Lance's PC9B may not happen

[lance]

As of today the 80 Eagle is back in the hands of Kevin K. and yes he still plans to release it, I hope everyone will support his efforts as he has produced an outstanding model! As for the 81 penske, I will still try to produce this kit thanks to Michael Portaro and several others who have expressed interest in helping. I will be accepting paypal as of tomorrow for those who wish to use it. If you wish to use paypal, you can contact me through my website for details. My long term future is still up in the air but through the generosity of a several people on this board I think I can get through my current difficulties and stay in business. I want everyone to know that I am both grateful and humbled by the offers of assistance I have received. Lance

[harveythedog2]

Done on my lunch hour. Money order on the way.

Thanks!

Stu

[harveythedog2]

Good Deal Lance! Guess I should have waited and done the PAYPAL thing but I got the money order already so what the heck. Next time it will be PAYPAL.

I forsee great things and many more orders for you thru PAYPAL.

Stu

[SWT500]

For those who want to use PAYPAL, I suggest logging on and then hit SEND MONEY. Two tabs will pop up. Use the 2nd and send the money as A GIFT. Then Lance will not have to pay their fees. Just a suggestion among friends.

[dusfincher]

Good to hear Lance! My order will be placed tomorrow

[Deleted]

Best wishes Lance, I would hate to see the hobby lose such a good resin caster.
Can you tell me how to get hold of Kevin about the Eagle.
Thanks, Vernon

[jamesharvey]

I really appreciate every one joining in. I have Lance's email on my work desk and will order two today. Hope it is not too late. I have bought two or even three of Lance's issues as they came out and as I was interested. I have sold some of them to you on this forum at prices less than what they would have brought on ebay. I even have some Chris Ertzel kits that I really hesitate to build. I have been thrilled to have Gary Doucette back and would hate to lose Lance. We seem to have lost Bill Jorgensen. I wonder if someone could comply a list of those of us who are producing kits to see if we could put a floor under them. Thanks your thoughts and concern.
Jim

[raceparke]

Just sent Penske check.
Best Wishes, Lance.

Dan Parke

[Deleted]

Nov 19, 2012 17:03:03 GMT -5 jamesharvey said:

We seem to have lost Bill Jorgensen.

No we have not lost Bill you just need to know where to look

indycarmodeling.com

[racerbrown]

i hate to think of our hobby without any further contributions from lance.
he's a super nice guy and great to do business with as well.
his kits are top notch and i hope to keep sending him money for years to come.
i'm sending him a check tomorrow for an additional penske kit.

if i may be so bold to make a few suggestions.
paypal is a great start as you want to make it as easy as you can for those sometimes impulse buys.
ebay is how i first found out about lance and while it's a gamble to produce additional kits and hope they sell, you just can't beat the world wide exposure you get there.
"out of sight, out of mind". i'd love to see lance back posting his work here which always generates enthusiasm towards more sales.
i doubt i'm the only one who gets excited when i see a project that he's working on coming to a completition and getting ready to ship out!
duane

[lance]

When I started posting here again a few weeks ago , it was with the intention of participating fully on both boards again. I just don't have any builds in progress at the moment. Lance

[Deleted]

I FINALLY met Lance in person this evening. picked up my Mickey Thompson kit and a 69 Eagle. both GREAT resin models.

first impressions are everything and my first impression of Lance is that everything everyone is saying about him is true. after talking to him, I pray he finds a way to keep his doors open and with him now accepting PayPal, I hope that this will open up sales opportunites that he was previously missing out on.

Best of Luck, Lance and thanks for the great work!

[SWT500]

Ladies and gents: I am happy to report that I took a great many photos of this car at Penske's museum in Scottsdale. They are available to view or download on Photobucket. This is a public album, so feel free to copy or use anything you like. I hope you find the photos helpful in constructing Lance's wonderful model.

s706.photobucket.com/albums/ww63/swt500/

[Deleted]

Nov 19, 2012 12:35:21 GMT -5 kurzheck said:

I agree the exposure would be much greater. The problem is the 20% that Ebay/Paypal take on the sale and shipping.

I've sold items on ebay and don't recall the percentage being that high. even so, instead of asking $100.00 +$5.00 S&H, just ask $110.00 + USPS Fee and that should cover it.

some of the prices I see resin kits going for on ebay, $110.00 is a STEAL!

[2lapsdown]

Steve, those photos are great and will be very helpful. the one thing that kind of jumped out at me was the spartan cockpit compared to the beatiful cockpit of Uncle Bobby's 68 winner.

Thanks for sharing.

John

[racerbrown]

great detail shots steve!
you can usually tell when a model builder does the photography as they're looking for all the details.
thanks for sharing.

also, if lance needs to raise prices a bit to cover costs i know i won't be complaining as the value of his kits only continues to rise. (plus it feels good to support such a good guy!).
i try to buy an extra one so even if i don't build the second kit, it makes for good trade bait later on or even a good return on your investment on ebay. (not that i've ever sold any of them!)
duane

[indycals]

I personally am not a fan of eBay. They've gotten VERY seller unfriendly. My experience when I did sell decals on ebay was the same people kept buying them.

[mrpeters]

I agree, they have way too much protection for the buyer. They can say anything and eBay will side with them.

[pbh51]

I have very mixed feelings about this situation. First, I have to say, as everyone else who has ever seen one of Lance's kits, that I deeply admire his work. Second, I hope that he will continue to produce his beautiful kits. Third, I want to buy as many of them as I can afford. Fourth, I believe that his aesthetic is a significant contribution to an appreciation of the Indy zeitgeist; he has opened my mind to many of the less obvious but nonetheless significant contributions to the meaning of the Indianapolis 500, a race which has fascinated me all my life.

All of that said, I have to say that my personal experience as a customer and supporter of his work has not always been rewarding. Which is to say that, despite my many attempts to communicate with him and encourage him via e-mail and US mail, he has remained mostly aloof. This is in stark contrast with my interaction with Bill Jorgensen, Gary Doucette, Calvin Sallee, Bill Etzel and others.

I am not trying to make any personal comments here. I am simply trying to offer my observations on a business model that by all reports appears to be failing. I don’t know how he treats his other customers, but I end up feeling belittled. And, if he needs twenty buyers to support a project, well, maybe he could respond to my well intentioned e-mails now and then, considering that I’ve spent over $1,000.00 on his work in the past five years.

The Lance Sellars Indy model catalogue is practically a national treasure. And yet, there seems to be no way to keep this catalogue current. I have to ask why this is so.

I understand that an Artist cannot be expected to be simultaneously a business person or a sales person. But that same person should be open to constructive criticism. Otherwise, great art goes nowhere.

pbh

[lance]

PBH, I am sorry if you feel I have been less than professional in my dealings with you. Lance

[herk56]

I have to come to Lance's defense here! He has NEVER not responded to me (when appropriate), even to the point of answering (in retrospect) stupid questions. As far as keeping up with his new releases (& re-issues), it's as easy as getting on his e-mail list. Personally, I would rather Lance spend his time working on his next great kit offering rather than replying to every note, letter and e-mail. I'm pretty sure he knows that most of us really appreciate him and his efforts. I know I speak for many when I say that the prospect of the cars in his "Garage Area" not seeing the light of day is very discouraging!

Brian

P.S. for Lance - A re-issue of the Cummins Diesel and Ruby's Mongoose would be very welcomed by me! BJM

[sandysixtysfan]

I'm with Brian-herk56 here and he said it all very well. I've had No issues with Lance's service or his kits. Always First Class. It's probably pretty hard and really time consuming to be a one man show- research & development, production, shipping department, customer service, internet support, accounting, security, etc. Theres only so many hours in the day to get everything done.

Sandy

[Deleted]

Nov 27, 2012 3:40:23 GMT -5 pbh51 said:

I have very mixed feelings about this situation. First, I have to say, as everyone else who has ever seen one of Lance's kits, that I deeply admire his work. Second, I hope that he will continue to produce his beautiful kits. Third, I want to buy as many of them as I can afford. Fourth, I believe that his aesthetic is a significant contribution to an appreciation of the Indy zeitgeist; he has opened my mind to many of the less obvious but nonetheless significant contributions to the meaning of the Indianapolis 500, a race which has fascinated me all my life.

All of that said, I have to say that my personal experience as a customer and supporter of his work has not always been rewarding. Which is to say that, despite my many attempts to communicate with him and encourage him via e-mail and US mail, he has remained mostly aloof. This is in stark contrast with my interaction with Bill Jorgensen, Gary Doucette, Calvin Sallee, Bill Etzel and others.

I am not trying to make any personal comments here. I am simply trying to offer my observations on a business model that by all reports appears to be failing. I don’t know how he treats his other customers, but I end up feeling belittled. And, if he needs twenty buyers to support a project, well, maybe he could respond to my well intentioned e-mails now and then, considering that I’ve spent over $1,000.00 on his work in the past five years.

The Lance Sellars Indy model catalogue is practically a national treasure. And yet, there seems to be no way to keep this catalogue current. I have to ask why this is so.

I understand that an Artist cannot be expected to be simultaneously a business person or a sales person. But that same person should be open to constructive criticism. Otherwise, great art goes nowhere.

pbh

I don't get this one bit Lance has ALWAYS answered every email or PM I have sent him in a timely and pleasant manner

He's never been rude and has always helpful again

[indy]

That's enough, Mike. I was trying to not step into this one. It was already responded to by Lance before I got on the board this morning and it wasn't getting out of control.

Lance isn't perfect but no one can keep everyone happy all the time so it is not surprising someone's not happy eventually. I thought the post was probably meant to be more constructive than it came across as to me. Again, Lance had already responded so I dropped it. If you don't like way I moderate the board - keep it to yourself, Mike.

Jordan

[pbh51]

First, let me reiterate that what I wrote earlier was not intended as a personal criticism of Lance or of his work. I admire both and hope very much that he can continue his very special effort. I agree with everyone who rose in his defense and I hope that I can remain a member of this board in good standing.

Second, Lance wrote me a personal and very gracious note which I greatly appreciate. As far as I am concerned, and I think he as well, there are no personal differences between us. He is, as everyone here well knows, a gentleman and, I believe, an artist of top rank.

Third, the chief concern I wanted to address in my earlier note was with regard to the business model of the Indy Model Business. Setting aside my individual personality, I would like to make some further observations.

There is, it seems to me, a wide disparity between the quality, quantity and availability of the product of Japanese and European resin model manufacturers and their American counterparts. Model Factory Hiro, Studio 27 and various other Japanese companies have the ability to provide high quality work while keeping their catalogues current. Similarly, European companies such as Fischer, Profil 24 and LeMans Miniatures have also had success in developing new products while maintaining older stock. Why then is it so difficult for American craftsmen to do the same?

I doubt very much that there are more potential customers for $300.00 F1 Brabham kits or $150.00 Rondeau kits than there are for any $105.00 Marmon Wasp kit. The American market is the largest and most affluent in the world and Indy is still a very successful brand. So, what is the problem?

More importantly, what is the solution?

pbh

[Deleted]

The solution is to stop complaining and realize that for $105 you are buying a model kit and not a pen pal/friend/business partner. I just can’t understand why anyone would publicly criticize the best thing this hobby has going for it.

If you want to discuss a future “business model” for Indy car resin kits I would suggest first starting ANYWHERE else then with Lance, and second come to terms with the fact that this is a very small niche market.

This is my first post here and sorry if I sound ticked off, but I’ve had positive purchasing experiences with Lance as well as Indycals, Bill J., Gary D., Mike B. and especially Rick F. (hope to add Calvin S. to the list someday) and have always been thankful for the products they provide above all else. Enough said (or maybe I had one to many beers).

John C.

[indydog]

Nov 27, 2012 16:30:52 GMT -5 pbh51 said:

There is, it seems to me, a wide disparity between the quality, quantity and availability of the product of Japanese and European resin model manufacturers and their American counterparts. Model Factory Hiro, Studio 27 and various other Japanese companies have the ability to provide high quality work while keeping their catalogues current. Similarly, European companies such as Fischer, Profil 24 and LeMans Miniatures have also had success in developing new products while maintaining older stock. Why then is it so difficult for American craftsmen to do the same?

pbh

Well, the first thing you must remember is that Lance is just one guy. The companies you mentioned have large staffs. Well, not "large" by WalMart standards, but you get the idea.
Second. Lance is just Lance. He does not have "backers" to help him cover costs. I'm not positive, but I'd bet some of the above companies have investors/partners that help with the overhead.

[harveythedog2]

Welcome John C (if that is your real name ) but aside from your apparent drinking problem, I think you need to re-read and then comprehend.

This issue seems to have been resolved between Lance and pbh. To me it's no longer an issue.

[indy]

Yeah, this one has run it's course so I'm locking it. Remember to get your Penske orders in - I will be going to the post office this week!!

Jordan

[indy]

Is there an update on the progress of the orders for the PC9B?

Jordan