Round 2 April 2025

[Mark C.]

Looking forward to the ‘60 Nomad, ‘64/5 Barracuda, and the ‘72 Duster!

Whenever they arrive is fine by me… as long as they arrive eventually.  Hopefully the prices up here won’t be affected too much by all the noise, but we’ll see, as everything is up in the air.  The nightmare scenario is that Round 2 takes such a financial hit that it cancels future projects that were planned but not put into steel yet.

Word of the day is to turn off the news and go build a model.  This has to blow over eventually, doesn’t it?  🙂

[Luc Janssens]

Well if these Chinese, American designed kits become "unsellable" in the US, they may divert that slow boat towards the EU, Ha!

😉

Edited April 10 by Luc Janssens

[Dave Van]

5 hours ago, Ragtop Man said:

Just to be clear, once tooling goes to China, it stays in China.  Any enterprise undertaken in China is done in parntership with an enterprise connected to their gubbmint. They are not the most open minded people in the world for such things. 

For the future of the hobby, hope that cooler heads prevail.  I don't know all the economics of what cost would get assesed, but I don't foresee a 54% increase in the retail price - but it would sting, it would slow sales and it would definitely cause the chains to revisit a lot of what they keep on the shelves. 

 

Correct. Tooling cut in China is co-owned by the Chinese government. It will not leave China. What about old 60's era tooling that was sent to China....R2 owns it right?!?! Well kinda. IF work was done to the tooling and/or modifications, China now owns part of the tooling.

A few years ago a model train manufacture wanted to move tooling to Korea. A horrible accident happened and all the tooling fell of a dock and was no longer usable.....what are the odds 55 tools all fell off the same day??

This mess was 100% preventable. In 2015 a book was written that foretold all of this. MANY industry leaders had warned about long be fore the book. ( The 100 year Marathon was the book)

The China tariff is now 125% as of today. NO ONE selling in America Chinese made goods will survive 125% increase. I think it will be worked out. China needs us more than we them. Either way I am glad to have a HGE collection of kits and will never NEED any more. 

Thanks

[Luc Janssens]

24 minutes ago, Dave Van said:

The China tariff is now 125% as of today. NO ONE selling in America Chinese made goods will survive 125% increase. I think it will be worked out. China needs us more than we them. Either way I am glad to have a HGE collection of kits and will never NEED any more. 

Thanks

145% now

[Volzfan59]

2 hours ago, Dave Van said:

Correct. Tooling cut in China is co-owned by the Chinese government. It will not leave China. What about old 60's era tooling that was sent to China....R2 owns it right?!?! Well kinda. IF work was done to the tooling and/or modifications, China now owns part of the tooling.

A few years ago a model train manufacture wanted to move tooling to Korea. A horrible accident happened and all the tooling fell of a dock and was no longer usable.....what are the odds 55 tools all fell off the same day??

This mess was 100% preventable. In 2015 a book was written that foretold all of this. MANY industry leaders had warned about long be fore the book. ( The 100 year Marathon was the book)

The China tariff is now 125% as of today. NO ONE selling in America Chinese made goods will survive 125% increase. I think it will be worked out. China needs us more than we them. Either way I am glad to have a HGE collection of kits and will never NEED any more. 

Thanks

Great comment Dave Van!

[stavanzer]

6 hours ago, niteowl7710 said:

I cede the floor, please go back to discussing these two thrilling SnapTite kits that have been around for 20+ years and are available second hand in plentiful quantities at much lower prices than these new boxings.

James, you are a very astute observer, but Sarcasm ill Becomes you.

Let's worry when things happen, not anticipate trouble.

[stitchdup]

lets just stop the talk about tariffs now please guys.

[Tabbysdaddy]

4 hours ago, Dave Van said:

A few years ago a model train manufacture wanted to move tooling to Korea. A horrible accident happened and all the tooling fell of a dock and was no longer usable.....what are the odds 55 tools all fell off the same day??

Sounds reasonable. Happens all the time with people's "arms".

[Dave Van]

4 hours ago, stitchdup said:

lets just stop the talk about tariffs now please guys.

OK...AGREED.

BUT it is the number one factor affecting our hobby. I checked with some of my friends that own brick and mortar hobby shops. They are already having a hard time getting stock. This may become worse than the 'DEATH of the Hobby' in the 70's or anything else we have faced. Thanks

[M W Elky]

16 minutes ago, Dave Van said:

OK...AGREED.

BUT it is the number one factor affecting our hobby. I checked with some of my friends that own brick and mortar hobby shops. They are already having a hard time getting stock. This may become worse than the 'DEATH of the Hobby' in the 70's or anything else we have faced. Thanks

I completely agree with you these are very scary times indeed. Thankfully I’ve got a pretty good stash that will keep me going for at least a few years 

[Luc Janssens]

2 hours ago, Dave Van said:

OK...AGREED.

BUT it is the number one factor affecting our hobby. I checked with some of my friends that own brick and mortar hobby shops. They are already having a hard time getting stock. This may become worse than the 'DEATH of the Hobby' in the 70's or anything else we have faced. Thanks

Indeed. At best it will slow down future investments from manufacturers of which the US is the primary market but manufacture in China. 

[Luc Janssens]

9 hours ago, stitchdup said:

lets just stop the talk about tariffs now please guys.

Les, I think we all want to talk about something else, but the truth of the matter is that it has a serious impact on the hobby we love and certainly for the people who work at/for Round-2, Moebius, Revell USA, etc....

Edited April 11 by Luc Janssens

[stitchdup]

3 hours ago, Luc Janssens said:

Les, I think we all want to talk about something else, but the truth of the matter is that it has a serious impact on the hobby we love and the people who work at/for Round-2, Moebius, Revell USA, etc....

yeah but to talk about it properly means getting into politics which is against the rules so i feel like its not a subject that we need to carry on here. If we aren't able to talk frankly about it, then its a pointless conversation to carry on. Half the story tells us nothing

[Luc Janssens]

1 hour ago, stitchdup said:

yeah but to talk about it properly means getting into politics which is against the rules so i feel like its not a subject that we need to carry on here. If we aren't able to talk frankly about it, then its a pointless conversation to carry on. Half the story tells us nothing

True, but it sheds some light on what the short/long term implications could be for our niche of the hobby. 

Cheers

Luc

[Dave Darby]

7 hours ago, Luc Janssens said:

Les, I think we all want to talk about something else, but the truth of the matter is that it has a serious impact on the hobby we love and certainly for the people who work at/for Round-2, Moebius, Revell USA, etc....

Seems to me, this discussion should be centered on what the title implies. Round 2 offerings for April 2025. Conjecture about things that are off center of the topic and beyond our control do not really add to the discussion. Frankly, I'm hoping that Round2 has more kits to offer in May than what they have this month.

[Luc Janssens]

2 hours ago, Dave Darby said:

Seems to me, this discussion should be centered on what the title implies. Round 2 offerings for April 2025. Conjecture about things that are off center of the topic and beyond our control do not really add to the discussion. Frankly, I'm hoping that Round2 has more kits to offer in May than what they have this month.

Well as you know Dave, wandering off topic is just the way things go sometimes, one can go further into it or ignore and answer/ add to the original topic.

But is it realy off topic, guess we will see, when next months releases are announced

Anyway as long as things don't go sideways. I don't mind. But the final decision on such matters lies by those who manage this forum.

Cheers

Luc

 

 

 

Edited April 11 by Luc Janssens

[Dave Van]

PLUS....this will affect ' R2 April 2025' and forever going forward. I feel we have done well talking  about our hobby. THANKS!