Posted by Jerry Davidson on May 31, 1999 at 16:01:22 in 205.188.198.51 :
In Reply to: No foolin' on da retoolin' posted by Mike Pell on May 31, 1999 at 04:59:54:
Mike,
I agree with most of what you have stated here. You make your points very well. The problem I see here is the fact that there are MANY of us here who are very excited about the retooling of the the 350 Minicraft Titanic. And there are a great many of us who expected an almost new version of the ship. I for one, have bought 4 versions of the older tooling (which I know is less than most of the rivit counters here) and just had hoped that Minicraft would have done more. If they had listen as much as you say they did, they would have taken care of the hull plating, the decking, and so many other concerns that so many of us have here. The model is improved for sure and I'm sure the scratch builders would find plenty to do no matter what Minicraft does. But when Minicraft puts out a new product, they completely reengineer the molds. Why wouldn't their Titanic project warrant the same treatment. They will sell a large amount of them no matter what they put out, so why not do the job right. We all will pay the price for a great model, not just an improved one.
Alot of us paid through the nose for a copy of the Lusitania and/or QE2 models. Why wouldn't we pay the same for a truely fantastic model of Titanic. It seems to me that Minicraft expects us to buy whatever they put on the shelf, which we will, because they support us. Well, that is a two way street. We also support them.....with alot of our hard earned money. I can just imagine what they could put out if they really put their mind on the project. They could put out the 'definitive' Titanic model and charge whatever they wanted to because we all would be in model heaven. I would gladly pay up to $200 for such a model. Some rivit counters pay that and much more for the resin ships that are available. Why not a truely fantastic copy of the most famous ship ever built?
I do, in retrospect appreciated the fact that Minicraft has listened to the learned people on this page and improved the ship. I am however disappointed that they missed a great chance to totally satisfy the one group of people who support them as much as they support us. They could have broken new ground in modeling and thrust themselves into the forefront. They just seem to have missed out on a great opportunity. Titanic mania is alive and well and will carry on for years to come. They could have wiped out all of the competition because I don't feel that there is any other model that has the monetary potential that our Titanic has. A truely Great model would have captured the imagination of All modelers and brought so many more into the fold. I for one, will buy a new copy, but just wish they would have considered how much there is still left to do on an already fine model.
Respectfully,
Jerry