The RC2 Corporation announced that it was eliminating all of its die cast collectible vehicle products produced by its Racing Champions, Ertl, Joyride, and AMT divisions with the exception of Ertl's John Deere-licensed die cast farm implements and AMS's Johnny Lightning die-cast cars, which will be targeted toward a younger audience in the future.  RC2 reported that sales for its collectible die cast cars dropped a whopping 40% last year, which coupled with rising prices for zinc led to RC2's decision to concentrate on its Lamaze and Learning Curve brands.

By focusing on its infant and children's toys instead of its collectible products, which are aimed at older customer RC2 has essentially gutted its die-cast business and turned its back on its NASCAR and other licenses, and leaving the vast majority of the licensed die cast business to rivals such as Corgi.  RC2's latest move dovetails with its previously announced plans to eliminate its trading card business (see 'RC2 Sells Its Trading Cards & Collectibles Unit').