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Ertl RC2 To Cease Production of New Diecast Cars

ertl logoErtl Corp. has announced that they will suspend production of new diecast cars but will deliver all 'Authentics' models currently in development. Apparently the market is no longer profitable enough to sustain production. While some exciting new products are forthcoming, it's a shame to see one of the pioneers of American diecast muscle cars put the brakes on further work. Many collectors felt this coming and had hoped to see more limited editions and less mult-color, unlimited releases from Ertl but it's apparently too late. It should be interesting to see what this does to the market and how other makes respond. Will others step in to fill the void, or will the demand for second-hand Ertl models increase? In related news, Maisto has similarly announced their intention to abandon new production for 2007 and will deliver only those products presently in development but they reportedly do intend to resume production if supply costs ease up in the future. Those days of vast production numbers and multiple colors per mold appear to be over. Is that a bad thing?