# JLFest / Slots stock blow-out.....



## jack0fall (Sep 8, 2004)

Not sure how many of you look over on the DC side of the board, but there are some posts there saying that while at this years fest they got DC's and Slots for $1.00 (including Chevy Brigade). What it doesn't state is how many were available. Just thought I would pass this on...

Jeff


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## Mark Hosaflook (Jan 5, 2001)

4,000 plus. The only reason I know this is because one guy came in and bought that many himself as rumors filtered down at the show. I could only go Thursday before it started so I did see them and there was no limit imposed on buying

For the die-cast fan there was also many new releases like BWF and the Anniversery stuff all for 1.00. Not old stuff like the previous Warehouse sales but NEW stuff! 

Now some guy will come on here probably saying "in our face" again but I am honestly telling you what went down.


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## Pomfish (Oct 25, 2003)

4000 slots or 4000 combination slots/diecast?

Thanks,
Keith


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## Mark Hosaflook (Jan 5, 2001)

No, no , no. there was a retail store full of product and a semi-tractor full of back-up behind the store. 4,00 plus alone of slots to one guy. Another person came in at the end and bought every case they had left for a price of 2 for a dollar. Everything. After he left only the pegs were left and the normal retail product like Thomas and Ertl. They sold out!


Which is a good thing because it means sales went well and they will bring more next year.


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## lenny (Feb 29, 2000)

MARKHOS said:


> No, no , no. there was a retail store full of product and a semi-tractor full of back-up behind the store. 4,00 plus alone of slots to one guy. Another person came in at the end and bought every case they had left for a price of 2 for a dollar. Everything. After he left only the pegs were left and the normal retail product like Thomas and Ertl. They sold out!
> 
> 
> Which is a good thing because it means sales went well and they will bring more next year.


 ...except for slots, assuming that they sold the rest of their inventory... 

I thought I read somewhere on these slot boards that in addition to Tom buying the slot line back, he also bought up any remaining inventory. Guess he missed a few pieces...


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## Mark Hosaflook (Jan 5, 2001)

Agreed Lenny. That is why I was not very confident about hyping slots. I didn't think any would be there. 

It was amazing to see slots I can't find anywhere sitting there for 1.00 each. Even if for one year.


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## Captain Fred (Feb 19, 2000)

It just goes to show again that RC2 either really isn't on the ball or they just don't care. Their JL club members probably would have loved to pick up some of those for $1 each, SHOOT even $2 each + shipping is a steal of a deal! It would have made some club members glad that they had joined. They could have done grab bags or whatever. 

As it stands, I don't regret not renewing my membership. There doesn't seem to be any benefits from it. I'm glad RC2 is out of the slot car business.


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## Pomfish (Oct 25, 2003)

MARKHOS said:


> No, no , no. there was a retail store full of product and a semi-tractor full of back-up behind the store. 4,00 plus alone of slots to one guy. Another person came in at the end and bought every case they had left for a price of 2 for a dollar. Everything. After he left only the pegs were left and the normal retail product like Thomas and Ertl. They sold out!
> 
> 
> Which is a good thing because it means sales went well and they will bring more next year.



And the One Guy Is?........................................


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## car guy (Nov 22, 2003)

I guess it's a good thing that this wasn't a "Slot Fest", otherwise it could of turned into a riot. So once again it seems that an inside "dealer" got the jump!?


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Captain Fred said:


> It just goes to show again that RC2 either really isn't on the ball or they just don't care. Their JL club members probably would have loved to pick up some of those for $1 each, SHOOT even $2 each + shipping is a steal of a deal! It would have made some club members glad that they had joined. They could have done grab bags or whatever . . . I'm glad RC2 is out of the slot car business.


 You nailed it right there.

'Doba


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

Bummer. A buck for slot cars and I missed out totally. I guess we'll find out soon who the lucky dog is by watching e-bay sales. You can't blame the guy who scooped up the 4000 at those prices. Business is business.

I must admit that I have mixed feelings about this sort of dumping. It's hard not to feel a bit cheated when you've paid decent prices for the JL cars from legitimate dealers in the past and now you see this. However, if you were fully satisfied with what you got for your money *at the time* then looking back serves no purpose other than to elevate your frustration. These sort of things happen all the time in the business world. The sales and distribution network for the JL slot cars obviously short circuited and someone got very lucky. If you are going to remain enthusiastic about the hobby you almost have to ignore these anomalies, keep the blinders attached, and move on. 

The big question is, will this have an effect on future endevours in this product area? I think those of us who admit to feeling a bit of a "sting" (whether it's justified or not) will be a little less enthusiastic the next time something "new and limited" comes along. I've always been apprehensive about things like the chase cars (white thunders) because I've thought they were "phony fabricated rarity" and driven by a formula that was previously unheard of in slot cars. Slot cars tended to be rare by circumstances other than the manufacturer deciding how much to open the production hose. The chase car concept is obviously a proven formula in diecast but I think the jury is still out on whether slot car people buy into it


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## car guy (Nov 22, 2003)

Sounds like the "F&F" marketing practice isn't dead after all, but alive, very much alive.


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Captain Fred said:


> As it stands, I don't regret not renewing my membership. There doesn't seem to be any benefits from it. I'm glad RC2 is out of the slot car business.


 
Fred,
Would have to agree, maybe TL will do something similar once he gets Round 2 rolling and on firm ground. :thumbsup: rr


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

I feel really bad for all the retail hobby shops that are now sitting on inventory that will be nearly impossible to sell until the buck-a-car glut clears the E-Bay pipe. Same for the JL Collectors Club subscribers who have basically been ignored. Not a very "exclusive" club if you ask me. 

If I were a JL die cast distributor or retailer I'd be very, very wary about doing business with RC2. The bottom line is that if RC2 doesn't increase its penetration into the mass retailers like Wal-Mart and Target then the days of the JL diecast are numbered. I just don't see a lot of new inventory in the stores.

The big question here though is: Does Tom Lowe get a "free pass" and a pat on the back for escaping the RC2 Bozo Squad with the prospects of a new slot car line still intact? Or is Tom to blame for letting the RC2 clowns come in and destroy Playing Mantis, putting many dedicated workers out on their behinds, and deep sixing the JL slot car line in the process? I'm sure there are $millions of reasons why it all took place, but the fact remains that PM seemed to have a nice little thing happening, we all supported it, and now it's gone. The online community played a part in PM's success and we deserve to be heard.


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## Mark Hosaflook (Jan 5, 2001)

AfxToo said:


> I feel really bad for all the retail hobby shops that are now sitting on inventory that will be nearly impossible to sell until the buck-a-car glut clears the E-Bay pipe. Same for the JL Collectors Club subscribers who have basically been ignored. Not a very "exclusive" club if you ask me.
> 
> If I were a JL die cast distributor or retailer I'd be very, very wary about doing business with RC2. The bottom line is that if RC2 doesn't increase its penetration into the mass retailers like Wal-Mart and Target then the days of the JL diecast are numbered. I just don't see a lot of new inventory in the stores.
> 
> The big question here though is: Does Tom Lowe get a "free pass" and a pat on the back for escaping the RC2 Bozo Squad with the prospects of a new slot car line still intact? Or is Tom to blame for letting the RC2 clowns come in and destroy Playing Mantis, putting many dedicated workers out on their behinds, and deep sixing the JL slot car line in the process? I'm sure there are $millions of reasons why it all took place, but the fact remains that PM seemed to have a nice little thing happening, we all supported it, and now it's gone. The online community played a part in PM's success and we deserve to be heard.


Thank you!
Great question.

I saw people applaud the fact TL was gone now I see people applaud the fact TL is back and this was in the SAME thread not long ago. I saw many a person even scramble to change their replies. I wasn't the only to notice as this was a beer topic at Fest.


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## madsapper (Jan 25, 2001)

This may be the scotch talking, but.... Why would anybody slam the man that brought the craze of tjets back, at a VERY affordable price even? Damn!


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

No slam intended, but somebody has to ask the question. Most of us are grown ups - despite the fact that we like to play with little toy cars in our spare time. Nobody is a bigger fan of what PM and TL have done for us. It's been great and has generated a lot of interest especially among collectors. There was even talk of JL getting involved with some sort of a national racing program like Aurora did in the 60s. Then RC2 happened. 

Hopefully the latest transition from RC2 to Round 2 will get this fun little experiment back on track and we'll all be smiling again when the next round of slots hit the stores.


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## lenny (Feb 29, 2000)

<eom>


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

The big question here though is: Does Tom Lowe get a "free pass" and a pat on the back for escaping the RC2 Bozo Squad with the prospects of a new slot car line still intact? Or is Tom to blame for letting the RC2 clowns come in and destroy Playing Mantis, putting many dedicated workers out on their behinds, and deep sixing the JL slot car line in the process? I'm sure there are $millions of reasons why it all took place, but the fact remains that PM seemed to have a nice little thing happening, we all supported it, and now it's gone. The online community played a part in PM's success and we deserve to be heard.[/QUOTE]
AFX TOO you are right, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. Thank you to RC2 for turning Lightning Fest into Lightning JOKE. The slot car guys are told that slots won't be part of this year's Lightning JOKE then thousands show up at a buck apiece. Wow, and of course there are dealers there to scarf them up and make a profit off us simple guys. Well I've got to consider supporting any past and future slot car lines from Tom Lowe. I know some of you are going to say I'm just mad about not getting in on the deal. That's true, I would've liked to have purchased 20 or 30 to customize, for parts, and to collect. I'm really dissappointed with being slapped in the face. Randall Robbins.


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## buzzinhornet (Jan 20, 2000)

I don't understand why PM and RC2 never offered club members a chance at some of these cars.  (It pi$$es us off and alienates those who are hardcor supporters.) 

When Tom gets going I hope he gets a "email list" going and sends out news and special offers to members. 

GP


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## lenny (Feb 29, 2000)

buzzinhornet said:


> I don't understand why PM and RC2 never offered club members a chance at some of these cars.  (It pi$$es us off and alienates those who are hardcor supporters.)


 Because collectively, RC2 is a company that can't find it's butt with both hands. They have no concept of what a 'collectors' is, and they have absolutely no loyalty to their customer/dealer base. They have 'executives' that make dumb decisions like putting the FF cars out on a dealer flyer for a buck, thinking that this is a good idea without thinking it through...

 They have, and will continue to, drive into the ground the products of every company they've aquired.


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## Captain Fred (Feb 19, 2000)

buzzinhornet said:


> I don't understand why PM and RC2 never offered club members a chance at some of these cars.  (It pi$$es us off and alienates those who are hardcor supporters.)
> 
> When Tom gets going I hope he gets a "email list" going and sends out news and special offers to members.
> 
> GP


He needs to send out some special offers to ex-members! 

I quit the club last year after 5 years of membership.


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## Mark Hosaflook (Jan 5, 2001)

A/FX Nut said:


> The big question here though is: Does Tom Lowe get a "free pass" and a pat on the back for escaping the RC2 Bozo Squad with the prospects of a new slot car line still intact? Or is Tom to blame for letting the RC2 clowns come in and destroy Playing Mantis, putting many dedicated workers out on their behinds, and deep sixing the JL slot car line in the process? I'm sure there are $millions of reasons why it all took place, but the fact remains that PM seemed to have a nice little thing happening, we all supported it, and now it's gone. The online community played a part in PM's success and we deserve to be heard.


AFX TOO you are right, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. Thank you to RC2 for turning Lightning Fest into Lightning JOKE. The slot car guys are told that slots won't be part of this year's Lightning JOKE then thousands show up at a buck apiece. Wow, and of course there are dealers there to scarf them up and make a profit off us simple guys. Well I've got to consider supporting any past and future slot car lines from Tom Lowe. I know some of you are going to say I'm just mad about not getting in on the deal. That's true, I would've liked to have purchased 20 or 30 to customize, for parts, and to collect. I'm really dissappointed with being slapped in the face. Randall Robbins. [/QUOTE]

Lightning Joke huh? but you'll get in line over on the die-cast side with Bobby to get slots right? The same guy who is part of Fest from the very beginning. Your type killed Fest off for slots on your own. You never backed it and when something really nice came into play and you missed out the easy thing to do is point fingers at everyone else and blame them.

Profit? PROFIT? I gave them away. Did you here me? I gave them away? Where was the profit there?


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## jack0fall (Sep 8, 2004)

MARKHOS said:


> Lightning Joke huh? but you'll get in line over on the die-cast side with Bobby to get slots right? The same guy who is part of Fest from the very beginning. Your type killed Fest off for slots on your own. You never backed it and when something really nice came into play and you missed out the easy thing to do is point fingers at everyone else and blame them.
> 
> Profit? PROFIT? I gave them away. Did you here me? I gave them away? Where was the profit there?


I guess I am missing something here.  MarkHOs are/were you an employee of PM/RC2? I am trying to figure out why you are taking all of this so personal? I have not been to a Lightning Fest but everything I have read or heard about leans very heavily on the Die Cast side of their business. Even you have to admit that there is unrest in the minds of everyone that has dealt with RC2 with respect to their business practices. Just wondering?

Jeff


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## Guest (Aug 18, 2005)

Ummmm. I believe that all here were told that Slots would be a part of Lightning Fest and that Goose Chicken himself would be running the slots side and also that there would be slots given out. I myself gave out that information, so if the slot guys had simply showed up, they could have gotten good stuff. Heck, one of the vendors had slots for $3 each.

I see no reasong for all these sour grapes when it was told roght here on this board. The only thing missing was an official Fest slot car. Goose was looking for people to run the road course and the drag strip. You would have had a good time


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## Guest (Aug 18, 2005)

Here is what you missed:



GOOSE CHICKEN said:


> Hey I enjoy slots also. Anyone that did show up at the Lightning Fest had a great time and I made sure that everyone that wanted to run a car recieved one of Mark's FREE slot cars.
> Heck we even opened up some cars that were flat out dogs and I told those people to grab another so everyone had a fair chance to win a trophy.
> Mark supplied several trophys and a bunch of medallions. Almost everyone that raced ended up with a medallion for just entering. At the end I gave the cars that were opened up to those who used them, and the winners of the events each recieved two new unopened cars.
> The grand champ got three unopened cars a trophy and a Black Mustang club exclusive slot car.
> ...


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## buzzinhornet (Jan 20, 2000)

First I would like to thank Mark & Goose for thier efforts at the Fest. But... many of us can't attend the Fest and as JLCC members would have liked to get in on the good deals. 

GP


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

Having some of those slots available to JLCC members could've also tempted others to join to get in on the deal.

Hopefully when Tom starts cranking out the new slots, maybe the thought of reviving a Ford/Aurora type race can resume. Maybe even get together with Martin Ruiz (who's in on the Tubtrack repros), and put some of those things in chains like HL, Hobbytown USA and other shops.


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## okracer (Mar 11, 2002)

i dont think hobby lobby will be to insterested in a tub track but hobbytown usa i think would be a great option maybe even give store front hobby shop owners a discount on the tub also might spark up interest


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

Lightning Joke huh? but you'll get in line over on the die-cast side with Bobby to get slots right? The same guy who is part of Fest from the very beginning. Your type killed Fest off for slots on your own. You never backed it and when something really nice came into play and you missed out the easy thing to do is point fingers at everyone else and blame them.

Profit? PROFIT? I gave them away. Did you here me? I gave them away? Where was the profit there?[/QUOTE]
Okay, First of all my type didn't kill off Fest for slot cars. I was at the 2004 and 2003 Fest. I've bought a number of JL Slots from the Hobby Store I race at. I also asked them to order the BTTF series so I can purchase them there.
Second, I did get two free cars from Bobby on the die cast board. I'm very grateful for them, and most of all to Bobby.
Third, I would have made it to this years Fest if there was going to be something there for the slot guys. Like last years fest. And they wouldn't had to give away any prizes or sell slots for a buck. But we were told there would be nothing for the slot guys. I like getting together with fellow slotters and have a good time. Guys like me that show up to the events are what's needed to support the slotcars. The Diecast guys sure do a real good job of supporting the Diecast line. And I apologize to any of the Diecast guys I may have offended. The one thing I was most impressed with was the large amount of support the Diecast line got. I had hoped that the slotcar line would've enjoyed that kind of support.
Fourth, When I mentioned profit, I meant the sale of Playingmantis to RC2. Not your huge show of generosity at selling those cars for a buck apiece. RC2 dropped the ball and have wrecked slots at the Fest. Randy.


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