model pricing

Cars typically have fewer parts unless you're building a Tamiya car kit. You also have to take into consideration scale. The smaller the scale the

Parts count has nothing to do with price, its what the mfr sets as MSRP which includes the costs of production, packaging, marketing and transportation.

A comparison is what the average fisherman has seen. I can remember when I could fill my tacklebox with lures from mfrs such as Rapala and Mepps for less than $20.00. Today its not unusual to drop that much on a single lure! Which is hard to justify spending when you figure it could be lost on the first cast! Probably why I fish with the basics...worm, hook, sinker and bobber.

A good fishing rod and reel combo...used to run $30-75, now you can't get that same quality for less than $100. Hobbies are expensive, but so is the cost of everyday living when you break it down.

I was an avid hunter and fisherman when I lived in Montana. I'd spend at least 30 days a year just hunting big game. For me it was definitely an affordable hobby, my freezer was always filled with meat...money otherwise spent at the meat counter at the grocery store was cut to almost nill and I was in the good physical condition.

I probably spend less now on scale modeling than before, not because of kits prices are so high, just that there are fewer that I want or must have. I'm content building what I have in the stash or divert my time to other hobbies such as photography...even digital photography can be an expensive hobby...if you want good equipment you must pay for it.

Some find paying $120 for a Trumpeter 1:48 scale model expensive...try spending $1600 for a good utility zoom lens! There are cheaper lenses just as their are cheaper kits...you have to be keen on your product knowledge to avoid spending too much or too little to get the quality you desire.

Many variables at play on model pricing.

Does the aircraft kit contain photo etch (PE) details?

How new are the moldings (masters) as many car model are older molding reissued & re-boxed. Some 'belly up' manufactures sell off masters to other companies, significantly reducing their research & development costs. To add to the fray some models are copied directly in countries with no copy right laws, taking profits from the manufacture who invested in the original masters.

Another consideration is options in the kit. Many aircraft kits offer different versions, optional ordinance & a few different versions. Really advanced aircraft kits contain 'color zoom PE' and even resin details like cockpits & seats, all with the optional decals in the same box!

Yes you are correct in saying the all might supply / demand curve comes into play. It effects every consumer product in the free world.

For good deals stop by a model contest or hobby show. Vendors both commercial & private sell kits at huge discounts at these events. Don't forget to buy door prize tickets, they usually pay off nicely.

The simplest answer:

Planes are WAAAAY cooler than cars!!!

fermis

The simplest answer:

Planes are WAAAAY cooler than cars!!!

I always look for sales and subscribe to several internet model sites. There's always deals to be found. Saw a HobbyBoss A-10 (normally a $80 kit) for $28 today. There's always sales going on somewhere.

plumline

Hello all, I think this has been talk about before why is it I can go buy a car model for say 25.00 dollars a 1/48 scale and go buy a airplane model the same scale and that model will cost me around 40.00 dollars .  Now let me say the airplane a tamiya or hasegawa I am using for an example.  I believe the car model will have larger parts count then say the tamiya or hasegawa sometimes the car model will have extra parts to make to different versions. To me the car model should cost more.  Is it  the demand or because of the manufacture is overseas.

I didn't know they made car models in 1/48? And if so, I'd expect they'd be cheaper than an aircraft, seeing as they'd be much smaller kits.

As for price...I know next to nothing about car models. I tried to build a few as a kid...and I love real cars...but the model versions just never clicked with me. But my perception is that many car kits are rather simple and more geared toward the casual modeler (or eager kid) than aircraft and especially armor and ships. I know that's not entirely the case, and that some manufacturers push their car kits to the nines (Tamiya comes to mind...), I'm just going off the selection I see at Hobby Lobby, Hobbytown and my LHS. 

As for aircraft (and any model kit I suppose)...there are too many variables to count. Scale, manufacturer, complexity of the molds. Age of the molds. Included PE/masks/multiple marking options/resin. I mean, at full retail, you can buy a 1/48 B-25 bomber for $25, while a tiny Storch observation plane will set you back around $50.

Hawkeye is very right to compare kits to photography gear:

- The "good stuff" can get pricey, be it a brilliant lens, full-frame body, or new-tool 1/32 kit.

- There are bargains (the $100 Nikkor 50mm prime lens is an amazing piece of glass).

- A novice may not be able to take advantage of the "good stuff". 

- Someone who really knows what they're doing can take the base level stuff and produce results that outshine an average user with the best gear/kit. See some of the results people get with pinhole cameras/iPhones/anything that Fermis builds...

Medicman71

 

fermis:

 

The simplest answer:

Planes are WAAAAY cooler than cars!!!

 

 

I always look for sales and subscribe to several internet model sites. There's always deals to be found. Saw a HobbyBoss A-10 (normally a $80 kit) for $28 today. There's always sales going on somewhere.

That and...there's a chance I might own a vintage Porsche 911 one day. There's pretty much zero chance I will ever own a P-47. 

And yes...sales. In my opinion, if you're paying $40 for a 1/48 plane...unless it's one of maybe four kits...you're just getting screwed. Always shop around, keep an eye out for sales and discounts. Last week Squadron had a one-day, 40% off everything sale. Dragon USA routinely sells $60 kits for $25-30 online. During the holidays, it gets even more ridiculous.

Local shops can sometimes have pretty great sales, too. I happened to swing by my LHS on Good Friday, and they were having an unannounced 25% off everything sale. 

plumline

Hello all, I think this has been talk about before why is it I can go buy a car model for say 25.00 dollars a 1/48 scale and go buy a airplane model the same scale and that model will cost me around 40.00 dollars .  Now let me say the airplane a tamiya or hasegawa I am using for an example.  I believe the car model will have larger parts count then say the tamiya or hasegawa sometimes the car model will have extra parts to make to different versions. To me the car model should cost more.  Is it  the demand or because of the manufacture is overseas.

Well there is a big portion of the issue right there. Those kits are on the higher end pricewise to begin with. Companies like Eduard and Revell can put out the same quality kit of the same subject for a lower cost. As far as the difference between cars and planes, well you have to look at what each company makes of those (if they do make both types) before you can make a valid comparison and question the costs. Overseas companies from certain countries tend to cost more than domestic. But this is also often affected by whichever importer brings the line of kits into the USA. Anybody notice how Italeri's kits took a leap in price once MRC took over importing those?

My mistake I mean to say 1/24 scale and no the airplane kits did not have any photo etch parts in them.  Its not so much to do with parts count, just the parts count in the engine compartment alone can be the same as the parts in the cockpit of the plane.  I am a aircraft person I build cars once in a while to me the car model gives you way more in spare parts then some aircraft models. I don't believe you can alter a airplane the way you can a car model with the parts in the box. 

I'm in the same boat, plumline. I think the 24th and 25th scale car kits I'm interested in provide a better bang for the buck than most $20 airplane kits.

Because in real life tanks and planes cost more than cars---it translates into scale...

So many variables. And it's not just the size of the kit or part count.

How GOOD is the kit, because schlock is schlock. And adding PE won't make schlock better, it just makes it schlock with PE.

The item, is it licensed, yah believe it or not selling SOME items is not free (long argument there too). And by that I mean the kit is representing something where the real thing has a name that is private property.

Country of origin. Come on, we ALL know why kits from China are cheaper than kits from out of China. If Dragon was a Japanese company, your kits would likely double in price immediately.

How do you buy? I recently did a brain dead impulse purchase, but, it was a LOT of kits and the store owner (that predictably always likes me walking in the store) gave me a 15% discount on that purchase. I saved 50 bucks that day.

I like buying from SOME places online, because occasionally you can find places that have good service and great prices. This is where I give a plug for Lucky Model out of Hong Kong.

What I find odd, it when I buy a small vehicle kit from a company and it is expensive, in contrast to what seems like a more expensive larger armour item same company same product range, but which is actually NOT expensive (in comparison). I also find it odd when I get say three tanks, and they all seem about the same, but why is this one 10 dollars cheaper and that one 5 dollars more expensive than the one with the price in the middle. Often seems no identifiable reasons.

I have built Revell and Academy models and the prices are decent the level of detail is good depending on old the model is.  With Revell I bought a stuka from 1968 molds then I bought a Hasegawa stuka 1998 molds and the detail in the Hasegawa had more detail in the cockpit then the Revell. I did not know the Revell model was that old.  I will stick with Revell or Academy the old saying you get what you pay for does not apply here. Now when you get into 1/32 scale that's a different story there you find you get what you pay for. And you guys are right there are deals out there but and I know that, with Revell and Academy I know what I am getting. Hasegawa or for that matter Tamiya I do not see the reason for the price except you are  paying for the name.

GAWD, could I ever write a post on this subject..

But it would just get rationalized to death...

High prices?

The market will eventually sort it out.

If the economy goes south faster than folks can pay bills, stashes will be cheap and manufacturers will either cut back or go out of business.

Manstein's revenge

Because in real life tanks and planes cost more than cars---it translates into scale...

Price by definition is what you are willing to pay.  In other words, all the kits I buy cost less than $ 50.00, that's just my price point.Oh, except I did recently buy a $ 300 ship, which probably has less that 50 parts, plus whatever I choose to add.

That is one sad thing- the exchange rate sux so bad right now that I can't afford anything from White Ensign Models or Hannants anymore.

Ok  Hans what is your take on this subject I am paying for the name is that right.

I think it's a combination of a few different factors.  Aircraft have always been the big favorite for most modelers.  At least according to all of the surveys I have seen over the years, so aircraft have higher demand and the manufacturers can get away with charging more for them.  Additionally, most kits are made overseas now, which raises the price because shipping has increased so much.  More pedestrian kits like Revell/Monogram, Airfix, Lindberg (yuckers), and the like, cost less because they are mostly older kit molds and have already had all of their R&D paid for decades ago.  Hasegawa, Tamyia, Trumpeter are newer molds and cost that much more.  Although I still think they soak you for most of them..

plumline

Hello all, I think this has been talk about before why is it I can go buy a car model for say 25.00 dollars a 1/48 scale and go buy a airplane model the same scale and that model will cost me around 40.00 dollars .  Now let me say the airplane a tamiya or hasegawa I am using for an example.  I believe the car model will have larger parts count then say the tamiya or hasegawa sometimes the car model will have extra parts to make to different versions. To me the car model should cost more.  Is it  the demand or because of the manufacture is overseas.

plumline

Ok  Hans what is your take on this subject I am paying for the name is that right.

I'm SOooo gald you asked that, lol...

Sure, you pay for the name, lol..  That's certainly worth about nothing, since EVERY kit manufacturer has sold "Monday kits"... Kits that that otherwise may be pretty good, but the copy YOU got was made and QC'd after a wild weekend or spent the weekend in a truck parked in 100-degree heat and on Monday, it's got missing/broken/warped parts... But you don't know that until you crack it open...

Been wanting to do a good kit price-rant for years, but held back (occasionally  throwing a few barbs out in the hopes that some manufacturer reads here) for the most part... First observastion is that many kits have gone up considerably in the past ten years, not so much because of normal inflation, but because they've been given a face-lift here& there, a new decal sheet or two, or had some panel lines added or changed, or the manufacturer threw a fret of photo-etch and a new instruction sheet with some grainy B & W pictures of the prototype and christened it "High-Tech"...

Others have seen the success of a couple of kits, and decided, hey, let's throw in another sprue of five or six parts to allow the builder a way to make different variant, or add a metal gun barrel and we'll call it "New Kit Release"...  Armor modelers have gotten sucked into this "metal gun-barrel" thing so far that it's almost pathetic... Same thing with the tracks... The "new" standard is to have all link & length, or indy-link tracks sor modelers no longer have to worry about " track-sag" (instead of simply using a dowel or two and some CA, or thread to tie them down) and are willing to pay an extra 30.00 per kit for that crap...  Yet, they can't include some figures... That gimmick's how they get you to buy their "crew-figures"... Hasegawa is famous for crap like that, forcing a modeler to buy an entire weapons kit for 20-25.00 if he wants his A-10 or F-4 "bombed up"...

I also hear things like "Contest-Quality" kits... That's a BS marker right there... Contest winning kits are from the skill-sets of the modeler, not the model... Judges don't (or shouldn't) care about things like whether the cockpit is loaded with greeblies or built SOB with some stretched sprue and masking tape harnesses, and they REALLY shouldn't care if that's a Lindberg (like 'em) JN4D or a Tamigawa one....  They should only focus on the build itself, and the modeler's skills, not whether a kit has engraved panel lines (which are more often than not, WAY outta scale) or raised ones.  

Manufacturers' should never come into play...  And many times they don't, but it happens more than I'd like..... I've seen numerous Monogram kits take the Gold away from Dragon or Tamiya kits, much to the "high-end kit-builders' astonishment...  I've butted heads with other judges over this many times in the past, since I deem "Scope of Effort" quite important in judging a kit, and when a guy scratch-builds (well, I might add) a cockpit for a Monogram Spitfire or HAWK P-51, that's worth way more points than the guy who went out and bought a replacement cockpit for it, or the guy that, all other things being equal, modifies his figures for his diorama rather than the guys who build them SOB and design a diorama arond the figures, rather than making the figures fit the diorama.. (There are exceptions, though.. Von Manstein, for instance, is a master when it comes to telling stories with stock figures)... However, I digress...

I saw a letter in a recent FSM in which a reader asks about kit prices.. FSM came back with a rationalization of how much "fun" per-hour you get with a high-dollar kit vs a round of golf or something equally un-related to the hobby... Phooey... We're modelers, not golfers...  A round of golf for me would be a once a year thing, if that... I buy way more models per year than that...  Frankly, if a kit costs more than a couple hours pay, fergit it... Plus, I don't keep them forever... I've got a few that're two-years old (built)... The rest last maybe six months to a year before I get sick of looking at them and tear them down...  I've built well over 2000 kits in my lifetime, and I've never had more than 30 or 40 on display...  Usually less, since they're all in dioramas..

When a kit costs more than a week's worth of groceries for me the wife, that's wrong...  There're are "Skill Level Two" kit (made for those 12 years of age & Up) that cost 50-70 dollars... Phooey.. I ain't paying it... 

 Bottom line for me is that I won't pay any amount for a kit that I'm not willing to let get eaten by the cat...   We, as a group, need to stop rationalizing away the stupid prices, and take back control... The kit manufacturers seem to listen when when people want MORE of something... Why wouldn't they listen when we want LESS?

Eduard has something right with their "Weekend Edition" kits... Let the guys that want all the P/E and resin Greeblies in the kits pay for them, and those of us who can scratch-build 'em (and sand a plastic gun-barrel without leaving a seam and flat spot) buy the cheaper kits... 

You guys can rationlize and make excuses for the manufacturers all you want, but, IMHO, you're still getting ripped off... Plus, you aren't exactly increasing your skill-sets when you're letting someone else make all the detail parts...  The skill involved in gluing a P/E part in lieu of a stritched sprue part you made yourself is nil... The skill-increase comes from making the part...

That's my take on it...  It ain't gonna matter, and I'm still gonna keep building Monogram, HAWK, Revell, and Lindberg kits, my "after-market" bill will still be around a buck, and I'm still gonna walk away with the gold, lol... I done it before, lol...  Watch out for Fermis too... He brings in that Lindberg PT-17of his, and the 1/48th biplane guys will be SOL, lol... Unless I bring in my Glencoe J2F Duck, lol...

Hans von Hammer

Eduard has something right with their "Weekend Edition" kits... Let the guys that want all the P/E and resin Greeblies in the kits pay for them, and those of us who can scratch-build 'em (and sand a plastic gun-barrel without leaving a seam and flat spot) buy the cheaper kits... 

I'm leaving my ten-foot pole in the corner, but I will agree that Eduard is definitely on to something with the Weekend/Profi-Pack/Royal Class packaging.

Just one thing. You can go out and buy the mask and PE separately for just about all the Weekend Editions, but you miss out on the marking options and excellent decal sheets Eduard ships with their Profi-pack boxings. I really, really wish they'd make those suckers a la carte, as well, especially for more obscure subjects with very little aftermarket support. I mean, a Hellcat or Fw 190 is one thing, but aftermarket sheets for the Yak-3? Nightmare.

Hans, I couldn't agree more with you on just about every point you made.  I have noticed a dramatic increase in kit prices in the last 3-6 months.  Things like Monogram F4 kits going for over $30 on eBay  and that's not including shipping.  The hobby store prices are even worse.  The prices at our local (and only) hobby shop, Hobbytown USA have gotten to the point where I just can't afford any of their kits.  Even paint and supplies are getting even more out of hand.  If the prices from my normal eBay sellers get much higher, I am probably going to be priced right back out of the hobby. 

I actually saw a lindberg Cutlass (the plane not the car) gor for $49 and $12 to ship a few days ago.  We are talking lindberg here.  Not even a really good brand like Monogram or Academy.  That's just ridiculous...  Manufacturers, distributors and retailers are soon going to find thta they have priced themselves right out of business. 

It really ticks me off because my Daughter Marissa is just getting into the hobby, and she may not even be able to stay in it despite how much she likes it. 

I only use AM parts ad detailing when it is a special build and the resin and/or PE is inexpensive.  Like The F4 build I am doing for Berny.  Without Dom helping on the financial end on that one, it probably would have never been possible to do it.  It has a lot of Eduard PE, Aires Engine cans and seats, KMC Resin Intakes, we got two sets of Hasegawa weapons and i picked up an ESCI one for it as well.  The AM stuff probably came to about three times what the kit cost.  I just can't see how the market can sustain these prices.

Rich

Hans von Hammer

 

plumline:

 

Ok  Hans what is your take on this subject I am paying for the name is that right.

 

 

I'm SOooo gald you asked that, lol...

Sure, you pay for the name, lol..  That's certainly worth about nothing, since EVERY kit manufacturer has sold "Monday kits"... Kits that that otherwise may be pretty good, but the copy YOU got was made and QC'd after a wild weekend or spent the weekend in a truck parked in 100-degree heat and on Monday, it's got missing/broken/warped parts... But you don't know that until you crack it open...

 

Been wanting to do a good kit price-rant for years, but held back (occasionally  throwing a few barbs out in the hopes that some manufacturer reads here) for the most part... First observastion is that many kits have gone up considerably in the past ten years, not so much because of normal inflation, but because they've been given a face-lift here& there, a new decal sheet or two, or had some panel lines added or changed, or the manufacturer threw a fret of photo-etch and a new instruction sheet with some grainy B & W pictures of the prototype and christened it "High-Tech"...

Others have seen the success of a couple of kits, and decided, hey, let's throw in another sprue of five or six parts to allow the builder a way to make different variant, or add a metal gun barrel and we'll call it "New Kit Release"...  Armor modelers have gotten sucked into this "metal gun-barrel" thing so far that it's almost pathetic... Same thing with the tracks... The "new" standard is to have all link & length, or indy-link tracks sor modelers no longer have to worry about " track-sag" (instead of simply using a dowel or two and some CA, or thread to tie them down) and are willing to pay an extra 30.00 per kit for that crap...  Yet, they can't include some figures... That gimmick's how they get you to buy their "crew-figures"... Hasegawa is famous for crap like that, forcing a modeler to buy an entire weapons kit for 20-25.00 if he wants his A-10 or F-4 "bombed up"...

I also hear things like "Contest-Quality" kits... That's a BS marker right there... Contest winning kits are from the skill-sets of the modeler, not the model... Judges don't (or shouldn't) care about things like whether the cockpit is loaded with greeblies or built SOB with some stretched sprue and masking tape harnesses, and they REALLY shouldn't care if that's a Lindberg (like 'em) JN4D or a Tamigawa one....  They should only focus on the build itself, and the modeler's skills, not whether a kit has engraved panel lines (which are more often than not, WAY outta scale) or raised ones.  

Manufacturers' should never come into play...  And many times they don't, but it happens more than I'd like..... I've seen numerous Monogram kits take the Gold away from Dragon or Tamiya kits, much to the "high-end kit-builders' astonishment...  I've butted heads with other judges over this many times in the past, since I deem "Scope of Effort" quite important in judging a kit, and when a guy scratch-builds (well, I might add) a cockpit for a Monogram Spitfire or HAWK P-51, that's worth way more points than the guy who went out and bought a replacement cockpit for it, or the guy that, all other things being equal, modifies his figures for his diorama rather than the guys who build them SOB and design a diorama arond the figures, rather than making the figures fit the diorama.. (There are exceptions, though.. Von Manstein, for instance, is a master when it comes to telling stories with stock figures)... However, I digress...

I saw a letter in a recent FSM in which a reader asks about kit prices.. FSM came back with a rationalization of how much "fun" per-hour you get with a high-dollar kit vs a round of golf or something equally un-related to the hobby... Phooey... We're modelers, not golfers...  A round of golf for me would be a once a year thing, if that... I buy way more models per year than that...  Frankly, if a kit costs more than a couple hours pay, fergit it... Plus, I don't keep them forever... I've got a few that're two-years old (built)... The rest last maybe six months to a year before I get sick of looking at them and tear them down...  I've built well over 2000 kits in my lifetime, and I've never had more than 30 or 40 on display...  Usually less, since they're all in dioramas..

When a kit costs more than a week's worth of groceries for me the wife, that's wrong...  There're are "Skill Level Two" kit (made for those 12 years of age & Up) that cost 50-70 dollars... Phooey.. I ain't paying it... 

 Bottom line for me is that I won't pay any amount for a kit that I'm not willing to let get eaten by the cat...   We, as a group, need to stop rationalizing away the stupid prices, and take back control... The kit manufacturers seem to listen when when people want MORE of something... Why wouldn't they listen when we want LESS?

Eduard has something right with their "Weekend Edition" kits... Let the guys that want all the P/E and resin Greeblies in the kits pay for them, and those of us who can scratch-build 'em (and sand a plastic gun-barrel without leaving a seam and flat spot) buy the cheaper kits... 

You guys can rationlize and make excuses for the manufacturers all you want, but, IMHO, you're still getting ripped off... Plus, you aren't exactly increasing your skill-sets when you're letting someone else make all the detail parts...  The skill involved in gluing a P/E part in lieu of a stritched sprue part you made yourself is nil... The skill-increase comes from making the part...

That's my take on it...  It ain't gonna matter, and I'm still gonna keep building Monogram, HAWK, Revell, and Lindberg kits, my "after-market" bill will still be around a buck, and I'm still gonna walk away with the gold, lol... I done it before, lol...  Watch out for Fermis too... He brings in that Lindberg PT-17of his, and the 1/48th biplane guys will be SOL, lol... Unless I bring in my Glencoe J2F Duck, lol...

 

 

 

Sparrowhyperion

 The AM stuff probably came to about three times what the kit cost.  I just can't see how the market can sustain these prices.

Rich

 

It all depends upon what the Wiz Kids in DC do.

If Joe Six-Pack can't afford price increases for food, heat, petrol, (and beer )  then the hobby will lose an increasing number of customers.

i don't know what the breaking point would be to keep the plastic model kit industry alive..

 Thanks guys for the comments. I will start building the 1/72 scale models seems they have a lot more to pick from anyway. 

Just make sure you have good optical insurance.  I can't even see well enough to do those small scale kits anymore.

plumline

 Thanks guys for the comments. I will start building the 1/72 scale models seems they have a lot more to pick from anyway. 

You can go out and buy the mask and PE separately for just about all the Weekend Editions, but you miss out on the marking options and excellent decal sheets Eduard ships with their Profi-pack boxings.

That's a thing where we differ greatly, Doogs, ol' buddy... I could no more go out and buy a pre-cut masks for a kit than I could a resin cockpit... I learned how to mask canopies and windscreens about 30 years ago, and see no reason spend money on 'em... In fact, my canopy/windscreens are 90% freehanded or they're masked only in certain spots for the first pass, then in another for the second pass... I don't have transparent things on the models when they get their base-coats of paint and clears, even if I have to shim and sand in some areas to make it fit..  That's what "Touch-up" painting is for, lol... (windows that have to be inserted from inide, I generally leave off and then, after painting, use Micro's "Krystal Klear"... )

As for decals, well, I tend to go for spurious aircraft markings anway, since the Rivet Counters can't tell me I did it "wrong" then... Only thing I keep "accurate" is the theater markings and camouflage schemes... Occasionally, I'll make one with accurate Group and Squadron markings, but put on a fake aircraft letter and S/N... Then nose-art options are infinite, since there's no prototype to compare it with.. I tend to put my name or names of friends on the canopy rails instead too...
As for buying P/E, I don't do that either... I use what comes with other kits more ofen than not.. Like the ProModeler B-17 and B-24D... Most of their P/E for the cockpits are unviewable once the "glass" is in, so the buckles and slides go into single-seat open canopy builds... 

Over the years, I've collected gobs of national insignia decals, mostly RAF, USAAF/USN, and German, so buying AM decal sheets these days is rather a "once in a while" thing... Since they depict specific aircraft, they really aren't my thing, but that's just me.. 

I don't buy the Balkenkruez for German aircraft often, nor Hinomaru for Jap aircraft at all, since a squirt of spray paint and frisket-paper circles and crosses is all one needs for those guys.. And what better way make a marking look "painted on" than painting it on? Could use a sheet or two of Hakenkruez in various scales though...

 Red Star stencils are pretty easy to make too.. As are the geometric shapes for USAAF groups... It all comes down to what you feel like doing, I reckon.. But stencils are my favorite way to go with many national markings, except for the more complicted shapes, like the US star & bar... Plus, I only have to make one in most cases... For other markings, like custom names on canopies and nose-art, well.. That's why God made decal paper and printers, lol...

Bottom line is that, for me at least, to make as much stuff myself as I can, with what I have n-hand or scrounge... That's "Gizmology 101"...

And for the guys who rationalize with the "more bang for the buck" thing, you'd THINK that they'd be the ones doing that as well, since everything like that takes more time... And that's what they're after, isn't it? Spending as much time as they can on the model to get the most "fun" outta the dollar?

Sparrow:

I have noticed a dramatic increase in kit prices in the last 3-6 months.  Things like Monogram F4 kits going for over $30 on eBay  and that's not including shipping.  The hobby store prices are even worse.  The prices at our local (and only) hobby shop, Hobbytown USA have gotten to the point where I just can't afford any of their kits.

That's why I buy at Hobby Lobby... The Hobbytown was in the same strip mall as Hobby Lobby, but they went the way of the dodo...

The only alternative is to use the on-line stores and buy their "closeout sale" stuff and when doing so, buy enough to get the "Free Shipping"... I've yet to ever spend THAT much though, except for tools.. Which brings me to another point... I have lots of tools like Dremels and a lathe, and other power tools for modeling, a  Mattel vacuformer, because I invested in them, rather than buying the after-market parts for every kit that comes down the pipe...  They eventually pay for themselves, and then you can really turn some precision parts for a few cents per... Plus, you can three times the mistakes in half the time..

Heck, an entire Dremel starter set, with motor-tool and  a dozen or so cutting bits, cut-off wheels, sanding drums, and such, can be had for less than the price of Tamiya's Betty... A scratch-built rheostat speed control can be built for about 11.00, and you're set there...

As for Ebay prices, you gotta really search the place for deals nowadays, and you gotta make sure you ain't buying from a "store"... Too many commercial outlets and hobby shops sell there, and they're no bargain... Wish Ebay would dis-allow commercial sellers...

Our one Hobby Lobby has pretty much nothing other than a couple of air brushes and some floquil paint.  No kits, not even glue.  HobbyTownUSA is literally the only game in town locally.  I wish the heck that I was back on the East Coast.   At least out there I knew of at least 8 places in Boston and a couple of dozen in the surrounding area, less than a half hour away by the MBTA (subway and buses). But freakin Toledo is dying and all of the good stores are the first to go it seems.

Vacuforming is a bit out of my league I'm afraid.  I usually check out SPrue Bros, and Hannants in the UK.  I am currently waiting to see if Sprue Bros get's in any of the FGR.2 zoom PE kits for cockpit details.

I have one of the older multi speed corded Dremel tools which I wouldn't give up for anything.  It's about 10-11 years old and you just can't find one as well built anymore.  I originally bought it to use for cutting holes in steel computer cases.  But it's great for modeling.  I wish I could find some of the attachments for it like the router attachment or the drill press stand for it. 

I know about searching eBay. lol  I spend a lot of time trawling for good deals in the modeling and other sections.  I go for a lot of open box and bagged kits.  I seldom will buy a brand new kit unless it's something I can't find used and the price is good.  I have a very limited amount to spend per month, so i really have to bargain hunt.

Rich

Hans von Hammer

 

 

That's why I buy at Hobby Lobby... The Hobbytown was in the same strip mall as Hobby Lobby, but they went the way of the dodo...

The only alternative is to use the on-line stores and buy their "closeout sale" stuff and when doing so, buy enough to get the "Free Shipping"... I've yet to ever spend THAT much though, except for tools.. Which brings me to another point... I have lots of tools like Dremels and a lathe, and other power tools for modeling, a  Mattel vacuformer, because I invested in them, rather than buying the after-market parts for every kit that comes down the pipe...  They eventually pay for themselves, and then you can really turn some precision parts for a few cents per... Plus, you can three times the mistakes in half the time..

Heck, an entire Dremel starter set, with motor-tool and  a dozen or so cutting bits, cut-off wheels, sanding drums, and such, can be had for less than the price of Tamiya's Betty... A scratch-built rheostat speed control can be built for about 11.00, and you're set there...

As for Ebay prices, you gotta really search the place for deals nowadays, and you gotta make sure you ain't buying from a "store"... Too many commercial outlets and hobby shops sell there, and they're no bargain... Wish Ebay would dis-allow commercial sellers...

 

Hans von Hammer

 

You can go out and buy the mask and PE separately for just about all the Weekend Editions, but you miss out on the marking options and excellent decal sheets Eduard ships with their Profi-pack boxings.

 

That's a thing where we differ greatly, Doogs, ol' buddy... I could no more go out and buy a pre-cut masks for a kit than I could a resin cockpit... I learned how to mask canopies and windscreens about 30 years ago, and see no reason spend money on 'em...

Sorry, I meant you in the general sense, not specifically you.

Case in point - the Eduard Yak-3 Weekend Edition. I don't think it's a kit that justifies either a mask (despite my love of masks) or PE (if you want to dress up that cockpit, we're talking probably a total teardown...PE would be lipstick on a pig). But the decal sheet was just awful. 

I guess we differ on decals, too - I do like to build actual, historical aircraft. For me, researching the history of the plane, its pilot and crew and unit, that's a big part of the enjoyment for me. But regardless - the kit decals were crap. At the time I didn't have much of a stock of Soviet markings, so I had to go out and run down a Yak-3. I found precisely one, buried in a sheet with a bunch of Yak-7s and -9s. About a month after I finished that, Eduard released or rereleased or whatever the Yak-3 Profi-pack with five gorgeous marking options.

I like the ability, if somebody were so inclined, they could purchase the whole hog, or the bare bones, or maybe the bare bones and then just the decal sheet. Or just the mask.

Come on guys, model prices haven't gone up that much.  We only have a 3.2% inflation rate, and oil... well who needs that anyway?  I mean, they can't possibly use it in styrene.  

Yes they have..  There is no reason for this recent increase.  No justification.  If I am now having to pay $30 for a kit that less than 6 months ago I could find for $10 or so, then YES the prices have gone up quite a bit.  I realize that most folks aren't living on less than $1k a month so it doesn't seem like as much I would imagine.  But for some of, we are slowly but surely being priced right out of model building.  I can't afford to pay $10 or more for a can of Testors Thinner.  Paint at $5 for a half ounce bottle which might last 2 kits if airbrushed or less if the kit is large.  And don't even get me started on resin.  $30 or so for six small cast resin pieces which aren't even properly cut off their cast blocks, and together make up two engine exhausts....

Yes, they have gone up a LOT.

Rich

Reasoned

Come on guys, model prices haven't gone up that much.  We only have a 3.2% inflation rate, and oil... well who needs that anyway?  I mean, they can't possibly use it in styrene.  

Quit buying "Model Brand" thinners, Sparrow... You can get automotive-quality laquer thinners and enamel reducers at auto parts stores much cheaper per ounce than you can from a hobby shop...

Same with paints... Take your color chips up to the arts & crafts aisles and compare them to the paints there... .99 cents to 2.00 for three-ounce bottles of acrylics...  All you gotta do is get past the goofy "chick-names" they put on the bottles, like "Mushroom" and "Moss", and you'll have Khaki Drab and Olive Drab...