The Future of Hobby Craft

[Anonymous]

I was wondering what the state of Hobby craft canada is in? Since the Walthers acquisition of Like Life. Rumours have been swirling that Hobbycrafts days are done. Now I do have confirmation from a source at Walthers that Hobbycratfs contract expires Jan. 2006. The probabilty that they will renew it is still debatable, source cited that people and retailers have complained about Hobbycrafts business approaches. Hopefully Walthers takes over the Canadian operations, therfore we can all have execellent products at fair prices.
Lorne

[Anonymous]

Model Trains are only a small part of Canadian Hobbycraft, they distribute all sorts of hobby materials. They handled the Life-Like line in Canada. There's no way Walthers can take over the Canadian operations unless they buy out the company, and I doubt that they are interested in the whole operation.

Hobbycraft have already announced a new name for their continuing trains - True Line Trains. They had a 5 axle C-Liner in development before Walthers acquired Life-Like, and are now bringing it out under this name, along with several other new products. So guessing that their "days are done" is just that - an idle statement with no facts. There was a thread recently pointing out to a store site listing the new models.

I imagine we'll hear about what's happening in an upcoming ad in Canadian Railway Modeller magazine.

Bob Boudreau

[Anonymous]

I am talking about the Canadian LifeLike operations, HobbyCraft Canada does not own Lifelike canada.
They only the licensing rights, which expire Jan. 2006.

[BentnoseWillie]

QUOTE: HobbyCraft Canada does not own Lifelike canada.

No, but they do "own" the Canadian offerings, after a fashion...

LifeLike's Canadian offerings have been made in China from the same tooling as the LL releases for the USA, imported undecorated by Hobbycraft. Painting was done by a third party in the US, and the models were distributed in Canada by Hobbycraft, who also distributed US-road Life-Lilke products in Canada.

Assuming that the sale of LL to Walthers does in fact end up causing the loss of Hobbycraft's exclusivity, it means Hobbycraft will have to find another source of models with which to do these models if they want to continue. They already have at least one- Atlas, who produced the Hobbycraft C424s.

I'd be surprised if this ended the production of Canadian-roadname models by Hobbycraft. It could, however, bring drastic changes in what Canadian items are available under LifeLike's name, unless Walthers wants to pick up the ball and research and produce Canadian roadnames in the LifeLike line, head to head with the new TrueLine Trains marque that will already have the bugs out of the design and painting stages.

Hobbycraft aren't perfect, but they have been arranging the production of high-end Canadian-roadname models for fifteen years. Walthers is going to have some catching up to do.

[Anonymous]

It seems to me that all the Life Like related projects have stopped. the true line trains are doing atlas products not life like. And the cn engines were already to press a long time ago about 1yr and half ago before walthers took over. I am too disappointed in Hooby craft.

[Anonymous]

New developments on this story.

I just talked to a source insider in Walthers. There going to launch Canadian products starting in the 2nd quarter of 2006. As soon as hobbycraft reaches there requirements with there current inventory. Hobbycraft and reproducing like life products is over.
This source is credible, because I went to school with her.

[BentnoseWillie]

I don't see what's a "new development" there. Walthers is treating Hobbycraft like anyone else - no surprise. Hobbycraft probably won't be doing further LifeLike-based releases - no surprise.

The only real news is that Walthers is going to "launch" Canadian products. Even that isn't really much new - Walthers have been making Canadian-roadname items for years, although mainly better-known prototypes such as VIA's F40s and Budd passenger cars, CN and CP pulpwood cars, CN and GTW wooden vans, and CN's articulated and non-articulated Thrall-design double stack cars. These offerings have been welcome, though the paintwork hasn't usually been as well-executed as on Hobbycraft's offerings.

Keep in mind that when Walthers acquired Life-Like they did not get the third-party supplier who paints the Hobbycraft items. To go head-to-head with Hobbycraft, Walthers will have to either build a relationship with that supplier, or develop their own capability to research and produce paintwork of equal quality. It will be something new if Walthers does that, especially if the results are on par with Hobbycraft and include "fringe" releases Hobbycraft has often done, such as their RDC in Dominion Atlantic Railway and QGRY (ex-CP) freight cars.

[Anonymous]

They only reporduce Atlas stuff, in Canadian colours so many times before they exahaust it fully. Oh they have all the connections made, painters everything. I was reassured that it wil maintain Canadian quality and be available for Canadian and American dealers. Not the garbage Hobbycraft does to American dealers. There are americans who model canadian roads, and are not impressed with high prices forced upon by Hobbycraft business mindsight. Telling dealers what to sell there prices for is illegal in Canada and violates the Competition Act.
The day Hobbycraft stops making trains is the day, more modellers will be able to enter.