|
|
 Posted - November 15 2007 : 7:48:19 PM
|
The NY Toy fair happens every February and has gone on for over 50 years. It is open to the trade (hobby shops, distributors, TRU,etc). It is not open to the public. In Chicago they also have a Hobby Show in the fall every year for the last 50 or so. All the manufacturers show up there. Typically, companies like TYCO have a suite where they wine and dine potential buyers of their products. TYCO would prepare pre-production samples for the NY Toy Fair. The catalog for the year had to be finished and the Toy Fair issues often were on thicker cardstock paper than the consumer catalogs we got in the hobby stores back then. Displays would typically only be done on one side of the train cars and some box art and deco would be hand drawn. Orders would be taken at the show and the items would then be either phased into production or phased out depending on the popularity and orders taken. That is why sometimes we see items that were catalogued but never made. I have been going to the Toy Fair for the last 20 years because of slot cars and always went to the Tomy (Aurora), TYCO, (Mattel), and LifeLike suites. To find items that were used as samples is hard to do as most were destroyed after the shows.
Bob the Slot Car Guy
|
Country:  USA ~
Posts: 170 ~
Member Since: October 31 2007 ~
Last Visit: November 26 2019
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - November 15 2007 : 10:34:25 PM
|
| I've never understood the reasoning behind destroying prototypes and display models like that. Some things like that turn up 50 years later and are worth a small fortune. I used to watch a show called TRUCKS! A guy built real nice custom trucks showing the viewer how to do the work. I guess people wrote in wanting to buy the vehicles when he was finished. The host said all the trucks had to be destroyed after they were built due to insurance reasons.[V]
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 83 ~
Member Since: June 07 2007 ~
Last Visit: October 21 2009
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - November 15 2007 : 10:46:58 PM
|
I've seen that show a few times, it's interesting to watch and the host is pretty likeable - an articulate redneck of sorts. But I find it VERY hard to believe they would destroy all the projects. The intent of the show, after all, is to restore / build / create something that is functional, driveable, and thereby insurable.... or if it is not street legal, then off-raodable.
Now, I could very well see where they wouldn't sell them to the general public due to liability concerns. And maybe one here or there just didn't work out and would have been an accident waiting to happen. But he wasn't doing anything more intense than what goes on in Overhaulin or American Chopper or Pimp My Ride or any of those other shows, who sell the finished works.
Although back on topic... yeah I'm amazed at what gets destroyed as well. Even I didn't have the heart to totally trash my first (horrible) STC loco attempt of 15 years ago (I'll leave the destruction to Bethany, ha ha). More than likely most just goes "missing"... and again there's precedent for that in the auto industry as well.
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 2175 ~
Member Since: July 15 2006 ~
Last Visit: January 31 2010
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
Home
Forums
Events Calendar
Forum Admins & Mods
Register
