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Mike Bartel · 07-09-2003, 11:35 PM

Take it from a guy who produces kits of warships that were never built (the so-called 'Cherrytree' classes of battle ships and battle cruisers cancelled by the Washington Treaty of 1921):

Models of machines that never made it to production aren't always great sellers. They are popular within a certain small group of enthusiasts, but try to mass market them and you'll find more bewilderment than buying. ('Why make a ship that never existed?' or' What the heck is this ship?' they ask.) That's why my 'never-were' ship kits are all produced in resin and in small quantities and sold for higher prices.

The Boeing SST is a subject that few people will remember...hell, no one even remembers that the only other contemporary SST that did fly (the TU-144) beat Concorde into service and was a slightly larger and faster machine, even though it wasn't nearly as successful as Concorde was.

Manufacturers take these things into account when choosing a product. Also, they determine whether or not their sales can be amortised by marketing it in different paint schemes. Who conceivably would have flown the Boeing SST? The Airbus 380 is a good model choice because, though it's not even in full production yet, it's a good bet that many airlines will likely purchase it.

I don't even recall seeing a plastic kit of the Boeing SST. In contrast, the Concorde prototype and production models are available from Airfix and Doyusha and others, and the Corgi diecast Concorde was of the prototype Concorde. Those early models were made with input from the builders. Boeing could never finalize their design and thus it wasn't worth it to make any kind of model.

But, didn't Matchbox or someone produce a small diecast Boeing SST? I got one in a lot of junker (read: played with) diecast planes on eBay a couple of years ago (the centerpiece of the lot was an Aero Mini Air Canada DC-8, which was only missing a landing gear- easily replaced), but the rest were dimestore models and easily resold or thrown/given away). I actually was able to resell the Boeing SST model, even though it was damaged and missing parts, it still got some bids on eBay. So, there are a few folks interested in the Boeing SST, but how many to justify a production run and new expensive tooling?

Mike Bartel

07-09-2003, 11:35 PM	#2
Mike Bartel Junior Collector Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: 319 Copley Rd. Upper Darby, PA 19082-4004 Posts: 48	Take it from a guy who produces kits of warships that were never built (the so-called 'Cherrytree' classes of battle ships and battle cruisers cancelled by the Washington Treaty of 1921): Models of machines that never made it to production aren't always great sellers. They are popular within a certain small group of enthusiasts, but try to mass market them and you'll find more bewilderment than buying. ('Why make a ship that never existed?' or' What the heck is this ship?' they ask.) That's why my 'never-were' ship kits are all produced in resin and in small quantities and sold for higher prices. The Boeing SST is a subject that few people will remember...hell, no one even remembers that the only other contemporary SST that did fly (the TU-144) beat Concorde into service and was a slightly larger and faster machine, even though it wasn't nearly as successful as Concorde was. Manufacturers take these things into account when choosing a product. Also, they determine whether or not their sales can be amortised by marketing it in different paint schemes. Who conceivably would have flown the Boeing SST? The Airbus 380 is a good model choice because, though it's not even in full production yet, it's a good bet that many airlines will likely purchase it. I don't even recall seeing a plastic kit of the Boeing SST. In contrast, the Concorde prototype and production models are available from Airfix and Doyusha and others, and the Corgi diecast Concorde was of the prototype Concorde. Those early models were made with input from the builders. Boeing could never finalize their design and thus it wasn't worth it to make any kind of model. But, didn't Matchbox or someone produce a small diecast Boeing SST? I got one in a lot of junker (read: played with) diecast planes on eBay a couple of years ago (the centerpiece of the lot was an Aero Mini Air Canada DC-8, which was only missing a landing gear- easily replaced), but the rest were dimestore models and easily resold or thrown/given away). I actually was able to resell the Boeing SST model, even though it was damaged and missing parts, it still got some bids on eBay. So, there are a few folks interested in the Boeing SST, but how many to justify a production run and new expensive tooling? Mike Bartel