1st Expensive Model Build

Tojo72

.I don't remember what I paid,but for the time it was far and above the norm.

At that time (late 80's), here in Australia, that kit was already into triple digits. 

My 1st and only so far was the reason I re-started this hobby in the first place 4 years ago.  It was the Light Cruiser Houston CL-81 on which my father served in the Pacific.  WOW 1/350 resin scale ships cost lots. It was an Iron Shipwrights model (converted from the Miami to the Houston  by me ) and man was the kit junk.  It looked as though it was a very poor copy of a Yankee Model Works kit that was then out of production.  I had to purchase tons of additional after market and fill about a hundred holes in her but after 1 1/2 years I finally got er done, and I'll never do another. I went to building plastic WWII aircraft and been a happy modeler ever since.

Hi,

As a kid it was probably a Revell 1/32nd scale Corsair, which by today's standards probably isn't really an expensive kit, but as a kid it was to me.

As an adult though, I guess it would be my 1/72 scale Flower Class Corvette.  Its a model that I had wanted ever since I saw it as a kid (back when it was a Matchbox kit), but couldn't afford.  A few years ago when it was re-released by Revell, with extra detailing stuff, I snatched it up, but haven't been able to convince myself that my skills are good enough yet to start it (and/or that I have the time to do it justice).

Pat

A couple of years ago I bought a  Trumpeter 1/12 Ford GT40 Mk II. It was OOP at the time so it was expensive. I also bought a bunch of detailing photoetched parts, wheels, tires, etc. All combined it probably cost about $500 . I super detailed the model with aluminum hose fittings, brake lines, coolant lines, spun aluminum injector stacks. Then I decided to use Pledge as a final gloss finish. Guess what, the Pledge micro cracked and ruined the finish. 

Tojo72

I saw the post "Best 1st Expensive Model" and at first I thought it was asking,what was the first kit you took the dive and dropped bigger bucks on.So I thought that was a fun topic to start anyway.

That's what I thought too!

Mine would be the Pocher Alfa Romeo Monza

This was as a kid, I had no business with it but my dad got it for me. To this day it saddens me that I didn't finish it and have no idea what happened to it.

Today, they are sought after even as finished kits and semi-finished kits in original boxes.

I'm enjoying reading these posts, thanks for starting it, Tojo.

Aha !

 For me . Eleven years old , great Birthday ! I got a bunch of cash from my Uncles . Dad said I had to save half . The rest I could spend .

 Away to the Hobby Shop the next day ( a Saturday ). Gees , what a place . All the good stuff was up high so you had to ask for help . There she was . Just waiting for my hot little hands .

 REVELL'S S.S. ORIANA !Now there's a pretty Lady . She cost me all of $9.00 with the Paint and Glue !  My how times have changed , indeed ! That same ship now would be , in a sealed box , original edition , about $120.00 . If you could find her ! 

 You have to remember  1954 was not the greatest year . Korea loomed over us like a hammer and the Cold War was just ramping up hard .Plastics , the orphan baby , was just starting to get expensive . My gosh a Promo-Car model was a whole $ 1.25 x tax !

 We don't even think about spending twice that for P.E. detail sets now . My most expensive modern day model was the Original Corvette Kit .Was it Matchbox ? Anyway it was more than usual because the Futaba R.C. Gear , running gear from Italy and battery/ballast from the Honda cycle Shop . Total cost about $375.00 . I won't spend near that today .

As a kid it was probably the Monogram Phantom Mustang re-release in about 1978-1979. Cost a bunch for a 12 year old at the time, somewhere around $40.

As an adult builder, I never would have guessed the kind of money I'd drop on a kit.  I was in a hobby shop when I saw the old Tamiya Lancaster in 1-48 scale.  Had to have it.  Cost a whopping $80 or so.  But it was worth it, and the Lanc sure looks good hanging with my other Monogram 1-48 heavies.

Of course, that was only the beginning.  Most of the really pricey kits I've purchased seems to have been Tamiya offerings - 1-32 Phantom, Corsair, Zero, Spitfire, & Mustang. But heck, I dropped even more than I did on the Lancaster on a Special Hobby 1-48 He115.  A couple of Airfix monsters cost roughly $200 each (Mossie and Typhoon).  Any my true moment of insanity - Fine Mold's 1-72 Millennium Falcon at about $400.

I got back into this hobby last year. After a couple of cheap Revell/monogram 1/48 kids, and a couple of less-cheap-but-still-not-expensive Tamiya 1/48 kits, I jumped into the deep end with the Tamiya 1/32 Mosquito. Beautiful and amazing kit, which I did a good job on if I do say so myself 

My first expensive kit was the Revell F-102 with the ground equipment, $2.98 in 1958 when I got it for Christmas.  A princely sum.  In recent years I've acquired many kits in the $100-200 range but the only one I have got around to building is the Planet resin Ju-388 which was near $200.

I keep asking myself why I don't build more of the nice kits I have.  No good answer so far

My first Most expensive uhh my current WIP. A Tamiya Spitfire Mk IX in a perfectly satisfying 1/32nd scale.    I had just finished the Revell Mk II. A pretty crummy kit. I bought it for the sake of boning up on modeling skills.  Practice at sanding and filling in with putty. Straightening wings and untwisting parts.  And painting fine detail in a fairly small scale.  

I didn't do the greatest job on that revell. Not by a long shot.  But, like everything else I do.  I took what lessons I learned and upped the ante and got that Tamiya.  

At the model shop, in Owasso Ok. I was shaking like a kid at Christmas.  It was like finding a Red Ryder BB gun under the tree.    I stared at the box and made every argument in favor of spending the money.  Completely ignored better sense and avice to work on another cheap model and plunked down a small fortune (for me.)  And couldn't have been happier that I did.  The kits coming along fantastic.  The details are phenominal. The fit is perfect. It's like night and day.  I'm moving very cautiously.   

The difference is extreme, really.  I'm not having the same issues with The Tamiya. But I've invested a lot more money in quality paints and better tools and I've gotten more and more books and blue prints on the Spitfire.  Huge scale drawings and tons of interesting websites for research.    

It seems like since I spent so much.. I really wanted to do it a proper job and invested in loads of research. Much more than that Revell. I'm honestly very proud of how it's coming along and my progress is noticeble as far as techniques and skills.    

Anyway.. that' my bloody life story of my current and incidentally First Most expensive Kit.     

Next up, I'm keeping my eye out for a decent 1/32nd FW 190 or 109 ..  or I'm also thinking of building a 1/32nd B-17. Something my Spitfire can escort from the ceiling. 

Farewell folks 

Jolly Jack 

You've expressed my sentiments exactly JollyJack.

I'm working on my "crown jewell" My first 1/32 scale ,a Trumpeter P-40B in the Flying Tigers scheme,  taking my time and enjoying all the detail and research as well. I got the interior pretty much done and now am working on plumbing the engine bay in detail.

I usually buy all of my many kits for the entire year at the IPMS Orlando model show, but this year I'm thinking of getting just one expensive kit, for the funds i have saved, a 1/32 B-17 ( my Red Rider BB gun ) and taking the next year to build it.

Jay Jay , you just hit pretty close to home for me with that B 17.  Who makes that kit?  I ask because my lhs has a gigantic kit. It's like 1/24th. It's bleeding massive. I really have a thing for it. Cept it won't match anything I've built recently or anything I'll be building in the future.  I really love that kit. But in the end I think a 17 in 1/32 Will be 1. Pretty damned big. And 2. I'll be able to show it off pretty nice with my other 1/32nd builds of the same period and theater.   If anyone has Instagram mine is @Wiking_comics I post pics and info about my wips and their history on my page there.  

The 1/32 B-17 is either HK  or HPM brand not sure which is correct. the thing runs around 300 bucks , 250 at a good sale.  also i see that there are a bunch of AM parts for these but for $300 bucks for the kit, you shouldn't need any After market for it in My opinion.

Jay Jay

The 1/32 B-17 is either HK  or HPM brand not sure which is correct. the thing runs around 300 bucks , 250 at a good sale.  also i see that there are a bunch of AM parts for these but for $300 bucks for the kit, you shouldn't need any After market for it in My opinion.

 

The B-17 is from Hong Kong Models, they also have a Lancaster out soon. I have seen the 17G built, its not the price that would worry me so much as to where to put it.

The most expensive kits i have built so far were around the £80 mark, a couple of HPH engines and a Cyber Hobby white box Panther with Pz IV turret. But once i add on after market, i have a tamiya 1/35th Mid production Tiger I that i must have spent close to £150.

Bish

 

 

Jay Jay

The 1/32 B-17 is either HK  or HPM brand not sure which is correct. the thing runs around 300 bucks , 250 at a good sale.  also i see that there are a bunch of AM parts for these but for $300 bucks for the kit, you shouldn't need any After market for it in My opinion.

 

 

 

 

The B-17 is from Hong Kong Models, they also have a Lancaster out soon. I have seen the 17G built, its not the price that would worry me so much as to where to put it.

 

tempestjohnny

 

 

Bish

 

 

Jay Jay

The 1/32 B-17 is either HK  or HPM brand not sure which is correct. the thing runs around 300 bucks , 250 at a good sale.  also i see that there are a bunch of AM parts for these but for $300 bucks for the kit, you shouldn't need any After market for it in My opinion.

 

 

 

 

The B-17 is from Hong Kong Models, they also have a Lancaster out soon. I have seen the 17G built, its not the price that would worry me so much as to where to put it.

 

 

 

 

I know the B-17 comes with a wall mount feature that attaches to the bomb bay

 

 

Ye, thats what the guy who built the one i saw said. When he brought it to the model club it took up most of the table.

I think Academy's 1/48 CH-53E was my first "expensive" kit.  At the time, it was a brand-new kit, and I had just gotten out of the Marine Corps.  I was an Airframe/Hydraulic Mechanic on CH-53E's, so everything had to be just right.  I even had the decals custom made for my favorite bird.

DSC01565 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr

I should mention; I paid just over $100 for the kit in 2006.  

For me it was the Accruate Armor 1/35th u-boat and Quat set which set me back a $1,000. I call it my retirement project....still waiting to retire while it collects dust in the closet. Second is the HK B-17F and been procrastinating on picking up all the Eduard PE sets.

I bought an Anigrand 1/72 Republic Rainbow resin aircraft kit during a misguided attempt to build every aircraft that flew with the R4360. $99.99.

Until maybe 8 years ago, the most expensive kit in my stash was the 1/48 Revell B-1, which I picked up on consignment for around $60. Still haven’t built it yet, mainly because of no where to put such a large bird once built. I’ve picked up other kits that had higher MSRPs, but always at a good discount of 40% or more. Then around 2010 to 2012 I picked up some large IJN warships, again on sale, but a couple cost me in the $80 range each. One day I’ll get them built.

Of the ”pricey” kits that I picked up on clearance and have built, probably the most expensive one is the old DML 1/35 Scud. Which I probably grabbed at around $30 on clearance. 

Mine was 1/48 Hasegwawa A-7E Corsair II Valions (P14).  I think it was somewhere around $40 or $50 back in the early 90's.  Great kit.

I don't recall the price but I think it was up there - I built Esoteric 1/48 Bell 47 Sioux which was a really nice multimedia kit with full PE truss.

JollyJackTar

Jay Jay , you just hit pretty close to home for me with that B 17.  Who makes that kit?  I ask because my lhs has a gigantic kit. It's like 1/24th. It's bleeding massive. I really have a thing for it. Cept it won't match anything I've built recently or anything I'll be building in the future.  I really love that kit. But in the end I think a 17 in 1/32 Will be 1. Pretty damned big. And 2. I'll be able to show it off pretty nice with my other 1/32nd builds of the same period and theater.   If anyone has Instagram mine is @Wiking_comics I post pics and info about my wips and their history on my page there.  

 

It's HKM. I received my B-17G Late a couple of weeks ago. Also a bunch of after market. That is my most expensive kit so far. 

My first expensive kit was the Tamiya 1/32nd F-15E Strike Eagle that I bought in 2000 for around $120. Before that, I usually bought Monogram, Revell, etc. for around $10 - $30 max. Took me FOR FREAKIN' EVER to finish that thing (a few years), as I wanted to make sure that I built it to my utmost abilities (which weren't much at the time), being such an expensive kit. I lost it to my ex-wife's revenge. 

The only expensive kt I have is the Academy 1/72 F-18c. I didn't pay for it, and have not built it yet. I could never afford a kit like that on my teenage allowance, but I am look ing forward to building it someime.

Chemteacher

Back in the ‘80’s I remember getting one of the 1/48 Hasegawa Phantoms. Beautiful kits at the time. I believe it went for around $30-35.00. Man, times have changed.

 

I'm working on a Hasegawa Phantom right now.  It's the RF-4B USMC "Eyes of the Corps."  It's a pain in the butt, but it wasn't enough of a pain in the butt.  I bought an Aires cockpit and Aires exhausts to make sure it was a supreme pain in the butt.  Now the kit, just the kit, costs $108.  I gladly paid it because I was visiting a hobby shop from my youth.  

The most expensive kit I’ve ever purchased with of course the help of Mrs. Toshi of which I’m so happy to have back in my life for is the Tamiya 1/32 Dehavilland Mosquito!  I thought it was one of the most beautiful aircraft ever.  

The cost on eBay averaged between $180.00 to $200.00.  I purchased mines, well actually Mrs. Toshi purchased, more like negotiated to put it likely, (I have no idea what that woman says to potential clients yet we do get a five star rating) than ever, I’m still extremely grateful for her skills!  Yet I do hope she follows the rules of the Geneva Convention!  lol!  For $159.00.

Your friend, Toshi