The Zero was 55.99 and the Swordfish, if memory serves, was in the 70 dollar price range.

Just a guess, but even the retailers must be finding that the $50+ kits do not sell if they are marked near MSRP. But once they are deeply discounted... What is HL asking for the Zero and Swordfish at full price?

Speaking of prices, I got lucky. Went to hobby lobby yesterday, picked up the tamiya mossie w/the little british car for $25.19, down from from $70! And the Italeri spit mk IX (American aces) for $12.59, down from $35! I like that kind of luck. The tamiya swordfish finally got marked down to $28.97, but I gotta wait to get that one, and the fancy tamiya A6M5 ( the newer one) for $20.

Aaron Skinner

Manstein's revenge:

 

bondoman:

 

 

Manstein's revenge:

 

 

Speaking of Dreadnaughts---I like the "wink and nod" that Aaaron gace the "Steel Castles" GB in the latest issue of FSM...anyone who has their new mag will know what I'm speaking of...

 

Mine hasn't come yet. I live in a small town and it may be that the mail dog is on strike.

 

 

 

I may scan and post it in the GB---he (Aaaron) probably won't admit it, but I think not that it is a coincidence...

 

 

Manny,

I'm not sure I'd call it a plan to promote the GB as much as I have always liked this period apparently much like the rest of you, so when the kits arrived, I was all over them. We'll have a review of the Dreadnought in the January issue for anyone that's interested.

Cheers, Aaron

PS Please don't scan  and post ithe page, 'cause that's a copyright violation and we frown on those.

Can't wait to read the Dreadnought review. I'm tentatively planning on trying my hand at ships (and water!), and if it catches, that one's very high on my list. Think I'll start more modest, though...

Manstein's revenge

 

bondoman:

 

 

Manstein's revenge:

 

 

Speaking of Dreadnaughts---I like the "wink and nod" that Aaaron gace the "Steel Castles" GB in the latest issue of FSM...anyone who has their new mag will know what I'm speaking of...

 

Mine hasn't come yet. I live in a small town and it may be that the mail dog is on strike.

 

 

 

I may scan and post it in the GB---he (Aaaron) probably won't admit it, but I think not that it is a coincidence...

 

Manny,

I'm not sure I'd call it a plan to promote the GB as much as I have always liked this period apparently much like the rest of you, so when the kits arrived, I was all over them. We'll have a review of the Dreadnought in the January issue for anyone that's interested.

Cheers, Aaron

PS Please don't scan  and post ithe page, 'cause that's a copyright violation and we frown on those.

stikpusher

Which brings me to another related point. Many new release kits do not seem to be widely available for long term- often there is a publicity flurry, the kit is released, and if the buyer does not grab it up on the initial shipment, it tends to disappear and become harder to find, and if found often increases in costs due to scarcity. Is this a strategy by the companies who do this to re coup their expenses in the short term to justify the higher MSRP especialy on non mainstream kits that have a niche audience, rather than over the long term?

cough...Hasegawa AU-1...

bondoman

.

 Men buy stuff they eat, drink, smoke, date, watch from the sofa or build.

 

... or shoot. My last trip to send rounds downrange was a case of sticker shock. FAR more expensive thant this hobby in a shorter amount of time. Closer to places with loud music, low lighting and a brass pole centerpiece if you know what I mean.

and yes we could get into the fine points of money spent vs time enjoyed, where 1/350 ships probably work out to be the best bargain. Even in resin. But I dare say those are hardly for the "average" kit buyer/builder.

Which brings me to another related point. Many new release kits do not seem to be widely available for long term- often there is a publicity flurry, the kit is released, and if the buyer does not grab it up on the initial shipment, it tends to disappear and become harder to find, and if found often increases in costs due to scarcity. Is this a strategy by the companies who do this to re coup their expenses in the short term to justify the higher MSRP especialy on non mainstream kits that have a niche audience, rather than over the long term?

bondoman

Manstein's revenge:

 

 

Speaking of Dreadnaughts---I like the "wink and nod" that Aaaron gace the "Steel Castles" GB in the latest issue of FSM...anyone who has their new mag will know what I'm speaking of...

 

Mine hasn't come yet. I live in a small town and it may be that the mail dog is on strike.

 

Manstein's revenge

 

 

Speaking of Dreadnaughts---I like the "wink and nod" that Aaaron gace the "Steel Castles" GB in the latest issue of FSM...anyone who has their new mag will know what I'm speaking of...

I don't actually have a problem with expensive kits. I spent an insane amount of money on a resin 1/350 armored cruiser, the Scharnhorst. Probably close to $ 300 for a model about 15" long. I spend a little now and then on a top shelf Manhattan, a decent cigar or a good bottle of wine.

But I feel like repeating myself, it's all pretty academic i.e. making imaginary snowballs with your hands, unless you either a) invest and resell, and there's no market for that, or b)BUILD the damn things. Otherwise just put $ 100 in an envelope and staple gun it to the wall in the garage.

Women buy clothes they never wear. Men buy stuff they eat, drink, smoke, date, watch from the sofa or build.

The Navigator

Manstein's revenge:

I just got an unexpected raise today...after I found out I went to Sprue Brothers and bought 5 items that I don't need and will never build to celebrate...

 

Could have bought a nice mug

Just sayin' .......

Now in regards to the survey, it depends on the kit. 1/350 Dreadnaught -

                                                                                             1/48 Fighter Plane -

Speaking of Dreadnaughts---I like the "wink and nod" that Aaaron gace the "Steel Castles" GB in the latest issue of FSM...anyone who has their new mag will know what I'm speaking of...

So at this point it would  appear we have three catagories: for the majority here a $50+ price tag is a double take and they will question wether or not to buy the new release- the decision being made on how much the new release appeals to them; For a few on one end, it is too much and past their 'line in the sand' of pricing, no matter what the subject; And for a few at the opposite end of the spectrum, they are not phased one bit-if they want the new release, they will buy it without hesitation regarding price.

Supplies, AM accessories, old collectors kits, or that "gotta have that because it's my favorite beast" notwithstanding. And of course the beauty of internet shopping with the ability to find the lowest possible price on nearly any kit somewhere.

Please continue to post your thoughts on this subject.

Manstein's revenge

I just got an unexpected raise today...after I found out I went to Sprue Brothers and bought 5 items that I don't need and will never build to celebrate...

Could have bought a nice mug

Just sayin' .......

Now in regards to the survey, it depends on the kit. 1/350 Dreadnaught -

                                                                                             1/48 Fighter Plane -

I just got an unexpected raise today...after I found out I went to Sprue Brothers and bought 5 items that I don't need and will never build to celebrate...

Plus, I don't use PE that doesn't come with it, I can sand a plastic gun barrel without leaving a flat spot on it, and paints I buy aren't used for just one model...  

I'm with you with on the paint Hans but I seems no matter how careful I am with wiping the top of the bottle and storing it when I start a new project the paint I need has either dried up in the bottle or the bottle has vanished.

Though somehow I have about a half-dozen bottles of duck egg blue. I don't recall buying more than one. I've come to believe that somehow over time other paint will transform into duck egg blue when out of sight.

And though I'm not a big fan of PE for five bucks a pop the ZOOM sets are nice, the part I balk at is five bucks for a little piece of pre-cut tape for canopy masks. Still the part I hate about aircraft the worst is masking canopies so I suck it down and pay it.  

Not at all. The last 3 kits I've purchased were all priced over 50 bucks.

I believe Stik was very conservative with a $50 price tag. I for one start getting hicups from a $30-$35 MSRP.

Stik, my answer is YES.

Without a doubt, the answer is "YES!!!"  Fifty bucks for a plane is just way too much for in my eyes.  To be quiet honest with you, with each new release regardles of the company or the subject matter, I am finding myself less and less excited.

I'm a massive P-61 fan but I'm not even going to look at the soon-to-be-released P-61 in that scale.  I'm sure it's going to be at or above the $100 mark so they can just pound sand for all I care.

As a footnote to all this, I have spent $150 each on Collect-Aire's 1/48 XP-54 and XP-67 for two reasons:  1) they are simply awesome and amazing X-planes, and 2) those are the only offerings in 1/48 scale from any manufacturer.

Eric

I would say for the most part YES. Like many others have said I would make an exception for the "right" model.

I dont build in the genre you do, I build mainly monster/scifi.

Models in my genre on average havent even hit the $50 mark yet but are in the $30-$45 range.

Even at those lower prices I have cut way back and havent bought but a few that have been released this year.

I'm talking styrene here. Resin is an entirely different story, their prices start at $70 or $150 for the really desireable ones.

Inquiring minds want to know...

It's all academic IMO unless you build it. I have to wonder what two $35.00 kits unbuilt in the stash mean compared to one $49.99 kit on the bench.

I'm a firm believer in modeling for the entertainment value. This attitude has been developed after years of wasting time and money on other pursuits.

As my friend Airman Jim said after building his first and only plastic kit, the Academy 'Belle:

"Dang, Bayull, that's the best time I've had for $ 20 since R+R in Hong Kong".

I currently like my ships because they take a long time and store well.

It's rare that I'll go over the $50 price also, but there have been exceptions. Right now there's one I'd go for, if someone offered it in styrene: 1/35 FAMO SdKfz. 9 w/ crane. Actually I still keep telling myself that I'm gonna pull the trigger on Trumpeter's SA-2 with the tractor/trailer (Iraqi, not the Chinese) one of these days.....

DoogsATX

B-17 Guy:

 I'm Hans like, I wont pay $40 for a single engine fighter in 48th.  

 

I have to ask because I'm curious - what 1/48 single engine fighter costs more than $40?

I'm very "Hans Like"... But to answer,:

Tamiya A6M5 was 54.00 and change at Hobby Lobby... I waited until it went on clearance, then got it with another 15% off Employee Discount.. Had one of my tenants, who works at HL pick it up for me..

But the answer is 99% "Yes"... I've paid more than 50.00 for a kit, ONCE, since it was OOP and the only place I could find it was at OldModelkits.com, who charge collector prices, but on average, it's 25.00 max for a single engine-single-aeat fighter, regardless of what it is or who manufactured it.. 35.00 for 1/32 scale...

I've got gobs of 1/32 from Revell, none were over 35.00.. Wouldn't have them without Ebay though..

I won't buy the 1/48 Revellogram B-17s and B-29s anymore either, without Hobby Lobby's 40% off coupon...  Got the 1/48 Memphis Belle for 32.00 bucks too..  That's the max for 1/48 multi-engine, BTW...

Armor is straight 35.00 too...  I like the Testor's/Italeri kits, and the old Tamiya armor..  I don't need every mark of every piece of German Armor to do what I do, which is tell stories with my models..  So there's no problem with buying 6 23.00 Panther-As over the last five years, as each Panther told a different story...

Same with figures..  Cheap figures are pretty much all I buy, since they all get chopped up and put into the poses I want, rather than trying to build a diorama with the stock figures limiting me to the story that THEY wanna tell.. Phooey.. I "Frankenstein" 'em, and they're GLAD about it...

Plus, I don't use PE that doesn't come with it, I can sand a plastic gun barrel without leaving a flat spot on it, and paints I buy aren't used for just one model...  

DoogsATX

B-17 Guy:

 I'm Hans like, I wont pay $40 for a single engine fighter in 48th.  

 

I have to ask because I'm curious - what 1/48 single engine fighter costs more than $40?

I know there are some that MSRP for well above that, but heck, the Tamiya P-47M is just about the most expensive single-engine I can think of, and Great Models has it for $39.

I'm mainly talking about hasegawa kits. Go to a brick and mortar store and see the prices. Granted a few seam to have come down but some are still expensive. Look through here, one of most everybody's favorite e-hobby stores.

http://store.spruebrothers.com/categories.aspx?Keyword=hasegawa+1%2F48

Big range of prices. But like I said, brick and mortar stores are usually more expensive.

DoogsATX

B-17 Guy:

 I'm Hans like, I wont pay $40 for a single engine fighter in 48th.  

 

I have to ask because I'm curious - what 1/48 single engine fighter costs more than $40?

I know there are some that MSRP for well above that, but heck, the Tamiya P-47M is just about the most expensive single-engine I can think of, and Great Models has it for $39.

I just made a trip to Salt Lake City this weekend and stopped by Great Models and picked up the Tamiya    P-47M for $33.00. Of course the rest of the goodies I bought went a long ways towards putting Great Models in the Fortune  500.

Doogs-You gotta love that 47M kit. Impressive.

                                        Joe

my parents consiter anything over 25$ expensive so my choices are pretty limited

the most expensive kit I have ever done is tamiya's king tiger

so based on how many kits I get in a year and thier quality I would take the more expensive kit hands down

I've never deprived myself of a model due to price...last few weeks I purchased 5 Hasegawa quarter scale kits--mainly in the $34 - $45 range...

I also popped for a few ref books on Japanese a/c from Amazon...that gold I stole from the salt mines in the Spring of '45 is still holding out... 

B-17 Guy

 I'm Hans like, I wont pay $40 for a single engine fighter in 48th.  

I have to ask because I'm curious - what 1/48 single engine fighter costs more than $40?

I know there are some that MSRP for well above that, but heck, the Tamiya P-47M is just about the most expensive single-engine I can think of, and Great Models has it for $39.

Yes, no, maybe...

I almost always pick stuff up at hobby shows and on sale. I've rarely paid more than $30-35 bucks for a 1/48th aircraft or 1/35 AFV.

Though when I buy the kit: $30.00

Eduard pre-cut canopy masks $5.00

Eduard ZOOM PE set $5.00

Paint: $10.00

Well, you've got $50.00 bucks right there...

No, I buy kits on the gray market at deep discounts. So retail prices don't affect me at all.

It depends on the manufacturer. Also I build mostly 1/32 airplanes, so my limit is around $60. Unless, as Doogs mentioned, there's the occasional Really good kit, such as the Tamiya 1/32 P-51.