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Revell of Germany shutting its doors?


TheMadKlingon

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Hi there:

 

I attended the IPMS Region 11 show this past weekend over in Coco beach. While parousing the dealers room I came across RoG 1/35 Tank Destroyer Jaguar 1. Cool little piece of armor. I know it retails for about $30 so I asked the vendor (Tank Rats) what he was asking. He said $40. I assumed he was confusing the model with another so I pulled the box off the wall and showed it to him. He again said it was $40. I explained to him the model retails for $30 and you can get it for $25 on eBay.

 

He explained to me that RoG was having financial difficulties and they recently closed their doors and another company (he told me but I can't recall) it acquiring their molds. He went on to tell me that the $30 Jaguar kit I was interested in was going for $60 online and he wouldn't sell his three for less than $40.00. He did try to show me these so-called exaggerated prices on eBay but discovered they kits were going for about $25. I was skeptical so I asked some of the other vendors at the show if they had heard the tale. It was news to them. When I got back to my room my club and I check online for any additional information and found none.

 

RoG site is up and running, there are no articles that I can find online and I don't recall any talk of this on the major discussion boards and the vendor's we asked had not heard of this major development so I am thinking Tank Rats was blowing smoke up my skirt.

 

I am posting this long winded tale to find out if there is any validity to what I was told. Is Revell of Germany out of business or was the dealer just trying to pull the styrene over my eyes?

 

 

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Sounds like you got an eye-full O styrene. Can we assume you didn't give in, and did not buy the kit with the jacked up price? If so, good catch.

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1st rule of vendors at model shows, when they claim someone is going out of business that's so they can justify whatever price they think they can get.

 

I saw another post on Z-5 this week saying Squadron was folding also....claimed the say way, by a vendor or LSH trying to screw someone

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I'm curious..without naming names, was the vendor a guy in his 60's, with a walrus-like mustache and a khaki ballcap? Maybe wearing a sweater vest? If I WAS gonna suggest a name, which I am not, it would rhyme with "fuzz"?

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I'm curious..without naming names, was the vendor a guy in his 60's, with a walrus-like mustache and a khaki ballcap? Maybe wearing a sweater vest? If I WAS gonna suggest a name, which I am not, it would rhyme with "fuzz"?

 

 

<BR>I'm curious..without naming names, was the vendor a guy in his 60's, with a walrus-like mustache and a khaki ballcap? Maybe wearing a sweater vest? If I WAS gonna suggest a name, which I am not, it would rhyme with "fuzz"?<BR>

 

O'l Buzz....he tried that on me 15 years ago with a 1/48th Tamiya Spitfire kit he had marked at $40-50 bucks .....I still get a kick out of that

Edited by Don Flynn
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Moving this to the Vendor forum....

 

 

Sorry Dennis, that's wrong...this info should be in the open section so non-IPMS members can see it....this is modeling related....not purely IPMS related

Edited by Don Flynn
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He raked me over the coals a few years back on some Revell Japan Japanese bombers. I knew what they were worth, he offered me dirt, but I needed the money. Next show, he's got the models marked up to 500% over what he paid.

 

J

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He raked me over the coals a few years back on some Revell Japan Japanese bombers. I knew what they were worth, he offered me dirt, but I needed the money. Next show, he's got the models marked up to 500% over what he paid.

 

J

 

 

Sounds like Buzz all right. When I took over the show here in Cincinnati I told him we had 3 rules, he pays in cash.......he pulls the "you hold those models till I have the cash end of show then lowball a guy and I'll kneecap him then burn his models in the parking lot........and Rule #3 you ask......see rule #2 :P

 

1st show I ran I brought a mini-baseball bat and had laying in my "office area" marked B-Buster....you know.....never have had any problems since :P

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I'm curious..without naming names, was the vendor a guy in his 60's, with a walrus-like mustache and a khaki ballcap? Maybe wearing a sweater vest? If I WAS gonna suggest a name, which I am not, it would rhyme with "fuzz"?

 

Your referring to the Hulf Hogan-looking fella? Nah, not him and to be the devil's advocate, he has always treated me fair.

 

I am referring to John Michie of www.tankratsAFVdepot.com

 

Vendors who overcharge just to make a quick buck chap my A$$. And did he really think he was fooling anyone? Seriously, if your going to an IPMS event your probably a scale model enthusiast and at least have an idea of what's going on in the industry. And the man ain't doing himself any favors either. If he had just sold the kit to me for $25, I may have even bought more from his site or at the next show. Instead, I have already posted on three boards about this hack and will never but from him again.

Edited by TheMadKlingon
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Your referring to the Hulf Hogan-looking fella? Nah, not him and to be the devil's advocate, he has always treated me fair.

 

I know that guy also. He's ok but tends to have his stuff marked MSRP. I booked him 1 year here, gave him one of my best spots (there ain't no really bad ones my venue) and he couldn't sell 2 kits all day.

 

Shame is he carries newer stuff that would sell with a decent markdown that would still let him make money on the stuff

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After our conversation with TankRats we decided to email RoG and here is the respose:

 

From: tkoss@revell.de

To: xxxxxxxxxx@hotmail.com

Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:03:13 +0200

 

Dear Mr B

 

Thanks for your question - but your information is not true. In fact we have increasing investments into the hobby business, more than 80 novelties in the year and we are not planning to decrease our efforts in the future.

 

In fact we are developing some additional promising lines, have entered successfully the RC segment and therefore are looking optimistic to the next years.

 

Best regards

 

Thorsten Koss

 

So there it is folks... direct from the horse's mouth.

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I was going to say that it had to be a farce for sure.

RoG's Ferrari kits are now rivaling Fujimi and Tamiya. I cannot wait to see their Ferrari 458 Italia. It is highly anticipated among modeling Tifosi. They've invested a lot with Ferrari licensing.

If anything, and as the letter suggests, they seem to be doing quite well.

Chris

Edited by nostab
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I'm curious..without naming names, was the vendor a guy in his 60's, with a walrus-like mustache and a khaki ballcap? Maybe wearing a sweater vest? If I WAS gonna suggest a name, which I am not, it would rhyme with "fuzz"?

 

No, this sounds like the same guy that was at the R12 show the weekend prior. Tall, blond, heavy set, quite full of himself. You'll have the opportunity to meet him at the Nats, he's from Phoenix.

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  • 1 year later...

It's now Jan 2012 and Revell Germany are still very much alive and kicking! The Ferrari 428 is released and it is a gem along with the new Merc. Gullwing coupe! Well up there with any Tamifujigawa offerings at about half the price here in the UK. Hey, they even released a 1/24th scale London Transport Double Decker Routemaster Bus late last year. Fantastic kit! I am looking forward to seeing their 1/150th scale sailing ship kit of the Vasa....Due anytime now along with a modern cruise ship kit in 1/400 scale.

WHO SAYS REVELL GERMANY ARE SHUTTING THEIR DOORS? FAR FROM IT!

Edited by noelsmith
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Tank Rats has, or had, a long, sordid history. There were some very disturbing posts about them on Missing Lynx last year. If I ever heard of another business run by or involving the same guy I'd run like hell the other way.

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