Tuesday, February 5, 2013

International Toy Fair Review

I'm back from the International Toy Fair in Germany and I must say, there is a LOT going on in the hobby industry! The best way to provide feedback will be by-genre -
Model Ships - We did not see a lot of presence by manufacturers in the wood ship modeling hobby. Corel, Mamoli, OcCre, and a few other smaller players were in attendance. We met with a relatively new player from Czechoslovakia (Dusek) - they have a few interesting kits we may pursue (Viking Boat). Aside from that, there were not really any "new" kits - Model Shipways is still leading the pack with new products!

Other Wood Model Kits - Aside from OcCre's Tram & Loco offerings, there wasn't anything else there that could compete with the quality or offerings from our Model Airways, Model Trailways, and Guns of History line of model kits - we continue to lead the pack!

Model Cars - There were a TON of manufacturers in the diecast / resin model car genre - this made up roughly 70% of the manufacturers! We are looking into what it would take to produce a line of 1:24 scale resin model car kits. TBD on this initiative for now, but rest assured they will be the BEST on the market!

Also worth of noting is that Hornby is resurrecting the Pocher brand with a new offering (see the video) - will be an interesting line, but terribly expensive. Anyone interested in a car kit that will sell in the neighborhood of $900??



Model Trains - The model train area was alive and kicking with a TON of new product. We're not in this game, but it was interesting to see what offerings were out there.

Plastic Kits - There was a little bit of representation of plastic manufacturers from Tamiya, Italeri, Trumpeter, etc. - enough to whet your appetite, but not really our thing.

Overall, an informative trip, looking forward to next year!

Eric





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