AMT/ERTL Report

By Michael Benolkin

At last year's RCHTA, I was surprised to see how few new plastic model kits were planned as Racing Champions (AMT/ERTL's parent company) moved the emphasis into the die-cast market. Indeed, while there were numerous stunning die-cast offerings at the show, the plastics were being curtailed. Gone were the Star Trek series as well as all of their unique aircraft. The survivors were in the automotive range, with several releases planned that were new tools or re-tooled (and improvements) of older releases.

This year, I was surprised again! Gone were all of the science fiction kits. According to Racing Champions, sales of the Star Wars Episode One series were not as great as planned. As with the Star Trek kits the year before, the warehouse had to be cleared of unsold kits.

The hopeful news is that all of the molds are intact and in storage. While there are no current plans to do so, AMT/ERTL is considering a limited re-release on some of their aircraft toward the end of 2001. If you have any preferences, let them know!

What is scheduled for 2001?

1/25 Scale