Toy Cars and Models magazine Calls it Quits

We were very saddened by the news that one of our favorite die cast toy magazines was going to be calling it quits in just a couple of months. We received an email last week from Toy Cars and Models magazine which stated:

"We at F+W Publications continuously analyze our publishing strategy to determine if we are meeting your needs and Company goals. We take into consideration the marketplace we serve and the opportunities available for each of our magazine titles. After much analysis and deliberation, we have determined to cease publication of Toy Cars & Models Magazine, effective with the February 2008 edition."

Be sure to get copies of both the January and February issues of this great magazine before it's too late....

Katharine

Christmas RUSH - A few items already sold out

The Christmas RUSH is upon us, and we are lovin' it! We have extra crew here to make sure every order gets out the door as quickly as possible, and we've added Saturday hours to answer the phones and ship packages. UPS is parking 2 semi trailers at our warehouse each day which are filled with outgoing packages. And, we are upgrading to an even bigger computer server to better handle the multitudes (literally hundreds and hundreds of people) that are on the site at any given moment.

If you are thinking about ordering later, I'd really need to encourage you: DON'T WAIT. Even though we have way over 10,000 items available and stocked semi after semi load for this season, there are already some items that have sold out. In particular, get your orders in now for Norscot models as well as New-Ray trucks. We'll be restocking items that do sell out, but at this point, we can't get most items restocked in time for Christmas.

TOP 10 Hottest items for this Christmas Season

1. NORSCOT 55175 - 1/50 $43.95 Cat 657G Wheel Scraper

2. NORSCOT 55197 - 1/50 $32.95 Cat D6T XW Elevated Sprocket Dozer with Ripper & Metal Tracks

3. ERTL 21844P - 1/38 $39.95 Wings of Texaco #15 (2007)Regular Edition - 1939 Howard DGA-15 with working propeller, tilt action display stand, custom packaging, Certificate of Authenticity, & more.

4. NORSCOT 55177 - 1/87 $15.95 Cat M318D Wheel Excavator

5. NORSCOT 55199 - 1/50 $57.95 Cat 330D L Hydraulic Excavator with Metal Tracks

6. NEW-RAY 16003D - 1/43 $6.95 Freightliner M2 Box Truck

7. NORSCOT 55173 - 1/87 $16.95 Cat Diesel #12 Motor Grader

8. ERTL 21840P - 1/32 $37.95 Texaco #24 (2007) 1918 Mack AC Tanker - Regular Edition

9. BOLEY 4200-78 - 1/87 $12.75 School Bus - International CE Series 2 Axle

10. NEW-RAY SS-10715 - 1/32 $22.95 Dodge Ram 3500 in Green with a camper and Hunting scene theme

Christmas Shipping

While looking over the December calendar today it became apparent that Christmas shopping (or should I say shipping) season will be a couple days shorter than average this year. Since Christmas Day falls on a Tuesday, the last day for air shipping will Friday the 21st or Saturday the 22nd. Ground shipments will need to be on the road no later than Monday the 17th to reach the coasts from our warehouses. Thankfully, we have noticed over that last few years that shoppers are allowing a little more time for delivery than before. We actually expect to peak during the week of the 10th. From Thanksgiving through mid-December we will have extra shifts filling UPS trailers to keep up with the rush.

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.

Gearbox is Back

Gearbox is back under new owner. We were pleased to be contacted not long ago and told that we would be able to start supplying our customers with Gearbox products once again. It turns out that Gearbox is now under new ownership. We know that several of you were disappointed to find out that Gearbox had closed their doors, so it is great pleasure that we are able to tell you that we will be fully stocking the line again. Over the next couple of weeks, look for the line to be filled back in.