Does anyone know if the delay in the release of the new Model Power 1/87th scale vehicles has anything to do with the Malibu cars still on the shelf at Wal-Mart? I see the “Malibu” cars are now being packaged in multi-vehicle sets. Some of you mention you can’t find them and some mention clearance pricing…the WM down the road still has plenty of them. I wish you all would come down here and buy them up and get them out of here. I’m thinking once these Malibu cars are gone, then Model Power will release their new vehicles. Just a theory.
Actually Niagara hobby shop , in Buffalo NY. had several full shelves of the Model Power cars. Looked to be about 400 cars stacked up. But much pricier than the Malibu cars of course.
O-T-M,
Why don’t you buy up all the Malibu’s your WM has and re-sell them on e-Bay? That way, people in areas where the cars have sold out can still get them. You might even make a buck or two in the process, especially if you offered WM a deal to take them off their hands.
Darrell, quiet…for now
Decent idea, there, Darrell…but when I entered the high-praise profession of model train shop owner, before I could get my certificate with a little gold star on it to hang on my wall, they made me take a hypocritical oath and now I can’t buy from Wal-Mart and resell on eBay.
About the Niagra shop…a hobby shop may have the older Model Power cars (like the ones at Wal-Mart) for 3.98 or so, but there is a whole bunch of NEW vehicles that I understood were supposed to be released by now. And unless I’ve been lied to again, THESE are not supposed to be available at Wal-Mart.
Only at your friendly little local train shops. fingers crossed
Unfourtanately the WMs in this part of Canada don’t carry them. But I was lucky get some in a HS 250 miles away for only $3.50 Cdn. Yes it’s my LHS? nearest one to me. I checked 2 other HSs near that one 1 guy wanted $5.98 & the other guy wanted $9.98!! Guess which shop I mail order from or visit.
Tom
[(-D]
An interesting concept. However, as is the case with most conspiracy theories, the reality is far less interesting.
Most of the cars sold under the Model Power Mini, Malibu International, Schuco Edition 1:87, and perhaps a half-dozen more names are made by a single company: High Speed Metal & Plastic Products Manufacturing Co., Ltd., which is headquartered in Hong Kong. High Speed is one of a number of contract manufacturing companies in China that make models for other companies to sell under their own names. The cars you see at Wal-Mart come from a line originally developed a few years back for Schuco, a well-known manufacturer of scale vehicle models and mechanical toys. Schuco’s U.S. importer, who didn’t see a market for the models in the U.S., declined to import them, leaving the door open for Model Power. Model Power picked up most of the European models in the line and contracted with High Speed to produce some American vehicles.
Following a dispute, Model Power terminated its contract with High Speed last year. High Speed, which was left with tooling for models with limited interest in Europe, needed a U.S. distributor for the models it had produced for Model Power. Enter Malibu International, which is sort of a liquidation operation run by 21st Century Toys of La Verne, California. Malibu International set up a special deal with Wal-Mart to sell the models at a special discounted price, which was great until it became apparent High Speed would have no new U.S. models to offer in the series because Malibu wasn’t going to invest in the start-up costs. There may yet be a couple of new pieces, but I don’t think they will be sold at the $1.67 price because the tooling and other set-up costs have not been amortized.
In the meantime, Model Power tried working with another source but the results were not of the same quality as the High Speed models (I have a couple of examples and they ain’t pretty). So, Model Power went back to High Speed and set up a new r
Well seeing the “clearance” message earlier today, I went and visited five area Walmarts and only one of them had clearance cars most of which weren’t 1/87th but motorcycles. I got one tractor. Another one had some 1/87th sets of cars and trailors (not on clearance) and I got a 1955 chevy. Other than that nothing. I’ve been watching our Walmarts since people first started talking about this last December (?) and nada.
Earlier today I stopped by my local wal-mart and they didn’t have anymore Malibu International cars. In their place were 1/87 scale NASCAR diecasts made by Racing Chapions. They looked pretty nice and if I had the extra couple bucks I’d have picked one or two up. I figure even if you don’t model a racetrack you can park one in the lot of an HO scale car dealership or shopping center with a crowd gathered around and say they’re doing a promotional display.
Note: Apparently the first batch of new models did ship in July because they arrived at Model Power yesterday. So look for them in your LHS in a couple of weeks. I am told the new Eldorados and a new Lamborghini Murcielago will be arriving in about a month.
bcawthon: thanks for the info! I remembered awhile back that someone on this forum had quite a bit of knowledge about the Model Power/Malibu/Wal-Mart relationship.
Yeah I don’t believe in conspiracy theories myself, either, would prefer to stick with the facts but I thought introducing this as a “conspiracy theory” was more creative than typing in “I was just wondering if…”[;)]
Hopefully we will see the new Model Power vehicles in the hobby shops soon! Customers have been asking about them. I thought they were supposed to be released sometime in July but wasn’t sure and of course I’m well aware of all the things that can happen to products to delay their arrival at a shop.
Now for the cynic in me to pop out: how long will it be before hobbyists realize that indeed these NEW Model Power vehicles which will MSRP at 4.49 or 4.98 (I think) will NOT be showing up in Wal-Mart for 1.67 in a few months?
bcawthon, I appreciate you explaining all that you did. Very informative.
I just don’t want to be stuck in the situation we had a year ago when I had at least 100 of the Model Power cars in stock, they were selling pretty well, and then they show up in Wal-Mart for far less than my cost. I already threw one minor fit over this last year…I still have my fingers crossed that one of these Malibu deals does not happen again. But that’s business, nothing is certain.
I continue to say this and will forever until my needs are satified, but will someone please start making more SUV, Pick-up and mini-trucks. I would like to see ATV’s and Motorhomes too. I need more modern American or even Japanese cars! I’m sick of European cars. My layout will take place in Montana and there aren’t many European cars there.
Amen brother Zak! As a complete coincidence, a customer came in this morning after I noticed Zak’s post and he gave me a mission: he didn’t really care what I ordered for him, he just wanted 12 American vehicles from the mid-90s and up. Not all that easy to do!
He’s a retired gentleman, one that you might suspect would be modeling the transistion era…but he is doing a modern layout. The pickins are slim for modern American cars and pick-ups. Thank goodness for what we do have available.
I got sick of trying for newer cars atleast 80’s and up so i scanned ebay and found some nice 1/87 cars by monogram called mini exacts.
The same cars are available from Promotex Online (www.promotex.ca).
What do you mean it isn’t easy? Just off the top of my head, here are a dozen good candidates:
1997 Ford F-150 pickup (Atlas) Any modern-era layout should have several; it’s been the best-selling vehicle in the United States since 1982.
1996 Ford Taurus sedan (Atlas) Again, multiple copies. The Taurus was the best-selling passenger car in 1996.
1996 Ford Crown Victoria (Busch) available in civilian or Tijuana Taxi versions.
1995 Chevrolet Caprice (Busch) with or without the roof lights and official markings
1995-1998 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer (Busch) several versions available.
1996 Ford E-350 Box Van/Ambulance (Busch)
2003 Ford Thunderbird (Model Power/Malibu International)
2003 Dodge Viper RT/10 (Model Power/Malibu International)
2002 Pontiac Firebird (Model Power/Malibu International)
2005 Ford Crown Victoria (Model Power - new release shipping in a few days)
2007 Dodge Caliber (Ricko Ltd.)
1994-5 Ford F-350 Crew Cab pickup (Trident)
Plus, there’s a Ford Mondeo sold by Noch that’s just the German version of the late 1990s Ford Contour (Walthers’ P/N 528-18132) and Rietze makes a model of the Ford Focus in both sedan and wagon forms.
Add in some late model vehicles:
1990 Chrysler minivan (Busch)
1989 Pontiac Grand Prix (Promotex/Herpa)
1989 Ford Thunderbird (Promotex/Herpa)
1985-87 Buick Regal Grand National
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Yesterday at Wal-Mart, I noticed those new 1/87 NASCAR diecasts and got the same idea! The only thing is my favorite driver’s car (I’m not going to tell you who, but he’s sponsored by a certain beer whose name begins with a “B”) is wrongly painted. It no longer says [insert title of unnamed beer here], but it says the name of the driver in place of the beer! That’s because they sell these things to kids, and if it said the name of the beer, they couldn’t sell them to people under the age of 21. It’s the same story with the other cars sponsored by beer. Oh well, I guess I could buy a little Jeff Gordon car and have little people in red throwing beer cans at it. [;)]
-Brandon
[:D]
Oh don’t tell me your a fan of him.(so is my brother)
I suggest buying a orange car, and put him in the lead where he belongs.
The price increase in the new models is due to a substantial increase in the cost of the metals used in casting and tooling. I’ve been told the cost of white metal has gone up something like 300%.
As I understand the situation Model Power’s new agreement with High Speed does not permit High Speed to market Model Power’s exclusives to anyone else without Model Power’s permission and there are some pretty hefty penalties for breach this time. The Corvette, about which several conspiracy theories could be spun, appears to be the sole exception.
As to how long it will take hobbyists to realize the Olds 442, Ford pickup, Eldorado, etc., won’t be available in the little black box, I don’t know. I can’t really blame people for saving a substantial sum on a product that is identical to a more expensive item, but I imagine most people have no concept of why the Malibu International deal is not a sustainable concept. For one thing, the Malibu models had no tooling or other startup costs, for another, the sales channel cuts out a whole level of pricing because Wal-Mart has its own distribution system and those costs are already built into its pricing. (Before anyone asks why there isn’t a “model railroading” Wal-Mart, the answer is that the entire hobby isn’t big enough to support that kind of operation.) There just isn’t any money left over to develop new products.
Something I noticed about the new Malibu offerings: you’re paying more per model. Sure, the 5-pack is priced less than five separate models at the $1.67 price, but Malibu and High Speed are saving big bucks by eliminating five plastic presentation cases, five separate cartons and five separate assembly operations. One person can attach five ca
Just got back from my local 24hr WM Superstore and they had the Malibu 5-car assortment pack (7.97) and the Jaguar w/camper. They also had the Street Whipz die cast 1970s Ford and Dodge vans for 1.98. I also found the Athearn John Deer tractors and the Cat spreader (I think they were all 2.97).