Gladiator kits

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Not sure if this is topical news, but just passing through their site I see they're closing down in April 2015.

It'll be interesting to see who picks up the kits and if they consequently get buried, quite a few are duplicated elsewhere but from what I can see many are only available here.
 

Railwaymaniac

Western Thunderer
Oddly enough, I was thinking about one of those S15s from Gladiator, as well.
I'll put it in the queue after the LSWR M7 and the 'N'. . . .

Oh, dear. . . .
 

Rob Pulham

Western Thunderer
The news has had me revising my list of prospective presents for birthday/Christmas this year - what I had asked for will hopefully still available next year.......
 
S

SteveO

Guest
I thought Jeff's comment was quite funny. However, as Mr ABS is a member here I understand why it's disappeared.
 

queensquare

Western Thunderer
I thought Jeff's comment was quite funny. However, as Mr ABS is a member here I understand why it's disappeared.

I don't remember many of Mr ABSs rants about all those manufacturers products not coming up to his standards being censored so I'm not sure why an amusing comment regarding his buying up ranges only for them to disappear without trace should be.

Jerry
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
No problem Jerry.

I think we all hope that Geoff's range is picked up by someone who will continue to make it available. Though it's a big range, and would require a hefty investment to buy the lot.

Richard
 

djparkins

Western Thunderer
No problem Jerry.

I think we all hope that Geoff's range is picked up by someone who will continue to make it available. Though it's a big range, and would require a hefty investment to buy the lot.

Richard

Richard,

If you would allow me one comment on this, as it is non-specific to any range or manufacturer mentioned above.

It is worth pointing out that from a manufacturers point of view there can be many reasons for purchasing a business or range of kits and some of these might not be related to keeping it/them available. It might be to 'bury' the competition, so to speak. This is quite common in larger industries. It was one half of my reasoning with two ranges [of 76th military vehicles & 120mm figures] that I have purchased in past years.

I also think this thread shows it is often best to purchase kits as soon as you can after release. It is a point that has been well made on the thread about the new Heljan Class 60.

Regards,

DJP
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Richard,

If you would allow me one comment on this, as it is non-specific to any range or manufacturer mentioned above.

It is worth pointing out that from a manufacturers point of view there can be many reasons for purchasing a business or range of kits and some of these might not be related to keeping it/them available. It might be to 'bury' the competition, so to speak. This is quite common in larger industries. It was one half of my reasoning with two ranges [of 76th military vehicles & 120mm figures] that I have purchased in past years.

I also think this thread shows it is often best to purchase kits as soon as you can after release. It is a point that has been well made on the thread about the new Heljan Class 60.

Regards,

DJP

David, I take your point, but if purchased why bury it? surely reselling from your company is much more profitable, I.E adding their stock to your catalog. I can foresee issues if the quality is below what you feel reasonable or duplicates current items, and, I suppose if you have it then no one else does, thereby cutting of any 'future' competition at the knees.
 
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SteveO

Guest
If the cost of incorporating a new range of items – in a competitive sense – into your catalogue is too expensive or inferior or duplicitous, then mothballing it would make sense to drive your own sales higher, especially if your paid-for tooling is geared up for your range of items and the way you work. Buying brands to wipe them out has been going on for over 200 years. Look into the history of Standard Oil for possibly the most prolific example.

Another way of successful marketing is to introduce competitive brands, which you also own. For example, let's say you have a kit of a station cat which competes with Moggies Station Cat kit. Your sales, assuming you have equal quality and opportunities, are roughly 50/50%. But now introduce another brand under your ownership, Feral Kits Station Cat and respective sales are now 33/33/33% – which equates to 66% to your company and only 33% to your competitor. These sales can be manipulated to outweigh your competitor by targeting different groups – aspiration, price bracket, etc – which if done very well could tip the scales in your favour to somewhere around 75/25 in a small market. A good example of this is the Procter & Gamble group, who own about 60% of the laundry products on supermarket shelves – that's one single company with over half of a highly competitive market using about a dozen different UK brands.
 

alcazar

Guest
Where can I buy a station cat kit?

I do understand David's post, he and I have discussed this before, but it ONLY makes sense if what you are burying duplicates your range.

In many cases, this is just not so.

I know I've posted this before, and David has mentioned that it wasn't a massive seller for him, but times change...there are far more 7mm scale modellers now and diesels are IN in a big way. Yet the ex-MMP Ruston class 07 remains lost......

I cannot accept that it wouldn't sell now. A pretty little loco that would be at home on many layouts.

Another one was the ex-Impetus Ruston DE165, (the ex-WR "PWM" locos). The chance to re-introduce has now all but gone, with Mercian now doing one, (the later locos, PWM651-4), and, hopefully, Judith Edge, the solitary PWM650/97650 soon. Hint hint Michael.
 

djparkins

Western Thunderer
I know I've posted this before, and David has mentioned that it wasn't a massive seller for him, but times change...there are far more 7mm scale modellers now and diesels are IN in a big way.

Hello Jeff -

There might be a few more people buying diesels but I very much doubt if there are more people building etched kits of them now than there were twenty or thirty years ago [and remember, the subject of this thread is a range of etched kits, albeit steam]. In the old PWP range I sold many hundreds of some classes but you would not do that now.

I think we shifted about 30 MMP 07s whereas we have sold nearly 2000 08 kits now - possibly only surpassed by the Vulcan 57XX Pannier Tank & the Ravenscale Pug - possibly not though, as these have not been available for so long. But this is really a one-off and it just happened to come along at the right time.

Call me cynical but I do not think anything in O Gauge is IN in a big way! A new detail set for a new release Airfix kit will sell in thousands - those are the sales figures that mercenary buggers like me are really looking for.

I purchased some luxury Welsh cheese today laced with apricots & brandy - now Jeff, you must know that I can only sustain those kind of indulgencies with military kits! If I just made railway kits I'd be on Tesco Basic Cheddar!

Regards,

DJP
 
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