Jump to content

Rant: This will be the best and most important model kit ever released


Recommended Posts

I am getting kind of tired of certain model companies marketing departments hitting the ol’ hypometer button claiming their newest kit will be the biggest, best, most detailed, best fitting, accurate model ever made and then ducking for cover when said kit doesn’t materialize or if there is, dare I say an inaccuracy, omission, or error. 

 

Now please don’t misquote me here, but I am only talking about a few select companies here.  Most never engage in this type of behaviour, like Tamiya, Wingnut Wings, Hasegawa, Revell, Airfix etc.  They release a kit and say here it is, they don’t say this is the best ever, and sometimes there are errors, omissions, and inaccuracies, and we all get by. 

 

But select companies, that shall remain nameless, are often smaller startups that sound like the NFL spinning up the hype for the annual meaningless game between the Buffalo who gives a dams and Hoboken last placers for the doubious distinction of toilet bowl champions.  “This will be the most important game of the season for these yet unproven juggernauts, as they build towards the glory of the offseason.”  At least the NFL is king of TV, and they get away with it. 

 

However these companies sound like politicians with their lofty promises, and scurry into hiding when the tough questions come.  Actually just like politicians, maybe they really are politicians, and will soon be running for election. 

 

People and corporations have long forgotten the lessons of humility, and as such are just opening themselves up to that like to engage in a similar behaviour. I like being right, as does everyone else and when someone boasts about how great they are, I do indeed enjoy a round of “um actually”. So when these companies do this, should they really be surprised when the internet explodes with “um actually”. 

 

Just remember if you step in it, be prepared to clean your own shoes.  After all it was your dog that dropped it. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

meh, I tend to ignore bold claims like that in most anything. It's all just marketing. And honestly, I'd not trust a company that doesn't at least THINK it's coming out with the latest and greatest thing. Otherwise why would they bother?  Who wants a hamburger from a company that would advertise "hey, this is a not bad burger. Maybe not as good as theirs but it taste ok" ?That they hit or miss the mark, imho, doesn't mean they shouldn't be trying to and claiming to be able to hit it. Now, once they drop the ball, they should be humble at that point and acknowledge their miss and try to improve aim. But I surely expect their next shot to be latest and greatest shot again. Hype from the company doesn't bother me. Un-relenting blind hype from it's fan base that totally ignores, or worse, belittles those with concerns? That's a bigger pain to me.

Link to post
Share on other sites
23 minutes ago, niart17 said:

meh, I tend to ignore bold claims like that in most anything. It's all just marketing. And honestly, I'd not trust a company that doesn't at least THINK it's coming out with the latest and greatest thing. Otherwise why would they bother?  Who wants a hamburger from a company that would advertise "hey, this is a not bad burger. Maybe not as good as theirs but it taste ok" ?That they hit or miss the mark, imho, doesn't mean they shouldn't be trying to and claiming to be able to hit it. Now, once they drop the ball, they should be humble at that point and acknowledge their miss and try to improve aim. But I surely expect their next shot to be latest and greatest shot again. Hype from the company doesn't bother me. Un-relenting blind hype from it's fan base that totally ignores, or worse, belittles those with concerns? That's a bigger pain to me.

If there was a "like" button here I'd be hitting it right now!!!! But there's not, so you get this post instead!!! Very well said, and I agree 100%. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Why are you letting this bother you?? It is a marketeers job to hype it's companies product. it is your job as a consumer to see through the hype and make a well informed choice on how to spend your money.

Link to post
Share on other sites

This reminds me of a series of commercials currently running on TV. In one the hospital patient asks the nurse if his surgeon is the best in his field. The nurse answers “he’s ok......”

 

😮

Link to post
Share on other sites

Be the willow tree in a gale and just let it blow past you.

 

Marketing is irrelevant until the product hits the shelves of stores.  The proof of the pudding is the eating.  And just as some don't like pudding, some won't like ANY kit due to design and molding compromises.

 

It's physically hurtful to get so worked up about something over which you have no control, so ignore it.  It works for television programming, it'll work for scale models.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I’m not sure I’ve seem companies claim that their plastic models kits are the best ever or are game changers or other such hyperbole.  If they did, I must have blown past in because it didn’t register at all.  Marketing is marketing, and it’s the same for almost any product.  Usually the things that get my interest are things like features, optional parts, details, decals, etc.  If claims of accuracy by the company are an issue, it’s fine to examine them and see if they are correct, but it should be based on hard, provable facts.  I’m fine with people pointing out real errors in a kit in a respectful way so I can make an informed decision on how important they are to me.  

 

However, I’ve noticed that some seem to delight in pointing out inaccuracies, going beyond simply pointing out errors to  seemingly pointedly sticking to companies that dare claim that their kits are accurate by proving they aren’t with endless posting of photos proving that their little lump of plastic isn’t accurate to a full sized metal object.  Heaven forbid that a company doesn’t immediately pull the kit and fix things, or people claim that an inaccuracy doesn’t bother them, because they are the “expert” and deserve to be listened to, and if you don’t agree, you’re part of the problem of why we get mediocre kits.  This is the whole “it looks like X to me” modeller vs.  “accuracy Nazi” modeller debate that has raged on for years, will keep going on for eternity as long as the internet and social media exist, and has frankly grown tiresome.  

 

When a kit comes out, judge it by your own standards, buy it or not, and simply move on.

Link to post
Share on other sites
8 hours ago, GreyGhost said:

As long as they don't say "AMAZING!", I'm okay ...

 

-Gregg

What's even worse is  "amazeballs!". Ugh!

 

I remember a certain resin company back in the day that described their kits like this:

"Jewel like landing gear! Finely engraved panel lines! Detailed cockpit! Three markings options! "

Everything ended with an exclamation point. The only problem? They charged hundreds of dollars for their kits and it was a crap shoot on if you got one designed by the Russian designer (which was a good thing) or someone else (which was very, very bad). The F11F Tiger was particularly horrid. It made the FM kit look like a Tamiya kit.

Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Darren Roberts said:

What's even worse is  "amazeballs!". Ugh!

 

I remember a certain resin company back in the day that described their kits like this:

"Jewel like landing gear! Finely engraved panel lines! Detailed cockpit! Three markings options! "

Everything ended with an exclamation point. The only problem? They charged hundreds of dollars for their kits and it was a crap shoot on if you got one designed by the Russian designer (which was a good thing) or someone else (which was very, very bad). The F11F Tiger was particularly horrid. It made the FM kit look like a Tamiya kit.

Darren,  Ouch!  Oof!  At least I've never been bitten by that one company.  Love that last sentence, though!

 

Hey, I thought this hobby was about building, correcting, modifying, adding, subtracting, mutliplying, or dividing and producing scale plastic models to taste.  Or did I miss something?  I am not a particularly brave soul, prefering the old adage that "discretion is the better part of valor."  While I am not afraid to modify kits from time to time, (or routinely in the case of Revell 1/139 707 & KC-135 & 1/143 DC-8-61 kits, talk about an odd scale, but that's another topic for another day), I will usually allow some less timid soul to purchase the "latest & greatest" kit and perform an in box review or test build and bare his or her soul online before I will venture near, particularly if it is more expensive than a tank of gas.  Now I do applaud a recent releaser of 1/72 scale US large bombers who have listened to online feedback from this forum and have prodcued corrections prior to and after release.  Now that is an excellent business model! (Pun intended!)  Caveat emptor!  So quit griping and start building.  Contrary to popular belief, he who dies with the most toys, actually loses.

 

My $.02, FWIW!    

 

R/ Dutch

Link to post
Share on other sites

Annnnd,,,,that gets into a whole other perpetual discussion about the hobby being different for everyone. Some build models just so they CAN correct errors and make silk from a sows ear and that's what they live for, while others build to collect the most accurate representation and don't want to do anything to get that. Some actually just buy models to NEVER build. Some look for the latest aftermarket and some prefer to scratch build. Some buy decals, some paint markings. Some 3D print parts and some kit bash. It's all the correct approach to the hobby. So what the hobby is about to some sometimes has zero to do with what the hobby is about to others. The sooner that is realized, the less likely there is to be conflicts based on these opposing opinions. And to further the sentiment of peace, I'll quote an ex-member here that fell victim to this. "attack the message, not messenger" a model company is NOT a person. It is a business. there are people that work there that might get feelings hurt, and that's not a good thing. But the company is the company and while true they don't OWE anybody anything. They should expect that public opinion matters. that's pretty much it. And BTW, I'll add another "what this hobby is about" views that some haven't considered and truth be told, it's just as right as the others. And those are the ones that say their hobby is looking at what manufacturers come out with and present and finding the flaws in the products. Some even make a business out of correcting those mistakes. And that's all good too.

 

Just my $0.01.

 

Bill

Link to post
Share on other sites
48 minutes ago, Dutch said:

Darren,  Ouch!  Oof!  At least I've never been bitten by that one company.  Love that last sentence, though!

 

 

 

I've been bitten...several times!😂 The thing is, when they have the only kit of the subject you want (1/48 AJ Savage, F-86H, F2H-3/4 Banshee, and others at the time that weren't kitted in plastic), you have to bite the bullet and deal with the misery. It does present a good challenge, though!

Link to post
Share on other sites
13 hours ago, Darren Roberts said:

What's even worse is  "amazeballs!". Ugh!

 

I remember a certain resin company back in the day that described their kits like this:

"Jewel like landing gear! Finely engraved panel lines! Detailed cockpit! Three markings options! "

Everything ended with an exclamation point. The only problem? They charged hundreds of dollars for their kits and it was a crap shoot on if you got one designed by the Russian designer (which was a good thing) or someone else (which was very, very bad). The F11F Tiger was particularly horrid. It made the FM kit look like a Tamiya kit.

Lmao The instructions in said Tiger kit were pretty accurate-  have someone else build it for you! 

 

Also, I don't think they had permission from Detail & Scale to reproduce the scale drawings as part of their instructions. There was also a magazine article in there.

Link to post
Share on other sites
21 hours ago, niart17 said:

Annnnd,,,,that gets into a whole other perpetual discussion about the hobby being different for everyone. Some build models just so they CAN correct errors and make silk from a sows ear and that's what they live for, while others build to collect the most accurate representation and don't want to do anything to get that. Some actually just buy models to NEVER build. Some look for the latest aftermarket and some prefer to scratch build. Some buy decals, some paint markings. Some 3D print parts and some kit bash. It's all the correct approach to the hobby. So what the hobby is about to some sometimes has zero to do with what the hobby is about to others. The sooner that is realized, the less likely there is to be conflicts based on these opposing opinions. And to further the sentiment of peace, I'll quote an ex-member here that fell victim to this. "attack the message, not messenger" a model company is NOT a person. It is a business. there are people that work there that might get feelings hurt, and that's not a good thing. But the company is the company and while true they don't OWE anybody anything. They should expect that public opinion matters. that's pretty much it. And BTW, I'll add another "what this hobby is about" views that some haven't considered and truth be told, it's just as right as the others. And those are the ones that say their hobby is looking at what manufacturers come out with and present and finding the flaws in the products. Some even make a business out of correcting those mistakes. And that's all good too.

 

Just my $0.01.

 

Bill

Touché, Bill! 

All too true.  I meant no offense.  Just my usual poor attempt at parody, mixed with a little hyperbole and a pinch of sarcasm, in a very dry attempt to raise at least one corner of the reader's mouth, if not causing him or her to raise both sides into a broad smile and maybe even elicit a chuckle. My apologies, dear sir.  Annnnd I wholeheartedly agree with the second half of your post.  (I'll see your $.01 and raise you $.02! Hah!)  

Most respectfully,

Dutch

Link to post
Share on other sites
On March 13, 2019 at 9:21 AM, Dutch said:

Darren,  Ouch!  Oof!  At least I've never been bitten by that one company.  Love that last sentence, though!

 

Hey, I thought this hobby was about building, correcting, modifying, adding, subtracting, mutliplying, or dividing and producing scale plastic models to taste.  Or did I miss something?  

 

 

R/ Dutch

Not if you are a select group of elites on a couple of car model forums I'm on. The littlest thing is off and you see pages of rants. Don't dare disagree, you are accepting mediocrity if you are content. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I think it's a sign of the times, everyone has a soapbox now, so people have to shout all the louder.

 

 

We have a kind of "marketing inflation" "amazeballs" is a thing because "amazing" is not worth noticing.

 

Click bait ruins everything. "Why movie X is the greatest super hero film in the history of all time." And "why movie X is the most godawful movie you're children will ever endure" 

 

It cant just be Movie X is very good or movie X is very bad.

 

Hype backlash is a very real thing too

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...