GP1 Model kits

[autoavia]

I have read his thread with interest.
I appreciate all the problems involved in producing 1/43 kits particularly at a time when there are so many good quality diecasts available.
With high costs for making masters etc it is understandable that Mr Lopez doesn't feel that he wants to get involved in the expensive business of buying licences from the F1 teams BUT in Europe it may prove difficult to sell unlicenced models. Let me explain.
The problem of licencing first started to rear its head in the late 80's. At that time I worked for a major specialist UK dealer and after we had a stand at the 1986 British Grand Prix I took a call from a gentleman at Beatrice Lola suggesting that we were selling unlicensed kits of their car (produced by Tameo) and that the options were to sell them our existing stock at trade price and agree not to restock or get sued for selling a unlicenced product.
I referred him to Luca Tameo but he said he wasn't interested in him but that as we were actually retailing the item he could sue us - no problem. After a couple more calls I told him to get lost and as the team folded we heard no more.
Eventually around the mid 90's licencing was virtually forced upon all the major 1/43 F1 kit manufacturers as someone in F1 sought to bring some order to the market (and some revenue into the F1 coffers) but as far as I am aware the makers of anything other than F1 have never had too many problems.
It could well be that anyone selling GP-1 kits in Europe will get threatened with court action if the models are unlicensed.
Incidentally when Guilloy first launched their 1/18 diecast Mclaren F1 road car it was unlicensed. I know of a photographer who bought one and innocently showed it around the paddock at Spa. Someone from McLaren clapped eyes on it and they were off to the sellers stand in minutes as they didn't even know that the then newly released model existed. I believe the seller had to withdraw the stock for the rest of the day and subsequently Guilloy stopped calling the model a Mclaren. It is amazing how the right (or wrong) people get to know about these things.

[daniel]

interesting threat...

but what's the result of it all.

I think the companys don't give a damn about copyrights etc are killing the hobby not those "european" manufacturers like our GP1 models friend said.

A good example is china, they copy nearly everything and sell it for extremely low prices, with the result they harm the orignal founder of those products whish will sooner or later erase those companys.

And when all those companys are gone there is nothing to copy for those product pirates

Sure it's nice to have cheap copied products but an inteligent person knows that it's a very wrong way ! ! !

About copying models. I fear nearly every small company does that...
When I look at all those 1/20 resin kits that are released currentyl, I would bet all those cosworth engines are from Tamiya like many other parts.

daniel
-germany-

[lumpulus]

Wow this thread came back from the dead....

[autoavia]

Daniel I think the problem is that many manufacturers (particularly some of those in the top echelons of the motorsport world) demand unrealistic licensing fees and apart from permission to make the model the model producer gets nothing else for his money. There is no differentiation between the fees demanded from a small cottage industry manufacturer making small production runs and the major diecast producers who often turn out thousands of each model.
In an ideal world everyone would pay a realistic fee and the car maker or race team would take steps to prevent infringement of both their own copyright and the copyright of those who have paid for licences. This won't happen because it would be too expensive for the car manufacturers/race teams to protect everyones copyright. They prefer the current situation where the model companies pay a fee to produce the likeness of the car and having taken the licencing money the car manufacturer/race team has nothing more to do with the product.
Copying another companies model products is wrong and most of the cheap diecast copies are poor quality and not worthy of a place in my collection.
The large companies like Tamiya and Minichamps can choose to take legal action to stop these copies but unfortunately it would be almost impossible to prevent these goods from getting on to the market as any court judgement would be impossible to enforce in china. The only solution would be to take action against any distributor who sold the goods in the western world.
For small cottage industry makers court action would be too expensive anyway so they have no chance of stopping copies.
As regards the 1/20 resin kits I have seen some on Ebay where the seller claims that the kit actually includes Tamiya plastic parts for the engine.
If the parts were legitimately supplied by Tamiya then that is OK but it does seem a bit strange that Tamiya will sell parts to a cottage industry manufacturer on the other side oif the world.

[Guest]

I started this thread and like Max M I thought it had died!
I'm sorry if you got the wrong end of the stick about licencing. We all know the problems that manufactures have and we have got used to it.

My point although a bit lame was to point out the faults with GP-1s kits, especially the front engine F1 models, and in particular the Ferrari 166, which to put bluntly was "ä piece of crap".
I have completed it, after 3 attempts and much frustration (I'll post a photo later)

I notice to Mr Lopez credit he has removed these kits from his inventory. whether by choice or threat from MG models, as these were the kits that were appallingly copied.

I hope as a final comment and warning, avoid the GP-1 front engine F1 kits in shops or on ebay unless:
They are very very very cheap
or You dont mind a good amount of scratch building and have an extensive spares box
or Your a masochist