# Greed!



## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

Two years.
Some of us modelers have been waiting two years for 
the Polar Lights' Refit *U.S.S. ENTERPRISE NCC-1701 * 
model kit. 

Our patience was rewarded with the best STAR 
TREK kit ever made.

Once these beautiful works of art were delivered into 
our trembling hands, new threads started popping up 
asking what the next 1:350 kit would be, and when 
we'll get it.

Why can't everyone enjoy what they have?
Why do they have to demand more?
It seems as if they are ungrateful.
Did they take any time to savor the Refit?
No.
Almost immediately we had threads with "What do you 
want to see PL do next?"

Now we have threads promoting letter writing campaigns 
designed to force RC2 into making another kit.
The executives in charge must be exasperated. They 
have to be thinking "Unbelievable! We go to all the trouble 
to bring this huge kit to market, and as soon as we do, 
they insist on another!"

Why don't we just have fun building the great kits we 
already have?

1:1000 U.S.S. ENTERPRISE
KLINGON D-7
1:350 ENTERPRISE NX-01
U.S.S. ENTERPRISE NCC-1701-A

These will keep me busy for awhile.

What about you?


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## nickyturner5000 (Jun 1, 2003)

*hello*

i`m sure people here do appreciate the refit, ive seen plenty of people saying how happy they are with it, and saying what a beautiful kit it is. I for one was gobsmacked when i recieved mine, i couldnt believe the size of it, i think she`s gorgeous. I think maybe the release of it got people excited about the next kit, i don`t think it`s down to greed, i think it`s down to excitement/anticipation. Personally, i myself would like this scale to continue.


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## LGFugate (Sep 11, 2000)

One thing we've learned here, it that the company needs to know that we not only liked the new kit, but that we want more. It's not greed, it's making sure PL (now RC2) knows that we're appreciative and are ready to spend even more if they will continue. 

It's all well and good to say, "Gee, thanks! That's the best kit ever!", but it helps the company to go on if they also hear, "Okay, what's next?".

Larry


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## JamesDFarrow (Sep 18, 1999)

*Dickens:* "Please sir, may I have some more?"

James


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## Da Queen (Mar 11, 2005)

Because y'all are a bunch of styrene junkies, CaptFrank...that's why. Embrace the truth, accept that fact and many more mysteries of this community will become clear to you. :tongue: 

Hugs,
Lisa


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Listen, even when I've just finished having sex, I'm thinking about how nice it would be to have sex again later.

Let's get cracking on the 1/350 TOS E, dammit, I'm a lustful boy!!


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## beck (Oct 22, 2003)

good morning , my name's harrell and i'm a styrene junkie .
hb


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## Ziz (Feb 22, 1999)

John P said:


> Listen, even when I've just finished having sex, I'm thinking about how nice it would be to have sex again later.


John P having sex...boy, isn't that a vivid image.... :drunk: 

And I can't....

....poke....

....my...

....mind's eye!!!  :freak:


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

You'd think that most companies would _dream_ that customers would _never_ be satisfied and continuously demand more and more product. 

Poor RC2, they just can't make'em fast enough to satisfy public demand. 

I can hear them now:

"Those ungrateful nose-breathers! We put out a Star Track kit and what do they do? Buy them all up so that our supply is depleated and we have to go to all the trouble of doing _yet another_ run to keep up demand! But, are they satisfied then? NOOO! Then they have the gall to demand that we create _even more_ models of the same line just so they can buy all those up, too! IT"S A NIGHTMARE!!!"


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## sbaxter (Jan 8, 2002)

Ziz said:


> John P having sex...boy, isn't that a vivid image.... :drunk:


I'm mere moments away from raking the hot coals over my eyes -- but I think once you've seen it, you can't _un-see_ it!

Aieeeeeeeeee!!! The pain! The wonderful, momentarily distracting, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious _*pain!!!*_

Qapla'

SSB


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## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

*More Trek kits ??? !!!*

 Well you may all rest comfortably, and sleep peacefully at night knowing that Dabbler will NOT be haunting the fine folks at RC2 for more space ships !!!
HOWEVER, if some one should come up with that George Zucco kit that I missed the first time around........... :tongue: 
Dabbler


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## ProfKSergeev (Aug 29, 2003)

It seems that all of the effort and "exasperation" being spent in the hopes of convincing RC2 to release a 1/350th scale TOS 1701 could be better spent towards scratchbuilding the very same. If you _really_ want a certain subject, but no company has kitted or will kit it, then you can either pester RC2 until you get one or you can make your own.

For your reference:

http://www.culttvman.com/david_merriman___building_the_.html
http://starshipmodeler.com/gallery/jt_tos-e.html
http://members.***********.com/msfm/scratchdemo2/scratchdemo2.htm (Those of you in the know will recognise what has been blanked out of this link and should be able to reconstruct it.)
http://squaremodels.netfirms.com/66enterprisepage1.htm
http://www.thomasmodels.com/pl1701pat.html


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Ziz said:


> John P having sex...boy, isn't that a vivid image....


Oh, thanks a _lot_ Ziz! Jeez, talk about putting me right off my lunch... :freak:


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## beeblebrox (Jul 30, 2003)

ProfKSergeev said:


> ... or you can make your own.


Who'd be crazy enough to do that?! :freak: 
http://starshipmodeler.com/gallery/jt_tos-e.html
Jerry "beeblebrox" Terrell :tongue:


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## 1bluegtx (Aug 13, 2004)

LGFugate said:


> One thing we've learned here, it that the company needs to know that we not only liked the new kit, but that we want more. It's not greed, it's making sure PL (now RC2) knows that we're appreciative and are ready to spend even more if they will continue.
> 
> It's all well and good to say, "Gee, thanks! That's the best kit ever!", but it helps the company to go on if they also hear, "Okay, what's next?".
> 
> Larry


The Revell of Germany website actually has a survey to fill out and tell them what model kits you would like to see!Good public relations.

BRIAN


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## Ziz (Feb 22, 1999)

1bluegtx said:


> The Revell of Germany website actually has a survey to fill out and tell them what model kits you would like to see!Good public relations.
> 
> BRIAN


 And all RC2 related sites *DON'T*...what does that tell you? 



> From the RCErtl.com FAQ page:
> *How can I submit a product idea to you?*
> Unfortunately, neither RC2 nor any of its subsidiary divisions (RC Ertl, Learning Curve, The First Years and JoyRide Studios), can accept unsolicited product suggestions, concept or ideas.


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## spe130 (Apr 13, 2004)

As someone who has taken plenty of undergraduate and graduate level business classes, I have no clue how some companies survive with their horrific customer service. :freak:


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## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

Surveys are published to solicit responses. Surveys do not generally produce unsolicited ideas.

Most large companies do not accept unsolicited product ideas or concepts... We did not accept such ideas at Playing Mantis even though we never published that policy on a web site.
Our policy Playing Mantis prior to the buy-out was that unsolicited product ideas sent to us were to be forwarded to the legal department.
Legal then would return such ideas with a note explaining that we did not accept unsolicited product ideas.

Dave.


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## 1bluegtx (Aug 13, 2004)

I still think it does not hurt to listen to the consumer.I remember filling out a postcard for Polar Lights (i think it was the same time as i subscribed to the Polar Lights Press---remember that?) and one of the questions on it was what kit would you like to see Polar Lights produce.My first request was the Land of the Giants snake, well somebody must have been listening.

BRIAN


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## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

Dave, as succinctly as possible but that we'll still all understand it, what was the reason for that ? later disputes over rights ? or someone wanting too much money ? Or just getting the rights to whatever character was suggested ?
Surely someone "out there" had a good idea at sometime !
Dabbler


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## JamesDFarrow (Sep 18, 1999)

A lot of companies have that policy. It's a matter of "liability". If you suggest a product, and they produce it and make a fortune, you can say it was your suggestion that led to the huge profits so where is my share. You Americans should know that, you can sue everyone for everything in the US. LOL!

James


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## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

The general policy is that accepting unsolicited ideas opens the company up for laibility over right to those ideas. Unsolicited concepts for a new product are a potential legal minefield.
If a company accepts those unsolicited ideas that company is usually unable to determine the true origins of that material. 
With unsolicited ideas there is no way to be sure that the submitting party didn't "borrow" the idea from a third, unknown source. 
Creators of Ideas have rights in the the United States and they can sue for payment.
Most companies have an aversion to being named in a law suit thus the no unsolicited idea policies.
A company pays employees and contractors for ideas and concepts to assure that the company has (and can prove in court) legal ownership of the "intellectual property". Most companies are very careful in this. RC-2 is just exercising good judgement,they don't want to spend any time on a project that is based on an idea that they can't prove that they clearly own.

James has it pretty right!

Dave


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## DinoMike (Jan 1, 1970)

Dave Metzner said:


> The general policy is that accepting unsolicited ideas opens the company up for laibility over right to those ideas. Unsolicited concepts for a new product are a potential legal minefield.
> If a company accepts those unsolicited ideas that company is usually unable to determine the true origins of that material.
> With unsolicited ideas there is no way to be sure that the submitting party didn't "borrow" the idea from a third, unknown source.
> Creators of Ideas have rights in the the United States and they can sue for payment.
> ...



What I don't understand about the whole situation is this: If the product in question is based on a licensed property such as Trek or Star Wars... even if RC2 did follow through on a suggestion to produce a 1/350 scale TOS Enterprise (or far better, a 1/350 K'Tinga  ), what does it matter if Joe Blow suggested it in a letter or forum post? He's not entitled to 1 red cent unless HE holds the license.


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## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

Remember, Surveys and questionaires are not the same thing as unsolicited suggestions.
Surveys and questionaires are done specifically to gather information from our customers.

An "unsolicited idea" is the guy who calls you on the phone to tell about his great new idea; or sends you a package full of diagrams and blueprints for a new concept in racing games, or model kits, or slot car sets.

As a company we may send surveys out to everybody who buys our product; because we want information from people who buy our products, but we don't want our people accepting any unsolicited product ideas for all the reasons mentioned in previous posts.

At Playing Mantis we paid a very fine lawyer to watch over those affairs for us. His strongly worded advice was that we should NEVER even read such submittals before sending them to him for return to the owner with the nice "thank's but NO Thanks letter. We were also instructed that we should politely refer all such phone callers to his office.
While I was at Playing Mantis that is exactly the way I handled unsolicited ideas.

Dave


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## uss_columbia (Jul 15, 2003)

Dave Metzner said:


> While I was at Playing Mantis...


Feel free to say "none of your darned business," but I'm curious what you and some of your fellow former Playing Mantis people are up to now.

RC2 is pretty silent on the matter in their press releases (and it isn't even on this forum's FAQ), but I take it that pretty much all of Playing Mantis management was let go when the company was "integrated." Correct?


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

The more I hear about this buyout, the more I dislike it.


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## F91 (Mar 3, 2002)

The entrails of the dead company are popping up at all the Big Lots, a shame really...


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

Well!
This turned into a spirited discussion!
I would say this thread is a success!


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## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

What's all over Big Lots is mainly OLD inventory! 
Most of that product is several years OLD! 
Most of it would have been liquidated even if the buy-out had not occured. 
RC-2 is not interested in holding that stuff in their warehouses. They liquidated all the OLD stuff and everything tied to expired licenses.

The Marvel license, Universal Monsters contract, Lost in Space contract, and Voyage to the Bottom Of the Sea licenses are probably all expired.
Once a license has expired the standard practice is to sell all the inventory off as fast as possible to comply with the disposal period that is part of the licensing agreement.

There is no RC-2 connected operation in Mishawaka any longer. a couple of the Johnny Lightning guys have re-located to Illinois. Some other former employees declined oportunities to relocate. Most of us have moved on.

Dave


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## F91 (Mar 3, 2002)

I will be looking forward to getting as many Seaviews as my greedy big paws can carry!


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## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

Dave,
just to drag this out as long as possible  , I seem to recall quite a while ago, ( and maybe still ) their was a company that made railroad models, buildings, etc., that ASKED for suggestions and input as to old buildings etc. that were "interesting" or unusual that may make good subjects to model for their line.
I recall because their was an old brewery in my town that fit that bill very well but I never sent in the suggestion. Sadly the building has been torn down now. Does this ring any bells ?  
Dabbler


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## xr4sam (Dec 9, 1999)

John P said:


> Listen, even when I've just finished having sex, I'm thinking about how nice it would be to have sex again later.
> 
> Let's get cracking on the 1/350 TOS E, dammit, I'm a lustful boy!!


 MENTAL FLOSS!!!

Oh, the horror!


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## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

Ok, the horse is dead. Enough whining about the death of Playing Mantis 

This thread is closed


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