen ship to another. All of this is in an effort to painstakingly build their models with the utmost care towards craftsmanship and accuracy to the original source material. Many take it to the next level by creating their own visions of new or off camera ships. They’ve got it all figured out and they love the hobby.
But there is a flipside to the coin. In this Internet age, many hunger for news of the next big thing. Many offer their opinion of what their next dream kit would be while others join the chorus or scream foul. Emotions range from overwhelming joy to disparaging rage, with attitudes of sincere curiosity to “tell me now or I’m taking my ball and going home” dastardly-ness.
Hmmm… Is this a pool I want to jump into? If I do, what can I say? If someone asks about a potential project, I can’t really comment on stuff that’s further down the pipeline. If whatever it may be doesn’t happen, my (and the company’s) name is Mud with a capital M. If someone asks a question and I can give an honest answer that starts a conversation. With all that we have going on here with limited staff, I can’t be expected to come back and track a conversation to give replies, retorts or excuses even when I want to.
Here’s what I can say. We hear you. We see what you want and everything else needs to be addressed. We want to give you everything on your list but we can’t do it all right now. Patience, grasshoppers. Tooling and new licenses are heavy investments. We have to roll out slowly.
In the meantime, whenever you have a question, feel free to ask me on this blog via the comment area. I won’t guaranty answers to every one but I’ll answer what I think is appropriate. My answer may even take up an entire blog post.
So, without searching for all of the common questions, here are some select answers…
- The neck was corrected before our re-release. Any kit with a Round 2 logo on it should be straight.
- Yes, we are planning a 1/350 TOS Enterprise.
- I agree, that would be a good follow up but tooling on larger kits is expensive so don’t expect new large kits every year.
- We do not plan on selling refit Aztec decal sets at this time.
- Yes, we plan on re-releasing all of the AMT vintage kits eventually.
- I agree, a 1/1000 scale Reliant, K’tinga, New Movie Enterprise, Romulan Bird of Prey (anyone got a definitive measurement on that one, its gonna be tiny) and Enterprise D (qualifies as another large kit. See above.) among many others could all make great kits some day. (Keep discussing, btw. It may or may not influence what comes first.)
- We don’t have the license for that because a) someone else already does and that means that even though we may have a tool for it, we don’t have permission to make it or b) many other reasons I’ll get into in another entry.
- I don’t mind the design. Sure there are things I would change (like the skinny rear end of the 2nd hull and maybe redistribute the mass of the nacelles a bit) but for the most part the distinctive elements are there and it is definitely more recognizable as the Enterprise than the NX-01.
- No comment…
Be sure to come see us at Wonderfest.
From Star Trek model kits to Batman and on it goes.
When I found out we were considering acquiring the tooling assets of Polar Lights, AMT and MPC, I was incredibly excited. I love sci-fi and fantasy subject matter from Alien to Blade Runner, from Star Trek model kits to Batman and on it goes. I couldn’t wait to finally dive into working on product that fed my passion for sci-fi. When we took on the brands, I had been with the Round 2 for a little over a year, helping with the development of our Forever Fun line of licensed product (and I still do that too) working with great licenses like Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and Peanuts. These were properties that I loved as a kid and still have fondness for but my real passion was always sci-fi and comic book stuff. I loved Star Wars growing up and had a fondness for Star Trek but I’m a die hard comic book collector (Batman, X-men and the best of the rest), have been for as long as I can remember and plan to be for the rest of my life.
