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I don't see how Umarex is trying to "cash in" on the Walther name when they don't even use it. I've shot the Colt/Umarex 1911-22 at my local range. All the slide rollmarks say "Colt", and the box says Umarex USA. The advertising plays up the fact that the guns are built under license from Colt.
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Referring to the "Walther" P22, not the Colt pistol. Umarex has been evasive in the past about how/where this P22 is made. I'm not going to dig this up, but there are a number of threads over at Waltherforums.com (a fantastic forum full of great guys, by the way) that you can search.
Basically, Umarex's responce when asked where the P22 is made is "Made in Germany by Walther." However, several forum members there have been to Walther's Ulm factory and can confirm that the P22 is not manufactured there. Furthermore, the proofmarks on P22s verify that they are proofed in Cologne, not too far from the Umarex factory in Arnsberg. All Ulm-manufactured Walther pistols are proofed in Ulm and carry the "staghorn" proofmark.
This is only one example - Umarex produces an entire line of H&K rimfires that have "Manufactured by Carl Walther/Ulm" printed on them that are not manufactured in Ulm. The proofmarks bear this out as well.
Now technically, since Umarex is the parent company of Walther, they can do all of this legally. But I for one still find it rather deceptive, since the Walther name indicates a level of quality far above what one actually receives from the potmetal P22. Of course, every industry does this - it's called "brand engineering." By definition, it means "cashing in" on an established name.
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Obviously, a .22 plinker doesn't NEED an ordnance steel frame or slide ... so they don't spend the money to provide one. I don't have a problem with that.
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Unfortunately, this logic is flawed by the fact that steel Ruger .22 pistols can be found for the same price or less than zinc-alloy "potmetal" P22s. Also, it would appear that higher-quality metal is indeed needed (even in a rimfire .22) if you want a pistol that will last over the long run. A steel Ruger will last a lifetime; there are many, many stories floating aound of P22s that were rendered useless after as few as a few thousand rounds. The softer alloys just do not hold up over time.
Please don't take this the wrong way. I know that many folks like the look and feel of the P22, and have a lot of fun with them. But for the price, there are more durable, reliable, and accurate guns out there. And I am certainly not a Walther-hater. I own a 9mm P99AS (the gun the P22 copies the looks of) and it is by far the most reliable and high-quality pistol I've ever owned. I think that is why the stories about the Umarex P22 aggravate me so much. Unfortunately, or many people, the P22 will be their first exposure to this great line of products, and it's low quality will no doubt cause many folks to tune out on the truly great pistols beling produced by Walther at Ulm.