Outrageous!

 The best thing to do is get a MEGA list of all the projects that you want to do or even maybe want to do and go to a show.For example i bought my tamiya 1/350 enterprise with a squadron book about her and a box of extra a/c for 80 bucks back in febuary.You really have to look long and hard but the trade shows you can really save some serious cash.

billydelawder wrote:

Am I the only one that almost choked when I saw that the price of the Hasegawa Nagato Kit will be over $200? That is Crazy!

Given the quality level, extent of detail, size and complexity of the moldings and all the associated costs of packaging, marketing, distribution, legal and the cost of labor in the Japanese market what would you think a reasonable cost for a project this large would be? Sometimes we in the USA have a distorted view of the costs of product outside of our experience. Have you looked at the price of the Tamiya Missouri/New Jersey kits lately? These things are over 30 years old and can't even remotely compete with the level of detail that can be seen in the Nagato kit. The new 1/350 kits from Trumpeter list for $100-150 in spite of the cheap labor market and other cost reductions found in China.

It is not just the cost of the plastic parts but ALL of the costs in the world market have been rapidly rising. Have you tried to ship anything big lately? Check out the costs in the Post Office and UPS now.

We aren't the only people chasing goods in the world, there is a whole new group of folks out there with money to spend and costs to pay. WS

billydelawder wrote:

Am I the only one that almost choked when I saw that the price of the Hasegawa Nagato Kit will be over $200? That is Crazy!

If the price makes you choke, check the molding!

From a SteelNavy thread at http://members.boardhost.com/Warship/msg/1193073287.html

In Hasegawa's attempts to replicate hull plating, the gimmick they chose was to engrave overly deep and wide grooves to replicate the seams.  

Who'd of thought that a hundred dollar resin destroyer kit would be a bargain!

www.greatmodels.com has it on pre-order for $ 156.00............not exactly cheap but in line with Hasegawa's Yukikaze,Mikasa+ Aoshima's Takao.

If it is anything like their Mikasa it will be worth it.

Hey everyone spends their money on what they want,and everyone has their own idea of what they consider a must have item.     One person buys smokes,another gambles,someone else spends big bucks on concert tickets or sports events,others models,each might consider what the other does a waste of money,but in the end we all have a choice of how spend,or not spend our money.

Thanks, you all made good points! I guess I'm just cheap!

Nah, I think it's way too expensive myself! I am sure there are many others who will agree out there. I have a feeling that this hobby will price itself out of existence for newcomers and younger modelers in the not too distant future. Or at least certain portions will. Just trying to find simple kits for my kids, to bridge the gap from snap tights to glue togethers, is not an easy nor inexpensive task.

For me, $100+ is just too much. Remember, It all comes down to a big piece of plastic or resin. However, you get what you pay for. (In most cases!)

There's a real perception gap here guys.

Go to a toy store and look at the prices of single purpose toys. Look at the price of a video game ($30-60) that is mastered in a few hours and discarded. Go out to dinner in a decent restaurant and the bill for two will easily be $40-60, never mind what it will cost for a really nice place.

How many other things do you regularly accept the price of today without question? Hey, how about tickets to a single pro ball game? Been to a live music event lately? How about just parking your car in a parking garage for the day downtown? Get a grip. That Nagato kit is going to provide scores of hours of entertainment and fulfillment that none of those other things will (btw, I've seen the pre-order price for a US distributor and it is $146). WS

Dreadnought52 wrote:

There's a real perception gap here guys. ... How many other things do you regularly accept the price of today without question?  ...   WS

 

$10 a gallon for coffee?

Orange Juice.. ever pay $1.49 for an 8 ounce box of orange juice?

That comes out to $23.84 a gallon

 

Printer ink...

Cartridge holds 21 ml of black ink. That is 0.71 ounces per cartridge

One Gallon is 128 ounces

128 ÷ 0.71 = 180.28

180.28 x 54.99 = 9913.59

So you are paying $9913.59 a gallon for printer ink....(I guess you get a neat cartridge also)...... Do they still market ink by the ML or by the number of pages you can print now?

Needs are a funny thing.... I would probably scratch build my own hull for any ship I want to build, however, at my scales, the hull and superstructure would cost about 200-250 bucks.

I thought this was bad, but I saw in the Squadron Mailer for this month a tank kit for over $1,000. Triple choke!

I'll bet you buy your airbrush thinner for $4.99 for a 1.75 oz bottle, just because it has a model manufacturer's logo on it. 

Thats over 91 dollars a quart and almost 365 dollars a gallon!

I paid just under 13 dollars yesterday for a gallon of hardware-brand lacquer thinner.   Works great!

 

I dont think there is a perception gap here. I just think Hasegawa is charging a big chunk for it. Consider Revell's 1/72 U-Boat or Gato submarines. Both required a similar amount of engineering and research, both are similar sized kits, and both will also provide comparable hours of entertaining build time.  Yet you could buy both for the price of one Nagato. I agree that we will pay what we can afford for what we want, I often do with or without family. But I will bet it could have been done by another maker in the same quality for less.

stikpusher wrote:

I dont think there is a perception gap here. I just think Hasegawa is charging a big chunk for it. Consider Revell's 1/72 U-Boat or Gato submarines. Both required a similar amount of engineering and research, both are similar sized kits, and both will also provide comparable hours of entertaining build time.  Yet you could buy both for the price of one Nagato. I agree that we will pay what we can afford for what we want, I often do with or without family. But I will bet it could have been done by another maker in the same quality for less.

As nice as those sub kits are, they really aren't comparable to the the development and tooling of the Nagato. A look at the sprues needed for each will illustrate the difference. Don't forget that the number of kits expected to be sold also affects the price of the kit. The sales of a Japanese battleship in 1/350 will not be as great as the far more ubiquitous submarines mentioned in your post. WS

Okay, enough with the novelty "you think gas is expensive per gallon, check out these other fluids" that everyone's gotten in an email by now anyway - there's a lot of different factors to consider in the price of a model kit.  Sure, you can hold out examples of expensive dinners and this and that - but when is the last time you and your significant other sat down to work on a model together?  A restaurant dinner is expensive, no matter where you go nowadays.  Consider my situation - my wife wants a night off from cooking, so we go out to Ruby Tuesday's - with a drink each that's easily $65 before the tip.  And my wife thinks her last name is Rockefeller when it comes to the tip, because she refuses to leave a tip that is less than 20% no matter what.  She will sneak back and leave some more cash if I try to do less than 20%.  And I'm unemployed right now, but that doesn't stop her.

Anyway, the point is that you're sharing something with one or more others - presumably a special occasion, or maybe just a chance to spend some time alone.  But you're sharing something.

Now say you go out and buy that new Nagato model.  Unless your better half is blind and locked in the closet, she is going to find out how much it cost.  And you just spent that much on yourself, and nobody else.  There are plenty of people here who don't have those ties that bind, and are able to shell out that $ for a good kit when they choose.  And there are others who are pretty well off financially, and can do the same.  But there are still plenty of us who have other factors - and mouths - to consider when trying to justify the cost of any model kit - not just one as expensive as the Nagato. 

Yes, modeling is relaxing (usually) and it helps us cope with a lot of stuff we wouldn't otherwise be able to cope with as easily; it's something we enjoy, and (if not now, then eventually) do well - it is something that shows results and gives us a sense of satisfaction at having created something out of many pieces of plastic or whatever.  But there are other things that we usually refer to RL - Real Life - that can and should overshadow modeling, and that is frustrating.  We spend years - literally years - waiting for a kit like this to be produced; then when it finally becomes available, we find it's beyond our budget.  And it seems to be a limited release, so chances are we won't be able to save up for it before it isn't available any more.  How fair is that?  We've been patiently waiting for the modeling industry to give us something we really, really want - only to have it dangling beyond our grasp because we can't afford it.  It really isn't fair in a lot of ways - and yes, I know that's life and that's business.  But here we've been, patiently and silently supporting them while they pump out kits that we like, waiting for the one we will love.  It's like baseball - there would be no multimillion dollar player contracts without the money pumped into the teams' coffers by us, the fans.  Yet who gets the shaft?  Us - the fans.  We pay close to $100 to take our kids to a game, and are we allowed to get close to the players to get an autograph?  No.  We have to go to a show, buy a ticket, and then pay for the autograph - and usually for the item to be autographed, too.  It's never enough for them.

Ok - back on track.  They depend on us for their revenue, yet do they seeem to care what we actually want?  No, it doesn't seem that way.  How long ago did Tamiya come out with their 1/350 ships?  1980 or so?  That's 27 years ago!  And what did they offer us after that?  Nothing.  We waited, and we hoped - and we dreamed.  And then finally some other company seemdd to take notice of what we wanted, and here we are.  Finally, new 1/350 ship kits from Trumpeter.  And now that they're selling well, now the other, older companies are finally seeing the light.  Because they see money to be made, not because they see what we want.  So why should we expect them to consider our wallets and budgets when they've never considered our desires as modelers?

Maybe the trend will continue - I certainly hope it will.  Because while I have plenty of kits in my stash, I want to get these new 1/350 ships as well.  So I'll start scrimping and saving, and maybe someday soon I'll be able to afford one or more of them.  Hopefully.  If they're still around.  But even if they're not, I'm sure I will find something to build.  Maybe by then I'll be able to scratch-build my own.

I'm waiting to see what the MFG price for the soon to be release Trumpeter 1/200 BB Arizona will be? Might have to find a second job.

Scott

All I can say is , the Japanese must have a lot of money to spend!  modelbob@hotmmail.com

Good thing I have no interest in ships and don't build them. Those prices, IMHO, are insane.  The torpedo and PT boats I do have a keen interest in, but my only option was the cheap Revell PT-109, because the new Italeri kit in 1/35 in $109, which is an improvement over the initial $150 price tag though.

 

 

ben1227 wrote:

For me, $100+ is just too much. Remember, It all comes down to a big piece of plastic or resin. However, you get what you pay for. (In most cases!)

Well I'm kinda putting the pieces together for a 1/72 U-boat (Revell kit) right now. I bought the boat for $42, and was elated over the price. But then I needed the photo etch kit, and that's another $30 shipping and all (got a deal). Will probably change the 20mm gun for one from WE, and that's another $10 + shipping. They make a real wood deck kit for it that's another $37, but may just forget that. Then there is the torpedo door correction kit, but once again I don't think I'm gonna do that one either. The decales leave a lot to be desired and I want the ones from ULAD, there's another $12.50, and correct flags are another $5.38. But the killer is the figures I wanted to use. The best deal I could find was two sets at $25 each, plus another set for $10. When this is all said and done I see two hundred dollars plus the price of paint (lots of paint). And I have not glued one piece yet!! But I am having a ton of fun just doing research alone!

gary

P.S. I'm also in the hunt for a better 88mm cannon. Anybody know of one?

In the end, the the price of the kit will depend on the price of oil.

After all, plastics are a petroleum product...

Your personal styrene reserve may be the fuel of the future. 

Of course another alternative is to wait 6 months and see how much the Nagato will cost then. If you have to be the first on your block to have the latest gizmo you will pay a premium (how much were i-pod phones the first day they came out as compared to today?)  I've got three ships to build before I would build the new Nagato and I'll bet by the time I'm ready to buy it can be had for $125  we'll see

alumni72 wrote:

She will sneak back and leave some more cash if I try to do less than 20%.  And I'm unemployed right now, but that doesn't stop her. ::SNIP:: And you just spent that much on yourself, and nobody else.

And your wife's tipping is different HOW? She tips for HERSELF.

If you take a typical large ship model and divide the total cost by hours spent it is a failry low-cost hobby. Yes, the initial buy-in can be a hurdle. It doesn't have to strictly be for YOU; you can introduce your kids to it or do the non-toxic parts with everyone in a family time type of gathering, presuming a family has such time.

I completely get that some people can't afford such kits; there are many I can't afford. I just reject the notion that modeling is any more selfish than demands from one spouse that another ought to act a certain way.

Model companies *DO* care what we want, but it's tempered by what we'll BUY. People don't typically buy what they don't want, but  those that are actually willing to plunk down coin for something they say they want are a smaller subset of those who will say they want something.

I'm not "demanding that she act a certain way."  I'm asking that she help to conserve what money we have.  I've been out of work for 5 months, she only works part-time, and we have two kids in high school, with one just recently added to our car insurance policy and who will be going to college next time we turn around.  I'm just asking that she reconsider her reliance on that little tip table card she has to calculate how much the tip 'should' be, and since it says what 20% would be that's what she puts down because she can't do the math to figure out 15%.  I take her out to dinner once in a while to give her a break from making dinner every night, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't still watch our nickels and dimes.

Oh, I'm not comign down on you, I'm just pointing out that an expensive kit might not actually be when you calculate the true cost of entertainment per hour. I have also been around many spouses who believed anything that wasn't their hobby was a waste of time, and I think it is important to nail them on issues like that to fight for parity at least.

My wife collects model horses and that hobby is probably the inverse of this one in the male/female ratio. There are plenty people in that hobby that sneak models into the house past a disapproving spouse. It's not something owned by any one sex, and I abhor the idea advanced by some that kids mean you have to give up your hobbies.

Good luck finding employment, by the way. I hope you find your dream job.

now you think $200.00 is outragous,to me it might be steep.but here is the catch...transportation of these products.put yourself in my shoes when i drove a truck.we are the first to feel what is happening in the economy.before you are layed off your jobs we know about first.to move this stuff weather it be by boat,plane or truck cost a lot of money to get it to you.that is were the cost of this are based on tranportation.it is just not the cost of oil that drives it up but the cost to refine it.the oil used to my styrene is small but the cost to bring it to you is high.i know that when people want something cheap and get it cheap,i suffer.my truck brakes down and i don't have the money to cover the parts or labor.i have to cut my rates in order for it to be cheap at the market.so $200.00 is not that bad a little steep but not bad when you consider the hours you work on it for your entertament.compare the hours you spend working and have fun with models compared to go to the movies and how much that would cost.modeling is cheap and one of the best entertament values for the money.so i think that it is cheap also if you have kids it is the best thing to teach them pataince and to devolpe there skills.....Digger

Well, the new Nagato kit was unveiled at "show and tell" tonite at our local IPMS chapter meeting. Needless to say it is a GORGEOUS piece of work just in the box. But when the prices (there are three versions, basic-all plastic, intermediate w/PE, and Deluxe w/PE) were mentioned, there were many gasps and remarks. In the end those who want it, will pay, and I don't blame them. I suppose if a kit comes out of something I really really want, I will pay the cost asked too. 

You know fellas, I didn't have the patience to read all of these comments, but the bottom line is that Hasagawa is in business to make money (the same reason we work) and they will produce and price as the market and good business sense demands. They don't owe us anything. If we want it badly enough we will save up and buy it, to their profit. If they did anything else they'd be out of business in a heartbeat, and then where would we get our models? Just our hard luck that the dollar is worth squat right now. We all should have invested in some Loonies last year; the Canadian dollar is at an all-time high against the US, as is every other currency in the world. Who'd of thunk it? Welcome to the new Third World. Get used to it.

 Myself? I'm saving up for the Arizona, which I fully expect to be priced over $500. In the meantime I'll try to complete my Nichimo Yamato, which I bought on eBay for a relative song.

   One other aspect in the modeling field of late is the LIMITED kits, yea if I see a kit that I'd like to have and it's pricey, I'll wait and save to buy it but then zingo....it's no longer available, this is a problem I wish company's of model kits will stop this practice. it may not affect this kit but others out there.  Karl

All hobbies are expensive nowadays....

 

A few examples of 2 of my others

1) I play bass guitar(20 years experience), used to play in local bands a few years back, ok I have 2 basses, 1982 spector( hence my name) this is an original purchased back in 1985 for $600,expensive at the time, If I were to sell it today it would go for almost $4000+ easily, that was a good investment although I will never sell it.

Second Guitar is  Peavey Cirrus fretless 5 string custom.  $1500 ,you get what you pay for here and this is just an amazing Bass guitar... money well spent IMHO and gift to myself after my divorce from that money grubbing ex wife of mine.

Now strings for these go for around $25-45,  and typically get replaced on a 2 month basis if I play a lot. 2 guitars $65 every 2 months.  That adds up quickly.

Lets not go into the amp setup($4000)  once again you get what you pay for.  I buy quality/reputation if at all possible. 

Not rich at all BTW ( working middle class if there ever was one)but there is nothing worse than a gear failure while on stage in front of a couple of hundred paying local music fans, it has happened to myself and cohorts at various times and let me tell you its not a pretty sight indeed.

 

Hobby (2) Fly fishing ...  Back when I started fishing one could find a decent flyrod for around $100, NOW if you are lucky you can possibly find a second class flyrod in the $200 range.

I am going to replace all of my drastically worn out gear, both rod and reel, and am looking at around $800 easily, hell fly lines alone are in the $50 range now.

 

Hobby 3) Modeling I have a stash right now that may never be built completely, been getting out of the armor realm a bit and going into the IJN big boats, apparently just in time.

I purchased both the Aoshima Chokai ( a personal fave) and the Nagato with all its hull gridwork shortcomings.  Money well spent as I will not be making any more of these large purchases for a long time.  I will buy full detail kits for these ships as well, they will go under glass in a nice shelf on the wall.  I will never sell them when completed  personally, however after I am gone, they may fetch a nice price on EBAY  should any of my family  members( kids)  need a few quick bucks.  I have already  told both my young adults this.  And they shouldn't feel the least bit badly about the sale.... to them models are dust collectors, to some on EBAY they make nice displays, I would rather my models go to someone who appreciates nice work.

  I don't drink anymore, I never did drugs, and I am not addicted to having the latest/greatest cars or huge houses like so many others. Its just material crap.

Hobbies get more expensive than modeling believe me,.... much more expensive.  At least we have actual hobbies/interests.  Some folks idea of a hobby is sitting around smoking pot and drinking beer and watching sports all day, never doing basically anything at all.  I am going to guess most modelers could locate Iraq on the globe!  LOL

I am a modeler because it forces me to learn new things and histories of the various subjects I model, it keeps life interesting indeed.  So it is almost worth any price to myself. 

So purchase what interests you or what you can afford at the time, one can get a lot of enjoyment out of a $30 kit learn some new weathering techniques you were afraid to try.

Thats really what its all about.