[hworth18]

This was posted on Badcats blog regarding the recent cancellation of the FOV Stryker vehicle..

FOV Cancels M1126 Stryker Vehicle
In a telephone conversation this morning with our Forces of Valor distributor, we were told that the M1126 Stryker Vehicle has been put on indefinite hold. Citing Chinese politics and lack of manufacturing capacity, FOV is apparently having difficulty getting things produced. It was explained that the Chinese government doesn't feel diecast toys are good for China and all but the largest manufacturing facilities are withdrawing from the market. Smaller, largely unsponsored facilities lack the ability to pay comparable wages and are unable to find a sufficient quantity of qualified workers. This has lead to a labor shortage that is causing major delays in the production of new diecast tanks and metal toy airplanes. (The small handfuls of 1:32 P-39s that have trickled-in over the past year is evidence of this.)

FOV is announcing numerous new items next week at the International Toy Fair in New York City, including a 1:16 Sherman and several new 1:72 tanks and aircraft. However, given the current manufacturing difficulties, we feel it would be irresponsible to put any of these items up for Preorder until shipping dates get much, much closer than are currently being forecasted.

With a very weak dollar, maybe now is the time to begin thinking about producing things back in the USA.

Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 10:26AM by

[Epapazian]

This ties in with some of my recent observations and speculations about the Chinese finally starting to throw their weight behind mass produced items like the new Altaya 1:144 WWII bomber line, while cutting back on companies giving them "small" orders. This could explain many of the production slow down problems that FOV, C1 and others are facing as well as Dragon's pull back on new mold development, now that it has run out of "sure things" like the P-51, P-47 and ME-262 to manufacture.

[PappyB]

Hmmm... HM and CW don't seem to be having issues... Hopefully this is a FOV specific issue or this lil' hobby could be in a world of hurt. I guess Corgi and FM's ability to churn out new stuff at a decent clip will tell us what's what?

If it does turn out to be true, then I'll just have to look at it as forced willpower and bottom line savings... and less hits on the noggin' with Mrs. Pappy's frying pan!

(and it could spike the value on some of these models I've lost my shirt on over the years..)

[Elmer]

Harry... is that blog from a BadCats company official? I wonder how legitimate it is?

[hworth18]

Originally Posted by Elmer

Harry... is that blog from a BadCats company official? I wonder how legitimate it is?

It was taken off Badcat's official Blog site..
I don't know if this will affect large Chinese hobby makers like HobbyMaster, but it certainly can affect companies that contract factories like Corgi, Carousel One, Eagles Int'l and Gemini.. it is interesting that aluminum is being explored as an alternative, but with China's environmental issues, diecast may be a thing of the past..


Makes me wonder if sometime soon we'll be saying "Remember when they actually made these out of metal"??

[Cavtanker]

and that was one release I really wanted!

[STARMAN 352ND]

Does everything really have to made in China ??
There must be another factory in another country willing to try to make these.
JP

[hworth18]

Originally Posted by STARMAN 352ND

Does everything really have to made in China ??
There must be another factory in another country willing to try to make these.
JP

India is the next "up-n-comer" in the manufacturing market..

[Folgore]

Originally Posted by hworth18

India is the next "up-n-comer" in the manufacturing market..

Yeah - manufacturing has hopscotched around the globe -- from the U.S. to Japan to Taiwan to Korea to China to Vietnam and India... I guess we might run out of cheap manufacturing countries eventually, but not yet. In the short-term, though, if (big if) China pulls back there will be dislocation as diecast manufacturing moves elsewhere, meaning fewer diecast models on the shelves for a while. And, of course, companies have to decide it's worth it to move production to a new country, rather than just pulling out of the market. For now, I'm not worried...

[Berkut76]

Originally Posted by hworth18

India is the next "up-n-comer" in the manufacturing market...

Hell No!!! So far, after working extensively with Indian software coders (sorry can't call them programmers), I can attest that their biggest general weakness is a lack of attention to details compounded by utter stubbornness when it comes to admitting mistakes and fixing them.

Sorry, I'll pull out of the hobby altogether rather then buying a Soviet aircraft in German markings and a box stating that it served with RAF during the Boer War.

Vietnam looks to me more attractive.

Regards,

Sergey