# What's going on with Lifelike?



## many slots (Apr 16, 2007)

Does anyone know what Walthers is doing with LifeLike?
Last year the new cars didn't come out until December.
This year they haven't even announced anything new yet!
I know they have released mostly the same cars for the last few years,
but at least they had something.
Is LifeLike dead?


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

The fact that they are even keeping the slot end of it alive is something. When Walthers picked up Lifelike, it was to save the train end of the business. The slots were tossed in the deal. I think they tested the waters last year and weren't too happy with the sales figures. I do know that Walthers has a bunch of stuff on sale right now, Whether it's a clearance sale or a closeout deal I'm not sure. 

http://www.walthers.com/exec/bargain?category=Roadracing&scale=H


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## ChicagoRAND (May 19, 2011)

Yeah, pretty bleak over there at their website. Look like only half of the last release is showing on the site, and about 1/3 of those are out-of-stock. Really hated seeing them not try harder to market. It also appears that all the sellers on eBay notice the end is near too. Because you can't touch most new for under $30. About a year or so ago you could get many for $14-16 ea SH incl. I been looking for a New 2010 Mustang for awhile, and Walters has them right now for $19.98 ALSO the Red Camaro & Corvette C5 for same. I just purchase (2) Mustangs & (2) Vettes. SH was $8.98 so my cost per car was $22.21 Ebay has one seller selling the Corvette for $26 (2 avail) and another selling the Camaros for $26.75 (3 avail) THAT'S IT and NO 2010 Mustangs. I'll put a Mustang and Vette in my showcase, and hold the extras for several months and then SELL!!


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## Gareth (Mar 8, 2011)

That's really sad if it really is going to be the end of the LifeLike brand. The T chassis is currently my favourite club racing car as I can use one chassis with a change of rear axle and body to be competitive in National Nascar, National Modified and also my local club Mod and Nascar classes. That is a very versatile car for not a lot of money. 

That would explain why Bad L's has been out of stock of the rolling chassis for a while now.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Even as a Lifelike collector, I have gotten tired of buying the same car year after year with the only difference being (sometimes small) deco changes. I am basically at the point where if that's all they do on their next release, I may not bother. After a while, just how many #5, #24 and #48 cars do you need? Even the same body with different non-Nascar paint schemes would be welcome.

So if their sales have fallen off, it could be because they have done nothing different for many years. It's really bad when even collectors stop buying. And if you lose the collectors with as small as this hobby is, you lose a lot of repeat customers.

There may be nothing a company can do to spur enough slot sales to make it profitable. But it seems like they haven't even been trying.

Joe


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## ChicagoRAND (May 19, 2011)

Just received my order from Walters on those (4) cars couple hours ago, that I ordered Friday at 12:32 AM. That's FAST, ok ok so they're in Milwaukee, and I live in Chicagoland. But even so, that's processing an order. Anyway, check out the photo. Look what they added in the package, a train catalog. Why is it, through my life that I loved a lot of certain things, only to see them DIE. IE Mercury Cougar


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

It's the "Discontinued Bandit" again. Happens to me all the time.
From soap to roll-on, food to drinks, shoes to clothes, or cars, everything I take a liking to gets discontinued.
For instance, after I graduated in '87, my parents went with me to buy a brand new car.
We went to the Mercury dealership to pick out what was then my favorite new car, a 
bubble back Capri. But, all the '87s were sold out and there wasn't gonna be an '88 Capri.
Disappointed, we went across town to the VW dealership to pick out my next favorite, a
Scirocco. All the '87s were sold out, and there wasn't gonna be an '88 Scirocco.
Thanks, but I guess I'll keep my '72 Nova. Maybe fate did me a favor that day.


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

Grandcheapskate said:


> Even as a Lifelike collector, I have gotten tired of buying the same car year after year with the only difference being (sometimes small) deco changes. I am basically at the point where if that's all they do on their next release, I may not bother. After a while, just how many #5, #24 and #48 cars do you need? Even the same body with different non-Nascar paint schemes would be welcome.
> 
> So if their sales have fallen off, it could be because they have done nothing different for many years. It's really bad when even collectors stop buying. And if you lose the collectors with as small as this hobby is, you lose a lot of repeat customers.
> 
> ...


agreed, collectors are addicts, & a base sales 4 hobby products :thumbsup:

Bubba 123 (certified collector addict :wave


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

NTxSlotCars said:


> It's the "Discontinued Bandit" again. Happens to me all the time.
> From soap to roll-on, food to drinks, shoes to clothes, or cars, everything I take a liking to gets discontinued.
> For instance, after I graduated in '87, my parents went with me to buy a brand new car.
> We went to the Mercury dealership to pick out what was then my favorite new car, a
> ...


kool!! I grad. in '76 & parents bought me a Minty '70 Nova.... ;-)

Bubba 123 :thumbsup:


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## Gareth (Mar 8, 2011)

Grandcheapskate said:


> Even as a Lifelike collector, I have gotten tired of buying the same car year after year with the only difference being (sometimes small) deco changes. I am basically at the point where if that's all they do on their next release, I may not bother. After a while, just how many #5, #24 and #48 cars do you need? Even the same body with different non-Nascar paint schemes would be welcome.
> 
> So if their sales have fallen off, it could be because they have done nothing different for many years. It's really bad when even collectors stop buying. And if you lose the collectors with as small as this hobby is, you lose a lot of repeat customers.
> 
> ...


I totally get what you mean there Joe. I'm not the biggest Nascar fan and I've not understood at all the narrowing of the range to just those few cars year after year. Lifelike used to produce a great range of Nascar bodies. It is tough for when new racers join clubs too as it means a plethora of the same body which is so confusing in a race.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

I just got a Walther's flyer/catalog in the mail. I gues once you order from them, you get flyer every so often. Usually there are only about 3-4 pages for slots. This time nothing. No mention of slots at all.

It may indeed be looking grim.

Joe


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

As I recall from a couple/few years ago+ when I was getting the flyer, slots only appeared 2-3 times a year, mainly around Christmas time. While it may make things look more bleak, don't let the flyer part of the equation bug you. That's normal flyer-wise.


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

I bought the Mustang and Charger... on their site they have them pictured with chrome hubs, which I like. When I got the cars they had the same old dull gray hubs. I called them and they're going to send me two fast tracker chassis with chrome hubs at no charge.

I told the guy that there aren't many people who are fans of their gray hubs, and that even black or white hubs would be welcomed by most. He seemed interested in my opinion and said he would pass that along. Probably just lip service, but I;m glad I'll be getting chrome hubbed chassis nonetheless


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

I gotta believe Walthers has thrown in the towel on Lifelike slot cars - at least for now. I just received their latest catalog and all the slots are from 2009-2012. We are into October and the website doesn't list anything new for 2013 - let alone having anything ready for sale.

Maybe they took a year off....or maybe they wised up and realized that NASCAR is not worth the licensing fees they have probably been paying, especially with the ratings drop of NASCAR. Hopefully it is the latter and they had to change plans resulting in a lull of new releases. If so, maybe we can hope for some exciting releases rather than the same NASCAR cars each year.

Joe


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

But Joe, maybe Walters has half a warehouse FULL of those Unsold Sets from 2009 -2012.... why would they keep adding to the stockpile. After-all....it's only us middle age and baby boomers who have been buying them, and not in great quantities. Besides, Nascar isn't exactly selling like it used to...maybe they are tooling up for new bodies down the road, for something that's more popular with the kids today.... Like an Import TUNER Set 



Grandcheapskate said:


> I gotta believe Walthers has thrown in the towel on Lifelike slot cars - at least for now. I just received their latest catalog and all the slots are from 2009-2012. We are into October and the website doesn't list anything new for 2013 - let alone having anything ready for sale.
> 
> Maybe they took a year off....or maybe they wised up and realized that NASCAR is not worth the licensing fees they have probably been paying, especially with the ratings drop of NASCAR. Hopefully it is the latter and they had to change plans resulting in a lull of new releases. If so, maybe we can hope for some exciting releases rather than the same NASCAR cars each year.
> 
> Joe


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

My gut tells me they're done. As I said in post #2 on this thread, Walthers is a model train retailer. when they bought Lifelike the main purpose of that purchase was to save the Lifelike train name. The slots were part of the deal. It looks to me like they made a go at it, even tooled a couple new bodies (Mustang and Camaro) and went as far as reviving the RR Xing track to make slot/train sets. Most train guys are rivet counters, and wouldn't combine the two because of the unrealistic (shall I say unlifelike :lol: ) speeds, and the scales being so far off. With Napcar in the hot water that they're in, and the limited variety of bodies, I think they've given up...


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*This just in...*

Rumor has it that this year the Superbird is being re-tooled and that has been taking up all of the available time. Details are: The wheelbase will remain the same, however the front and rear will be extended 1 inch and 3/4's of an inch respectively. Also, the wing on the rear deck will be made 1-1/2 inches taller.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

:freak:


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## ChicagoRAND (May 19, 2011)

Boy you just can't figure them out. They're doing a good job keeping everything a secret. AND NOW, yeah just today, They updated their website on the HO Slot cars, in fact, I swear actually added stock availabilty to some, I know weren't available two months ago. IE NOMADS, Kasey Kahne #5, police car. Weird, check it out
http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?category=Roadracing&subc=CAR


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

thanx,
just ordered the Nomads


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## ChicagoRAND (May 19, 2011)

GREAT, at that price and even though the S/H was $8.98 you were still better off than buying from the lowest seller on eBay right now ! (which isn't my favorite seller, by the way) and and oh yeah, real good chance you're going to get an email from Walters giving you a 10% discount on your next order. You apply that to a larger order, and S/H is still $8.98 you can get your cost per car down big time. Last August I did that, bought 8 cars and got my final cost per car down to $16.42 each. YOU CAN'T BEAT DAT !!


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

looking forward to discounts. 
I like em.
the only local hobby store with one of these in stock wants in excess of $30


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## FOSTBITTEN (Aug 1, 2013)

It would be nice if AW would get the nod to do older stock car racing bodies. With the classic real world paint schemes on them. And the car owners & drivers getting a cut of this pie. And leave Nascar's name off of them. 

Like AW did with the drag racing legends. They just did it with the Petty Charger so who knows?


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## tycobel (Dec 23, 2003)

Fostbitten, I remember a couple of years ago, AW had a resin body of a Lumina in one of the shows but they never moved it to production. Not sure why...This would have been a good addition the Pontiac GP from Tyco and a much better version than the Marchon one.

I think that the licensing fees for Nascar from the 70's, 80's and 90's could be lower than today's teams so a good opportunity to sell actual paint scheme ?


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## FOSTBITTEN (Aug 1, 2013)

@ Tyobel I would have to wonder if Nascar would actually have any licensing rights to a paint scheme from any further back than say the 80's. I would not doubt it though being na$car. 

AW made the Buick Grand National so that could easily become a Regal to the untrained eye especially with racing warpaint on it. I think there is also a mid 80's Monte Carlo in a JL pullback too.

I looked at the pics of the new Petty Rig & car pack. And I could not find any type of "Nascar" logo anywhere. Of course that does not mean the logo is not on the back of the packaging in fine print. But if Nascar is not a part of the Petty set that should leave the door open for say a Junior Johnson to get some cars out of a deal like this.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

What's happened to LifeLike? AUTOWORLD has been kicking their tail.
Head to head in Hobby Lobby, AW continually outsells LL in cars and sets.
Don't forget, LL had the dominant spread when AW came in. AW has earned this.
Around here, you can't really get any slot cars other than Hobby Lobby unless you go online.
I've watched the pegs disappear from LL and given to AW. Even CarreraGO outsells LL.
Why? No imagination. Sure, they can do a good Nascar scheme with all the decals, but,
as has been pointed out before, how many different Jeff Gordon schemes do you want?
Couple that with Nascars recent overwhelming success, and LL is in trouble.
They have been counting on Nascar to sell cars for them. What can they do?
With their graphics, LL could do some killer road race cars.
Lemans, v8 supercars, scca, euro touring, Brazil stock car, ANYTHING but the current Napcar.

But, in short, I gotta hand it to AW for running LL out of the market.

Props to Tom Lowe...


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

NTxSlotCars said:


> But, in short, I gotta hand it to AW for running LL out of the market.


Although...it's not hard to pass someone who's standing still, backing up or shooting themselves in the foot.

I don't think it's AW that's run Lifelike out of shelf space, I think it's mostly self inflicted on Lifelike's part. By constantly putting out new releases (whatever one may think of the variety/quality) AW is constanty turning over inventory which is what a hobby shop needs.

Were Lifelike to even recycle some of the older bodies, includng Amrac and Rokar, sales should be better. Bringing back the M chassis wouldn't hurt either.

Joe


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## blue55conv (May 23, 2007)

I collect Life-Like. Each year I track the new items listed on the Walther's website. They start out with TBD availability. Later they add a date and a photo. Earlier this year there were several new items listed. When I went back later to check the status, they were gone. The Walthers annual catalog usually has a slot car section. The 2014 catalog does not. There are slot cars in their sales catalog, but there are no new releases. I fear that Life-Like slot cars are history.

Mike Cook


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## blue55conv (May 23, 2007)

When Walthers bought Life-Like, I figured that would be the end of their slot cars. I was surprised that they kept them. Each year they made a bunch of sets, twin packs, and individual cars. I think they made too many sets. 

Mike Cook


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

tjd241 said:


> Rumor has it that this year the Superbird is being re-tooled and that has been taking up all of the available time. Details are: The wheelbase will remain the same, however the front and rear will be extended 1 inch and 3/4's of an inch respectively. Also, the wing on the rear deck will be made 1-1/2 inches taller.


Sarcasm? Oh dear, thats not very courteous posting of a styling made from a refrigerator box and duct type


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## blue55conv (May 23, 2007)

Maybe AW will do Nascar. Their NHRA releases show that they can do accurate paint schemes when they want to. They would need to do some tooling. Maybe they can just buy the Life-Like slot tooling from Walthers.

Mike Cook


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## honda27 (Apr 17, 2008)

*lifelike*

walthers is taking lifelike down the drain just like mattel did to tyco sry guys 
walthers has the same 4 cars out every yr # 5 #24 #48 and # 88 cars only 4 they do . all hendrick cars.


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## blue55conv (May 23, 2007)

Life-Like slots are definitely dead. My local train store confirmed it with Walthers. They complained about paying licensing costs for the car, Nascar, and the driver.

Mike Cook


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

blue55conv said:


> Life-Like slots are definitely dead. My local train store confirmed it with Walthers. They complained about paying licensing costs for the car, Nascar, and the driver.
> 
> Mike Cook


Sad, but not unexpected. Thanks for the update Mike. I know of only one Lifelike dealer...he does mostly trains but dabbled in slots. I usually see him at trains shows so I will have to check the next time a show comes around.

If true, that's a lousy, weak excuse. They don't have to do NASCAR...there are plenty of other cars which can be made, including generics. They've already got a lot of molds. If Walther's simply wants out of slots, they should say so and maybe look for a buyer. But to believe the only cars they can make must be NASCAR is ridiculous. They boxed themselves into a corner by becoming one-dimensional and now maybe we lose one of the "major" manufacturers.

Personally, I don't know why anyone agrees to licensing fees anyway. Seems to me getting your name on a toy product is free advertising - it's the toy manufacturer who should be asking for payment. 

Joe


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## hefer (Sep 18, 1999)

Grandcheapskate said:


> Personally, I don't know why anyone agrees to licensing fees anyway. Seems to me getting your name on a toy product is free advertising - it's the toy manufacturer who should be asking for payment.
> 
> Joe


I could not agree more. When I was a kid, my favorite slot car was my wild ones white & blue Camaro. I've owned 2 Camaros and a couple other Chevys, because of my fondness of that car. Car makers should pay toy companies to make their cars.


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## blue55conv (May 23, 2007)

I doubt if Nascar licensing was the only reason. Walthers is a train company. Slot cars didn't fit their business. 

I agree about licensing being free advertising. It would be interesting to hear what Tom Lowe at AW is going through. He has car companies, NHRA, car drivers, car sponsors, magazines, cartoons, and movies associated with AW cars. I imagine many if not all want their cut. Of course Tom has been down that road many times with Johnny Lightning diecast.

Mike Cook


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## hefer (Sep 18, 1999)

The sad part is, that we have to pay more, because of the fees the mfg has to pay. The consumer always pays in the end.


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

Grandcheapskate said:


> Seems to me getting your name on a toy product is free advertising - it's the toy manufacturer who should be asking for payment.
> 
> Joe


^^ This! If a car company wants product placement in a movie, the movie studio doesn't pay for the privilege. How many yellow Camaros are on the road thanks to Transformers? It would seem to me that if a kid gets a slotcar set at Xmas, whatever car is in that and becomes the favorite has a strong chance of getting on the radar by age 16. 

I can personally tell you that my all-time favorite car (as opposed to 4x4 or truck) is the 2nd gen AMC Javelin...on account of my blue #5 AFX version that I grew up racing. Granted, AMC went the way of the dodo but lived on in the form of Jeep (my dad's plow rig was a '69 CJ-5) which you all know the story on that. Chrysler now owns Jeep and as it sits, every last vehicle Ive ever owned has been a Mopar--5 Jeeps 2 Dodges and a Chrysler. What you grow up with definitely influences your habits later on, for better or worse!


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Mine was the AFX 71 Roadrunner and the Hot Wheels 68 Barracuda.
I have been fortunate enough to own one 68 Barracuda, white, same color as my HW,
and two 72 Roadronners.

So far, no one's yelled "I wanted a 73 Chevelle!"


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

I wanted a Deora, but that story never panned out. 

Actually, it can also have the reverse effect... I had one of those Baja Broncos And I still hate 'em. :lol: If the slot version doesn't run or handle good, it probably won't end up in your driveway in 1:1 form...


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## vansmack2 (Feb 9, 2012)

I am a Chevy man. My favorite, and first car I bought for myself, was a "well used" '57 Chevy 4 Door Sedan. Unlike most, I love the 4 door sedans, because I don't want to open my door to let someone in the back seat. It is the family version of the '57 Chevy. I wish I could get a '57 Chevy Wagon and make it into a 9 Passenger like the '60 Chevy Wagon my family had when I was a kid.

Besides the Chevys I like most all the 60s and 70s muscles cars, as well as some of the older cars, and a few newer than that like the Buick Grand National.

I think my love for cars came from my father's love for cars. He wanted to be a stock car driver, but he never followed through on his dream. I do remember going to a few races with him though. Those chain races were fun. That is several pairs of two cars chained together going around a figure 8 track, and having to avoid hitting each other, for those that don't know.


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