# If True Snag All Trek Kits You Can



## actias (May 19, 2003)

IF TRUE SNAG ALL TREK KITS YOU CAN!
Apparantly (from this thread) RC2 has cancelled their Trek License.

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=135589&page=2


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## phrankenstign (Nov 29, 1999)

No ship!!!!!


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## Storvick (Jan 21, 2003)

haven't seen any news of this on the Star Trek.com forums guess the news hasn't made it there yet.


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## dr.robert (Feb 16, 2006)

This is really sad news! I was trying to be supportive of RC2 in hopes that they would eventually get their act together and start to be productive regarding the Polar lights division. alas,It looks like Polar is truly DEAD :cry What else can i say but,Thanks for giving us eight years of great kits :thumbsup:


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## Rebel Rocker (Jan 26, 2000)

Trust me, no one enjoys playing the role of Chicken Little more than I, but, let's not forget how many rumors have come and gone on this board. Where does this info originate? Was it printed somewhere?


Wayne


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## Ziz (Feb 22, 1999)

And this comes as a surprise?

Do the math. PL produced six Trek kits - 1000 TOS, 1000 Klingon, 1000 NX, 350 NX, 350 Refit, Scorpion. RC buyout goes down and as soon as the dust settles, RC announces 4 Trek kit re-pops - The three 3 ship sets and the KBOP. That's a total of 10 kits.

The original PL license was most likely for 10 kits. RC did the easiest & cheapest thing they could to satisfy the terms of the deal and get it out of their life as fast as possible.

I worked for various "big" companies over the years. Trust me, the bottom line is, well, the _bottom line_...all other priorities are rescinded.


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

All right all you "doom-and-gloomers", think about this:

If RC2 does not renew their license, that means it will be
available for purchase!

A new, (or different) company could buy the rights and start 
issuing new kits!

*Let's go!*


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## Zathros (Dec 21, 2000)

*No suprise here*

Not surprising at all..RC2 is your typical company of todays age..All They 
Really wanted from Playing Mantis was the Johnny Lightning Division..But
In my opinion, Tom Lowe Must have told em All or nothing..So they bought the
whole company, and of course, probably all along knew they wanted nothing to do with any licensed products , or figures in the Polar Lights division, so it seems that thats the end of it..All we will ever probably see from PL now is Cars, Cars,
and MORE cars...How stimulating!...Ho..hum...so Original..and of course,
disgustingly predictable....


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## Zaku II (Aug 14, 2005)

I'll be skeptic until I hear from an "official" source.


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

What's wrong with cars?

They're great Independence Day projects:

On July 4th, go buy a car kit, slap it together, take it 
outside, and blow it up to celebrate! :hat:


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

^^I have a 1953 Studebaker Starliner Coupe ready to go 
just for this purpose. 

(O.K. So I'm a little early...)

I also have a Nazi bomber. A friend gave me the kit with no 
instructions, windows, or cockpit. I don't know what type 
of plane it is. It should work well for this event.


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## vaderknight (Nov 8, 2005)

That sounds so typical of RC ERTL. That's why I don't buy much from them anymore. They used to have a good assortment of Trek kits (even though the kits were so inaccurate), but now all they seem to think about is the money. And they can't even come up with any new ideas. In my opinion, they wanted to make some extra cash from the Trek line by buying out PL. Besides, how exciting can it be to constantly build cars?

(Although I agree with CaptFrank. It would be fun to watch a classic car kit go boom.)


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## razorwyre1 (Jan 28, 2004)

wait a minute... one guy says he heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy who "works in the hobby industry". seriously thats whats being discussed here. like someone else said, until we get an official announcement, this hardly rises to the level of a rumor.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

CaptFrank said:


> ^^I have a 1953 Studebaker Starliner Coupe ready to go
> just for this purpose.
> 
> (O.K. So I'm a little early...)
> ...


 Show me a picture, I'll tell you what it is.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

I really don't care any more. ST is dead, for the most part. So I will build what I have, and build resin kits. So long PL, and thanks for all the kits.


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## Zathros (Dec 21, 2000)

razorwyre1 said:


> wait a minute... one guy says he heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy who "works in the hobby industry". seriously thats whats being discussed here. like someone else said, until we get an official announcement, this hardly rises to the level of a rumor.


Weve heard alot that way in this hobby...There is no reason not to believe it, Judging by RC2's track record, the only things they released In the PL line so far,has been what PL was in the Midst of releasing at the time of the purchase...I was fortunate enough to purchase everything I wanted that PL did when they first came out...


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## X15-A2 (Jan 21, 2004)

OK Lunatic Fringe, check out this item on Ebay: 2561855684

125 ton, 4 oz injection molding machine. Looks clean and price doesn't seem bad ($5,000).

Step up and get busy, the possiblities are there.

That said, I guarantee that anyone who actually gets into this business will begin to look and sound just like these other model companies in short order. Unless you are independently wealthy and can afford to run it as a hobby, you too will learn to stay focused on the bottom line. After you have your first $250,000 invested and still have not reached the point of seeing a single dollar in return (much less "profit"), you will suddenly find that "what the fans want" is quickly displaced by "what will sell the most".

I too would like to see more & better science fiction products but let's not rag on these companies for protecting their own interests. They aren't charities, they are groups of people who are trying to make a living.

A hint of how well such a "fan run" business might do is offered by the many "garage" companies (large and small) have come and gone, including "Icons". The market is just not there in sufficient size to support most possible offerings. If RC2 could make money manufacturing some of these "Star Trek" or other subjects, don't you think that they would do it? They've done the math, believe me, because they have to or risk going out of business.

RC2 are not the bad guys.

I have often thought about offering my own garage-kit products but have never had any delusions about actually making a profit while doing it. I would only do it because I enjoy it and to learn about the business (knowledge could be considered "profit" too, I suppose).


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Eh? So what? I suppose it will make the collectors happy. Whatever. We can all get to making garage kits and scratchbuilds now.


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## Styrofoam_Guy (May 4, 2004)

I would tend to believe this rumour. In fact I was waiting for the announcement once I heard RC2 bought PL.

I made sure I have an ample supply of 1:350 refits for myself.

Alex
Styrofoam Guy


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

This year, the 40th anniversary of ST, and no TV series,movie, or new models. The party is over, before it begins.


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## Scott Hasty (Jul 10, 2003)

Trek's been brain dead since ST:IV. TNG had it's moments, but failed to really be that good. No need to go into the other travesties.

Not sure when their license expires, but this is probably the reasoning why. I'm told the cost for it is incredible. Add to the fact that this is a SMALL genre and it spells that Trek is out. I love the kits they put out, but frankly, three 1/350 NX's and a Refit have sat on my LHS shelves for months now not to mention the other PL kits that have been on thier shelves for YEARS.

Don't take it personally, stock up what you can, take some Pepto Bismal and be a man....  

Scottie


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## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

X15-A2 makes some good points, but the comparison of styrene to resin garage kits isn't really fair. If I could get a styrene kit ( of some subject that I like) for a reasonable price I'd be happy. The cost of resin kits ( for whatever valid reasons ) is prohibitive or me, and others, I'm sure. Therefore they don't "sell well". It's a vicious cycle. Like when I go to the story and they're out of my brand cigarettes. the manager says they don't sell well, and I say "How can they when you don't have them ??" It's the old computerized inventory story, " We only sold 5 last week!". Well, you only HAD 5, if you'd had ten you may have sold them !!

Anyway, someone want to buy the plastic machine ?? I'll buy stock in the company. Draw up incorporation papers, etc., maybe between all the boards & forums it might work ????
Dabbler

P.S., I wouldn't even care if they made car or space ship kits !!! Chortle !


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## Rogue1 (Jan 3, 2000)

I still have my stash of "get 'em before they're gone forever" kits from the last falling of the sky, as well as some of the re-releases of those same kits that came a few years later.

No panic here this time.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

DON"T PANIC!

A source of mine, talked to RC2, and Trek is still with them. :thumbsup:


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## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

I lost trek, I mean track of the expiration date on the Star Trek License. I knew all that stuff once, but it's not very high on my list of priorities these days.

I believe that our license was due to expire sometime in 2005, my recollection is that I had conversation with one of the folks ar RC-2 who actually KNOW what's happening, last summer, and was told that they had renewed the license, because they needed more time to sell the Refit and Lil NX as well as all their re-pops.

Now, they may have only re-upped for one or two years, But they have that bunch of trek re-issues just out or in process of being released. Maybe they'll pull the plug next time the license expires??? I'd guess that's in 2007

I've met Falcon Designs, he's pretty knowledgable, his information may be essentially correct - RC-2 may have decided to let the Trek license lapse, I'm guessing that might happen sometime this year or more probably next?

Viacom's asking price for a Trek License is pretty sizable.......and without a current movie or TV series to help drive sales of kits, I'm sure the RC-2 marketing guys want to spend that cash elsewhere.
Dave


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## 1bluegtx (Aug 13, 2004)

X15-A2 said:


> 125 ton, 4 oz injection molding machine. Looks clean and price doesn't seem bad ($5,000).
> 
> QUOTE]
> Way to small,only a 4 oz shot of plastic.you would need at least a 500 ton machine.
> ...


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## spe130 (Apr 13, 2004)

Someone could at least churn out that 1/2500 NX-01, Voyager, Defiant, Reliant, Nebula kit I've always wanted...


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## Scott Hasty (Jul 10, 2003)

Great, you get the injector. Who wants to put up the price for tooling..


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

RC2 may have simply decided to put the Trek license on hold until such a time Trek picks up again.


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

> Originally Posted by CaptFrank
> ^^I have a 1953 Studebaker Starliner Coupe ready to go
> just for this purpose.
> 
> ...


I only have a film camera, and no scanner that works.  
Can't send a picture.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Three years from now when we have another Trek film, all this fear will be a dim memory.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

PerfesserCoffee said:


> Three years from now when we have another Trek film, all this fear will be a dim memory.


*ahem*

http://www.moviehole.net/news/20060227_new_star_trek_movie_cancelled.html


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Tom Sasser says he called RC2 and asked (what a concept!), and they said no, just a rumor, the license has *not *been dropped as of now.


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## Zathros (Dec 21, 2000)

If anyone's interested, There's a refit at my local hobby shop..Its got a $59.99
price tag on it...Id be glad to pick it up and ship it to anyone who wants it here..
Cant say what the shipping would be until its ready to go, and depending where 
the buyer lives...


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## Ziz (Feb 22, 1999)

John P said:


> Tom Sasser says he called RC2 and asked (what a concept!), and they said no, just a rumor, the license has *not *been dropped as of now.


 Could have also just been typical PR crap - never say anything remotely negative to anyone, no matter what the question.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Zombie_61 said:


> *ahem*
> 
> http://www.moviehole.net/news/20060227_new_star_trek_movie_cancelled.html





> . . . there’s a chance that someone else at Paramount is planning something huge and keeping us out of the loop. From what I’ve heard, Patrick wouldn’t do another Trek movie unless they paid him Professor X money…"
> 
> “The best way to achieve this is to take it away for a few years and then bring it back and do it right. The franchise needs a totally new creative team, some time off, and a cool new approach."


Doesn't sound all that final to me. :thumbsup:


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

Yeah, sadly Trek doesn't look too good right now from a corporate point of view.

Battlestar is the future for now, so I suggest that if you want plastic Battlestar kits, I'd suggest that you write to all the kit manufacturers that you can.

I just dropped one off to RC2 covering the big three Trek, Wars and Galactica.
Shot in the dark, but we'll see.

One to Monogram will be next week.


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

Hhmmm, if it is true then when does it go into effect?


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

> *New Star Trek movie cancelled*
> Posted by Clint Morris on February 27, 2006
> Paramount have put the Enterprise back on bricks.
> 
> ...


That must have been a great script! :drunk:


I was hoping the movie would have been about "Captain April" taking
the original *U.S.S. ENTERPRISE NCC-1701* out for her first
mission, fresh out of Spacedock.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

CaptFrank said:


> I was hoping the movie would have been about "Captain April" taking the original *U.S.S. ENTERPRISE NCC-1701* out for her first
> mission, fresh out of Spacedock.


We can dream . . .


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## Zaku II (Aug 14, 2005)

Ziz said:


> Could have also just been typical PR crap - never say anything remotely negative to anyone, no matter what the question.


Please see Linda's post over at SSM ...  

Until anything more "official" is made public, I think we can count on more Trek kits being produced. Even it is just the current line up. :tongue:


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

I start grabbin' em when they come out (why wait???).

I might pick up a few more of the little Klingon ship, regardless of whether the license gets cancelled or not. As far as the refit and the little 1701, I've got enough to not worry about running out any time soon. Of course, you can _never_ have too many!


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

PerfesserCoffee said:


> Doesn't sound all that final to me. :thumbsup:





Brent Spiner said:


> As for one more movie... If it was a good script, I suppose... Although, I'll tell you the truth, I think I would look pretty bad in that makeup now. Data is a young man's part. He's youthful and full of wonder. And when you're older and pretending to be youthful, that's a whole different thing. I don't believe there's anything to be gained from seeing me as Data again--unless, of course, they want to pay me a zillion dollars to do it!


Excerpt taken from an article about Brent Spiner's latest project, Threshold, in Starlog #343, when asked about another Star Trek appearance.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Zombie_61 said:


> Excerpt taken from an article about Brent Spiner's latest project, Threshold, in Starlog #343, when asked about another Star Trek appearance.


ST:TNG movies are probably over with--no doubt about that. No more Data? Good. Spiner's right: he's too old to play an ageless android.

From a cash cow perspective of the property, I doubt Paramount will sit on ST too long. There are always possibilities . . .


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## Heavens Eagle (Jun 30, 2003)

I still have yet to see the 1/1000 NX-01. Two of the local shops have gone away in the last year and the last shop just doesn't seem to carry squat in plastic.
We do have some Hobby Lobby stores here that are not too bad, but even they don't carry much in the way of ST stuff.


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## dr.robert (Feb 16, 2006)

My local hobby store B&S Hobbies closed up a few months ago having sold out to a real estate co.They were the the only local store for miles & miles,So its online purchases now. I'm gonna miss them  Don't know about Spiner being to old in makeup...Look at KISS!


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## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

Do I Have To ????


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

No!

Look away, Dabbler!

Keep your eyes shut!!


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## spacecraft guy (Aug 16, 2003)

Wasn't there a posting regarding the Refit that they were going to do another run of kits?

G4 is going to start running TOS again, and between them and Spike TV you can watch TNG 7 hours a day. There is still money to be made with Trek, and I don't think that RC2 is going to ignore the chance to renegotiate their licensing fee now that no new films or episodes are in the pipeline.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Yesterday I got the PL 1/1000 1701 in the mail, and the box said Playing Mantis, not RC2. I thought that was weird, because CultTVMan is always getting new stock. Should I keep it unopened, since PM is gone?


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## dr.robert (Feb 16, 2006)

Lloyd, Around last christmas, I found the small polar lights Klingon battle cruiser at Suncoast, It was the last one in stock and it was going for $7.99 so i snagged it.It was an early issue pre RC2, and i thought about hording it but as i needed a klingon ship for display,I went ahead and built it.It needed some work to correct the flaw where the neck connects to the main hull,but it turned out pretty d-mnd good! wether the first issue pre RC2 is worth more, I don't know but i'm saving the mint box any way  I have alot of pre RC2 johny Lightnings on the cards though! :thumbsup: Maby in about twenty more years we will be seeing ads on E-BAY [Mint Star Trek kit Pre RC2 Buy Now! $100.00]


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## justinleighty (Jan 13, 2003)

Heavens Eagle said:


> I still have yet to see the 1/1000 NX-01. Two of the local shops have gone away in the last year and the last shop just doesn't seem to carry squat in plastic.


Have you asked the guy behind the counter to order some for you? Our local guy orders them for me whenever I ask; I bought three 1/1000 NX kits from him, one from the local Hobby Lobby and a few online. On a side note, the local Hobby Lobby has two 1/350 NX kits and three or four D-7s, plus a couple of Scorpions; all the smaller kits were new on the shelf from last time I stopped in there, a month or two ago.


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## MightyMax (Jan 21, 2000)

Hey now. I hope I look as good as Paul Stanley when I am in my fifties! Heck I wish I looked like him now!

Max Bryant


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## ThomasModels (Mar 8, 2000)

Zaku II said:


> Please see Linda's post over at SSM ...
> 
> Until anything more "official" is made public, I think we can count on more Trek kits being produced. Even it is just the current line up. :tongue:


"Official" eh? Goooooood God. I haven't seen that type of groveling since, well last time I went there.

To explain more of what John P posted, I did not call RC2. I did not talk to a 'sales rep'. No one passed along best guesses or gave out PR flack. Some weeks ago, I emailed a higher up in product development and asked. I received a first hand answer to my inquiry and then some.

RC2/Ertl has not canceled their licensing agreement with Viacom/Paramount.

Enough of this. Back to gearing up for Barry Yoner Day!


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

What was the "...and then some"?
I hope it wasn't "...and please stop contacting me."


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## actias (May 19, 2003)

Thomas! Since you made such awesome models for PL to produce what are the chances of you producing a 1/350 scale classic Enterprise then offering it up for sale (maybe through a 2nd party to distance yourself from the Non-Liscense issue)? I know that due to cost of tooling it could never be injection molded and would, as a result, be much more expensive per unit to the consumer. I just think waiting for these big conglomerate companies to do this (or any new and exciting subject) through proper channels just isn't going to happen. 
With the powers that be within these companies not being able to see beyond their noses, we'll never see anything new and exciting. Then people wonder why the hobby/modeling industry is dying. You can only repackage the same F-16 fighter so many times before people realize that the manufacturers are'nt interested in investing any money in any new projects. Look at Revell Germany. They are going to release new Star Wars kits but they are only about 4 to 6" in size (probably to avoid spending descent money on tooling for a descent size kit). Nobody wants to take a risk anymore, to make money. They all want guaranteed sales with virtually little or no investment. If RC2 just wanted the the diecast from PM (Which by the way I don't see huge lines of people waiting to buy) why did'nt they just make new tooling of their own, instead of dismantling a company that did many other things other then diecast? When I was in college, business spent big bucks to find out what the consumer wanted and then provided it to make a profit. Now the menatlity seems to be "We will produce what WE WANT to produce and then the consumer will buy it or they can go elsewhere. If Walmart does not want to carry it then it is not worth producing". SAD!


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## Ziz (Feb 22, 1999)

Get it through your heads, guys.

The PM/RC buyout wasn't about RC growing their company, it was about eliminating their competition. They don't want to be the _best_ one around, they want to be the _only_ one around. Keeping the brand names is just a misdirection tactic to make it look like there's more brands on the market than there really are. All consumer product industries are like that.

The big guys spend the money to develop the product concept. The small guys take that work and figure out how to do it better and cheaper. When the big guys get word of it, they buy out the little guys and dismantle them before the little guys gets big enough to be a threat.

Now, was I talking about RC2? Maybe Sony? Or Levi's? Perhaps General Electric?

See a pattern here?


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

^Right arm, brudder.


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## actias (May 19, 2003)

I know, I just despise the "All Or Nothing" attitude these companies have. I also know that we are only talking model kits here and that it is not in anyway the end of the world. But it seems like this attitude and behavior is a microcasm of everything that is going on in our society. Both in un-important things all the way up to very important things!


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## Opus Penguin (Apr 19, 2004)

CaptFrank said:


> All right all you "doom-and-gloomers", think about this:
> 
> If RC2 does not renew their license, that means it will be
> available for purchase!
> ...


Until RC2 buys them out.


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## Ziz (Feb 22, 1999)

actias said:


> I know, I just despise the "All Or Nothing" attitude these companies have. I also know that we are only talking model kits here and that it is not in anyway the end of the world. But it seems like this attitude and behavior is a microcasm of everything that is going on in our society. Both in un-important things all the way up to very important things!


Exactly. I'm not saying that it's right, just that it's a fact. The only way to prevent it is to get big enough fast enough that you can't be bought out. Problem then becomes that whole "absolute power corrupts absolutely" thing...the Anakin/Vader syndrome (you really gotta pay attention to ROTS to really get this...)

Anakin wanted to put an end to the corruption in the Senate and such that he saw happening around him. he decided that the way to do that was to join Palpatine and become a Sith. Once he did that, he ended up becoming the omnipotent evil he thought he was trying to destroy.


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## fjimi (Sep 29, 2004)

ThomasModels said:


> "Official" eh? Goooooood God. I haven't seen that type of groveling since, well last time I went there.
> 
> To explain more of what John P posted, I did not call RC2. I did not talk to a 'sales rep'. No one passed along best guesses or gave out PR flack. Some weeks ago, I emailed a higher up in product development and asked. I received a first hand answer to my inquiry and then some.
> 
> ...


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