Round2 Discontinued a lot of kits

[Mr mopar]

https://stevenshobby.com/productlisting.aspx?supplierid=5096&categoryid=1 Have a look !

[Erik Smith]

Maybe I don't know what I'm looking for, but where does it say which kits are being discontinued? Most just say "In Stock".

[Rob Hall]

4 minutes ago, Erik Smith said:

Maybe I don't know what I'm looking for, but where does it say which kits are being discontinued? Most just say "In Stock".

The discontinued ones have a (D) at the end of the description, like this:

AMT PLASTIC MODEL KITS   AMT-929   1/25 1950 Ford Convertible Showboat Car (D)    $29.95    In Stock

[Mike999]

Thanks, interesting list.  I bet many of those will only be temporarily discontinued, like the NYPD Chevy Police Van.  They'll come back later with Coke machines/coolers/bottles and decals, like the '77 Ford Cruising Van did. 

[Rob Hall]

2 minutes ago, Mike999 said:

Thanks, interesting list.  I bet many of those will only be temporarily discontinued, like the NYPD Chevy Police Van.  They'll come back later with Coke machines/coolers/bottles and decals, like the '77 Ford Cruising Van did. 

No doubt...everything will get reissued eventually in Coke versions..;)

[Mark]

Doesn't look like a lot to me.  It happens, sales slow down on a kit so it gets dropped.

[highway]

OH NO, THE SKY IS FALLING!! ROUND 2 IS DISCONTINUING KITS ISSUED IN 2018!!!

I have both the Scout and the NYPD van on the list "in stock" in my stash that both have 2018 issue dates on them, and as quite a few of the others I remember on that list that have been out for a while and been out long enough a few I had actually forgot had been out,  time to move them out and make room for new stock. 

[Erik Smith]

2 hours ago, Rob Hall said:

The discontinued ones have a (D) at the end of the description, like this:

AMT PLASTIC MODEL KITS   AMT-929   1/25 1950 Ford Convertible Showboat Car (D)    $29.95    In Stock

Ah, thanks Rob.

What exactly does discontinued mean? Do they continuously throw more plastic into the molds and keep up with demand on the kits that aren't? Or does this mean the number they have sitting around from the last cast is down to a certain point? Doesn't look like any of the discontinued kits are hard to find - in fact, probably find some on a discount rack someplace...

[Rob Hall]

22 minutes ago, Erik Smith said:

Ah, thanks Rob.

What exactly does discontinued mean? Do they continuously throw more plastic into the molds and keep up with demand on the kits that aren't? Or does this mean the number they have sitting around from the last cast is down to a certain point? Doesn't look like any of the discontinued kits are hard to find - in fact, probably find some on a discount rack someplace...

Supply chain isn't my speciality, but I'd assume it means the manufacturing run is done and they aren't making anymore until the next reissue at some point in the future.   Though there still may be plenty of unsold ones in inventory with distributors and vendors. 

Edited March 3, 2020 by Rob Hall

[Jon Cole]

Speaking of Round2, still waiting on Chads video of March releases.  If...there is to be any. With this whole virus issue, I'm not sure what the future shipping status is.

[Mike999]

I'm sort of surprised the '50 Ford "Showboat" is just now being discontinued.  A few months ago, it was in Ollie's for $9.99.  I got one for Christmas with part of the price tag still on it.  Along with another Ollie's special, the Lindberg '37 Custom Ford Convertible. 

[larman]

A good number of these discontinued kits were at Hobby Lobby too when they discounted their stock in the summer. They were marked down to around $7. 

[Mark]

2 hours ago, larman said:

A good number of these discontinued kits were at Hobby Lobby too when they discounted their stock in the summer. They were marked down to around $7. 

Hobby Lobby does their own thing...they blow them out when sales slow down, so they can devote the shelf space to another item.

[Richard Bartrop]

Looks like I got the ones I wanted, except for the 300C, and I already have one of the original issue on my build pile.

[niteowl7710]

Model companies discontinue kits all the time. There are only so many kits actually in anyone's given active catalog at one time. Slow sellers are of course first to go, but it terms of retail logistics a discontinued item is something the manufacturer no longer has in stock, and will not be making any more of for the foreseeable future. All bets off with Round2 because chances are it'll get attacked by Coca-Cola or some TV/Movie franchise in 6 months or so.

Edited March 4, 2020 by niteowl7710

[niteowl7710]

7 hours ago, Jon Cole said:

Speaking of Round2, still waiting on Chads video of March releases.  If...there is to be any. With this whole virus issue, I'm not sure what the future shipping status is.

As it stands right now they pushed the early March kits out at the end of February and there isn't much of anything on any part of the Round2 distribution list for March.

[Dave Van]

Kinda standard marketing today. Run a batch of 5k.......if it sells out fast run another 3K. If it sells slow one run and done. New box and decals 4 years later.  A tool that is intact and good condition will never go away.

[Force]

Yes it's not an uncommon thing, kits has come and gone all the time since they started doing them.
The tooling is still there but when they don't have anymore in stock of the last batch of a certain kit it's discontinued until they some years later decide to do another batch of said kit, and it will come back again.

Edited March 4, 2020 by Force

[Tom Geiger]

I remember reading that the average person sticks with the hobby about 18 months. (Note- we are not average). So if they reissue kits every 2-3 years they are all new to the current herd if consumers.

[kelson]

Did anyone notice the listing AMT-1200 1964'olds Cutlass f85 convertible? is it actually the 66'convertible?

[SfanGoch]

The 1964 F-85 and 1966 Olds 442 (new tool 1999 release) convertibles are two separate and distinct kits. Doubtful that Round 2 would mislabel the 442 as an F-85.

[slusher]

7 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

I remember reading that the average person sticks with the hobby about 18 months. (Note- we are not average). So if they reissue kits every 2-3 years they are all new to the current herd if consumers.

Yes, us too we never go away...

[hpiguy]

14 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

I remember reading that the average person sticks with the hobby about 18 months. (Note- we are not average). So if they reissue kits every 2-3 years they are all new to the current herd if consumers.

Building two kits per week, for the past half dozen years or so, I have only seen the same kit come back out a few times, so yup, you're spot on with that. 

R2 and now even Revell USA has been digging into their archives and finding/issuing kits that people haven't seen in 20-40+ years. It's pretty cool.

[niteowl7710]

Revell's reissue cycle under Hobbico was 7-9 years. It's hard to pin one down with Round2 seeing as how they've been all in for all of 12 years, and some of the rapid fire Coke re-labeling skews things slightly.

But a lot of the - Oh no, not this again is more related to the slow(non) building hoarders that we 1%ers make up, rather than the evil corporate overlords re-flooding  the market with the same detritus. 

Edited March 6, 2020 by niteowl7710

[Scott - Elm City Hobbies]

Kits get discontinued all the time by Round 2, and other companies, this is nothing new.

As far as Round 2 reissuing kits. (As do other companies), it happens all the time as well. Have had my hobby shop going on year 13, and there have been many kits by not only Round 2, but Revell, heck, name a company that has been around for at least 10yrs, and they have reissued kits. That is their bread and butter. They may get reissued with different options or decals, but the kit is still a reissue.

Good example, Round 2 has reissued the Dodge Monaco I think going on their 3rd reissue since they took over the AMT/MPC molds. Most of the Coke kits have all been out before since Round 2 took over. '70 Charger has been done at least 3 times since Round 2 took over. Pinto twice (3 times if you include the wagon, although there wouldn't be much the same there)

Just the way the companies work, kits come and go. Tooling is paid for, this is where they make their money on reissues.

I always get a kick out of Hasegawa's marketing...everything they make they call Limited Edition. Technically every kit made in every model company around the world is limited edition. When they set up to run a kit, they predict how many they will sell, run that many, and usually that is it until that kit comes up for reissue again. You do have some examples where they miscalculated and didn't run enough, so they may do a 2nd run (MPC '76 Dodge PU was one of those), but for the most part, they have a schedule to keep, and can be hard to work in a 2nd run for a kit that maybe they misjudged and sold out very fast, without delaying another kit down the line.