The last time I received any parts for my 1:8 scale Ghostbusters Ecto-1 partwork build-up was October 2021. Then, in July 2022, the entire distributor Eaglemoss/Hero Collector just flat went out of business.
Now, after more than a year, our Ecto-1 is returning back to life through Fanhome! And thankfully, they are allowing ex-Eaglemoss subscribers resume our subscriptions from any point – in my case the next shipment will be Issue 29 with Stages 107-110. I actually have Stages 91-106 on hand, but have not built them because I was waiting for the replacement Right Front Door (91A) that never arrived (hopefully in Stage 107).
As of right now, they can only ship to the USA, UK, and Germany. The links to the new sites are found below:
Shipments are expected to begin by July 2023. Additionally, Fanhome has said that FREE GIFTS will be included along the way, but they may be different than what Eaglemoss offered.
I have had a great experience with Fanhome so far and am looking forward to completing my Ecto-1!
UPDATE July 17, 2023:
As promised, the relaunch of this build is now live! We have another update from BAC @ Fanhome with additional details:
Todays the day!
What a difference a year makes, almost to the day after the pervious company folded, we are now finally at the end of the road and the last two collections are going live. Just a quick note to give a rough guide of what will happen today and over the next few weeks. Both collections will be going live today but this does not mean your order will be processed today, we will release orders in batches as not to flood the system but also to check for any errors or bugs (you can never be careful).
While we only have two collections going live, we have two types of customers for each collection based across three countries: · Returning customers – those builders needing to complete the model. · New builders – welcome to the FanHome club  So, in real terms we have 6 mini launches to manage, hence why we release in batches. The goal is to have all accounts live within 2 days (UNLESS something major goes wrong, but nothing did with the last two collections and we are copying the same principle).
Once your account is live the payment process is started – we will request the full amount from your card or payment provider. Depending on if this request is authorised, we can than send your dispatch order to the local warehouse for picking and packing. Please note some providers return times are not always instant but normally within a few hours.
Next the orders will be sent for dispatch, this is where we will most definitely see some delays (no point in sugar coating it) in picking and packing than normal, with a new launch normally the staff will work from one position in the warehouse as everyone starts on the same issue aka stage 1!
The nature of these collections is that we have customers starting from stage 1 upwards. Staff will need to move around more frequently from different locations which all takes time. The warehouse team leaders are making sure we have all staff are on hand and available for the next several weeks.
Customers in the UK also bear in mind that our parcels are shipped from mainland Europe so will take up to 18 days to reach you once the parcel has (as Elvis would say) left the building. We use Royal mail to deliver our parcels in the UK and we are not able to provide tracking as the parcel needs to cross the border and change hands to the new courier. Therefore, taking all into account parcels will not start reaching customers for at least 2-3 weeks at the earliest. We ask for your patience, check your portal weekly for the most recent updates on your order/parcel.
A small request, please do not call our support team to ask for delivery updates they can only provide the same information as shown in the portal. Of course, contact our team if you have any questions e.g. payment/methods/declines/returns/missing items etc.
There is over 7k orders to be handed today hence the update above to give you some understanding of the project at hand. Yup the collections are live, but the real work starts TODAY! |
UPDATE July 10, 2023:
With only a week to go before this model resumes distribution, we received a quick update from BAC at Fanhome:
WOW with only a week to go before we launch this collection, lets reflect on what has happened and also a thank you for the support and understanding from the groups as a whole.
Especially while we sorted out the stock, licenses, copyrights etc., the feedback as been overwhelming supportive and we would like to acknowledge that with a huge THANK YOU!
With that being said it has come to my attention that we have a small delay in some of the reprinted booklets reaching the warehouse in time for the launch.
Anyone who is affected will be emailed by Thursday to let you know that there will be a 3 week delay before your parcel is dispatched. While this news will not delight, please bear in mind the enormity of the situation that we need to resolve and just one delayed truck has now impacted some returning customers.
I can not share the list of customers here but we are speaking of a very small number and if you are affected you will be contacted by the end of this week.
Kind regards BAC |
UPDATE June 22, 2023:
DeAgostini (the parent company behind Fanhome) will be releasing the Ecto-1 in Italy coming up in September 2023.
You can pre-order right now here: DeAgostini Italy!
UPDATE May 25, 2023:
Fanhome has said that returning US/UK/DE ex-Eaglemoss customers will have until around the end of 2023 to re-subscribe. This is to allow for excess stock to be released in other countries. If you have not subscribed yet and plan on it, now would be the time. If needed, you can subscribe and contact Customer Service to put up to 3-months hold on your deliveries.
UPDATE May 2, 2023:
The Ecto-1 is now available for pre-order (new customers) and re-subscribe (returning customers) in the US/UK/DE! I have signed back up and if you are doing the same, head on over to Fanhome.com!
UPDATE April 12, 2023:
Fanhome has announced that this build will be available for PRE-ORDER on April 26, 2023 in the US/UK/DE. At that point, we should be able to use the links above to re-subscribe. The expected shipping start date for these subscriptions is in July 2023.
Also, they have confirmed that the replacement Right Front Door (91A without the side mirror) *will* be supplied in Stage 107 as expected!
UPDATE April 24, 2023:
Fanhome is still expecting that pre-orders for the Ecto-1 will open on the 26th of April. They are awaiting approval from the copyright holders and their marketing teams are actively working with them to get it done in time. If there is a delay, it will be a very short one.
UPDATE April 27, 2023:
We now have word that the Ecto-1 will open up for pre-order and re-subscribing on May 2nd. The shipping start date is tentatively set for July 17th of this year.
UPDATE May 2, 2023:
Fanhome has now opened up the Ghostbusters Ecto-1 for pre-order and re-subscribing. If you are continuing an existing build, be sure to scroll down to the Continue My Subscription button to select the issue you want to start from. I am excited to get this build underway again!
In regards to the replacement Right Front Door (91A) that was supposed to arrive with Stage 107, Fanhome says they are working this out and that you should re-subscribe from your last received issue regardless.