Round2 Acquires Star Wars License

I get it. It's easy to roll our eyes over small changes like this.

But back to the thread, I will be very curious to see what R2 does with the Razor Crest if they're using the original ILM digital files. If so, it will be really hard to excuse any inaccuracies in the proportions or details. It's an opportunity for R2 to show us what they can do. I sure hope they grab it.
The 1/350 Star Trek kits and the Eagles have been incredible. They may not have Bandai level engineering but they are accurate, have great detail look great built up. I feel the Star Wars kits are in good hands. I've said before how much I want the fighters in 1/32 scale and now Round 2 is actually planning just that, I'm more excited for this than I was for Bandai.
 
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Not when language is perverted to erase history, culture and institutions to placate a political zeitgeist. Sure, we're talking model kits and toys here which seem inconsequential - but they are just the latest targets of a despotic cultural revolution that has zero tolerance for anything contrary to what they deem is politically correct. The 'woke' ness religion must touch and affect everyone and everything, and merchants that are either supportive of promoting the political agenda or think they can capitalize on that agenda become part of it. That is unless you are of a politically incorrect position and your products and services do not support wokeness. Then your products are banned, delisted and your business can be shut down and sued into oblivion with the state's help.

We can't. Not when 4 gatekeepers have the license and ability to censor and ban all speech, content and subjects it deems troublesome or politically incorrect. Talk to the millions who have had their social media canceled because they dared say something in a type of language no longer permitted by "private businesses" that in actuality are working hand-in-hand with government power. Think Confederacy of Independent Systems acting in concert with Palpatine's overall plan to transform the Republic into a Sith Empire.


And we have the right to not purchase the brand and bad-mouth it openly. Which causes the 'gatekeepers' to declare us 'racists', 'traitors'. 'insurrectionists', 'bigots' etc. because people are no longer patronizing those businesses that went "woke". It's funny to read the initial applause when liberty dies suddenly transform itself into demagoguery and complaint because 'the bigoted simpletons' are no longer buying, reading or watching politically-encouraged propaganda.

It's bizarre to be living in a time that Star Wars itself depicted when a republic was being sabotaged for a future transformation into a despotic empire. And Language and Words are the very first tools to achieve this.

I am looking forward to seeing what they do with the Razor Crest. I have no room for the Falcon and I still have the 1/144 Bandai to build of that. But I am somewhat nostalgic to see the 'improvements' they make to these old kits. I grew up on them.
This gentleman gets it. Well said, Invar.
 
I wholeheartedly agree. The 1/350 Grissom and 1/48 Hawk are both in the low $50 range. Hopefully a 1/48 or 1/32 Star Wars fighter wouldn't be to far off. Even their 1/350 Enterprises and K'tinga are all in the $100 range.
 
Not related to their Star Wars kits, but the 1:350 Trek talk has got me thinking... If they do the Reliant I hope they don't perpetuate the same inaccuracies that have carried forward since the '80s. The ship has different dorsal saucer hatches, small raised details on the saucer surface that are not on the Enterprise, and -- most importantly -- the saucer is a little smaller in diameter. Not by a lot, but by enough to make re-using the Enterprise saucer for the Reliant a bad direction. Anything based off it would be wrong. I'm happy to see the Grissom. It's a smallish ship, and so not a huge 1:350 risk. I wouldn't mind a Defiant next. Not the same era, but small enough, and deserving of being done right. The 1:420 AMT model has some inaccuracies, and the way it goes together could have been engineered so much better (mainly the warp engines -- fairings separate from the main hull, without a seam right down the outside, separate detailing and clear parts, etc.).

After that, TOS Adversary ships might be nice -- Klingon D-7 and Romulan Bird-of-Prey. Maybe even the Botany Bay.
 
Not when language is perverted to erase history, culture and institutions to placate a political zeitgeist. Sure, we're talking model kits and toys here which seem inconsequential - but they are just the latest targets of a despotic cultural revolution that has zero tolerance for anything contrary to what they deem is politically correct. The 'woke' ness religion must touch and affect everyone and everything, and merchants that are either supportive of promoting the political agenda or think they can capitalize on that agenda become part of it. That is unless you are of a politically incorrect position and your products and services do not support wokeness. Then your products are banned, delisted and your business can be shut down and sued into oblivion with the state's help.

We can't. Not when 4 gatekeepers have the license and ability to censor and ban all speech, content and subjects it deems troublesome or politically incorrect. Talk to the millions who have had their social media canceled because they dared say something in a type of language no longer permitted by "private businesses" that in actuality are working hand-in-hand with government power. Think Confederacy of Independent Systems acting in concert with Palpatine's overall plan to transform the Republic into a Sith Empire.


And we have the right to not purchase the brand and bad-mouth it openly. Which causes the 'gatekeepers' to declare us 'racists', 'traitors'. 'insurrectionists', 'bigots' etc. because people are no longer patronizing those businesses that went "woke". It's funny to read the initial applause when liberty dies suddenly transform itself into demagoguery and complaint because 'the bigoted simpletons' are no longer buying, reading or watching politically-encouraged propaganda.

It's bizarre to be living in a time that Star Wars itself depicted when a republic was being sabotaged for a future transformation into a despotic empire. And Language and Words are the very first tools to achieve this.

I am looking forward to seeing what they do with the Razor Crest. I have no room for the Falcon and I still have the 1/144 Bandai to build of that. But I am somewhat nostalgic to see the 'improvements' they make to these old kits. I grew up on them.
Careful, you will anger the Mouse! ;)
 
Careful, you will anger the Mouse! ;)
Truth tends to do that when Empire's do not tolerate dissension, whether those empire's be corporate or governmental.
Poe: Leia was Jabba’s prisoner.

Old guy: Prisoner? To me she is Slave Leia.

Poe: That she is.

There I go derailing the thread once again.
Not at all - that makes for a great illustrative point regarding language and the ability to buy and sell in the midst of a cultural revolution.

Let us say Round 2 decides to make a Slave Leia model with incredible likeness and tooling ala some of the Tamishi Nations kits.

Suddenly, certain women's groups in conjunction with others in the Grievance Industry decide they do not like Star Wars and threaten retailers who may sell the model kit if Round2 does not comply with their political shake down (you know - donate money to their grievance groups that go to elect the 'right' politicians). They insist no one is permitted to use the term 'Slave" when referencing a woman - even in styrene, nor can they use the terms 'captive' or 'restrained' because they cause people to think about keeping women as objects (even though that is what Jabba had her there for in the movie) - so it is not enough that Round2 decides just to call the kit "Tatooine Leia" - the arbitrary and changing nature of language then pivots to the image itself - and they declare that no one should be permitted to buy anything that 'celebrates or depicts the degradation of women'.

So while they pressure Disney to kill the license they call and demand Amazon, target and Walmart refuse to list and sell the kit - and with Social Media propaganda in full swing agree not to carry the model or any product from Round 2 until they comply with the shake-down. Then they get government state and federal to discuss rescinding tax breaks and other business issues that affect Round 2s ability to manufacture. They may even demand they must engage in mandatory 'wokeness' training and classes they must pay for all employees - and then become an advocate for Wokeness themselves, or lose their license with Disney to produce anything from Star Wars.

So, we fans do not get what we would like to have and build - because ultimately what is going on - is the effort to change our thinking, our views, our likes, dislikes and comform to the standards being lectured to us. Which is why language matters and should not arbitrarily change. Slave Leia is Slave Leia. I do not care that the Grievance Industry does not like that - no one is demanding they buy or support the company making those models.

But you can be sure they intend to interfere and ban your ability to buy or sell or even discuss those things they declare verbotten.

Which is why the only thing I liked about the Sequel Trilogy that everyone had problems with - is the fact the entire galaxy had no idea who the Jedi were. When the state and their partners in business and industry set about the task to erase history and a people - it only takes a decade or two before the cancel culture erases them from public memory. Which is the only plausible thing I liked about Rey.

Oh... and if Round 2 ever did such a Slave Leia model with incredible likeness - I would indeed be purchasing such a kit. Even moreso if the kit was emblazoned with massive orange letters declaring it SLAVE LEIA with a nice big picture of her at the foot of Jabba's throne - chain on neck and all. I mean, I may have been one of those young adults who thought about her several times a day. :p
 
Biker scout trooper. Arm T-shaped detail
Another nice making-of detail like the plastic guy in this super star destroyer surface
 

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What's worse, Disney loves licensing fees. Look at Revell's 1/29 X-Wing. These were $30.00 on Amazon a few years back. Now, that kit is $150! Really!?
Disney loves branding and controlling the brand. Disney loves making sure other people don't profit off the intellectual property. (Years ago, there was a political cartoon with a Chinese dissident chained up in a prison with someone whipping him. He's wearing a t-shirt with the Mouse on it. Someone walks in and says, "We're gonna have to pay royalties on that shirt.") In the modeling world, there is just about NO EVIDENCE of an infamous fee. I've made this point several times and have yet to see much of a response--or any response at all. Bandai and Fine Molds kits Star Wars kits (before and after Disney) are priced nearly the same as other kits of similar size and quality and complexity as other kits that don't have the same licensing requirements. (The PG MF is an outlier and, in contrast, actually supports the notion that George Lucas always held that ship special.) And sci-fi is such a small market compared to modeling overall. Economies of scale would suggest that SW kits without a license would still be more expensive. But, seriously, we have been getting very high quality, very accurate SW stuff for a long time priced about what they should be for ANY model ship of that size and that detail ever since FM started SW stuff. I have a few relatives who work in business who are absolutely resolute in saying it would be totally understandable for Disney to offer the license with a deal that is actually very cheap (with more controls--that is something we DO have evidence of) as marketing and branding overall. It's not stupid; it's brilliant. The modeling industry is not huge. Give them a relatively nice fee and make sure you control what they're doing--to help the image and the franchise. (I really couldn't care less about the 1/29 X-wing, so I don't know why the price is crazy, but my first instinct is that it's been discontinued or there's a supply problem--these days, often based on COVID. But Bandai kits through the Disney acquisition and COVID didn't sky-rocket--based on the price printed on the box.)
Mike Todd
 
That’s nice.

I used to work in the aircraft industry and I know exactly how much those aircraft companies charge in licensing fees. So, while Disney may be the exception in this case, other entities do not follow this. NASCAR is a good example. They charge incredible licensing fees. There was a popular decal company called SLIXX decals that catered exclusively to NASCAR builders. The fees were so high that they eventually went out of business.
So, as far as I’m concerned, your explanation is worth as much as a velvet painting of a whale and a dolphin getting it on.
So, what are you saying? (Besides people should invest in velvet paintings.) I want to see evidence of an astronomical Disney licensing fee, and all evidence I see is to the contrary. (There was quite the change several years ago in the concept of licenses of for military aircraft, which resulted in no noticeable change in the prices of model kits.) This is not to say that the Mouse doesn't keep total control over the licenses, etc. But people throw around the accepted "truth" of that crazy Disney licensing fee, and that's all people have to say. In the world of rhetoric, we need evidence. We won't get actual contractual language, there are signs to look for. Or spoken another way, as I alluded to above: people say Lucas is/was very careful/particular about the Falcon. That would explain the outsized price of the PG MF, or the monstrosity of the MPC MF (more money for being able to produce a good one). Because, otherwise, we have a debate about whether or not PG kit is overpriced, or whether the sidewalls were due to a battery compartment, or whether the mandibles were toed-in.

(I was on ebay and won a velvet painting of "a whale and dolphin getting it on" but it turned out the "whale" was actually a killer whale and, thus, just another dolphin. I felt quite cheated.)
Mike Todd
 
I couldn't give a rat's @ss about licensing fees. I just want any company, Round 2, Revell, Bandai...etcetera to release half decent models of the subjects that I like. Satisfy the consumer and everybody wins.

TazMan2000
 
I'd say the chance of R2 putting out a Slave Leia model is exactly zero. Not because of the existential threat posed to human existence by wokeness and its all-powerful hordes (yawn) but because female figures are a niche of a niche and have never made much of a dent in the "boys" market. Such a kit would be a poor business decision.
 
I'd say the chance of R2 putting out a Slave Leia model is exactly zero. Not because of the existential threat posed to human existence by wokeness and its all-powerful hordes (yawn) but because female figures are a niche of a niche and have never made much of a dent in the "boys" market. Such a kit would be a poor business decision.
I was not expecting them to. I was simply taking advantage of her mention in NakedMoleRat's post in terms of the word "slave" and how the current cultural zeitgeist would affect any attempt to market such a product... which I am not expecting any company from this point forward to make.
 
I wonder if the computer industry will follow suit and redo all of the tech manuals for IDE drives. (Master and Slave)? :lol:

****Update**** Yes.
I've never heard wind of this though.

TazMan2000
Actually Yes. The master - slave architectural design pattern is now called Client - Server.

Jedi Dade
 

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