# Another one closing down



## wheelszk (Jul 8, 2006)

Just to let you guys know, Ho-Models is closing its doors ,they say they cannot maintain the molds. www.homodels.com 
Bill


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

wheelszk said:


> Just to let you guys know, Ho-Models is closing its doors ,they say they cannot maintain the molds. www.homodels.com
> Bill



This from the on-line store:



*Sorry Folks!*

*HO Models will be Closing, We can no longer maintain the molds necessary to manufacture Parts and Kits. We will sell Completed kits on EBay for the time being. This website will be for modeling tips. Thank you, HO Models*



Rats.


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## WesJY (Mar 4, 2004)

DANG!!

Wes


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## T-Jet Racer (Nov 16, 2006)

what do you need to maintain the molds?


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Owee!


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

That just, as they say in Latin, maximus suximus.... I wonder what he's going to do with all the molds??? This thought always troubles me.. With the big three scraping up every penny they can get their grubby paws on, and quite a few modelers (be they small potatos) growing their customer base, the odds are sooner or later, one of the big 3 will be looking for $$$ for rights to body styles and names. I'm not saying this is the case here, but anything is possible these days... It did happen to Harrison Woodrow last year by GM.. 

http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-miedce/case_no-2:2007cv11408/case_id-219835/ 

It's no wonder he refuses to list the GTOs and camaros on the bay... if it is by his choice..he may not have one in this matter... It would certainly put a damper on my incentive to design anything "new" if I were in his shoes. I believe the dollar figure I heard GM wanted was in the neighborhood of $10.00 per body, making them completely unprofitable to produce.. 

RIP HO models...


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## bumpercar88 (Feb 6, 2005)

Tom was a real great guy, it's a shame he's closing shop. Maybe GM should have spent more time on R & D rather than enforcing copyright infringement on somebody making toy car bodies. Where they jealous that Harrison's fit and finish was much better than their own?


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## win43 (Aug 28, 2006)

Well i'm gonna be sad to see him go. Some of his bodies were really cool and he was/is a great guy to deal with.


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## pshoe64 (Jun 10, 2008)

*Truly Sad*

I'm really bummed about HO Models. His stuff was excellent and he listened to his customers very well. My wife has bought several cars for me through HO Models and she was always able to get the right stuff and I was never disappointed. His products filled a lot of gaps (and bumpers) in my collection where originals were just too outrageous to obtain. You will be sorely missed.

-Paul


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*The extra mile*

Yes agreed!

HO models had a way of making what many of us really needed, rather than just making what they wanted you to want.










Pictured above is an olive tow truck roof by Tom. Not that a black one wouldnt have been okey dokey, but the colormatched unit really takes the cake IMHO. A rather off the wall request by me and a "no problemo" answer from Tom. I had it in my sticky fingers in just days!


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## A/FX Nut (May 28, 2004)

wheelszk said:


> Just to let you guys know, Ho-Models is closing its doors ,they say they cannot maintain the molds. www.homodels.com
> Bill


What other H.O. businesses have closed? Can you list them for me? Randy.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

*Help!! I'm being followed by paranoids!!!!*

Ok...maybe I'm just a touch on the paranoid side of things...:freak: Or maybe there is something to this... I have read back in the great HT library of ancient threads that Troy and Gary Mead are diehard GM guys. But if you really take a second or two and dig through all their offerings in their store, you will find Mopars and Fords are the predominant manufacturers they sell. So, are they fearful of the same legal backlash that MM suffered??? Or is it "just a coincidence"??? 

I agree there has to be a bad gut feeling from the corporate GM gurus when a tiny HO Scale model has a better fit and finish then their 1:1 offerings.... and every penny must count when it comes to satisfying the shareholders.. especially when your company is drowning in red ink and teetering on the brink of the big bad "B" word. There hasn't been much of anything coming from the GM side of town that even captures my attention, let alone has me drooling. Even the concept camaro, as cool as it is doesn't do much for me. Now if they went the 67 SS/RS or the 69 Z-28 covered headlight route, I would most likely feel a bit different about them. 

I realize everyone has their opinions and a good chunk of them are probably very different than mine. I'm not bashing GM so much for their cars (I drive one, be it 10 years old, and GM products are the overwhelming majority of my prior autos) but for their nitpicking small businesses to death over trademark infringement over 30-40 year old body styles, that can only remind the general public how good their cars were styled then, and aren't now. 

Again, I'm not suggesting that this has anything to do with HO models shutting down operations. Tom has his reasons,and his contribution will be surely missed. I myself am guilty of watching many of his Ebay auctions and never jumping on them. His colortop technology was beyond cool, and his modifications to vibrator bodys to fit tjets was also intriguing. Also, not that it ever gets very much attention, but his automated stoplight system was another innovation that seemed to go pretty much unnoticed, and unappreciated. I can only hope he continues to do what he does, maybe without the web site....

UtherJoe


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

Man that bites about HO Models closing as he is one of the good guys in ho slot cars...DANG IT!

Vince Crain does lots of car artwork and he was shut down by Ford. Chevy and Mopar still up for sale. You just never know do yah.

http://www.vincecrain.com/new.html

I have a bunch of Vince Crains stuff and he is a level down to earth guy. why, why, why?? 

Bob...This is a HUGE ho slot car loss...zilla


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Penny pinching money grubbers... Dang it that's a cool link, Bob!! I'd give you some of my Ford tissue to blow your nose, buy the Ford lawyers say I can't do it.. I can give you some of my Chevy toilet paper instead, but you better let me know quick, there's someone in a suit knocking at the door....


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## coach61 (Sep 6, 2004)

Thing is I never get is shouldn't they be paying the guys to promote thier product? I do agree they should protect thier copywrite , but it should just be a simple may I why yes you can deal...


Dave 
My $1.85 fop what its worth


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

coach61 said:


> Thing is I never get is shouldn't they be paying the guys to promote thier product? I do agree they should protect thier copywrite , but it should just be a simple may I why yes you can deal...
> 
> 
> Dave
> My $1.85 fop what its worth


 
Have often wondered the same.  rr


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Sadly, it boils down to this... We designed this product, and if you want to make money off our design, we want a cut of your profit, even if our cut is bigger than your actual profit. They don't look at it as promoting their product, as most of their product is no longer being produced, (once the model year is done) it is still "intellectual property". 

I suppose you could look at it from a music industry point of view, be it an apples/oranges comparison... A band cuts and sells an album. It sells out and doesn't get re-released. You can't just go out and make copies of it and sell them. Even if the album was on LP and you copy it on CD. 

Unfortunately, we have turned into a nation of the lawyers, by the lawyers, for the lawyers. There really should be an expiration date on product copywrite protection.....


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## pshoe64 (Jun 10, 2008)

Unfortunately, we have turned into a nation of the lawyers, by the lawyers, for the lawyers. There really should be an expiration date on product copywrite protection.....[/QUOTE]

There used to be such a thing. Material would eventually be turned over to "Public Domain". Disney and pharmaceuticals were the first to kill that concept off. It used to be that you had to re-apply for your copyrights and that you had a limit on how many times you could do it. After that time expired or you failed to re-apply, the concept became public domain and anyone could copy, improve or creatively alter the subject matter so long as they did not directly relate it as the creation of the original holder. So now if anything looks, smells, tastes or sounds like anything else, watch your back. There's a lawyer waiting for you.

-Paul


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## resinmonger (Mar 5, 2008)

slotcarman12078 said:


> I suppose you could look at it from a music industry point of view, be it an apples/oranges comparison... A band cuts and sells an album. It sells out and doesn't get re-released. You can't just go out and make copies of it and sell them. Even if the album was on LP and you copy it on CD.
> 
> 
> > There is a fundamental difference between HO models and music. If you copy a CD or LP, you are reproducing the actual songs as originally sold. You can use the copy to listen to the music. It is the music, not the recording media, that is protected. In our case, somebody is making a "scale representation" of the car as originally sold. In a reasonable world, intellectual property rights for car makers would prevent another car company from making a direct 1:1 copy of one of the cars. For example, Ford couldn't market a copy of the Ferrari 250 GTO. GM could copy the 1969 Charger nose. Car makers are making cars, not models. Unless Ford, GM, Chrysler, Porsche (another major player in the kill the little guy department), etc. started making model cars, the intellectual property rights should not extend to models. Unfortunately, the legal world is in no way "reasonable". Corporate greed and an oversupply of lawyers have twisted the law into a tool of abuse rather than protection.
> ...


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## vaBcHRog (Feb 19, 2003)

They must be going after quite a few out there did you notice Dash's last email no mention of the actual car just the Aurora Number


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## T-Jet Racer (Nov 16, 2006)

Ok how about this... Every time I open up Playboy magazine and see a photo and add for a G.M. ( Greed Machine) car they pay an advertizement fee to Playboy since they published the add and it is their property. Or better yet, every time I am forced to look at one of their cars on the open road I get to charge them for visual polution of my right of free vision. There is that carzy enough... STOP ALREADY!!!


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

Very sad news indeed. Tom is a class act and he makes lots of quality products. 

His roofs, with molded in color, were a great match with various DASH and RRR bodies.
His traffic lights are also really cool. I've boughts dozens of items from Tom and never once had even a hint of problem. 

Very sad news


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## wannafbody (Feb 6, 2007)

It isn't just GM. JL has to get permission to make Studebaker, AMC and Tucker cars and they've out of business for years.


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## clausheupel (Jan 27, 2005)

*Now that is sad news!!!*

I´m sorry to read that Tom closing down his cottage industry doors! It always was a genuine pleasure to deal with him: Great resin stuff and communication!

I really hope he isn´t into sth. serious about copyright stuff (BTW: fear of BS like this was one of the main reason for my own step back in resin casting last year...)!!!

Concerned greetings from Germany,

Claus


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## Im Paul (Nov 3, 2008)

bobhch said:


> Man that bites about HO Models closing as he is one of the good guys in ho slot cars...DANG IT!
> 
> Vince Crain does lots of car artwork and he was shut down by Ford. Chevy and Mopar still up for sale. You just never know do yah.
> 
> ...


i also brought a print off of vince a few years back and his work is great.ford should have been proud of vince for producing such fantstic art work and giving ford free advertisement to the world.

in all honestly,i do believe ford products are garbage.i wont buy a ford product ever....unless they sell toliet paper with the blue oval printed on each sheet.


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## wannafbody (Feb 6, 2007)

i wont buy a ford product ever....unless they sell toliet paper with the blue oval printed on each sheet.(end quote)

They do, it's called Ford stock.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

wannafbody said:


> i wont buy a ford product ever....unless they sell toliet paper with the blue oval printed on each sheet.(end quote)
> 
> They do, it's called Ford stock.



Hahahahahahaha! Dats really funny!


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## SplitPoster (May 16, 2006)

The only reason I can see for Ford to pull the tribute artwork is that they are going down and want to leave as little evidence behind as possible. The lawyers are flushin' - round the bowl and down the hole, without leaving skidmarks...... 

Sad state of affairs, as all this does is irritate people who could actually do the company good.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Just out of curiosity, has anyone called or emailed Tom to get the scoop on what happened???


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## bobwoodly (Aug 25, 2008)

*Still in a changed business*

I've had an email exchange with Tom recently and I think he is just changing his business model for the moment and *is still *in business (but looks to be out of the replacement parts business for the moment). He has a new site up and running. Not sure why the change except I think he might be back at some point.

He made some tops for me that were slightly small - to fix it he went out and bought a car on ebay to make a new mold, it was damaged so he bought a second car just to make the mold for my two tops! Fantastic customer commitment. I've been buying as much stuff as I can from him.

The change in business model seemed sudden so maybe someone did send him the cease and desist letter.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Another note from the past.......

I hate it when these modern day commentators say that Jeff Gordon has four 'Sprint Cup' championships, or that Petty and Earnhardt won seven 'Sprint Cup' championships. I'm waiting to see altered footage of Earnhardt standing in front of a Sprint Cup Champion banner from some race long ago. Seems like there's a lawsuit in there somewhere, and Winston has the dollars to back it. Nascar is way to PC now.

Let's rewrite the history books: "They weren't haulin moonshine!?!!! They were haulin flowers for FTD Florists!"

Rich


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## TJETDRAGRACER (Jan 25, 2008)

*I just seen on Ebay that HO-Models has lot of kits left*

I just seen on Ebay that HO-Models had 40 things for sale, With lots of t-jet kits as in 10 plus each in stock ~ For Sale At 8:08 pm Mich.Time 1-05-2009??? ~ Well I guess we should get buying before thay do all run out of stock. ~ I did'nt see the El-Camino Tow Truck, I like that one the best of all HO-Model t-jet kits.


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## LeeRoy98 (Jul 8, 2005)

NTxSlotCars said:


> Another note from the past.......
> 
> I hate it when these modern day commentators say that Jeff Gordon has four 'Sprint Cup' championships, or that Petty and Earnhardt won seven 'Sprint Cup' championships.


I disagree, I think we all know what they mean and it sure make a lot more sense than saying Petty won two Strictly Stock championships, three Grand National championships, and two Winston Cup championships. I understand what you are saying, I just think it is common sense to take the quick and easy when doing commentary. I believe we can all figure it out. Besides... they will be talking about Petty winning 7 "Kraft Macaroni & Cheese" championships soon enough. LOL

Gary
AKA LeeRoy98
www.marioncountyraceway.com


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## bobwoodly (Aug 25, 2008)

He's not going out of business. He said his new website would be up later this week or early next week. Was going to focus on kits over parts so we will see. I just ordered a bunch or replacement parts from him yesterday.

Tom


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## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

*I wonder...*



bobhch said:


> Man that bites about HO Models closing as he is one of the good guys in ho slot cars...DANG IT!
> 
> Vince Crain does lots of car artwork and he was shut down by Ford. Chevy and Mopar still up for sale. You just never know do yah.
> 
> ...


I wonder if there could be a legal precident (?) under a likeness that is parody of the original.


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

hey, it we're bailing these car makers out with OUR tax money, why can't we claim public domain on their designs?


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## coach61 (Sep 6, 2004)

videojimmy said:


> hey, it we're bailing these car makers out with OUR tax money, why can't we claim public domain on their designs?



LOL.. good point except unlike the banks were we the open wallets only loaned the car makers the money unlike the banks that actually just threw money at. Now i do think my Morgate should go away though...lol...


Dave


,,,....,., !!! ? : in case I missed any punctuation...


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie, and garage sales???*

No wonder they're going after small time toy car casters.... GM has mismanaged themselves right into a situation where they find themselves having to have a tag sale.... 

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/0...chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_lifestyle

They're on the balls of their arse scrounging for pocket change and they even have time to _THINK_ about stuff like this?? Too bad they can't devote more resources to building and selling cars people want to buy, as opposed to selling their collection, begging for bailouts, and passing out cease and desist notices to slot tards. Nice business model. nd


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