I know many of you have been wondering what's up with Corgi...and so have I...

Well, here it is, right from the horse's mouth at Corgi USA...

For the Heroes Under Fire Series for2007...

The Pirsch Pumper for Waukesha has been pushed back until 2008...

The Seagrave Sweetheart Grill and Mack L for Boston have been dropped...but...could...and I said could...be put back in the line IF there was 'enough interest to generate at least 1,500 pieces in sales'...

The Annandale 700 Series ALF could...and here we go again...could...be dropped to substitute one of the above mentioned pieces...

Everything else (and that's not much, folks) that is in the Heroes Under Fire section of the 2007 catalog will be produced, but it will be late.

More on this in my column, but I thought you'd like a heads up due to the previous posts.

Larry Phillips
TOY TRUCKER Magazine

Location: North Dakota

Thanx for the info/update Larry. One question, you mention the Annandale ALF 700...it's not in the "new for 2007" section on Corgi's page...Is this also pushed back to 2008?

Location: Baltimore

My contact at Corgi USA stated it's still a 'go' for 2007...but it could still be pulled for one of the Pirsch's...

It's quite a story, and everything I was told by the Corgi spokesperson made absoulte sense...

But they are not at liberty to disclose why or where, meaning I can't share that either (in my column)...

The fact that some items have been pushed into 2008 means to me, and, to 'read between the lines', there will at least BE a 2008 Fire Program for Corgi.

The new person that is heading up the fire program is very open to suggestions, but they have to be backed up with substantiation...and then dollars from the collectors. My impression in our two-way conversation was that if a release would just about all but guarantee a 1,500 piece sellout run, it would be very, very seriously considered.

More in my column...

Larry Phillips
TOY TRUCKER Magazine

Location: North Dakota

Encourage them to do the sweetheart grill Seagrave, Larry! You've got my vote on that one! Nobody has done the waterfall grill Seagrave yet either! That would be kool!

Thanks Larry. Corgi still needs to work on their 'accessory' tooling - namely the deluge gun on the Mack C. That piece (Mack C) looked like it was a struggle to get out in the first place. I applaud them for retooling the cab to get the warning and turn signals in the correct position and the sort of right wheel sets. Still, it was missing booster reels.

I'd love for them to do a Chicago version of the Mack C, with the Mars Aurora Light on top (like the Seagrave and Mack). I would be in for a Boston Seagrave, too. I would also like to see them tool a Seagrave J/K tractor and produce some TDA's

This minimum order number is no surprise - this has been happening in the 'O' gauge train industry, which has been trying to relieve a glut of product in the marketplace. This also avoids 'blow-out pricing' when a product has had a more than too long a 'shelf life'.

Again the Boston and New England area gets left out.First the Lawrence MA.Mack CF {my opinion would have soldout} and now the Seagrave SweetheartGrille pumper and maybe the L Mack.Do they take a poll of an area to see if sales would be profitable?How do other`s on this board feel about the elimination of the Boston truck`s? Larry hope you are getting better each day

Location: Amesbury Mass

With the elimination of the Boston Seagrave, & "delay" of the Waukesha Pirsch, they have also eliminated the only 2 Corgi purchases I had planned on.

Hope the person you talked with was more aware of the
events than the one who wrote me 2 months ago.
She was telling me the Seagrave was coming on end of
April and now this model is deleted and also the Peter Pirsh from Memphis will be made before summer holidays...
I'm not sure there was not at least 1500 items in preorder for the Seagrave Sweetheat but perhaps is it due to the increase of final price.
Yes perhaps will it be some fire models next year;
the ones of this year
Sure if there is a Seagrave Boston seagrave I'm in also.

Patrick.

Location: Belgium

A main regret of mine is that Corgi has not seen fit lately to depart from the "Pumper Format", and engage in a straight-frame, midship aerial (in the case of either the open-cab ALF 700 or Seagrave Anniversary), or a Quad (with either of the two aforementioned chassis or the Seagrave Sweetheart).

We've had several Tractor-Drawn Aerials/Ladder Trucks, but no straight-frames.

Have a look at John Ackerman's scratchbuilt ALF 700 Quad in the latest VF, THEN tell me that wouldn't make a great, and sought-after, model.

Location: Owen Sound, Ont.