1/48 - Grumman F-14A/B & D Tomcat by AvantGarde Model Kits (AMK) - F-14D released

[James S.]

11 minutes ago, Julien said:

Latest from AMK on their facebook page;

 

 

I saw that earlier. Just wondering where one can pre-order this?

[Julien]

your local importer?

[Homebee]

Sound to me like a desperate way to collect pre-orders to try to ensure the future of AMK. Do they have other problems that we are not being informed? Such a surprising communication make me feel, to say the least, suspicious.

Over one year of delay for the new product mean no new return/earnings while incurs costs are running and capital is consuming. I can imagine the attitude of the banks and other creditors/investors. In such a situation it's important to be able to say "my order book is full"... 

 

V.P.

  

Edited May 4, 2017 by Homebee

[Robert]

Wonder what the pre order priced will be, 5000 is a lot of kits if the price is not right. Also being in the UK we will not see it until 2018 the way kits are distributed to us.

 

Robert

[JeffreyK]

1 minute ago, Robert said:

Also being in the UK we will not see it until 2018 the way kits are distributed to us.

 ...and I always wonder why it is that way...?

 

J

[Masinissa]

Well it's good news that they're working their way toward a release date for the F-14D. It seems that they really didn't think things through. Offering pre-orders is a good way to engage and measure the enthusiasm of AMK's customer base who are highly motivated to get their hands on what looks like a fantastic model of the F-14D. The downside is evident in the feedback that AMK is getting on Facebook.

 

Where do we pre-order the kit?

 

Here in the USA I would think that Red Star Scale Models may set up a pre-order page, but have AMK informed all their distributors about this plan? (I would have used the word scheme, but that is a loaded term which would trigger that group of modelers who spend most of their time running around nocturnally - torches in hand - looking for something to burn.)

 

I'm not on Facebook. My suggestion to AMK is to post a list of distributors which loyal AMK fans can use for pre-ordering the F-14D. It would releive a lot of anxiety and gain the trust of the multitudes.

 

I'm rooting for AMK's success here. I'll pre-order a F-14D, but I hope AMK prices the kit realistically so that they can make a profit to stay in business. (See Accurate-Miniatures B-25 pricing fiasco which killed them.) I'm willing to pay a century note for a state of the art, big, beautiful Tomcat in 1/48 that will require minimal to no investment in aftermarket enhancements or corrections.

 

 

3 hours ago, Julien said:

Latest from AMK on their facebook page;

 

 

 

[Masinissa]

1 hour ago, JeffreyK said:

 ...and I always wonder why it is that way...?

 

J

 

Perhaps it's because they ship Model Kits to the UK via SADS? (Spanish Armada Delivery Services)

[hairystick]

Hannants as an option to pre-order?

 

Hobby Link Japan have stocked the AMK range but do not show the Tom. I have just emailed them to see what they can do to assist with the pre-orders.

[ICMF]

5 hours ago, Homebee said:

Over one year of delay for the new product mean no new return/earnings while incurs costs are running and capital is consuming. I can imagine the attitude of the banks and other creditors/investors. In such a situation it's important to be able to say "my order book is full"... 

 

AMK isn't a model company.  Or more specifically, AMK is just an offshoot of a plastics manufacturing company/factory who decided to get into the model biz after tooling a few kits for another manufacturer.  Basically, a model company contacted an injection molding business to tool some kits; that injection molding business figured they could make money tooling their own kits; so the injection molding business started releasing stuff under the AMK label.  Not unlike the early days of Airfix.

 

But first and foremost, they're a plastics factory.  That's why the F-14 got bumped for an external client: because their main business is plastics manufacturing, not scale models.  So the lack of new releases doesn't mean much, since the model kits are just a sideline to their main business.

[Ka-Efka]

I think I'd preorder, if offered from a somehow local distributor.

[AntPhillips]

8 hours ago, ICMF said:

 

AMK isn't a model company.  Or more specifically, AMK is just an offshoot of a plastics manufacturing company/factory who decided to get into the model biz after tooling a few kits for another manufacturer.  Basically, a model company contacted an injection molding business to tool some kits; that injection molding business figured they could make money tooling their own kits; so the injection molding business started releasing stuff under the AMK label.  Not unlike the early days of Airfix.

 

But first and foremost, they're a plastics factory.  That's why the F-14 got bumped for an external client: because their main business is plastics manufacturing, not scale models.  So the lack of new releases doesn't mean much, since the model kits are just a sideline to their main business.

 

That's exactly my take on their set up too, they only run the model kits through the moulding machines when there is a vacant slot in their core business schedule.

[DaveJL]

No option to pre-order on Hannants it seems.

 

If there's a pre-order option in the UK, i'll be placing an order for several. Even if the kit is delayed until early next year, I can wait. My hope is that it is produced after all the hype. I'm sure a lot of F-14 fans won't mind waiting for it to arrive. Unless the big T release a B/D….

[t15dja]

1 minute ago, DaveJL said:

No option to pre-order on Hannants it seems.

 

If there's a pre-order option in the UK, i'll be placing an order for several. Even if the kit is delayed until early next year, I can wait. My hope is that it is produced after all the hype. I'm sure a lot of F-14 fans won't mind waiting for it to arrive. Unless the big T release a B/D….

 

I have mine on pre-order from Hannants ??

[Tim T]

I seen  haven`t seen an AMK kit available in the UK for some time.  I know that Black Mike Models (Duncan B ) has been working on this and I have contacted emodels a few times but they don't know what is going on either.  Given the success of the MiG-31 and the level of work that has gone into the F-14, it does feel a bit odd.  I haven't seen anyone from AMK post on here for some time either.  Hopefully there is nothing that threatens their existence as their kits are excellent.

[DaveJL]

33 minutes ago, t15dja said:

 

I have mine on pre-order from Hannants ??

 

Wasn't working on the mobile, got it on the laptop 

[t15dja]

1 minute ago, DaveJL said:

 

Wasn't working on the mobile, got it on the laptop 

👌

[DaveJL]

6 minutes ago, t15dja said:

👌

 

2 back ordered.

[t15dja]

2 minutes ago, DaveJL said:

 

2 back ordered.

4997 to go....! 

[ICMF]

1 hour ago, Tim T said:

it does feel a bit odd.  I haven't seen anyone from AMK post on here for some time either.  Hopefully there is nothing that threatens their existence as their kits are excellent.

 

Note that the FB message was not "if we don't get enough pre-orders, it's cancelled".  It was "if we get enough pre-orders, we'll give it higher priority; if we don't get enough pre-orders, we'll give it lower priority".

 

My hunch is, it's an attempt to gin up more excitement ahead of the release.  Quiet the increasing grumbling by letting people feel personally invested in the kit.  It just seems to have backfired.

 

I also suspect that, as much as anything, it comes down to an economic decision: if we can sell 5000 kits, we'll make X-amount of money that quarter, which is greater than Y-amount we'd make producing toothbrush handles for Colgate; if we can't sell 5000 kits, we're better off taking on the toothbrush handle contract, then finishing the kit when we don't have contracts to fill.

[Stephen]

I did see a post on Facebook the other day suggesting that Tamiya were going to announce a 1/48 F-14D this month for release in August.

[dreamwriter]

One of the model shops over here in Portugal is taking pre-orders too. Price listed is 50 euros plus shipping.

[Uncle Uncool]

1 hour ago, Stephen said:

I did see a post on Facebook the other day suggesting that Tamiya were going to announce a 1/48 F-14D this month for release in August.

 

There's the rub...  I also recall having read that Tamiya might beat AMK to a F-14D kit - quite like Kinetic did with the SuE kit, which prompted AMK to say they were suddenly shelving their SuE project (never to be released, now that there's even a SuE kit which hit the market under the Kitty Hawk label brand).

What if you pre-ordered an AMK F-14D kit and it weren't released in December the 1st...?

I don't like the way AMK handle their comms at all - it's not serious.

[DaveJL]

1 hour ago, Stephen said:

I did see a post on Facebook the other day suggesting that Tamiya were going to announce a 1/48 F-14D this month for release in August.

 

If this is true, could be a game changer. The Tamiya kit really is superb. Would almost prefer a B model, but can't complain if Tamiya do pop up with a D. Certainly the layout of the A model would suggest later variants are to follow.

[DIO]

3 hours ago, DaveJL said:

 

If this is true, could be a game changer. The Tamiya kit really is superb. Would almost prefer a B model, but can't complain if Tamiya do pop up with a D. Certainly the layout of the A model would suggest later variants are to follow.

 

 

 

 

Game changer to what perspective? I expect AMK F-14 to be much much better that the TAMIYA one, with so many more options.

Maybe intended for a different modeling audience, e.g. not for the novice, but still much better. Just asking :-)

 

What I see is that these guys, while working within the boundaries and priorities of another business,  they still try hard to make it happen. For that they get all my support (even if their product were not that good, which they are, I would still support the concept).

Edited May 5, 2017 by DIO

[Antoine]

Can't see why I should preorder this kit.

It's not like there are none available on the market.

Could have been different for an A... Or for an SuE.

Remember, AMK?