silly priced model kits !!

[rochie]

i've been watching 2 x 1/48 Westland Whirlwind kits by Classic Airframes on ebay, 1 sold for £81.99 the other for £120.00 plus postage, buyers must have really wanted them kits !!!!!!

i wonder if manufacturers saw what people are willing to pay why not re-release them i'm sure they would be snapped up like Eduards Tempest kit recently ?

 

[Wurger]

Well, it is possible the manufacturer doesn't exist any longer and the kit moulds has been scrapped.

 

[rochie]

possibly, be a shame though

 

[meatloaf109]

This is why we need to start writing various manufacturers urging the reissue of some old favorites. There is a real nostalga thing going on, all us old farts trying to grab some of our childhoods again. After all, the kit makers aren't getting the money from the E-bay sales.

 

[Capt. Vick]

Or what about books? Monogram's Japanese Aircraft Interiors by Robert Mikesh goes for an obscene amount of money on the second hand market and when I contacted Eagle Editions LTD. (whom owns the rights) they said it is not in a readily printable format at this time and there are no immediate plans to republish. What? It's gold mine! And then there is the first volume of Luftwaffe Camouflage Markings (the one released this century), why has that not been reissued? Another money maker judging by what people pay on say eBay!

 

[Lucky13]

Or why don't them BIG names release them in 'normal' kit form, for a decent price? Would love to see Revell do a 1/48 Whirlwind, probably wouldn't be near as expensive as if TamiGawa would do it, I'm sure that Airfix would do a half decent job as well and I'm pretty sure that she would sell too!

 

[Airframes]

Those people who are willing to pay silly money for a kit are welcome to it - although of course that sort of practice can often push up the prices of out of production kits. I can only think they have more money than sense!
What really annoys me, is the current and growing habit of one or two major manufacturers steadily increasing prices way beyond the actual value of a kit, and more so when that kit is a re-release of a not long withdrawn item.
An example could be, say a 1/48th Bf109, perhaps withdrawn around two years ago, when it was priced at around the £15 to £18 mark. It is now re-released - exactly the same kit, but with different decals, and new box art - but is now priced at around £45 to £50 - for a 1/48th scale fighter!!
That is really taking the p*** !!!
And I won't buy the excuse that the price of oil has affected production and raw material costs - not when a certain German-based company can turn out superb, highly detailed 1/32nd scale kits, where their large aircraft are cheaper, in this large scale, than a 1/48th scale fighter-sized aircraft kit from the aforementioned companies.
There are some close similarities here to the Japanese car imports (into the UK at least) in the early 1970s, when cars that were superior in finish and specification to their European counterparts, hit the market at substantially less cost than those counterparts, thereby establishing a foothold which eventually became a beach-head,then a 'breakout', followed by partial occupation, when prices started to rise alongside greater acceptance of the product, which eventually lead to market domination, at the cost of domestic manufacturing.
It's therefore fantastic that the above German-based company can turn out kits which not only equal, but often exceed the quality and detail of these other mentioned companies - and with new kits, not re-hashed kits from 10 or 20 year mould designs - and I hope they continue to do so, 'cos I'm b*ll*xed if I'm willing to pay these stupid prices if there are good alternatives around !

 

[stona]

I'm currently building a Tamiya 1/48 Lancaster which has been in my stash for .....ahem......a few years.
It's essentially a kit from 1975 and currently retails in the UK for around £70-£80. That is daylight robbery.

As for books,I'm in the fortunate position of having bought books at reasonable prices that now sell for ludicrous sums. I'm not planning on selling them any time soon but they've only been surpassed as an investment by the dozen bottles of original formula Klear I have in the top of a wardrobe. I've seen that selling for £50 a bottle! Madness,it's just acrylic varnish.

Steve

 

[Airframes]

Fifty quid!!!?? Now that is daft!
Must admit though, just as the 'old' stuff was disappearing, I found a market stall that still had some, and meant to buy a couple of bottles, but didn't bother, as I thought I had enough to last a year or more - until I knocked over the newest bottle, and lost half the contents! Just used the last of it a week or so ago, so now have to 'try' the 'new' stuff I bought a couple of months back. But fifty quid .... there are some sad, sad people about these days!!
And that Lanc - I built it back in about '78, and thought it over-priced even then. Now, the average price is nearer £90 - for a pretty mediocre kit. Be nice if Revell released one, along with a Halifax ......

 

[N4521U]

Sometimes I have to think it's not the kits that get Built that keeps the kit makers alive.
It's the Stashes around the world that keep the production lines going.
They can't rely on me to help, that's fer Dang sure.

 

[Lucky13]

Too right old boy! I'm sure that not only would Revell make a decent kit, I'm also sure that it would be priced so that a mere mortal could afford to buy the kit!

 

[Matt308]

I'm not planning on selling them any time soon but they've only been surpassed as an investment by the dozen bottles of original formula Klear I have in the top of a wardrobe. I've seen that selling for £50 a bottle! Madness,it's just acrylic varnish.

Steve

You have gotta be effing me!?!? Send me a note and you and I will go into business. With my ability to supply you with legal floor wax we'll be known as the UK/US Klear/Future Decal Glitterati, counting our money, ogling our hot geeky women and lamenting the 1970s kits.

 

[Airframes]

This I like - let's get the business going !

 

[stona]

You have gotta be effing me!?!? Send me a note and you and I will go into business. With my ability to supply you with legal floor wax we'll be known as the UK/US Klear/Future Decal Glitterati, counting our money, ogling our hot geeky women and lamenting the 1970s kits.

It is incredible.

Some seem unaware that the original formula is still available in the US and elsewhere. Many also imagine it to be some form of universal panacea for all their modelling woes as opposed to a floor polish doubling as an acrylic varnish.

I actually gave away a couple of bottles before I saw some go on evil-bay for £54. I may not be so noble in the future (no pun intended)

As for that Tamiya Lancaster I agree with "Airframes". It is hugely over priced and is a VERY average kit. It's been fighting me all the way. I knew things weren't going well when I had to remove all the locating pins to get the fuselage halves to line up. It's taken two entire evenings to fit the nacelles to the wings and I haven't started on the engine covers........horrible.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Lucky13]

Let's take over Airfix and do a proper 1/48 Lancaster, Halifax and Stirling (to start with anyway)!

 

[tigerdriver]

Just been " perusing " ebay for some ideas for a possible stab at the between the wars GB

Some of the prices are eye watering for kits which dont seem anything special at all ...

All about supply and demand i suppose ... Shame Hannants website is so clunky

 

[fubar57]

Anarchy in the modeling world, I like it!.....relevant prices, greater variety in the larger scales etc. I nominate Terry for King and I'll be Minister in Charge of Super Models Posing with Preview Models.

Geo

 

[Lucky13]

Not only do I wonder about the fairy tale land prices of things, clearly, these people have either smoked magic mushrooms, eaten happy brownies or anything similar, but why is there so few aircraft from the Golden Era of the 20's and 30's in the larger scales, especially 1/48?

 

[meatloaf109]

Testors has the old "Hawk" molds for some of the golden age of racing planes.

 

[tigerdriver]

Not only do I wonder about the fairy tale land prices of things, clearly, these people have either smoked magic mushrooms, eaten happy brownies or anything similar, but why is there so few aircraft from the Golden Era of the 20's and 30's in the larger scales, especially 1/48?

Looking ahead to the next GB i am finding this very disappointing too ...