U.S. Trademark law regarding military model kits

[Stans]

Legislation has been proposed that would prohibit military contractors from demanding royalty/licensing fees from producers of military replica toys. This includes plastic model kits. Go to the Revell website for more details.

http://www.revell.com/News_Viewer.news1+M52af45614a7.0.html

[Shepherd]

That's a good thing, I hope it passes

[Gunny]

You and me both. Now for the time being that would affect only the plastic/rc model front. But you know that somebody with some cajones, not Ubi, will challenge this as far as the game market goes.

[Shepherd]

Someone needs too. It needs to be someone that wants to preserve history as much as making money. As long as money is the reason we do things we will not do the brave men and women of WWII and other wars justice in our modeling of sims for their efforts.

[Gunny]

I've already been over this here but, I do enjoy building plastic models. It's my other hobby along with the PC gaming and guitar. You used to be able to buy models of any sort or any scale for less than 15 bucks. Revell and Monogram were the leaders then and as crappy as some of the manufactoring was, they were still inexpensive. The auto industry hit the modeling community first. Chevy started hitting the companies for royalties on Camaro, Corvette and some of the other brands that the Revell, Monogram, and by then ERTL were putting out. I didn't have much of a problem with this as at first the percentage was small and it hiked the price about fifty cents per. Of course, Ford, and what was then AMC, started the same sort of program. Car models went from 8-10 dollars to 15 and now most are above 20-25. Now that defense contractors have started in, its really going to affect me. Most companies that produce plastic models have re-tooled and put out a very nice models. Recessed panel lines, the right number of rivets, amazing details all around. So the price of you average model has gone from 10-15 to 30 or better. Tamiya, a Japanese company, is kinda the exception, good quality in the 1/48 scale and still under 30 for some of their stuff in that scale. But, if the defense contractors have their way, those prices will reach 50 or better and will put most of the US based model companies under and make it so expensive to import that it will put foriegn made products out of reach for your average modeler.

[Stans]

Guys, be sure to write to your representative on this issue.

[Spectre_USA]

My Congesswoman received an EMail on this subject, with a decidely combat simulation slant.

I see them as on and the same. The companies that produce the aircraft have already been paid handsomely by

John and Jaon Q. Public. Gouging small companies for the chump change involved is ridiculous...

[Joker]

Interesting sidelight:

In 1968, Mattel introduced its Hot Wheels "Mako Shark" Corvette before GM had them in the showrooms. A former GM designer who worked for Mattel actually convinced a GM buddy to bring him copies of some engineering drawings. GM wasn't best-pleased, but when Hot Wheels took off in popularlity, they recongnized the publicity was invaluable.

Times sure have changed.

BTW, today, that same 1968 Corvette is one of the most collectible of the original "redline" Hot Wheels cars ...

[A6BSTARM]

The same has happened in flight simulations. Last I heard Lockheed/Martin and Northrup/Grumman had attempted to sue a couple of companies over the use of thier brand name and the aircraft featured in the games. So the game designers pulled the LM and Grumman names off the packaging and just included the generic name. I had heard this applied to Pacific Fighters, Strike fighters, and Boeing made Microsoft pay a licenseing fee for the use of Boeing products in MSFS.

[JClark]

Guys, what about the 10 year old kid that wants to start modeling? Hell, I was just 8 when I started, and you wouldn't believe how many hours of fun I got from that. And those assh*les want to take even more out of my pocket? And I gotta sit here and read about how they screwed up one weapon system after another, and got paid billions for it? Screw them.

Boats

[Stans]

Guys, what about the 10 year old kid that wants to start modeling? Hell, I was just 8 when I started, and you wouldn't believe how many hours of fun I got from that. And those assh*les want to take even more out of my pocket? And I gotta sit here and read about how they screwed up one weapon system after another, and got paid billions for it? Screw them.

Boats

Hmmm.... Boats is reading my mind again and he knows that my mind is not on the list of approved reading materials.

I guess I was about 8 when I was introduced to plastic models. The very first one was an MPC 1/24 scale fire chief's sedan. I just observed that one being built. The second was either AMT or MPC 1/25 scale Dodge window van. I was allowed some hands on with that one and was hooked. I've since built cars, trucks, airplanes and one submarine. I have stacks of unbuilt truck and airplane kits sitting around, just waiting.