# Moebius Spindift Model?



## tardis61 (Apr 10, 2008)

Hi all

While i'm waiting for my GIANT Jupiter to arrive, another dream is to have a large Lunar model size Spindrift. Is there any chance the team at Moebius will look at a large Spindrift?
Also anyone have any details about the Midori Spindrift Kit, It looks exciting 
but it was only the box art I was looking at.
I remember in Comet Miniatures Dungeon in London seeing the colour Spindrift picture on the old Lunar box and eventually I bought it when I designed Tony's first Catalogue for him.
How disappointing when I opened the box, my friend Toby Chamberlain started to build it and the last I saw of it was unpainted with green fill putty around the hull near the intakes, we lost touch after that and I often wonder what it would look like finished in a diorama.
Ah well a man can dream....


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## deadmanincfan (Mar 11, 2008)

...I hear the lockdown clock ticking...


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

I'd recommend that you be patient for a couple of years; Team Moebius is well aware of the desire for good ol' Flight 612, but have their hands full at the present time with a slew of other fine kits. Incidentally, I share that wish fervently, but even larger; 18" from stem to stern!
In the meantime, try to hunt down your LM Spindrift and see how it's turned out.
Good luck! :thumbsup:


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## Antimatter (Feb 16, 2008)

This has been discussed here ad nauseam. No Spindrift is in the works by Moebius.


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## toyroy (Jul 17, 2005)

Also, Brent Gair detailed a magnificent hero prop-sized Spindrift scratchbuild here at Hobbytalk.


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

All good things to those who wait.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Cancelled for lack of interest.


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## BronzeGiant (Jun 8, 2007)

I can say, although I'll probably be shouted down here, that I would MUCH rather have seen a new Spindrift kit than a new J2.

<ducking>

Steve


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

Carson Dyle said:


> All good things to those who wait.


 
Meanwhile...ENJOY!!!


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

BronzeGiant said:


> I can say, although I'll probably be shouted down here, that I would MUCH rather have seen a new Spindrift kit than a new J2.


I'll settle for both.

But, you know, one kit at a time. Given my current backlog it'll be another year (at least) before I'm ready to tackle the Spindrift. Especially given the pending J-2 release.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

You ain't kidding about "backlog"; that probably goes for 99% of us!


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Building one model a month, I have to live to be 176 to finish my stash.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Rest assured, JP, I'm certain you'll finish that stash (and most of them will probably be Starfleet kit-bashes)! :thumbsup:


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

John P said:


> Building one model a month, I have to live to be 176 to finish my stash.


And only if you don't lose your head.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Lloyd Collins said:


> And only if you don't lose your head.


There can _be_ only one!


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## iamweasel (Aug 14, 2000)

I certainly wouldn't mind if down the road Moebius put out a better Spindrift. Though with so many good kits they produce now to do, I don't feel like I am missing anything by not having one right now.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

That's another reason I'm very patient about it. Besides, there are other announced Moebius kits that are yet to be released that I fully plan to get.
A Spindrift will be wonderful if/when the time finally comes! :wave:


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Dave must have the weekend off.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

.....I'm scared,Dave.....


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

deadmanincfan said:


> ...I hear the lockdown clock ticking...


LOL. First thing that I thought of when I saw this thread. Not that I blame you guys for wanting one!


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## GordonMitchell (Feb 12, 2009)

Whats the reference to Dave....I'm scared Dave, etc.....wasn't that HAL? and nothing to do with the the Spindrift but the Discovery .......isn't that a cheaky way to cover 2 great ships in one thread who'd have thought of that ....lol,nice one,I'm in no matter what the guys at Mobeus design figure or ship we have a lot of catching up to do since Aurora dissapeared and Mobeus need to be given the time to deliver quality pieces as they have so far........we've waited this long,I know we're not getting any younger...etc...but come on give the boys a chance ,they havn't let us down yet,
cheers,Gordon


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

^We're talking about Dave Metzner, Moebius project planner and moderator at this here forum, who, when he sees this thread, will say "We have no plans for the Spindrift at this time, we know you guys want one, 'nuff said," and close the thread.


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## JeffG (May 10, 2004)

While the Spindrift would be a nice addition to the lineup, speaking for myself I'd rather see a really nice version of the Fantastic Voyage Proteus with an interior.


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## JPhil123 (Jan 1, 1970)

John P said:


> ^We're talking about Dave Metzner, Moebius project planner and moderator at this here forum, who, when he sees this thread, will say "We have no plans for the Spindrift at this time, we know you guys want one, 'nuff said," and close the thread.


Hello...

Dave has the right to remind us of that fact.

I have to admit a new Spindrift would make logical sense. If you consider that all the other major Irwin Allen vehicles (the Jupiter 2, chariot, pod, Seaview(s)) have been model subjects the Spindrift seems like an obvious choice for being a another model in the series. On-the-other hand, we have to consider the fact that plans probably have been made.

A new Spindrift would be nice, but I personally would much rather see another vehicle from the IA line (maybe a Derelict, or a Gemini XII or a Fuel Barge (I'll keep dreaming)). Don't get me wrong, I would love an accurate Spindrift if it were to be developed and would purchase one. 

Whatever they come out with next, it will surely be impressive.

Regards,
Jim


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

And let that be the final word on the subject for another year or so.

http://boortz.com/mp3/archive/countdown.swf


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## Cajjunwolfman (Nov 15, 2004)

I agree with Deadmanincfan. I'm suprised this thread has not been locked. Spindrift does have a special memory for me as this is the last kit I built as a kid, before my modeling hiatus. I currently own some PL Spindrifts, all MIB except one. My complaint about that kit was the scale, way to small for me knowdays. 
I would probably buy at least two, maybe four of a new Spindrift. But I think everyone on this thread is an exception, not really the mass opinion. Not meaning to "Rain on the Parade" but I do'nt think a Spindrift has much potential to be a profitable product. If you look at even the old PL J2 they are somewhat scarce and typically seem to go for an average of $100 nowdays. The Spindrift still goes for around $30 MIB. And they seem to be plentiful. 
The show was on for a shorter run in primetime, the viewers were older than LIS childhood fans, and even for an IA production the actual show was, well, extremley campy! Watching it nowdays the effects were pretty awesome; but I have trouble sitting through anything but the pilot episode, even fviewing for free on HULU.


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## Zorro (Jun 22, 1999)

Cajjunwolfman said:


> Watching it nowdays the effects were pretty awesome; but I have trouble sitting through anything but the pilot episode, even fviewing for free on HULU.


I had trouble sitting through it when I was 11. LOG was Saturday Morning programming with a Prime Time budget.


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## toyroy (Jul 17, 2005)

Cajjunwolfman said:


> ...I think everyone on this thread is an exception, not really the mass opinion. Not meaning to "Rain on the Parade" but I do'nt think a Spindrift has much potential to be a profitable product...


Yeah, I don't see Moebius even trying a small Spindrift, as it doesn't seem like a mass-market product. And like you say, there are plenty of inexpensive PL/Aurora kits out there. So, a Moebius Spindrift will need to stand apart in some way.


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## JPhil123 (Jan 1, 1970)

Zorro said:


> I had trouble sitting through it when I was 11. LOG was Saturday Morning programming with a Prime Time budget.


Hi...
I saw the show when it first came on at ABC in 1967. The pilot was the best episode, but there were a few other good ones in the first season.

I think the effects were good for the time, but they should have changed the direction of the show a bit and had the little people repair the ship sufficiently to at least travel around the planet and get into some new adventures with giants in different lands. The show became too much of the same thing: someone gets captured, the others work to free them.

Spindrift was just way too under utilized. It was mostly shelter.

Jim


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

That's a very good point--the Spindrift is almost never seen moving or DOING anything after the pilot. Nevertheless I know a number of people on this board would love to see one. I'm in agreement about the Proteus--a styrene kit the size (and quality) of Lunar Models 1/35 scale kit would be magnificent. But that has also been noted as not in the foreseeable future by Moebius--so I'll be perfectly happy to have the J2 and some nice Galactica kits in the next year or so.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Well, the clock is ticking but I'll throw this in.

As much as I too would groove on a new, larger, just-as-good-as-the-new-J2 kit of the Spindrift, I think in the current world they'll work to optimize the in-use licenses, which means I predict a Chariot and Space Pod in scale to the new J2 in late '10.

*heh* or maybe an updating of the old Aurora Cyclops/Chariot kit with a major scaled down version of Chariot....

tic*tic*tic


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

toyroy said:


> ... a Moebius Spindrift will need to stand apart in some way.


 
Ideally, being 18" to 24" long, nicely detailed 3 room interior easily visible from the outside, and an operable main hatch. :thumbsup:
I'll be buying at least 3 of them; one to be a clean, just off the runway build-up, and one to be a giant campsite diorama, complete with weathering, lean-to, table, radio, and life-sized small items to show off scale.
Like Voyage or LIS, it was the hardware that really made the shows viewable, even for folks who couldn't stand the scripts. :dude:


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

I would like a Spindrift eventually, but there are too many models I must have before that. So far Moebius is pacing things just right with timing and subjects for me...

.


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## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

Moebius has only finite resources so we must choose projects that we feel will provide the best return on our investment.
Spindrift does not score as well as several other projects on the return on investment test...
Spindrift - especially a large deluxe Spindrift - is not on our list of planned projects for the foreseable future. 
That means there isn't going to be a Moebius Spindrift of any size in the next couple of years! Trust me on this one!

Dave


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Dave Metzner said:


> Moebius has only finite resources so we must choose projects that we feel will provide the best return on our investment.
> Spindrift does not score as well as several other projects on the return on investment test...
> Spindrift - especially a large deluxe Spindrift - is not on our list of planned projects for the foreseable future.
> That means there isn't going to be a Moebius Spindrift of any size in the next couple of years! Trust me on this one!
> ...


Well, and it makes sense. Fox changed their release pattern on IA TV shows with Land of the Giants. Instead of 4 'half season' boxes akin to the VTTBOTS they went all-in for a full series box set in an expensive package, with some goodies to help make it 'worth it' to a buyer. Knowing what I know of the home video industry, I'm SURE sales of a $200 box set were much lower to retail outlets than the more friendly $34.99 (MSRP) half-season sets.

I won't bore you with my theories of how some businesses go out of their way to create failure to 'prove' a point, but if Fox thought they'd sell 100,000 LOTG box sets I know they failed to do so. 

So, yeah, no Spindrift for now. I dig. But it would be a cool thing.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

See?


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

some modellers actually build there own models that they want.........


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## RMC (Aug 11, 2004)

:dude:


Dave Metzner said:


> Moebius has only finite resources so we must choose projects that we feel will provide the best return on our investment.
> Spindrift does not score as well as several other projects on the return on investment test...
> Spindrift - especially a large deluxe Spindrift - is not on our list of planned projects for the foreseable future.
> That means there isn't going to be a Moebius Spindrift of any size in the next couple of years! Trust me on this one!
> ...



DAVE,.....
Can you please clarify on how models are "scored" ......I plead ignorrance here because I dont understand how spindrift could score less than conan or captain action
thanx


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## Moebius (Mar 15, 2007)

John P said:


> ^We're talking about Dave Metzner, Moebius project planner and moderator at this here forum, who, when he sees this thread, will say "We have no plans for the Spindrift at this time, we know you guys want one, 'nuff said," and close the thread.


Actually Dave is taking a vacation from moderating, unless it's something the new moderators REALLY overlook.


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## Moebius (Mar 15, 2007)

RMC said:


> :dude:
> 
> 
> DAVE,.....
> ...


I'll take this one for Dave since both those kits had my final say. Tooling cost is the main reason. Conan was cancelled in styrene if you recall, as the costs were too high. Resin allowed us to get something out to recoup the licensing fees paid in advance. No tooling costs on resin. Captain Action was very inexpensive to produce since it has few parts, and very little detail. When that kit was done, tooling costs were approximately 40% less than they are now. Plus, we sold it ourselves. With more of the profit coming our way, we didn't have to sell nearly as many. That probably doesn't explain it all for a lot of people, but it's not easy to explain in a quick note.


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

Moebius said:


> Actually Dave is taking a vacation from moderating, unless it's something the new moderators REALLY overlook.


 
*God bless him.....I personally don't know how he does it:freak:*


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## Moebius (Mar 15, 2007)

toyroy said:


> Yeah, I don't see Moebius even trying a small Spindrift, as it doesn't seem like a mass-market product. And like you say, there are plenty of inexpensive PL/Aurora kits out there. So, a Moebius Spindrift will need to stand apart in some way.


Nothing to do with mass-market. Our criteria for picking kits has nothing to do with mass market. They really have no interest in what we do, and I have to say none of what we currently do would sell well enough at mass for us to gamble on selling to them.


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## Zathros (Dec 21, 2000)

Although I am a _HUGE_ LOG Fan, I can definitely understand the point that the
spindrift would not be a good investment for Moebius..Only a two year run, as well as its not as widely a recognized franchise as Lost in space, or voyage to the bottom of the sea, except for the hard core fans of IA..In addition, a VERY good point was made that the Spindrift never got off the ground on its own again,after it crashed..which doesnt enable much to be really seen about it aside from one or two episodes where some Giant or child found the ship and carried it around.. 

Its also something like 8 or 9 years since PL reissued the Aurora kit, and hence probably a bit more "commercial niche interest" (aside of US here of course) had to be lost..
Myself, I am basically satisfied with the PL reissue, even with its faults..The reason that its still fairly inexpensive to still get or buy on E-bay or other model website stores is that after Polar Lights was bought by RC 2, They themselves ordered another run, as the first run sold so well for PL, and they felt that it worth doing a run for themselves to sell one more time.I would consider another issue of a Spindift perhaps if it was a somewhat bigger..but NOT "studio size" miniature..But in the end...I cant say I think it would be a big seller enough for it to be worth it..


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## Zathros (Dec 21, 2000)

In addition, with the current economic crisis, tooling costs are definitely RISING...IF the dollar keeps losing worldwide Value...and not to be political in any way, this is simply an economic fact of late..And if the Current "administration" ( & I use the term LOOSELY) keeps just printing money, which only serves to devaluate it here and abroad and godforbid if the dollar loses its triple A worldwide rating,which can certainly be a possibility.. Costs will simply keep RISING to pretty alarming proportions on all manufacturing.. especially overseas..
So any subjects or indeed any product must be carefully thought out and researched...As the profit margin will be smaller, or else the wholesale & retail cost will be have to be much higher in order to make any reasonable profit for anything to be worth any investment..and if the retail cost is higher,then the amount of "niche" buying public will narrow as these kits are not sold with the mass market in mind .. ..as we all know..there are no longer any $1.99 kits out there and certainly not LARGE size Kits at anywhere near that price ..Based on what I have been doing in my field..There just wouldnt be enough LOG fans for it to be worth it...In fact, Frank at Moebius, in MY opinion, Richly deserves (at least my) and I am sure as you have all shown, applause for even taking this chance with a larger and improved Jupiter 2 release..Its still a gamble, in my opinion..

Since I myself am involved in some injection mold projects,( not with Moebius of course) this is some of the issues I research and face for some of the companies I consult for...and especially with "BIG " size kits....in the end...you have to make SURE you get your tooling, & License costs back first and foremost...and then anything after that, has to be a worthwhile return...if not...it wasnt worth it.. Sure..a large size Spindrift might be made by a company if they wished to take that chance...But I seriously doubt that aside of perhaps a thousand or LESS in my view would purchase it...and the retail value would quite probably be such that only one kit per person would be sold..and at a cost considerably higher than the Jupiter 2 kit, if things keep rising..If I had a company in this field...it wouldnt be on my list.....I hope I didnt bore you all...however much of what I have pointed out is the basis of what any company considers ...when any Licensed subject as well as any subject in the hobby related kit world...is suggested...

Z


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

And logically, there's not much they can DO with the LOTG license. You make the big Spindrift, we all love it, cool. Then you make a scaled down version, OK, that works. And then? 

Well, you COULD make a diorama kit if you can work thru the different issues, a nice 1/1 scale (or, what, roughly 1/12 scale?) 'capture box' filled with all the 'little people' maybe. and you're about done.

From what has been said, Moebius needs to make the IA licenses profitable and one way to do that is to release a number of kits tied to each title. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea allows that, Lost in Space allows that, and I think, just being cold and logical, Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants just doesn't offer that no matter how much we pine and long for them.

And we do have to account for the state of the marketplace. Plastic kit building is, sadly, a dying hobby in the mainstream. Long gone are the days of plastic kits in every possible place (My Aurora Cyclops/Charoit kit was bought at a hardware store a few blocks from my house, I think it was a princely $3 or so. Ah, the '60s), hobby shops are few and far between now, there's just no CULTURE of buying a kit and putting it together.

So, niche product in a niche within a niche market. Yeah, it's amazing we've gotten what we've got


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## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

Let's keep the topics on model kits and building please! No political references or comments so everyone play nice!


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## LGFugate (Sep 11, 2000)

Just my curiousity getting the better of me, but wouldn't a kit of "the little people" involve licesning the likenesses of the actors as well as the IA license?

Larry


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Yes it would!


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

LGFugate said:


> Just my curiousity getting the better of me, but wouldn't a kit of "the little people" involve licesning the likenesses of the actors as well as the IA license?
> 
> Larry


Well, that's the question, isn't it?

Nowadays, yes, you HAVE to, because SAG and AFTRA contracts now cover actor image for licensing and residuals, but not back then. I think there is a cutoff date on when the current wording is grandfathered in.

So, when people do a vintage kit (a figure kit, say), it's become courtesy to get the approval of the actor or estate, and that's smart because it does avoid the POTENTIAL of legal issues. But I'm not that sure it HAS to be done.

My (uneducated) guess is that Moebius could make scale figures for the Flying Sub, or the Chariot, or the Jupiter 2 (1/24 to 1/35 scale) and since AT THOSE SCALES it's useless to make a perfect replica sculpt of the actors faces anyway, they'd be covered and safe. 

But you get to that 'capture cage' idea of mine, where you're working with figures in the (roughly) 1/12 scale range and likeness issues do arise, altho I suspect it wouldn't be as large an issue as it may seem.

And after all, there's that company that makes the retro tin LOTG lunchboxes and I've not heard of them sweating out getting clearances from all the living actors...

Would Bill Mumy get his shorts in a twist because Moebius made a 1 1/4 inch tall plastic figure of Will Robinson? I don't know, I tend to not think so.

But the old saw, I am not a lawyer. So I could be so totally wrong it's not even funny.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

One final observation before I drop the Flight 612 matter entirely; dollars to doughnuts, I'd bet that 90% of the customers who purchased the big Seaview, the Flying Sub, The Space Pod, the Chariot, and who are definiatley going to buy the 18" Jupiter 2, WILL buy a large scale Spindrift. 
I'd bet heavily on that.
Now back to our regularly scheduled modeling banter, already in progress... :wave:


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Seaview said:


> One final observation before I drop the Flight 612 matter entirely; dollars to doughnuts, I'd bet that 90% of the customers who purchased the big Seaview, the Flying Sub, The Space Pod, the Chariot, and who are definiatley going to buy the 18" Jupiter 2, WILL buy a large scale Spindrift.
> I'd bet heavily on that.
> Now back to our regularly scheduled modeling banter, already in progress... :wave:


You know I don't disagree with you, right? 

But we live in a time where going by gut instinct is too risky. I *suspect* some of the factors are a. limited potential kit subjects from the license, b. lack of awareness, c. amount of research needed to be done to make a kit on the level with the other IA releases to date, d. huge flux in the Dollar Exchange rate making an expensive tooling like this a greater risk

Now, by b. lack of awareness, I'm thinking of recent things like LIS being on HULU and other sites, plus the poor DVD sales of the LOTG set. While Frank says there IS no mainstream market (and he's right), you do need some awareness out there where the hobby shops are, and more importantly, the buyers for the wholesalers that sell to the hobbyshops. Sadly, LOTG ain't got it. 

But I am not part of Moebius so take all this with a giant, mall pretzel sized grain of salt, huh?


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## toyroy (Jul 17, 2005)

Moebius said:


> Nothing to do with mass-market. Our criteria for picking kits has nothing to do with mass market. They really have no interest in what we do, and I have to say none of what we currently do would sell well enough at mass for us to gamble on selling to them.


Frank,
I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but you don't _make_ anything for the mass market. I don't know why you're even _talking_ about the mass market. So let's not hear any more about the mass market, until or unless you actually make something for the mass market, OK?...


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Uh, Roy, I think that's exactly what he was saying.


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## Bruce Bishop (Jan 17, 1999)

I agree. And the words 'mass-market' were actually posted by toyroy first, in response to an earlier post by cajunwolfman. In talking about this, Frank was simply replying to toyroy's own post about 'mass-market'.


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## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

Ok, I think that the discussion of a possible Moebius Spindrift kit has run its course. Time to put it to rest. Thread closed.


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