Couldnt belive my eyes when I was leafing through the ltest edition of FSM.
A 1/48 Tornado- $93 !! A 1/48 F111- $110 !!
Bear in mind that these are still only 1/48 scale kits. I havent built a hobby boss kit before, but at RRP like these, they would have to be something special.
I didnt want to start bitching about prices again, Its like King Canute trying to hold back the tide. I’m glad my stash will sustain me for a few years yet.
Yeah, I’ve noticed their prices creeping up. Only experience I had with them was their 1:48 A-10…it was outstanding!
I also noticed that. I was going to say something on here but forgot to. Those are outstanding and ridiculous prices. Their kits are wonderful kits but for that price … there is a Hasegawa F-104 in 1/32 for $59.95! What is up Hobby Boss?!?
Another one I saw that made me laugh out loud was the 1/32 Revell F-14 Super Tomcat for $229.95 …
Josh
Yes, it is getting insane. Hasegawa, Bronco, Miniatures Andrea and Trumpeter to name a few have gotten out of hand with their prices in my opinion as well.
And it’s worth mentioning that Italeri are charging way too much for very old, non updated kits of theirs…
Hobbyboss is Trumpeter’s alter ego. At first their kits were less pricey than Trumpeter’s, but now that they have established themselves, their prices on some kits are almost as outrageous. I agree with you 100%. cinsdiering you can pay around $60 USD for a 1/48 B-1 a F-111 for nearly twice as much is pretty bad. I know part of the price issue is the import companies (compare Hong Kong prices to your local) but still… Very glad I have a monster stash myself.
You are the consumer. You have the money in your pocket. If you don’t like the price, don’t complain here. Send the company a note saying that you will not buy their products at the asking price. And then don’t buy.
The mind set is simple; they need you. But you don’t need them. Buy elsewhere or don’t but at all. Be disciplined.
Don
You are directing your question to the wrong area; in the U.K. the Tornado price is £40, and that includes a government additional tax @ 17.5%. The £-$ exchange rate is around $1.65, so I’d say $66 is more realistic (possibly only $55, without the VAT,) and that means that it’s your importers overcharging, not the manufacturers (I really don’t believe that the U.K. importers pay any less for their supplies.)
Edgar
I disagree… Complaining in here and other modeling forums is exactly where it should start in order to establish a grass-roots movement to get a manufacturer’s attention… This is the “town-hall” so to speak and folks can easily see what other like-minded folks have to say about it…
And as we continue to buy at these prices other manufacturers will take notice and increase their prices. (The aforementioned Italeri.) I thought the 1/48 line of armor vehicles from Tamiya would be a cheap but a well detailed alternative to their 1/35 line, but those prices are up to what the bigger scale used to cost.
-Stephen[cwby]
I agree.
[:)]
Go back and look again. I think you will find the F-14D Super Tomcat is made by Trumpter, not Revell.
Why these kits cost so much:
Limited run. That is these are made using molds with a specific life cycle, composite in nature, not like the old cold steel like R/M has used for decades. These mold might pump out 10-30K whereas the other type are good indefinitely by comparison…100K+.
Esoteric subjects. Subjects that are appealing and not being done by several other mfrs. Though many of the subjects such as the F-14D are popular not everyone is lining up to produce kits of them.
Production costs. Production costs are up as with most other products. Look at the prices you pay for other nondurable goods used in your daily life.
Transportation. Getting raw goods in and finished goods out saw a major increase during the last spike in gas and oil prices. The surcharges to offset the cost did not decrease after the crisis had past, never does. Most transportation resources raised their base rates Jan 1, 2010.
Consumer demand. Build a better mouse trap and consumers will come, price is not a primary consideration for impulse purchases. Which many of us see something new, we buy.
Though many of us have felt the pinch of a recession, many places have not. Though manufacturers have seen a slowdown in sales there are still customers out there spending their money on the goods and services they WANT but don’t necessarily need.
I want a new car, my neighbor got one. The difference is they have the income I don’t.
Mfrs continue to push the cost of purchasing their goods upwards. They establish the MSRP not the retailer or the distributor*. As long as consumers, that’s you and me, continue to feed them with cash they will continue business as usual. The up side is they are continuing to offer new products at an unexpectedly high rate, the bad news it they continue to test the acceptable limits of retail prices for those goods.
*Distributors bear greatest burden as they maintain the largest inventory of goods. They typically have more than the mfrs and definitely more than the retailers they support. Therefore they carry the highest risk, if something sells well the inventory moves costing them less in storage and handling. If it doesn’t it costs them money each day it sits taking up valuable space. If you’ve never worked in or around a warehouse, every square inch is gold if you are renting the space to someone else. If it is yours, every square inch is a deep well costing you money to keep the roof in place and the men and handling material on hand. The problem is complicated when the items being stored offer no immediate return.
This debate argument will go on for ever. When prices go down everyone will be happier…or will they. If the drop in prices is accompanied with fewer new offerings people will complain about that too. Like the old Russian said, which shoe do you want to purchase comrade, the brown ones or the brown ones? White bread or white bread? Both are cheap.
I will say that Hobby Boos 1\48 kits are extreamly expensive. I have their 1\48 A7-A and the kit is stunning in detail, however; that being said I found it on sale at great models and paid about $38 for it. I would not have purchased it otherwise.
There armor seems to be priced around the norm.
Bob
Oops! My bad. I must have seen the Revell Typhoon and typed it out. Well, now the price makes more sense. Thanks for catching that.
Josh
No biggie. Now, report to the firing squad at sun rise. [:P]
Sir, yes sir! (On second thought … I’m not too terribly far from Canada …) [:P]
Josh
Then again, some HB kits are very inexpensive and affordable (at least from the right sources). Go to Lucky Model - their 1/48 F4 Wildcats and MiG-17’s are going for $12-$14 plus shipping. I’ve got one of each - they look great.
Also, Squadron occasionally has VERY good deals on HB stuff - like 30-40% of “retail”. Makes me wonder how inflated HB’s “retail” prices really are.
FastasEF,
I am about 95% done with a 1/48 Trumpeter Skytrain that would have flown the hump. Research photos were hard to come by. Did you come across any preping for your 1/72 Skytrain?
On point for this thread, I have never built Hobby Boss but I do know that sales and discounts are out there. I just saw the above mentioned 1/48 Skytrain on sale at Squadron for a $30 discount. I paid about $130 for it a month ago.
Hans,
You are correct. This forum may be an appropriate venue that may eventually communicate modeler’s dis-satisfaction with current pricing. But that should be followed up with an even louder voice; the money in your wallet and direct communication with the manufacturers. I all for your grass roots approach. There is power in numbers. My point was that we are too passive as consumers; too influenced by marketing. Too willing to let big business tell us what is best. When it fact, we have power to influence the marketplace.
Maybe that viewpoint makes me (us?) a radical. [I miss the old soapbox smiley…]
Don