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The Motor Pool Interviews

The Motor Pool Interviews

An online interview is a form of online research method. It takes many of the methodological issues raised in traditional face to face or F2F interviews and transfers these online with some key differences. It principally focuses on the conduct of one-to-one exchanges as one-to-many exchanges are usually called online focus groups. There are different forms of online interviews: synchronous online interviews (for example via chat technology) and asynchronous online interviews (for example via email). In addition, online interviews can be distinguished according to the number of interviewees that participate, as online interviews can be conducted in a group setting or one a one-to-one basis.


Manufacturer Interviews

Minichamps
If you are not familiar with the Minichamps brand, you should be. Just as Mercedes Benz, BMW and Porsche have become the de facto standards amongst the German automotive market, so too has Minichamps in the diecast industry, where these very same leveraged brands take on added meaning to collectors, world over. In a relatively short period of time, Minichamps has risen to a level of par excellence, thanks in part to a savvy business model many have envied but few have replicated. And, in a climate of growing economic uncertainty, Minichamps continues to blaze ahead, daring their competitors to keep up or drop back while they themselves take the hairpin curves at full speed. Read more...

Hobby Master
In today's military-themed diecast marketplace, there aren't many manufacturers that can claim to have stuck to their production schedule with almost religious zeal. Steadily churning out a diet of replica armored fighting vehicles and military aircraft for the better part of two years, newcomer Hobby Master has, by popular consensus, surpassed even the most stalwart model makers of years past to become one of the premiere makers of pre-assembled military hardware. Now poised to dominate the diminutive landscape, we thought it high time to delve a little deeper into the inner workings of this high-flying model maker, and in so doing, find out how this Hong Kong-based manufacturer has risen to the pinnacle of success in such a short period of time. Read more...

Warfighter Interviews

Lieutenant Commander Arnold "Mike" Granat, USN (ret)
In our seventeen years of doing business on the Internet, we recognize that we sometimes cross paths with people we might never rub elbows with in real life. Several years ago, Robert Morgan, the pilot of the famed B-17 Flying Fortress 'Memphis Belle', turned to us to purchase a replica of his aircraft offered by The Franklin Mint. At the time, we had the opportunity to talk with him at length but declined to do so, perhaps out of timidity and quite possibly from fear of speaking with someone possessing such a storied past. Instead, we offered to sell some of his signed autobiographies, which were instantly gobbled up by fellow aviation enthusiasts. Read more...

Enthusiast Interviews

John Kenny, Lieutenant (O-3), USN, Captain (O-3), ANG (ret)
Having been in business now for over a decade, we've always found that the most memorable moments have occurred when a fellow collector shares their personal stories and insights into what got them started collecting diecast memorabilia. Oftentimes, the hobby serves as an extension of their personal or professional lives, helping them relive past events, recollections or tales from a three-dimensional standpoint, no book, documentary or movie could ever hope to satisfy. In other instances, the hobby serves as a connection to the past, bringing back fond memories of sharing the build of a model with a warm-hearted journeyman. Read more...