Quote - the scale model producers have the same problem  lockheed and boeing just want a percntage
from the sale of a model .

 

From what I've read, its not that they want a percentage, they want a fixed fee plus a percentage. The fixed fees are in the six figures (at least), which may be acceptable for Mattel who might make 100,000 units of Barbies M1A2Sep, but turn out to be prohibitive for plastic model makers, wargame miniatures companies, and places like turbo-squid. From what I understand, a good run on a plastic model might be 10,000. I spent a fair amount of time trying to find a Stryker model, and couldn't.

This is why nearly all the Abrams models are M1A1s, the F-16s are A and B models etc.

In the past, the munitions companies, as well as the car companies, viewed plastic models as free advertising (either for the newest models, or at least for brand recognition.)