[dragon53]

From Badcat's blog on the 1/18 Phantom:

"So, What About The 1:18 F-4?

I don't believe it. I mean really, really I don't believe it.
Here's what we know:
1)Admiral prepped a prototype of the 1:18 F-4 in early 2007 and displayed it at Toy Fair. They announced the targeted price and were roundly boo'd by the peanut galleries, who as a group demanded cheaper and threatened to boycott at the $150 price level.
2)A day or two after Admiral Toys' announcement, 21st Century Toys announced their version of the F-4 with a projected $89 price point and a late 2007 release, if memory serves. A small-scale Tamiya model was shown but no actual 1:18 prototype was unveiled (which is actually not uncommon for 1:18 planes before they are released). The masses cheered!
3)Admiral shelved their F-4 plans.
So, that's where we are today . . .
The 1:32 F-4 Phantom plastic model aircraft from BBI has sold well with above average pop and legs, I'd give it a solid "B" grade as a producer. This bodes fairly well for potential sales of the 1:18 version. However, sales would have to come exclusively from the independents as the mass retailers don't want anything this big anymore. Tooling costs would be enormous so we're talking about spreading these costs over relatively few production pieces. That means that every F-4 produced will have to shoulder many dollars of the amortization of this tooling.
Then there's the consumer in this equation. The biggest fear is the returns. Anybody spending this much money on an F-4 may be a little on the picky side and want to return it for a better one. (I just dealt with an Ebay guy who was livid that the corner of his Yellow 7 box was banged and he demanded a full refund + shipping + return shipping + compensation for his time returning it or ELSE!) 1:18 customer returns have had a huge negative impact on this industry and this scale, something that is much less frequent in the smaller diecast models. Secondly, there's a vocal minority who clammors for particular item, then when it's released finds a convenient excuse not to buy--didn't like the paint scheme, the antenna is a mm too long, they'll wait until they're on clearance for $10 . . . etc.. These two factors alone, are enough to keep the manfacturers at bay--and I'm not saying anything they don't already know.
So, as a summary answer to all the calls and emails we receive about the 1:18 Phantom: "I love the airplane and would equally love to have one to sell. I believe people would buy it and we could move several hundred. However, the high tooling costs and limited distribution means its a very risky proposition for the manufacturers and there are at least a dozen other subjects where the risk vs return is much, much better. This will be an expensive plane that many collectors could not or would not afford, noting that the "wanting" is often better than the "having." All those vocal, passionate pleas may not be backed by real, American dollars and carry the weight desired. The ones that do purchase will inspect with a keen eye and returns can be expected to be high."
I love to have great, unique merchandise to sell, that makes my job easy. Nobody is a bigger pitcher of new ideas to the manufacturing powers than myself, I pester them to death (Hi Michael). I like to stay positive whenever possible. But I'm also a realist and believe this particular project is a dead horse. On the other hand, their are numerous new toolings and repaints in both 1:32 and 1:18 on the way and I can't wait to get my hands on that new, big King Tiger and Flak 88."

[STARMAN 352ND]

The 1:18 F-4 is Classified right now.....No one is going to say a word about it....Admiral got burned after what 21st did...
One of the two will have it....Just wait and see..
It's good to call it a "Dead Horse" or "On the Back Burner" after all their playing mind games...making each other think it's a dead project.....Some company is going to get this bird out first and the other companies will be caught off guard about the project ...After all there is money in this baby ...
If you notice lately BBi has been very quite on what there doing too...Until a month before a product comes out....Smart move if you ask me.
JP

[dragon53]

STARMAN 352:

I'm wishing that 21st and Admiral keep both their 1/18 Phantoms off the market because they fear each other will release a 1/18 Phantom. BBI then scoops the competition and releases a 1/32 Steve Ritchie F-4D Phantom.

I'm wishing that I win the lottery, too...