Classic Airframes has released their latest kit, the 1/48th Martin 187 Baltimore RAF bomber that has a list price of $77.00. Squadron has it discounted to $69.30. I hate paying $20 or $30 for a plastic model kit, let alone $69.30 for one. I have sucked it up for one or two expensive kits in the past simply because I had to have it. The Fonderie Lockheed PV1 Ventura was one and the Mirage PZL-23A & -23B were another. Is this CA kit worth $69.30 or is it geared only to those who ‘gotta have it’?
So the question is, do you have a limit on how much you’ll pay for a box of plastic? What is going through your head when you pick up that box and look at the price tag? And in general, what does, if anything, a $77.00 model kit say about our hobby?
Limit ? It Depends, such as is the kit still Available ? Is it a Kit I want Now because I Think I Really Have to Build it Now ? I dont mind paying for Something I Like or Want. I would Rather Drop $70.00 at the Hobby Shop then at my Local Gas Station… To give you an Idea of wanting a Kit, for over 4 yrs I have been watching ebay for a “Bill Grumpy Jenkins” 1970 Camaro and my limit has been $150.00…Well I still have not Won one Yet. [sigh]
The prices they’re asking anymore are reaching the breaking point. It’s time to just start building and getting some afer market and supplies now and then, maybe even sell a few off. I’ve been bilding for over 50 years and most of the modern aircraft are of no interest as I build up to the F-15 which was the last fighter I had any connection with.
I don’t have a limit. There’s a $90 model (just the kit) sitting on my shelf right now. It’s a modern kit of a subject that is near and dear to my heart. It’s a large model in 48 scale. The important thing is… it kept me busy for over 7 months. I spent $25 for a ship kit, then I spent another $35 on aftermarket goodies, but it kept me busy for 6 months.
I’m willing to spend money for quality, but I do expect to put more time and effort than money in every build. However, scratchbuilding and rescribing everything can get pretty old. I know there are some traditionalists that will disagree with me on that. I like modern (usually expensive) kits, but they’re still less expensive than a drinking away a six pack every night.
It depends on the model. I have been looking for two models on e-bay that years ago they were a mere $10.00 and $20.00 kits. I have seen them go for $50.00 or $60.00. I thought long and hard about bidding on them and still got out bid. If it is a kit that will look good in my collection or it is a subject I have been looking for well, I would probably spend the $77.00. If the kit is built with excellence (eye of the beholder) then the value may actually increase in years to come. It really boils down to want your feeling are, how rare is the kit, and how bad you really want it.
Considering the size of the model & the rarity of the subject, it’s probably fairly priced in todays market. The CA kits come with lots of resin details & excellent decals, so very little else is needed in the way of AM. But, like all CA kits, it’s Limited Run technology & a whole lot more work to achieve outstanding results than for the typical main stream kit. That said, no main stream kit maker is likely to tackle the subjects that CA & other limited run manufacturers tackle. I won’t buy one as I have little interest in the subject aircraft, but to many it will be a dream come true.
I guess you might be a little freaked out by the $149 price tag on Trumpeter’s 1/48 C-47. Soft US dollar, high energy costs and the fact that plastic is a petroleum based product are all combining to drive model prices up.
Well… I won’t buy it - not because of the price tag, although that is a bit high, but mainly because it’s 1/48 [:D]
My scale is 1/72 (when I can stick to it) and I already have a 1/72 Baltimore that fits the bill for my collection (Special Hobby).
This “hobby” is, if manufacturers and buyers are not careful, in danger of becoming extinct imho. You need to get the younger kids (8 years old and older) excited about building again. When I was a kid and building kits, WWII was “only” 30 years old - now you have companies still producing kits that are, in essence, of aircraft that a kid can’t relate to (or even purchase at that price).
There has to be some more “easy build” (for the lack of better wording) kits of subjects that kids can get excited about. Automobiles might be one way of doing it, or at least more modern aircraft.
That said, I’ll be happy to stick to the older aircraft when building
Sorry for the rant… just was on my mind due to the pricing of the kit.
I agree with you Dave, we do need to grow that next generation of modelers. I think that the 21st Century kits were a great step towards doing that, good kits, easy to assemble and low priced plus they had a playable aspect to them. While places like Wal Mart have (for the moment) dropped unassembled plastic kits they are still carrying the painted and mostly assembled 21st Century kits and hopefully this will attract a few new members to the game.
Having built models of many different types from the late '50’s 'till now I’ve seen the prices really pop lately on some offerings. When I see the high dollar amount on the newly offered “extreme detail” kits and then read the Pro/Con comments in FSM reviews I am a bit dismayed at the quality issue still coming forth. Mega number of parts doesn’t always equate to a good buy. That said I usually look at the amount of time/build enjoyment received in a kit build prior to considering the actual cost. It is interesting to me that when I look back over past issues (over many years) of FSM and such and my eye falls on a particularly sharp model build I’m often amazed that it is a great build of a “low buck” kit long forgotten. Guess it’s all in what a builder wants to put into it.
It’s also interesting that the same rise in dollar cost per kit issue has followed the R/C model builders too. Sometimes I find myself forgoing the kit and building from a plan because of the huge increase in kit cost…especially on evil bay…
If it was a model I really wanted, I wouldn’t mind paying this price. However, I have no interest in building this airplane. I have paid more than this for a couple of what is now called collectible kits. And in the past I’ve sold collectible kits for much more than this.
Considering what you get from Classic Airframes, I’ll buy one (no need for aftermarket products). Then again, I have an interest in this aircraft. I’ll wait for the version with the other Allied nations and build the Italian Co-Belligerent version. The Italian SM 79 pilot and torpedo ace, Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia, died when he ground looped one of these during conversion training.
CA does improve their kits with the new releases. their FIAT CR.42 was changed radically over the lower wing attachment for one thing over the initial release. The newer kits maybe short runs, but the quality of the engineering has improved over the first releases.
I routinely pay in excess of 100.00 for kits. So yes I would get it. I have many kits now that cost more than 100.00. A couple of them over 200.00. It’s just money. I pay my bills, my kids get what they need, and want. So does the wife. Then I get what I want. I’d say go for it if you want the kit.
