Re: Viewmaster

[P3D P3D Mary Ann & Wolfgang Sell <vmmasell@xxxxxxxxx>]

P3D Sam Smith wrote:
> 
> Regarding Wolfgang's comment:
> 
> >View-Master is still around and doing well, all the others are gone with
> >the wind (Realist, TDC, Kodak Stereo Division, etc.). So please don't
> >get down on the last large scale 3-D company in the WORLD. They were the
> >only ones smart enough to survive. Don't you think if 3-D were a real
> >market place for adults that camera shops would still be selling a
> >"Realist" style camera. Being SMART and being able to read market
> >conditions is a sign of a well run company. View-Master found their
> >nitch to survive !!! Where are the others ??????? Maybe the should have
> >looked at the toy market.
> 
> What a load of Rubbish !!!!
> 
> Is " survival" the only essential ingredient to stereo photography? Tyco is
> a toy company not a 3-D company at all, and I couldn't give a damn how large
> it is. Where are the new viewmaster cameras ? 

Ok...show another company that was in business then that is still making
ANY 3-D Product!!!

> Are their world tour views still around? No.

Yes!!!  Just get a listing from Charley Van Pelt of all the scenic
library titles available!!!  You can also get them from Worldwide
Slides, Christan & Scenic Publications and the N.S.A.  Many attractions
still sell View-Master reels on site.
> 
> If these guys were serious about promoting 3D, they'd have more serious
> stereographers taking serious subjects as Jamie Drouin is doing.

And who is going to buy these reels, at what cost and how can they
distribute them???  When the N.S.A. can't sell a thousand reels to their
4000+ members who else is going to buy them? Have you bought them?????
It's hard to run a company for 1000 or less people and not go bankrupt.
If you can't see this you know nothing about business. You have to go
where the market is.
> 
> It's obvious you have a bias to viewmaster because you sell them. 

We don't "sell" them, we "collect" them.  We sometimes have duplicates
for sale, but we do not do this as a "business".  Our affection for this
product is something we've come to appreciate since childhood (for me at
least) and has nothing to do with selling them.

> I personally like Viewmaster for what it was, but as far as todays  "product",
> I wish they HAD gone under with the rest of them.

Well, that's one of you.  I still say any 3-D is better than no 3-D at
all!!!  I think View-Master is doing the best they can considering the
marketplace at the present time.  I give "hats off" to Tyco just for
keeping the product alive (they could have discontinued it in 1989 when
they bought the company from View-Master International).  Remember, the
company could not make it as GAF or View-Master/Ideal.  


Mary Ann Sell
View-Master Fan Forever

:::::::::

Mary Ann; You have made some good points:

View-Master is in business to make a profit, not to satisfy someone's ego by
putting out product that only a select few will buy.

That they have found their niche and have managed to survive is just
something in it's self when you consider all the company they started with.
Keystone was still in business when Sawyers started ViewMaster, Realist was
yet to come, Kodak was still to really gear up for the 50's boom, and so on.

As you have noted on several occasions recently, when we in NSA do not even
support ourselves by buying out the 1000 NSA Connvention Reel Packets or
even the single reel Charley put out for Milwaukee in 94, how can we expect
ViewMaster to put out on the market other new "World Tour" reels or other
products?

We can fuss and fume all we want about what ViewMaster is doing now in the
kiddie market to stay in business, but also must ask what have we done to
show them that we will support their current products where they intersect
with our interests.
 
Collecting or writing about ViewMaster's early reels, packets, viewers,
projectors and cameras does nothing for their business today.

If you want ViewMaster to survive and move back into the adult markets you
will have to support the product and the company with business today. If you
want Charley Van Pelt, World Wide Slides, Christian & Scenic Publications,
other dealers (there are a few) and the tourist outlets to continue to sell
the current packets and get new ones updated and made you need to support
them now! 

Mary Ann, I know that you have worked with Harry zur Kleinsmiede in putting
out your book about viewers, how many of the other followers of this website
have purchased and supported the very fine work Harry is doing at his 3-D
Book Productions? By supporting him, i.e. buying any of his dozen or more
booklets, you support "adult" ViewMaster also. How many have supported
Kujack Studio's "Minature Rooms Vol. 1". How many have purchased Jmaie's
"Mandate of Heaven Reel"? How many have purchased the new "Branson,
Missouri" packet? A few days ago someone posted to this website how the man
who put out the two packets and single reel of Hot Rods ("Street Rods #1",
"Street Rods #2" and "Street Rods 1934 Ford") lost it on those reels and
packets, who supported him? Will he do it again? Did any one else get
"Claymation Easter" by Will Vinton Studios? No, I did not subscribe to the
Pittsburgh Newpapers to get "Super Steelers" reel. (I got mine from you in
San Antonio). Having a sellout of any of these packets or reels will
ViewMaster we support thier product. Not having a sellout also sends a
message. Anybody bought an "adult" black or brown viewer latley?

My wife, grandson and I went from Fort Worth to Rochester and back by the
long routes, stopping at Graceland, where I got some of the Graceland
packets, and when we stopped at other tourist attractions on the way up I
tried to get some other packets, but no one has them. On the way home we
stopped only at St. Louis and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
(other wise known as the "Arch") and I tried to get some of the Packets
there, but they are out. If nothing else just by asking for the packets, I
hope I created an awarness at the places we visited that someone wanted 3-D
views of those places.

You have since noted Charley is trying to get together with "Arch" to make a
new packet. I hope he does as the old packet has some dated pictures in it,
(I have one), and if he does I'll be among the first to get the new one from
him. (Please tell him to get a good shot of Eads Bridge on it).

I, for one am glad View-Master is still in business, I'd rather they would
be able to do business as they did in the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's with
world travel reels, educational reels, viewers, stereo cameras, flat and
stereo projectors and so on.

But as long as they do continue do some reels, packets and viewers that
cross my interests I'll do what I can to support them. I'll even travel a
couple of hundred extra miles to get a packet of Graceland (Yeah, it's much
more fun than mailing off for it and we did take the tours at Graceland, but
it was over a three hour wait to go to the top of the Arch so we passed that
one up).

This is long enough from my soapbox, but it's my two cents worth.

ViewMaster fan

Bob Shotsberger

 



 





 


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