Widebodies or narrowbodies and regionals?

[Charter]

Ciao to all.
Just to understand collector's opinion and in which way the wind blows,
do you think Herpa should start to produce more narrowbodies and regional models or continue to focuse the production on widebodies?
Of course i "walk" against the wind, as usual, thinling that Herpa should start to produce more narrowbodies and regional airplanes! Instead of 80% widebodies and 20% narrowbodies/regionals, they should be 50% and 50%.
12 models each two months? 6 widebodies and 6 among narrowbodies and regionals.
But i imagine the majority of the collectors would like 10 widebodies and 2 narrowbodies...or to leave the situation as it is now. But then it is unuseful to ask Herpa niche/exotic narrowbodies and regionals for our handmade airports.
Maybe i am wrong and the majority want at least a balance on the production of widebodies and narrowbodies/regionals.
Thanks for expressing your opinion.

[LeoMuse747]

I would prefer a balanced set, with a nice proportion of both wides and narrows...

[Danish Air Transport]

I love regionals and short haul aircraft. When I buy 10 models then 6-7 of them are in the Q400, ATR, CRJ, Embraer size.
However I still buy wides and narrows as well.

[getifero]

I don’t see the sense of this poll. This forum is not representative and we all know it. But if some members don’t know which way the wind is blowing, I will give them some figures:

Prior to 2001 (OG) and until ca. 2006 herpa was producing from every 1:500-scale model several 1000 of copies (mainly from 5000 up to 10 000). Models »exclusively« produced for the Japanese market had a production run up to 3000 (HOGAN at that time produced ANA’s B744 Pokemon-liveries at quantities of 5000!). Nowadays each 1:500-scale herpa model is produced at quantities of several 100 of copies (desirable are at least 500 copies). All other sporadically 1:500-scale models releasing manufacturers are producing them at quantities between 150 and 300 copies. In a period of nearly 20 years the 1:500-scale market in terms of produced units has shrunk to a tenth.

All manufacturers producing exclusively or mainly for the 1:500-scale market are gone. herpa, not only a 1:500-scale producer, could despite lower production volumes in the last years manage to hold the Wings net revenues. How important specifically 1:500-scale was for the herpa Wings turnover I can’t tell. But I think herpa looks at 1:500-scale as much more than just a potential entry into the world of airplane models.

Nevertheless to remain on the market herpa has to respond to demand. The by far biggest 1:500-scale market was in the past Europe and here mainly Germany. Since most collectors like to reproduce sceneries of actual airports with which they are familiar, German or European airports and their air traffic are the most popular paragons. On international Airports there is rarely presence of regional airliners from another continent. Therefor non-European regional airliners are not in such demand.

Moreover there is another trend. The more expensive true-to-scale models have become in the last years, the more collectors where prepared to accept this price rise on more high-grade models. And as such in our scale unfortunately are perceived big airplanes [particularly if they are ostensibly only exclusively available at extra cost (Wings Club, Airline shops)].

Now if you like vote in our little poll, attempt to feel the mild Wings900 breeze and believe that it will change anything.

[Charter]

Originally Posted by LeoMuse747

I would prefer a balanced set, with a nice proportion of both wides and narrows...

Originally Posted by Danish Air Transport

I love regionals and short haul aircraft. When I buy 10 models then 6-7 of them are in the Q400, ATR, CRJ, Embraer size.
However I still buy wides and narrows as well.

There are Fokker 100, RJ100, Fokker 50 moulds taking dust in a box in Dietenhofen, while they could have a second and even third life in many liveries.
Only the ATR-72 seems to be rivitalized by Herpa with a new mould, but then the production ratio is very low; the same for E170/190, a very common regional all over the world but not with Herpa.

[Charter]

Originally Posted by getifero

I don’t see the sense of this poll. This forum is not representative and we all know it. But if some members don’t know which way the wind is blowing, I will give them some figures:

Prior to 2001 (OG) and until ca. 2006 herpa was producing from every 1:500-scale model several 1000 of copies (mainly from 5000 up to 10 000). Models »exclusively« produced for the Japanese market had a production run up to 3000 (HOGAN at that time produced ANA’s B744 Pokemon-liveries at quantities of 5000!). Nowadays each 1:500-scale herpa model is produced at quantities of several 100 of copies (desirable are at least 500 copies). All other sporadically 1:500-scale models releasing manufacturers are producing them at quantities between 150 and 300 copies. In a period of nearly 20 years the 1:500-scale market in terms of produced units has shrunk to a tenth.

All manufacturers producing exclusively or mainly for the 1:500-scale market are gone. herpa, not only a 1:500-scale producer, could despite lower production volumes in the last years manage to hold the Wings net revenues. How important specifically 1:500-scale was for the herpa Wings turnover I can’t tell. But I think herpa looks at 1:500-scale as much more than just a potential entry into the world of airplane models.

Nevertheless to remain on the market herpa has to respond to demand. The by far biggest 1:500-scale market was in the past Europe and here mainly Germany. Since most collectors like to reproduce sceneries of actual airports with which they are familiar, German or European airports and their air traffic are the most popular paragons. On international Airports there is rarely presence of regional airliners from another continent. Therefor non-European regional airliners are not in such demand.

Moreover there is another trend. The more expensive true-to-scale models have become in the last years, the more collectors where prepared to accept this price rise on more high-grade models. And as such in our scale unfortunately are perceived big airplanes [particularly if they are ostensibly only exclusively available at extra cost (Wings Club, Airline shops)].

Now if you like vote in our little poll, attempt to feel the mild Wings900 breeze and believe that it will change anything.

Thanks for summarize the situation, but this doesn't explain anything!
Herpa is the only 1:500 manufacturer, and we all know this, and the real interesting searching would be to know how many collectors switched to 1:400 scale or even stopped to collect models because of Herpa marketing policy.
Many, too many, this is sure, and immediately recognizable even from Wings900, past and present of the forum.
"Demand": who decide it? Me? You? We all? The big airlines working with Herpa (Lufthansa, Qantas, Emirates)? Aviation Center Berlin? Aviationmegastore? Aviation Center Australia? Aviation Center Japan? The many small shops in Hong Kong?
And, just to make an example, considering that an easyJet set in 1:500 scale (A319, A320neo, A321neo) would sell like the bread, why easyJet doesn't take advantage by these "very high demand" allowing Herpa to produce its models in 1:500? And who decided that all these Tu-134's of east Europe airlines, not Russia, mind you, have all this appeal? Who decided the "high demand" of CSA, Intrflug, Malev Tu-134?
The same for Ryanair or other low costs.
Wings900 gives some indications because there are many big collectors writing here and because the same Herpa had to produce some "most wanted" models, followings the requests and indications of Wings900 threads.


As always, thanks for your participation.

[LeoMuse747]

Originally Posted by Charter

There are Fokker 100, RJ100, Fokker 50 moulds taking dust in a box in Dietenhofen, while they could have a second and even third life in many liveries.

The Fokker molds are not up to today's standards... I would actually prefer a brand new mold, but I bet that wouldn't be economically viable to Herpa. So I think it's better to stick to 3D printing for these smaller models.

[Charter]

Originally Posted by LeoMuse747

The Fokker molds are not up to today's standards... I would actually prefer a brand new mold, but I bet that wouldn't be economically viable to Herpa. So I think it's better to stick to 3D printing for these smaller models.

Like for the B737 classic Herpa can't spend thousands of euro for developing a mould of an airplane out of the sky very soon. But this is wrong and it is a dogma just because Herpa is the only manufacturer! It is like a dog chasing its tail, always the same problem, "the only manufacturer of 1:500 scale"!
Look at Aeroclassics in 1:400 scale: thousands of models with improved moulds of B707, B720, L-1011, B767-200, B767-300, Fokker 100, Fokker 50, Fokker 27, B737-300 and B737-400, a great competitor for Phoenix and Gemini that, indeed, abandoned the "classic models" market (as Herpa made for the 1:400 models).
In my opinion the real "wind" is measured by competition and not by a monopoly: the monopoly decides the market but not necessarily it is the right way.