Does anyone here remember "IMC the Company"

[Tanque]

Does anyone here remember the failed attempt at marketing a 1/8 scale Caterpillar D11 model back in the mid 1980s into the early 2000s? The firm was named "International Machinery Company" or IMC The Company for short.

They were to produce a marvelous 1/8 scale all steel models powered be a custom 4 cyclinder 4 cycle engine with fully functional hydraulics, blade, ripper and a tailor made RC system all for the 'introductory price of (I recall) $3500 or thereabouts.

There aren't many references to these folks left on the 'net but here's one: https://spinoff.nasa.gov/spinoff1996/44.html The only other reference I was able to find is essentially a YouTube version of the above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu-_iN0Ff88. I (JerryC) replied in the comments of this video.


The model was to be distributed by Caterpillar dealers and made under license. I was one who put a deposit down and at the time I'd checked with Caterpillar and their licensing group confirmed that IMC did indeed have a license to use their name and paint color on their products.

I still have my little card that indictaed the serial number of my impending model and I may still have a brochure somewhere; at one time I even had a VHS tape of their prototype running and other marketing stuff. They were in a constant state of seeking 'permanent funding'.

At one point in late 200 they said production was imminent and asked all of us to submit the balance of our orders. Shortly after due to the passing of my father I needed to pull back from this project and asked for a full refund as they always said we could do at any time. To my knowledge I was one of a very few or perhaps the only one who actually received a refund. IMC ceased to exist shortly after. They had moved from their original location and possibly had had a loss of original founding members over the years leading up to the collapse but I believed in the beginning they were well intentioned about the project.

I'd enjoy hearing from others on this and hearing or reading more details about what went wrong with them...although I have my own ideas in that regard.

Jerry