Pigsmightfly

Had a reply earlier, I expect a few of you have had/will get the same reply soon.

Steve,
Thank you for supporting Pro-Line/PROTOform products. Unfortunately there are currently no plans to manufacture any 1/6 bodies. However, we will take your suggestion into consideration for future product ideas.
If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me directly.

Thank you for the mail and have a great day!

Pro-Line Customer Service
Ph # (951) 849-9781 ext 21
Fax # (951) 922-9311
E-Mail [email protected]
Visit us @ <<http://prolineracing.com/>>

As she suggested contacting her directly I suggest all future emails be titled FAO Jessica Cook. We all know how persuasive a woman can be, if we catch her on PMT week she may threaten to chew off her bosses extremities unless he agrees to make bodies for us.

fgbasher

My Feedback: (10)

I think you will get a better shock out of a smaller company. maybe we should try www.ptiracing.net. They only make a few bodies and they are highly detailed. They may be more willing to do it considering they would corner the market on them since only fg makes bodies.

Pigsmightfly

It's not about 'shock' it's about raising awareness that there is a market to be tapped.

I expect Proline own the licences to produce the shells most of us would want.

fgbasher

My Feedback: (10)

sorry meant to say shot not shock, had a brain freeze. I don't think it would hurt to ask. He has made fords and porsches so he may have other licenses. I am sure noone has the toureg license in the US yet or maybe the porshe truck body.

gonsped69

My Feedback: (6)

It's sad that there will be no more Ferrari bodies produced for large scale - the F40 looked amazing.

Does anyone have some idea what sort of figures are we talking about with regards to licensing for a single model?

james2001

There are a number of other manufacturers that make shells you know. My personal favorite of course being J&A who have a NASCAR shell in the making apparently. but that aside, lauterbacher make their own shells, as do Dahms, Copyrite, and a couple of others whose names escape me now.

Wasn't aware that you even need anything like a license to manufacture shells. Aren't they homologated? i.e. approved by the original scale manufacturer? anyone who makes a shell can have it homologated as long as it matches the original closely enough.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong please.

If we could get hold of some CAD files for the shells needed, and you were desperate, you could just give them to a local vacuum forming company and have them reel off 50 or so. I reckon you'd probably be looking at about $2000 (canadian) for tooling and then the shells would cost cents. Of course, then you'd have to start selling shells to make your money back on the tooling!! hehe.

I hear this weekends lottery will be a big one.

gpshemi

Well take it from someone who has worked in the industry for the past 10 years. Couple things to consider.
A good production vac form tool (anything that will give you a good sellable shell) will run you more then $2000 easy.
Even at that rate, at $50 you'd have to sell 40 of them just to pay tooling costs.
Then you have to decide what version you can sell 40 of. Another truck? Another car? A Grave Digger? Another.....???
If you pick the wrong body then your investment is for nothing. Been there.
The other thing is to consider materials (plastic goes up be the week these days it seems) and labor. Although
I suppose for a few hundred you could run it yerself.

You'd have to be in it for the long haul in order to get your money back.

No Moa

My Feedback: (1)

Wish FG would make something other than that Ford shell for the MT!!![:'(]

gpshemi

Big Dodge Quad Cab!

gpshemi

Jared1106

I got the exact email!

Pigsmightfly

Obviously there are other companies making bodies..... please don't patronise.

If you want good offroad bodies though Proline are the people to target, if we all target different companies the fight is lost before we even begin.

I know the chances of anything being achieved by this appeal are small but it's worth a shot.

Pigsmightfly

For the next round of emails may I request that you ask specific questions about their products as awell as asking for large scale bodies.

Hopefully this will prevent them replying in bulk with a pre-prepared email.

gpshemi

Oh don't get me wrong. I totally agree. I think it's worth getting with Pro-line over. That's what they do!!!

I was addressing the idea of asking a vac form prototype shop to do it. As in a DIYer trying to start it up.

I just see someone loosing a bunch of their hobby money is all. Leave it to the pro's.

gpshemi