Loaded And Other Long Term Members ?

[Swarm 242]

It has to be asked does anybody have a clue to the whereabouts of long term members like Loaded ,Steve Scollins,Ryanboard,Dreddy and many others who's names have alluded me at the moment (I was going to say Shodog as well but I just spotted you on the forum good to see you mate).

Are these people still in the hobby or taken the dive and gotten out ?.I know life gets in the way but dropping out all together just does not seem like these guys style.

Just curious is all .

[backtomyroots 432]

Perhaps they are breaking for the summer season ?

I'm certain I recently saw one or two items from loaded listed on Ebay, so he is still "around".

[Origineelreclamebord 45]

Could be several reasons... It could be things as being too busy, needing money for other things or moving on to a different hobby. However, there could be more complicated reasons.

The recent clash between Tamiya and it's (vintage) collectors that are being acused by Tamiya of spreading their intellectual property could be one of them. It's something that left a mark in the reputation of the brand, especially on the collectors like you find here on TC... I heard from several people that their passion of Tamiya has been blunted or died altogether because of the stop they put on reproduction materials and the constant onslaught on the value on vintage collections due to Tamiya relentlessly re-releasing models - It's like they are trying to make their 58xxx list as long as possible just by re-releasing old models.

Apart from that, I do occasionally also hear negative comments on the way the community is being maintained. Simple fact is, if I wouldn't feel at home on a community (anymore), then I'd leave.

Regardless of the reasons though, I love the entries and threads I've seen from these members, so it would be cool to hear/see/read from them again

[scollins 154]

Hey guys-

I consider myself somewhat of a long-time member to the TC site. Not as long as others mentioned on this thread, but anyway---- I am simply busier than ever with two little boys at home. Spencer is now 3yrs. and Wes is 19 months. It seems like yesterday I was announcing their births on TC-

Instead of vacuum forming scollins interiors on the weekend and kit-bashing RC kits like I was 4 years ago, now I play with the kids, take them to the zoo, watch movies with the wife at nite, etc. I am also back on building my full size car project when I can find the time, My full size musclecar project has essentially replaced my RC hobby over the last two years.

And my job as a motorcycle designer has been busier than I ever expected.

My hunch is that most of the long term members you speak of (who are older guys typically) are simply busy with their young families of late- or they are full in on the "rat race" on their daily job- profession etc.

Not to mention the recession/depression global economic conditions changing a few priorities along the way.

Still log into TC as much as I can,,, love the energy on here. And I miss many long time members regular postings too.

s.collins

[mikea96 0]

Also guys like volksrod and moosey they always had great builds! Shodog I see on rc10talk all the time.

[wolfdogstinkus 1969]

Bump, just went to drool over loaded's showroom on the main page and couldn't find it.

Come back loaded I miss your tamiya cave.

[TWINSET 1795]

just went to drool over loaded's showroom on the main page and couldn't find it.

You gotta know how to look - Once a subscriber lets their subs lapse, you can only get to their showroom if you know the link.

The easy way round it is to go to a subscribers showroom, then replace their membership number with the one you're looking for.

For instance;

My showroom link; http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom.asp?id=169

Loaded's membership number's 4964 (from http://www.tamiyaclub.com/member.asp?id=4964)

So Loaded's showroom is at http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom.asp?id=4964

Dead easy

[wolfdogstinkus 1969]

Thanks TWINSET, I wondered if I wasn't looking in the right place.

[Gruntfuggly 570]

I didn't realised lapsed showrooms were still available - I'd always assumed they were 'inhibited' to encourage members to re-subscribe!

[TWINSET 1795]

No, it's all still there - if you search models and find one in a 'lapsed' showroom, you can also see the rest of the showroom by clicking the showroom tab at the top.

[rotor 0]

I also consider myself a long term member, just no where near the caliber of those you have mentioned

I have lapsed in and out of the hobby, getting the itch to spend up big and kick start my collection again, if only I had room for them all as it is !.

Work commitments and other assorted real life things happen to make you get out of it for a while, but once you have started collecting RC, then you will always come back

Here is a question, my member number is 4937, at least thats what it says when you hover over my name, but my showroom ID is 3471 ..

How come they are different ?

[WillyChang 1817]

i believe Forum & Showroom run off separate independent databases

[TWINSET 1795]

Yup, when the new forum software went live, everyone was re-registered - Netsmith is 1003 here, 1 on TC, Stulec's 1004, 2 etc.

It all goes awry somewhere though, 'cos I'm 1183 here and 169 on the mainsite

The 'from' text on the left (Oxford, UK for mine) was your membership number on the old forum software

It used to be a clickable link which went to the relevant showroom.

Unfortunately, the function wasn't transferable to this forum software

[rotor 0]

Ahh i see, that makes sense, thanks for that

[lentner3 328]

Hmm definatley seems a lot quieter on the forums these days.

[WillyChang 1817]

kinda miss the old days of

"Hey just LOOK at this SAND SCORCHER!!! i found on fleaBay"

"oh wow, its just missing radiobox and half the gearcase, but its a great find!!"

"(grumblegrumble) grumph i was watching that y'know, now everybody will know about it & bid it up"

...

[SteelRat 46]

kinda miss the old days of

"Hey just LOOK at this SAND SCORCHER!!! i found on fleaBay"

"oh wow, its just missing radiobox and half the gearcase, but its a great find!!"

"(grumblegrumble) grumph i was watching that y'know, now everybody will know about it & bid it up"

...

Nothing's really changed though has it:

"Hey look at this <insert vintage model here> that's just been re-re'd!"

"Oh wow I've always wanted one of those, but they're usually so expensive!!"

"(grumblegrumble) nothing like the original, and look at all the holes in the bodywork."

[loaded 4]

Hi, I am around, although considerably less nowadays and I very rarely log in - if ever.

I haven't got out of the hobby, although of late I have listed about 50 kits on eBay, so to some it might look like that. Actually what I am doing is getting rid of duplicates, of which I have many, so there is a chance to pick up some Loaded collection kits. There is an element of truth to what has been said about being welcome - for example, receiving personal messages or emails from people laughing about the values of kits because of re issues (as if I care?) and general abuse which has gone down considerably since I took my sabbatical.

Tamiya have made some siginificant mistakes. In embracing the current desire for retro across all markets and in an absence of imaginitive design from their side, they have re issued some kits only for the purpose of making money, whilst at the same time, aggressively squashing core community members under the guise of protecting their copyright, or intellectual property. This website has been slapped on the wrist and forced to remove portions of it in order to comply. I know of some members who make custom parts who have been told not to. In doing this, Tamiya have failed to realise two important things. Firstly, the people that got them there - ie us. Were it not for Tamiyaclub and those minded collectors (I don't mean mega collectors, just anyone who likes old Tamiya models, not necessarily NIB) Tamiya would have very little basis to make this business work. Furthermore, when the current trend is gone, and it will go, then they will be left neither with collectors that revere their imaginitive model making, nor the trend followers that just wanted to run a Hornet or Fast Attack vehicle once or twice to relive a childhood memory, but are less enthusiastic about the brand than we are.

I thank you Swarm, for asking, you are a nice guy, we have had many chats :-) I would like to lay a couple of things to rest, though. No, I am not bankrupt! Although the business in which I am in has been hit by the recession, rather than fight the tide, I swim with it and there is always money to be made if you know how to ride the markets. I will come out the other end stronger. I haven't given up on collecting either, I have over a thousand kits, but I do wish to cut down my list of duplicates, mainly for reasons of space, but it would be arrogant to suggest they have little value, as clearly many of the kits do. I also do make some parts, which is mainly to keep me off the streets, because I have not been very busy for the last couple of years!

Tamiya's re issue program is nearing its end and there are kits they simply won't re issue, some of the recent and future re issues will be along the lines of the Sand Rover and Holiday Buggy, ie not really re issues at all. From a sanguine point of view, if we are to take values as important, neither the Holiday Buggy or Sand Rover re issues have affected values, simply because they are not re issues, but kind of tribute vehicles on a modern chassis. Either way, it hasn't been entirely bad. They have made parts available for wrecked models and helped rekindle the interest in the hobby. They have stepped on a lot of toes on the way and angered a lot of people. But they haven't angered me. They simply lost their way with regards to innovation and new models.

[fritjofarnold 0]

It could not have been said better Paul. I fully agree (as always).

It is also great to hear you are still in the hobby, although not as much as before.

Cheers

Fritjofarnold

[Wandy 1563]

Hi, I am around, although considerably less nowadays and I very rarely log in - if ever.

I haven't got out of the hobby, although of late I have listed about 50 kits on eBay, so to some it might look like that. Actually what I am doing is getting rid of duplicates, of which I have many, so there is a chance to pick up some Loaded collection kits. There is an element of truth to what has been said about being welcome - for example, receiving personal messages or emails from people laughing about the values of kits because of re issues (as if I care?) and general abuse which has gone down considerably since I took my sabbatical.

Tamiya have made some siginificant mistakes. In embracing the current desire for retro across all markets and in an absence of imaginitive design from their side, they have re issued some kits only for the purpose of making money, whilst at the same time, aggressively squashing core community members under the guise of protecting their copyright, or intellectual property. This website has been slapped on the wrist and forced to remove portions of it in order to comply. I know of some members who make custom parts who have been told not to. In doing this, Tamiya have failed to realise two important things. Firstly, the people that got them there - ie us. Were it not for Tamiyaclub and those minded collectors (I don't mean mega collectors, just anyone who likes old Tamiya models, not necessarily NIB) Tamiya would have very little basis to make this business work. Furthermore, when the current trend is gone, and it will go, then they will be left neither with collectors that revere their imaginitive model making, nor the trend followers that just wanted to run a Hornet or Fast Attack vehicle once or twice to relive a childhood memory, but are less enthusiastic about the brand than we are.

I thank you Swarm, for asking, you are a nice guy, we have had many chats :-) I would like to lay a couple of things to rest, though. No, I am not bankrupt! Although the business in which I am in has been hit by the recession, rather than fight the tide, I swim with it and there is always money to be made if you know how to ride the markets. I will come out the other end stronger. I haven't given up on collecting either, I have over a thousand kits, but I do wish to cut down my list of duplicates, mainly for reasons of space, but it would be arrogant to suggest they have little value, as clearly many of the kits do. I also do make some parts, which is mainly to keep me off the streets, because I have not been very busy for the last couple of years!

Tamiya's re issue program is nearing its end and there are kits they simply won't re issue, some of the recent and future re issues will be along the lines of the Sand Rover and Holiday Buggy, ie not really re issues at all. From a sanguine point of view, if we are to take values as important, neither the Holiday Buggy or Sand Rover re issues have affected values, simply because they are not re issues, but kind of tribute vehicles on a modern chassis. Either way, it hasn't been entirely bad. They have made parts available for wrecked models and helped rekindle the interest in the hobby. They have stepped on a lot of toes on the way and angered a lot of people. But they haven't angered me. They simply lost their way with regards to innovation and new models.

Hey Paul, good to see you still alive.

Out of interest, which were the re-releases that you knew were coming when you hinted at them just over a year ago?

Have to say I diagree with your last paragraph above. I'm of the opinion that the re-re's will continue indefinitely, largely due to the worsening economic climate and the need to be able to make good money through little effort, which is what the reissues exactly represent.

[loaded 4]

I guess it depends on what you consider as re issues/re releases. I offer this (incomplete) list of what I consider not to be re issues, followed by a list of those which are pretty faithful re issues, to go some way to giving you my opinion...

Avante Black

Sand Rover & Holiday Buggy

Renault 5

Blackfoot III

Mud Blaster II

Lamborghini Countach on TT01 (not even close!)

Wild Willy 2

As I said, this is incomplete, but none of these, nor the planned Golf or Toyota Toms are re issues, but adapted original bodies on new chassis with awful boxes... Just my opinion :-)

An example of some proper re issues

Rough Rider

Avante

Hotshot (despite the internal packaging)

The Hornet and Grasshopper (as above)

Again, not an exhaustive list, but just an idea of what constitutes a proper re issue in my opinion.

Paul.

[Dazmeister 0]

Remember me? Anyway I still float in and out now and then but I got a little obsessed with it a few years back and slowly got into debt by buying cars I didnt really need or could afford. I sold most of my cars and have been getting myself financially straight so no expensive hobbies to drain my cash. I also just dont have the time or space to collect anymore but I still do a bit of racing.

I do also believe there have been a few re-releases too many making the rare items I tracked down have less kudos. My main thrill was picking up cars from the free ads and car boot sales but its so hard now that dealers/traders know it can be valuable. So instead of "have you got any records/jewellery/Dinky toys" I hear "have you got any Tamiya?" so what chance do we have now that the pro eBay sellers are looking out for it.

I do fancy getting a few cars again like a FAV and a Sand Rover to play about with so will still be lurking around here for a few more years yet.

[sgt.barnes 0]

Hey Paul

Nice to see you around again. OK you got me, I'am intrigued.....Why Ethanol ?

Mark

[loaded 4]

Hey, nice to hear from you too - you are truly one of the chosen few...

;-)

OK, nicely spotted. I like a drink, me. That would be why. I am already on my 4th Gin and tonic of the day and the day ain't over yet.

P.

PS : I thought it would be a good 2000th post...

[sgt.barnes 0]

Hey, nice to hear from you too - you are truly one of the chosen few...

;-)

OK, nicely spotted. I like a drink, me. That would be why. I am already on my 4th Gin and tonic of the day and the day ain't over yet.

P.

PS : I thought it would be a good 2000th post...

Nowt wrong with that I hear your into buildings Falcons when merry