Originally Posted by Kevin K (Post 14417570)

Sticker issue aside is there any chance to get the Mondeo back onto the market? I would love to do up some old school Aussie V8 paint jobs on one. This was one of my all time favorite PF bodies. Maybe an "Old School" or re-release of the older bodies from the BTCC inspired days....Vaxhual, BMW etc etc???

Thanks for all the work over the years Dale cant wait to see what you have out for us next!

Originally Posted by daleepp (Post 14415747)

Hi Leester;
I agree with everything you stated - except for the one line that I underlined.

After 24 years of doing this and finding myself in some very difficult and costly situations I've concluded that "I have to pick my battles". Another way to paint a word picture is simply: "Don't poke the bear". There are many automakers that have spent decades creating unique styling cues that bear the "signature look" of the company. BMW has it's twin kidney bean shaped grills, Aston Martin has it's unique grill shape and Mercedes has it's vector logo. They all have these things registered so no one dares mess this these - even the ones that design real 1:1 cars. It's not just the Ferrari Prancing Horse or the Chevy Bowtie symbols that are protected, it's the signature look of the car as well.

Having said that, there are other reason's that we tread lightly when chooseing a new rc body style. There are some auto makers that ask outragious sums of money (McLaren) and some that are reasonable in the money dept. Others will and drag out the licensing process to the point of utter frustration and some that just flat out ignore all your letters and e-mail requests. The odd time there's a company that is easy to deal with and doesn't try to take all your profit and your pocket change - like Mazda!!! They're the best :nod: The next time you need a real car - buy a Mazda! There..... I said it. :ha:

The worst are the ones that ignore you and then out of the blue they sue you when they see you've done something similar to what they sell. Some companies have internal legal departments that they rely on for basic company $$ income because these same companies will sometimes operate for years in the red. They have loser lawyers that read Car Action magazine and look at Tower catalogues. They attend trade shows where they take pictures and notes. We were once threatened by a company called Visteon. (it was the former electronics division of Ford - like what AC Delco is to Chevy) WHY? Because we had a Visteon decal on a Ford Mondeo sedan on our web site. They were dead serious too - even when we explained why it was there etc. Honestly....they wanted to take us down - over that.

Some rc body companies get away with things because they don't advertise and don't have trade show booths. Eventually.........:weird:

You've probably concluded that it's a sensitive topic with me and you're right - because of what's gone on for the last 24 years. Maybe now you have a bit of a snapshot as to why. We now tend to err on the side of caution. I like my occupation, a lot, and those employees that work in the PF division at PL appreciate their jobs as well. We all simply want to continue doing it.

IMO there's some good stuff coming from PF in 2016 - for the USGT class.

Dale - Protoform

Originally Posted by Kevin K (Post 14417570)

Sticker issue aside is there any chance to get the Mondeo back onto the market? I would love to do up some old school Aussie V8 paint jobs on one. This was one of my all time favorite PF bodies. Maybe an "Old School" or re-release of the older bodies from the BTCC inspired days....Vaxhual, BMW etc etc???

Thanks for all the work over the years Dale cant wait to see what you have out for us next!

Originally Posted by Rich Valente (Post 14437089)

Has anyone had any luck with FF (front-engine, front wheel drive) cars competing with the 4WD touring car chassis in USGT?

I have tried in the past and just could not match the 4WD cars top speed, in both a FF03 and Sakura FF. Racing on a new track this Sunday and curious.

Thanks,

-Rich

Originally Posted by IndyRC_Racer (Post 14425398)

Hpi also had a Ford Mondeo body that they offered in 190mm and 200mm that has long since been discontinued. They also offered several other BTCC bodies.

You might consider contacting HPI about re-releasing those bodies, because they might be better able to acquire licensing due to the size of their company. They also have global markets, so those bodies might also appeal more to their European customers.

Originally Posted by GL73MAN (Post 14459104)

What’s the general impression of the PFM-10 body? I started out running the Z28 and then switched to the Cadillac ATS but I see many people running these super-cars.

Originally Posted by JCarr (Post 14459117)

I like the PFM-10 body, it looks good and handles well. The downfall of it is it is a body tuck machine. Unless you cut the rear wheel arches out really big or use bracing, any contact to the rear of the body causes a tuck. This is just my observations, YMMV. ;)