Rubicon Models

Rubicon Models => General Discussions => Topic started by: Rubicon Models on December 29, 2016, 12:24:53 pm

Title: 2016 - A Year in Review / 2017 - Looking Forward
Post by: Rubicon Models on December 29, 2016, 12:24:53 pm
(http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag377/RubiconModels/Misc%20Images/2016%20A%20Year%20in%20Review%20161228-1_zpscap9rn06.jpg)

This is our second year in business.  Looking back, we don’t have too many new releases this year
– only 11 plastic kits (and 32 in total), but we had drawn a much bigger audience from both the
gaming and modelling community.  The highlight of the year being able to penetrate the Japanese
market – something many manufacturers had tried for many years and failed.  We have to say a
huge “THANK YOU” for your continuous support!

To provide better sales support, we have added several channel partners worldwide, and we have
also set up our own warehouse and webstore in the United States.  2015 had been a year of learning,
and 2016 had been a year of implementing what we’ve learnt and turned them into actions!

The “Base-kit & Add-on” idea had been proven to be a good concept to allow easy expansion of
your model collections in a more flexible and inexpensive manner.  We have borrowed this idea to
create our own “Digital Libraries” for the more common vehicles like the M4 Sherman and in the
future comparable projects.

With your support, through our channel partners, we are able to relocate to a much larger premise,
hired more design staff, and acquired more advanced digital equipment for our Hong Kong-based
design studio.  We have also invested significantly into 3D digital sculpting so that figures will now
be included with each new plastic kit we produce moving forward.

We have to say “THANK YOU” again for all your support, and be able to bring more products to the
table top for you armchair generals next year!

- The Rubicon Team
Title: Re: 2016 - A Year in Review / 2017 - Looking Forward
Post by: Rubicon Models on January 01, 2017, 11:22:59 pm
(http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag377/RubiconModels/Misc%20Images/FB%20New%20Year%202017%20161228-1_zps5ttty7lv.jpg)

Our first year in business was more of a soul searching, and last year was trying to convert those
ideas into actions.  This year will start to see some of these projects into fruition.  With our recent
studio expansion, we now have more design staff and digital hardware to manage projects more
efficiently.  One of the bottleneck had always been mold making.  We will try our best to find a
solution to resolve the issue this year.

To finish up our SdKfz 250/251 Expansion Sets, we will be releasing at least 4 new kits…

• SdKfz 250/7 & 251/2 – 81mm mortar with a dismounted mortar team
• SdKfz 250/8 & 251/9 – 7.5cm KwK 37 L/24 gun “Stummel” & “Kanone 51”
• SdKfz 250/9 & 251/23 – 2cm KwK 38 autocannon
• SdKfz 250/11 Alte & 251/7 – 2.8cm sPzB 41 heavy AT gun with a dismounted weapon team

Last year, we have retired two item codes, namely the M4A3 Sherman (280012) and the Panzer IV
Mid War
(280010).  We will be revitalizing both tanks with one or more new version(s).  To kick off
the re-release, the M4A3 / M4A3E8 kit will be available soon!  That’s more…

• M4 Sherman
• M4A1 Sherman
• M4A2 Sherman
• Panzer IV – Ausf D/E/F/F2/G/H/J

To go in-line with our “Base Kit + Expansion Set” concept, we are adding two new codes to
our Opel Blitz (280026) base kit; namely a standalone Opel Maultier kit, and a Box Car add-on
kit for both the Opel Blitz and the Maultier.

New products that will definitely be available this year will include…

• Willys MB Jeep – US version
• Willys MB Jeep – SAS / Airborne version
• BMW R75 with sidecar
• SdKfz 2 Kettenkrad with if.8 & Goliath
• M3/M3A1 Expansion Set 1 – M21 MMC

There's more!  We will start to release a new product category that is not tanks or softskins
Weapon Teams!  The first few releases will be…

• PaK 36 AT gun – standalone and mounted version
• PaK 38 / PaK 97/38 AT gun
• PaK 40 AT gun
• MG34 / MG42 heavy weapon team

Other projects that are currently ongoing and some new ones…

• British 15cwt truck
• SdKfz 222/223/260/261
• GAZ-AAA 2t truck

This is just an overview on our currently projects, around 20 products in total, not including
new unannounced ones.  This should be the most productive year ever!