Nah! Always been that way mate. Any old monkey can assemble a state-of-the-art Tamigawa, throw in lots of PE and resin, and end up with a reasonable model. I prefer something that's at least accurate in it's basic outline etc, and then be able to make my own detail additions. I think I'd rather spend £10 and 100 hours to make a good replica, than £30 or more, and ten hours!
I will, of course, still buy the more expensive kits if there isn't an alternative, or if the project justifies it, but I got my fingers burned with the Dragon 1/32nd scale P51D just over two years ago. It was £30, quite expensive then (still is) and, although in its basics, a well produced kit, the fit of parts was, quite frankly, bl**dy terrible, and I felt I'd been conned! It's made me wary of all such kits I'm afraid.