iHobby in Chicago

We attended the iHobby Expo last week in Chicago. We had a chance to talk with several die-cast manufacturers about several issues including their plans for 2008 and the recent safety recalls. Overall the mood was upbeat concerning next year as all of the companies we talked to are forging ahead with many new products for 2008. Mattel has solid plans to finally get the sixties era batmobile into our hands during the first half of the year. Norscot has plans for 17 new models including two new vintage pieces. Corgi is even finding solid footing again and is currently working on a full catalog of new releases for the year ahead. As for product safety, we were pleased by how seriously the manufacturers are treating the problem, in fact, all of them have had testing procedures in place for years. The only down side to our conversations were related to price increases. Due to labor, power, and material shortages in China, most manufacturers are expecting at least some price increases next year. In one case we were told to look for increases of up to 15% from some companies on some of their line. In any case, we at 3000toys.com will be working hard to roll out the information as soon as it becomes available.