The return of the WNW Taube!

[DrDave]

I got friended on FB by Mingwo, who is working on the WNW Taube molds over in China. Photos  on FB as I’m having a problem uploading. 

[LSP_Kevin]

Here's the Facebook link:

 

 

My question, though, is is this an authorised use of the tooling, or a rogue one (no Star Wars reference implied or intended)?

 

Kev

 

[Ryan]

Hmmmmmm?

[vince14]

I'm deeply skeptical. All he's posted is some pictures of one of the molds (with no indication as to when the pictures were taken), with no other information other than "Just show mold technical. We can do it".

 

Sounds more like his company is involved in injection molding and he's just showing off their capabilities rather than the Taube being about to return.

[ziggyfoos]

Would seem (to me at least) that the Taube wouldn't be at the top of the list of all the available OOP WNW kits to be the one chosen to re-issue anyway?

[cbk57]

2 hours ago, ziggyfoos said:

Would seem (to me at least) that the Taube wouldn't be at the top of the list of all the available OOP WNW kits to be the one chosen to re-issue anyway?

Could not agree more, I had never heard of it before WNW, it is a quintessential WNW odd ball and I would not purchase one personally.  Other than just a woodwork and canvase painting exorcise it it not that interesting.  A beautiful plain though can be made from it so I get the reason to build one.

[RadBaron]

3 hours ago, ziggyfoos said:

Would seem (to me at least) that the Taube wouldn't be at the top of the list of all the available OOP WNW kits to be the one chosen to re-issue anyway?

Purely to add fuel to the fire of speculation;

 

If WnW WAS going to offload some of their molds, maybe the first ones to go would be the less successful ones? The ones that held least value to the company?

That way if WnW was to re-appear sometime in the future, they'd still have the molds to the money-earners. 

 

 

[cbk57]

I see your unload idea, but question whether someone would buy some of their kits.  I think some of them only have appeal because they come from WNW.  If WNW could not sell the kit, who else is going to make money on it?  A lot of people bought WNW just because of the maker.  They issued a lot of planes that many of us never knew existed.  The Taub being one of them.  

[RadBaron]

18 minutes ago, cbk57 said:

I see your unload idea, but question whether someone would buy some of their kits.  I think some of them only have appeal because they come from WNW.  If WNW could not sell the kit, who else is going to make money on it?  A lot of people bought WNW just because of the maker.  They issued a lot of planes that many of us never knew existed.  The Taub being one of them.  

I'm not even going to pretend to think I have any understanding of the rationale behind how Chinese companies think and plan 

[Tnarg]

The Taube mold could be expanded to provide multiple versions of the aircraft including the earlier air race version and a striking Austro-Hungarian plane with red and white striped fuselage. They could go further to release an Antionette Monoplane (or Monobloc), and follow on with the balance of the amazing planes from the movie "Those Magnificent Men and their Flying Machines"....

 

Oh, sorry, did I say that out loud? I must have been dreaming or in a parallel universe where people would actually purchase a model of a Trajan Viua or a Phillips Multiplane or any of the amazing pre-WWI aircraft. "Not the droids you were looking for, you can move along".

 

Saddened but realistic,

 

Tnarg

[Dave Williams]

I think companies might be mistaken if they believe that reissuing WNW kits will be a gold mine, if that’s what’s actually happening.  The current pricing and demand is almost all due to them currently being out of production.  If they would be put back into production, the prices and interest would drop as many people are buying up the kits now as a perceived investment instead of to build.  However, if they repop the kits like Meng did, with just the plastic, but the new company’s instructions and decals, the WNW originals may still command a bit of a premium.  The main buyers of the reissued kits will be the people who want to build, but missed out on them the first time around.  There probably aren’t many of those around, and for some of the kits very few.

 

The only way WNW comes back is if they choose to and are able to.

[LSP_K2]

I tend to think that many folks that passed on $100+ kits, might just jump on the chance to get the same quality kit for half the original price, like the Meng Dr.I kits. For me, if someone ever did release the WNW Taube in the $50 price range, I'd be much more inclined to grab one, whereas with the $100 kit, I was not, but that's just me.

[cbk57]

If the Taub ever had a Tiger Turret mounted on it in an obscure photo it would be remarked for sure.  Even if a German drew such a thing on a napkin in 1945 someone would buy the molds sell it and people would buy them and then debate the proper zimmerit pattern.

[firefly7]

 Square waffle pattern of course. Extremely bad power to weight ratio, extremely good firepower however. Needs an extremely long runway with an extremely high cliff. Was verry, verry hard to control in a dive. Thanks cbk57, picturing this modified Taub made my day.

[Pup7309]