Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/12/07

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Subject: [Leica] Franklin Mint......(was black paint)
From: Bill Erfurth <m6rf@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 7 Dec 1999 21:20:33 -0800 (PST)

B.D. Colen wrote:
...(And, yes, if I had the disposable
photo income and
was going to buy a new body, I might pay a SMALL
premium-
$100-200 - for
black pain - ;-) ) HOWEVER...Yet another finish is NOT
the
way to make any
real changes in the company in long-term survival,
growth,
etc.

- - - - - - - - - - - 

What I like most about B.D. is that he is a master of
understatement.

In my opinion, what Leica has produced is the Franklin
Mint edition of the M6TTL.  This thing is going to go
down in Leica history at the M6TTL-MT---the M.T.
stands for Millennium Turkey...and at $2795 a shot, it
should also be known as the "Hello Sucker" model.
That's $800 to $1,000 over the going price for a
regular M6TTL. What have those people been smoking?

You have heard that Leica has a warehouse full of R8s
well, I would not be surprised if the warehouse next
door is filled with failed M6 collectables like the
Danish Wedding one, or the Anton Brukner one, or the
Jubilee, and on and on.  I feel that the public has
had it with these contrived collectables.

As harsh as this may sound, I truly believe that the
marketing department and new products depart at Leica
Camera is incapable of creative and/or original 
thought.

Now, here is the bottom line, one of us is right and
one of us is wrong.  Either Leica is right because
they have God's gift to the world of marketing working
for them and this thing is going to be a roaring
success; or, I am right and next year at this time you
will be able to open up the December 2000 issue of
Shutterbug Magazine and see the dealers who got
suckered into buying these things still trying to get
rid of them.

Time will tell.

Best wishes to all for a great holiday season.


Regards,

Bill





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