Yeah, it sells… to me it’s just boring and worth just “oh, no, not again” . But it’s up to everyone to decide. And if Takom sells them and produces a M114, I’m happy, I’m with Will here. So go out and buy it. I won’t anyway. But I did order the M114…
It is stunning how people greet new announcements, as if the production of the announced kit, the possibility that another modeler is getting a subject that they like, interferes with their modeling enjoyment.
I could almost understand the feeling if it was expressed as a zero-sum economic argument, i.e. there is only a finite amount of financing, design talent, machine tool, and molding press time, so every bit spent on something I don’t want means less available for what I do want. However, that is clearly not the way people are thinking, and provably so. How? Because the people complaining that these 1/35 tank subjects are released instead of more “significant” or " historically important" subjects don’t complain when companies release kits of aircraft, hot rods, ships, or 1/72 tanks. If one truly believed that resource competition prevents you from getting what you want, why don’t people mention these other releases?
I think that folks ought to ask themselves three questions before posting negative reactions about a kit announcement:
- Does the production of this kit make the release of a favored subject impossible?
- Is there any tangible and plausible evidence that the production of the mentioned kit will have any impact the future release of a favored subject?
- Is there any way the post I want to make will not be viewed as the whining of a spoiled modeler who feels compelled to inject a negative into an unrelated announcement?
If your answers are No, No, and No, perhaps you might say to yourself, “Well, that’s not something I want, but there’s no point in me criticizing it.” and move on to the next thread.
Something to think about.
KL
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Except I think this is exactly why people get disappointed. It’s obvious to anyone that all of things you mentioned are finite, so when someone sees another drawing board panzer being produced it does mean a new tool modern Bradley becomes less plausible in the near term. Is this life ruining? No. But I think people have a right to display some disappointment
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Armor modeler’s express excitement or disappointment for any given announcement depending on what they hoped to see announced. Just the nature of the beast.
I would find a new announcement for 1/35 1942 T-34/76 STZ far more exciting than any paper panzer…and probably 80% of my focus and collection is WW2 German Panzers.
I have to agree with KL opinion. Moreover, I am quite fed up to see that whenever any new kit is released, half of the comments are complaining it is not the kit they want. Specially weird when coming from people of my age, who should remember a time when new kits appeared just a couple of times per year (at most)
Yeah, but in this case it’s not the kit that ANYBODY wanted.
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If that were the case, why aren’t you posting about Takom’s zeppelin and ship kits, Meng’s Egg Tanks and motorcycles, Border Models’ aircraft, or Tamiya’s race car or R/C releases? There are far more global model production resources spent on things other than 1/35 tanks, so those things should really be getting your attention.
The only cause for disappointment would be if a company promised X and gave you a Y or a really crappy X.
The announcement of a kit should not be drawing any negative posts. There’s just no sense in them. You may not want that subject and may never buy one, but I don’t see how pouting about it not being what you want gets you to the kit you want. Wouldn’t it be far more effective - and make one seem less like a spoiled brat - to write the model companies or create stand-alone threads to say what you want?
KL
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Maybe he doesn’t have any interest in these things and has no intention of maintaining an exhaustive understanding of every new kit release ever, always?
Takom do create some very good models of popular subjects, with more on the way. Which is awesome. It just saddens me that they have to gaslight wehraboos to pay for it.
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I doubt the guys making ship kits are the same design team focused on armor. I could be wrong but I’d be surprised.
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let’s say company X releases 4 kits a year (obviously an exaggeration but it drives home the point), 1 ship, 1 aircraft, 1 tank, and 1 sci-fi. Let’s also say one only builds tanks, or maybe also the odd aircraft, then obviously if the tank released isn’t in that persons interest direction they’ll be disappointed.
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I don’t think anyone here is whining, and if you aren’t gonna make your dissatisfaction known on a manufactures page where community desires might land on their radar what’s the point? Sure people could make their own threads but then takom doesn’t get an opportunity to listen to what people would also like.
I don’t think people are entitled or whiney because they don’t like kit X. I, and many people here said “hey it’s not for me, but I’m sure some people will like it”. I get everyone likes different things and hey, whatever floats your boat, but people can still say darn I was going for say a new Bradley
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But why do you care? Can you show us how it makes any difference to you? I mean, real, tangible evidence, like, “I have copies of the marketing meeting report and it was said that making X meant that Y had to be delayed by two years.” You are just guessing - unrealistically, I might add - that all subjects are equally able to be produced, that all subjects have adequate research information available and companies are ready to go with your favorite subject but spitefully choose to make something else.
You guys remind me of the people who have been writing to model magazines for the last 60 years complaining that the editor publishes too many articles on German tanks rather than Italian interwar vehicles. Apparently, every magazine has bulging, detailed, files on every possible subject and chooses to publish what they do rather than printing what they can get from their contributors.
KL
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One need only go to the main page here to see announcements of all sorts of models. It would be just a click or two to provide plenty of outlets for your frustrations.
“gaslight wehraboos”
What the fluck does that even mean?!? “Gaslighting” is maliciously, deceitfully trying to convince someone that their own experiences are false and their sanity is in peril. How does that even relate to this?
KL
A physical manifestation of these posts would be going to a model show vendor room, standing in front of each table in turn pointing to every item on sale and stridently declaring, “I don’t want THAT, I don’t want THAT, I don’t want THAT . . .”
KL
I feel like a physical manifestation is more along the lines of “Cool kits. I love your guys lots, I would be thrilled if you guys tackled X”
This post has become pretty circular, at this point you are whining about whining
Also get a kick out of “60 years ago it was worse, you should be happy now!!!”. And? 100 years ago the journey from coast to coast took months, so now I should be happy if I can take 14 connecting flights and do it in 2 weeks?!
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It may not be the same design team, but it’s the same pot of money, the same machine tools cutting molds,and the same plastic molding machines churning out sprues. And in the case of a subject in a scale you don’t build, it probably is the same design team.
" . . .if you aren’t gonna make your dissatisfaction known on a manufactures page where community desires might land on their radar what’s the point? Sure people could make their own threads but then takom doesn’t get an opportunity to listen to what people would also like."
“if you aren’t gonna make your dissatisfaction known on a manufactures page” then it’s your fault you don’t get what you want. You are delusional if you think that it is more effective to write the 26th post in a thread on an unrelated subject on one of the 500 model sites in various languages worldwide.
KL
So you think these posts - from this thread - follow that template?
“Why do these companies bring out useless fantasy krap kits like this instead of say, a M-56 or an M-55 SPG ?”
“Bleagh. how obscure, unlikely or even just made-up does a German subject have to be before even the die-hard fans won’t buy it? This ones not even pretty or sufficiently different from a maus to make it interesting. The Panther Kugelblitz was at least cool looking. Vickers independent Please.”
And to be clear, I’m not the one saying you whippersnappers shoulda seen the old days. What happened then was then. I’m talking about now.
“This post has become pretty circular, at this point you are whining about whining.”
We’ve made progress then. You acknowledge that the complaining posts are nothing but whining.
KL
ROFL, neither of those posts were me. Good try though.
You seem very angry
I’m not angry.
I didn’t say or imply that they were your quotes.
I mentioned them to point out that your view that the posts under discussion are positive, helpful, suggestions is completely wrong when you look at most such responses in announcement threads.
Dude, you are just wrong. These posts are unhelpful whining. They do nothing positive in announcement threads. It makes the authors look spoiled and too lazy to seek out the manufacturer’s sites and pages and provide useful, constructive feedback where it would actually matter.
KL
I am pretty sure the majority of comments were along the lines of “not for me to each their own though”
You’re right though we shouldn’t say anything to kit makers about what is desired let’s let them all guess!
Well you read as being angry. And Ranty. And superior. And condescending.
Maybe you should adjust your prose to better reflect the jovial, cheerful and positive chap that you are.
I like Takom. But I am allowed to comment on my disappointments. it’s called feedback. I don’t feel I just bomb threads “that’s nasty” and sod off without explanation.
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