What's up with the atmospheric prices of model kits over the last few years.....?????

When you own your own model kit company and are putting up your own funds to produce them, feel free to price them as you wish. Otherwise, buy or don't. They're not a necessity for life. Or maybe you can get a candidate to put it in their platform

I would love that but I would need to add on a new room for the stash!

Didn't you say: 

"No effing joke, i'm sooooo good with my builds a recent customer paid me near $700 USD for a 1:35th scale bike."

Really dude?  I can't take this thread seriously. 

T e d

Atmospheric prices are pretty airy.

Long gone are the 50 cent kits of old with 10 cent paints and glue.

Mopar Madness

I would love that but I would need to add on a new room for the stash!

 

You and me both. The high prices keep my impulse buying from overrunning my abilities. 

Do I think that kits could be lower in price? Oh yeah. 

About  25 percent of a Kits cost is the shipping

For new tooled multi media kits, I understand the high prices. People will buy a $40 model, a $25 photo etch set, $15 aluminum barrel and $40 Fruil metal tracks.

But for reissued models that came out in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, paying $20-30 for a model that originally sold for less than $5 is crazy.

Ted4321

Didn't you say: 

"No effing joke, i'm sooooo good with my builds a recent customer paid me near $700 USD for a 1:35th scale bike."

Really dude?  I can't take this thread seriously. 

T e d

 

I try to look at things from a time/value perspective.  I’m new to modeling so I could be way off here but subtracting dry times a kit might take 40-60 hours?  Someone correct me if I’m way off and scratch builds and diorama‘s add time.  A $100 kit is only a couple of bucks/hour entertainment value.

 My wife and I go to the movies and after tickets, popcorn, candy, and drinks it’s $20-$25/hour.  A baseball game or football for a family of four?  Ridiculous.  $50-$75/hour easily.  Don’t get me started on entertainment value at the casino.

So really not that bad.

What's up with the atmospheric price of a six pack these days? $ 10??? Sheesh!

GMorrison

What's up with the atmospheric price of a six pack these days? $ 10??? Sheesh!

 

Yea,I remember Shaefer for$1.99 a six pack

Probably around the same time I paid $20 for a Tamiya tank

GMorrison

What's up with the atmospheric price of a six pack these days? $ 10??? Sheesh!

 

The prices go down when you leave the DPRC. Not so many taxes and other such fees...

GMorrison

What's up with the atmospheric price of a six pack these days? $ 10??? Sheesh!

 

Yes.  Now this is an outrage!  

T e d

Kaysee88;

       Calm down please? The price of kits is directly influenced by many factors. Level of detail required in the molds , What it costs to create the molds and lastly how much raw styrene costs on the wholesale market. Remember that part is driven on how much it costs to create one pound of styrene from the petroleum base it comes from.( In other words the cost of refinable Crude oil!

       That all said.Think of this.They have developed different and more technologicaly difficult molds. Slide molds are not cheap. They are trying to give us modelers a model worth the price. I do feel bad about the stores like Wal-Mart and of course Hobby Town - No Lay aways! This hurts us on a limited budget, model wise.

 Now as far as the base items, Paint, sanding media and the like. My older M.M.colors are still viable. Until I open them I keep ALL paints in a cool dark place. Brushes are given extra decent care too. I am still using brushes I replaced the older ones with, going on ten years now. My paints are getting used up, But I have acquired colors I can mix to achieve the color no longer available or hard to get.

Yes!  And seeing how I drink way more beer than building models six packs have to go down.

KAYSEE88

.....and some don't even have photo-etch in them!

Anyone else agree that EVERY SINGLE KIT should be priced at least $15-20 lower??

 

No.

It's a free market, and I don't begrudge a manufacturer the price he charges for his product.  This is a hobby, so it's discretionary income, and we can choose to buy or not.

Having said that, can you provide some examples of new kits released over the last 3 years, let's say, that you think are overpriced?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue7wM0QC5LE

"We used to dream of living in the corridor!  Would've seemed like a palace to us!"

wpwar11

I try to look at things from a time/value perspective.  I’m new to modeling so I could be way off here but subtracting dry times a kit might take 40-60 hours?  Someone correct me if I’m way off and scratch builds and diorama‘s add time.  A $100 kit is only a couple of bucks/hour entertainment value.

 

 

Yeah it’s a cost effective hobby when you look at it in those terms.  Of course you also have to factor in tools, paint, and supplies.  These items gain value as you build more kits.  Some of that stuff last a really long time like oil paints.  Once you acquire the basic tools the other supplies like knife blades and sand paper are cheap.  My feeling is the biggest expense are paints.  I like Tamiya spray cans and they are really proud of their product.

I was thinking about this the other day.  I imagine the work that goes into creating the molds must be so increadibly slow and painstaking.  And the changes over time to get the kind of fit we have today is so impressive.  I'll pay - but I have my limits.  I wouldn't spring for a Model Factory Hiro kit - 500+ ... nope.

Back in the 70s a better quality Monogram kit of say the P-39 woiuld cost aboiut 7.00.  Back then I would have to think about if I could afford it.  The P-61, when it showed up was abouit 12-15.00.  That I would have to put on layaway or wait until I could collect enough money.  Kits these days are incredably more expensive.  I picked up a 1/48th F-106B after giving it osme thought.  My squadron flew them, this was the only kit available, and I just happened to find it on sale.  If it wasn't for those factors plus it was very close to payday and there was a little extra money available, I would have let it pass.  Now I need to find a gun pod and/or a coffin pod.

Most of my kits are older, maybe 10 years or more.  Unless everything comes together, the only thing I might buy would be a decal sheet or some detail parts.

If you look at the end of kits from Japan sometimes they show the price in yen, somwtimes they cover it up.  I noticed that someone would take the yen price, say 2500 yen and add a dot, making it 25.00.  Quite a markup.Youi just have to see what the price is and decide if it's worth it.

ikar01

Back in the 70s a better quality Monogram kit of say the P-39 woiuld cost aboiut 7.00.  Back then I would have to think about if I could afford it.  The P-61, when it showed up was abouit 12-15.00.  That I would have to put on layaway or wait until I could collect enough money.  Kits these days are incredably more expensive.  I picked up a 1/48th F-106B after giving it osme thought.  My squadron flew them, this was the only kit available, and I just happened to find it on sale.  If it wasn't for those factors plus it was very close to payday and there was a little extra money available, I would have let it pass.  Now I need to find a gun pod and/or a coffin pod.

Most of my kits are older, maybe 10 years or more.  Unless everything comes together, the only thing I might buy would be a decal sheet or some detail parts.

If you look at the end of kits from Japan sometimes they show the price in yen, somwtimes they cover it up.  I noticed that someone would take the yen price, say 2500 yen and add a dot, making it 25.00.  Quite a markup.Youi just have to see what the price is and decide if it's worth it.

 

I wonder how the Corona virus will affect this? Most kits are fron the far east. No one is manufacturing or shipping right now. If this keeps up, many buyers will look elsewhere. It will either cause asia to panic and drastically lower prices, or to try to increase price due to lack of availability. Airfix is looking bertter now!

Supply vs Demand.

IIRC, when the Monogram P-61 came out, it was $6.75 retail.  I remember because I bought one.  I had to save 3 weeks allowance to get the kit and the $1.25 rattle can of Testors gloss black.  The only aftermarket available back then were Microscale decals.  If you were hard core, there were the Model Technology generic instruments, placards, and belt buckles.  I remember their prices were comparable to current ones, so they were exhorbitant back then.

We also faced additional challenges - I had to go to places where they sold spray paint to elementary school kids.  And we had to bike there in the hot sun.  Without a helmet.  And it was uphill, both ways!  

But seriously folks, it is what it is.  Things just cost more these days.  The demographic has changed - fewer customers and more competition.  Newer kits are usually much better than the old ones.  Usually.  Like our childhood, we can look back and remember, but we can never actually go back.

So save your allowance, buy what you can afford, then build and enjoy.  And wear a helmet when you bike to the store.

I'd also look at where you are buying from. For instance, a few months ago I ordered 5 1/72 Tamiya P-51D's from HobbyLink Japan. Here in the States, the kit retails for 19.00+tax and shipping if you order on line. From HLJ, the same kit was 7.71 plus shipping. My order came to around 55.00 including shipping. Basically got two kits free by going overseas.