At 17, I had NO stash…When I was a kid, I built them as fast as I got them. I didn’t start a kit stash until I was about 37 or so… And that’s because I could buy kits anytime I wanted to, but I had about ZERO time to build… Even then, there was only a couple dozen… It wasn’t until last summer that I started build it up to about 100 kits… Now, I keep buying two or three when I only want one… Especially if I find one on sale in the cleareance aisle, I can then justify the expense of one or two more…
Hum… ok… You guys win… But it must be good to have a stash now as the prices are sky-high [:)]
I still go for the cheap(er) ones… Haven’t paid over 30.00 for anything… That’s why I have several 251s, Mark IVs, M-41s, T-34/76s, and Panther A’s…
I’m with you Redleg on the demise of the LHS. While I support it in some way: paint supplies, magazines, etc., I refuse to buy kits there anymore. They are really inflated. I personally don’t mind saving money. Do you/anyone? Of course not. Perhaps if my LHS had a sale or something, which they never do, then perhaps I would participate. Also, When I order off of ebay, I know exactly what I want and therefore don’t have to trip to the LHS to see if it’s there. For me Ebay or Greatmodels is the best alternative.
I’m fortunate enough to have a LHS that’s owner-operated and can haggle about kits, plus the Hobby Lobby for it’s 40% coupons…
My hobby shop guy is mostly catering to the model RR crowd, so the armor and aircraft kits are kinda slow-moving, and he’ll order anything I want, but his main intake from me is for supplies…
IF they were to be re-issues of the original monograms they would be 1/32 scale
Guys Im telling you just because gas prices are low right now doesnt mean a thing. I work for North America’s largest OIL researcher/development so I feel I have a little inside knowledge on the full spectrum when all I do all day is deal with seismic data. Im telling you that this will not last they OPEC is trying to cut down production so the prices can go back up, I can promise you the low prices you see right now will go back up its going to happen within the next two years and it is predicted it may be worse, Oil is becoming harder and harder to get from the fields to our vehicles and this has not changed. So stay on your toes and I think this is probably what most large mfging companies feel at this point is to play the safe card.
Well, this may not want to be what everyone hears, but here is what I do know. I am a Buyer in industry/OEM manufacturing. Not in plastic kits, but I DO and HAVE for many years now bought chemicals and resins as they relate to plastic injection molding, so I know a fair amount about the cost of petrochemicals and their procurement/production, both historically and currently. Bear in mind that petrochemicals (PT or the purposes of this) are heavily used and in fact absolutely key to the production of resin or injection-molded kits, both in the production of the plastics/resins themselves, and also in the PT used in the operation of the machinery (a captured system with minimal loss, but still necessary to production) and molds (some lines do and still use mold release agents in the mold during production).
When the cost of fuel was very high, due mostly to speculated demand, the fuel companies and refineries were making HUGE profits on the profit margins therein, but forecasted demand meant that most production in the US for PT took a definite back-seat to gasoline production, and as such, some of the largest PT producers in the US, like DOW forced upon the US not one but TWO increases of more than 60% per increase in the same calendar year! Unheard of, but that is how it was! for an unusual PT, you had better stock up, because supply was tight-tight-tight due to the above, driving prices higher still. As you can imagine, Producers the world over felt this in large measure and that is one of the prime reasons for kits suddenly soaring to $40 -$50+
Right now, fuel prices have indeed fallen, but guess what? so have the margins for profits! Now while I am sure this just breaks all our little hearts for the oil companies (not), what it means in real terms is that fuel production is still by far number one, and the PT market is as tight as ever. Only within the last few weeks have we Buyers seen much downward movement in the market, and most of that is in items not used too much in plastic injection manufacturing, that being Isopropyl Alcohol, IPA. The one good thing has been a healthy drop in Acetone, though.
Thus, end of the day? Prices will drop, but none right away. Look for price markets to stabilize at best, and future prices will depend more on the economy and the US dollar (don’t get me started there) in the first 2 business quarters of next year (6 months to non bid-ness types)
I don’t have all that much business experience, but I know that when prices go up, they don’t come down with anywhere near the speed they go up… The way they come down is when a store can’t move them at the current price, so they put them on sale or clearance… I saved 40 bucks on a Blackhawk kit by just waitin’ them out…
I don’t forsee any models coming down without a drop in sales, regardless of the oil situation…
As a chemical engineer dealing with chemicals all the time I concur. Also if prices of raw materials drop, the maufacurers still have to deal with kits built with higher priced materials which are now in stock.
Also it is not just styrene. Metals had jumped, thus PE costs are high. All the other costs associated with a kit have increased.
but…as I said earlier, if you want the 20 sprue kit with PE and all kinds of add ons…you pay for it. Other hobbies have seen similar increases and some which run at higher base prices (like model RR) make our hobby look like the poor mans choice.
No matter how much we lament, I hate to say it but…this is not really for kids anymore…or at least on the level we practice it. I agree with Hans…you want the prices to drop…don’t buy anything. Also remember, we are a small part of the model community. EU and Asia are much bigger. So…I don’t mean to be bleak but…hunker down and ride it out! Count your blessings…you could be a LHS owner [:O]
Rounds Complete!!
Car kits are for kids. Their price is relatively inexpensive compared to the rest of the modeling market.
Gotta love those 40% off coupons.[:D] (By the way they got a 30% off sale on kits at Hobby Lobby this week, so I’m pretty much compelled to head over there.)
Luckily my LHS still caters to all modelers, but he does focus a bit more on railroad stuff, nevertheless he still has a very healty armor selection, with tons of Cyberhobby whitebox kits, and other old/discontinued kits, like the 1/35 Dragon JS-2 CHZ Chinese Volunteer. He always seems to get the newest and greatest kits. Not to mention, he’ll order anything you want and won’t charge you s&h. So that’s always nice, when it comes to paints. I try to support him with bussiness as much as possible, but sometimes the prices are a bit high on certain kits. Though he still has a selection from $15.00 kits to $120.00 kits.
Some bad news for car model builders. One of the main players in NASCAR kits is bowing out of the market: http://www.revell.com/
I dont blame Revell one bit. The lawyers got involved and ruined it for all. Such a shame to see.
As far as Tigerman’s statement about car kits being for kids, those kits run the gamut the same as planes, armor, ships, etc. There are the simple entry level kits, and the high end kits out there.
You saved me the time of typing the same exact thing out myself. [;)]
I have bought one or two kits (at the most) from any retail operation lately, preferring to pick up kits at vendor tables at shows and contests. I’m a little limited in selection sometimes, but I still prefer older, simpler kits. Works for me…
I do however make visits to the LHS when we’re traveling, and almost always pick up something, from mags to Friul tracks. My way of “maximizing” vacation time.[:-^]
BTW, I found the Monogram Sherman Calliope on the “collections” shelf at a LHS a couple of years ago for $15…