They have them, I’m sure of it. All businesses have meetings, and they all stink.
In the case of scale model moulding plants the most important decisions are taken at these meetings, and most of them are held just before lunch when everyone is too hungry to think straight, or just after lunch when they are too full to think at all. It explains a number of kits on the market.
As far as the decision on what kit to mould, this is simple; another repeat of whatever has been selling for the past four decades ( Hint: the Messerstangfire has leapt off the shelves since 1952. Just mould a different scale and it’ll keep weeping money…).
Either that, or a completely unknown variant of a prototype that never actually made it off the pages of What If Weekly in 1963. Something that can be boxed in different markings for different destinations and never be recognised by anyone. The only selling point it will have is that it will stay on the shelves until everything else is exhausted.
This may sound cynical, but walk down the aisle of your favourite hobby shop and try to recognise half of the plastic you see. If it is from eastern Europe you’ll be doing well if you get one in ten.
Back to the meeting. Someone will raise the question of parts numbers. One is a number, as is two, but in staff meetings these are always multiplied by a factor of 50 x or 100 x to make the kits sound like they are good value. If the company were to mould a model of a coach bolt it would have 23 parts and come in four liveries.
The box top artist must always be consulted at these meetings. That is why they bring them in a portable carrying cage and use a sharp stick. One poke for yes, two pokes for no.
But all good things must come to an end, and eventually the workers must return to the production line before the machines catch fire. The progress of the company has been charted and it will be smooth sailing until the next tsunami.
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