Hi :
After talking with ED SEXTON from Revell the other day the conversation got me to thinking about this particular subject .So I thought I would share my thoughts with you . Being an old modeler ( no , not just in age ) I have seen many companies come and go as well as hobby shops and their lure to those of us that find tinkering with little parts that build up into our picture of the item that caught our fancy
Now this applies to everyone . Yes, all modelers . We all dream of that perfect kit , coming from our favorite purveyor of those plastic jewels that take our time and money , and in some of us to an obsession . Why do we obsess this way .I don't know , but I bet there's someone out there who thinks there could be a better and more detailed kit of say a F W -190 in a later variant that is not in the stores now .
This is wheret the after-market comes in and what do you know , after hundreds of hours and a few dollars more than you planned , that plane is in your showcase . Now that it's there , what's next ? I believe the same holds true for Armor ,Ship and Car builders too . there is always that elusive kit of your "Holy Grail " machine that you want to get your glue and paint stained hands on .
It may be one you had as a kid just glueing and playing or maybe displaying only , who knows ? We strive for that kit to the bitter end knowing that soon we have to face the reality of the model world where the manufacturers are concerned .
Why ? Well it's almost written in stone to those of us older modelers . If the profit is there to justify the revamping or creation of new molds the companies will respond .Aha! to justify .Now what does that mean say for ship builders .What is the most popular scale in your mind ? Does it jibe with what might come out ? Maybe not . I've acquired specific ships in 1/700 because there was no 1/350 version .Then lo and behold here it comes in glorious 1/350 ! Why ? it's called market demand . In other words enough people bought the 1/700 version to justify the cost of improving and re-releasing a goody or creating a new one from the planning stage .
Do you have any idea how many hours of research , planning and designing went into your new upgraded Tiger tank before you got it ? I bet you don't .You can thank your fellow modelers for the fact you now have that kit in your hands .Then there's this . If you invest say a couple of hundred thousand dollars finding out what is wanted then a couple of hundred thousand more to design ( yes , to create a mold you not only need engineers you need designers ) .Why , well they do their work and this lets the engineers and mold makers know how much can be done on each mold face . Now you have these metal blocks , a female and a male to come together and let molten plastic be injected in under great pressures .
The result ( on trees ) is your model .Yup , all the parts you need to build your little jewel .Then it's test shots to make sure the product measures up .Then the development of instructions and the creation of decals . Let's not forget the box and it's art .After all they do want to catch your eye , therefore your interest in the subject matter . Well , gee that's a lot isn't it .Now to ships .There a plethora of say TITANICS out there all scales .WHY ? simple ,the interest is there .Whereas those of us that would like to see a model of the ANDREA DORIA feel left out . Truth is , like the Moore-Mcormack - S.S.Brasil model Revell did years ago , the interest in the lesser known subjects is very , very small.
Yes , that is a hard and true fact in and of itself If your buying group is not large enough to justify it . Even if the molds are in good enough to use ,you may not see that vessel very often even as a re-release . Why ? simple , Limited market and continually high costs . The cost of a model is something we should think about .Sure there's some that would say , " well , there's not any interest in the DKM TIRPITZ so let's ditch it favor of a liner " . No can do . It's actually the other way around ! Like many companies have the ship , even LINDBERG and in many scales , just because you want to see a liner , "you have to vote with your wallet , not , your heart " Won't work .Why ? Because there is a larger group of BUYERS who'll fork out the dollars , even Benjamins , if it's the model they want in a scale they want and has all the parts for a specific time in the ship's history.
I would NOT like to be the ED SEXTONS of this world .Why , because he knows and works with these facts every day and he would love to accomodate you , but , only if he can show the big guys the dollar return will be worth the effort . Mostly , this is NOT the case .So all you can do is then modify a model yourself or dream and face reality and just keep modeling . After all , maybe when you're old enoigh to appreciate the model , it will show up in time for you to build it before you move your bench to the eternal shop .