GreatModels.com has the new Kinetic E-2C Hawkeye in 1/48 scale on sale for $48.00 (U.S.) They have an MSRP of $95.00.
I thought it seemed like a good deal at a credible source amd wanted to share the info with fellow modelers.
I ordered mine in Friday. Total bill with shipping was $56.00. I was going to order it from Squadron because theirs was $73.00. Saw Greatmodels and ordered it that second.
Thanks for the heads-up. Ordered one this afternoon!
Mark
$48 is about what the kit is worth.
There is no kit in 1/48 scale worth $95.00. It is a good sized kit so I felt 50% off was a good enough deal to be noted. I wouldn’t pay more that $55.00 for it.
Like I posted previously, I ordered this kit online at the $48 sale price on 3/22. Paid with my PayPal account which was charged the same day.
Haven’t seen the kit yet, so called this morning to see what was going on.
Telephone service person said my order & payment was never was received. They said that last order they had received from me was back in 2008.
I was told that it must have been my fault - that I hadn’t entered the order properly.
After some discussion and checking, they eventualy conceded that my PayPal account had been charged $56 back on 3/22.
They asked if I wanted credit or a refund.
Told them I wanted the kit.
They told me the price is now $80.
Hmm, this isn’t going well.
Phone service person said she wasn’t authorized to give it to me at the original price, but would check with sales manager and call me back.
Haven’t heard back yet.
Will be interesting to hear what they say.
Was it possible that I didn’t enter the order properly? Sure, I suppose it is. But at the same time they’ve had my money for a month and never bothered to ask me about it. You would think that their bookkeeping system would eventually match up orders and receipts. Maybe I’m expecting too much.
Mark
I’d just make them give the money back at this point. That kit is back up to $82 bucks, too rich for my blood. Maybe Revell will someday release us tight-wads a nice, lower-detail version for a blue-collar price[whstl] …or maybe not.
I pre-ordered the kit, and paid probably $75 for it.
I was willing to pay that kind of money because it got good reviews, and I saw the crew door was open, which led me to believe it had an interior. I was wrong.There is a sparse cockpit, that is IT. Also, the fit is nothing to brag about. The kit is a bit of a dog. I have had it sitting ready for me to start grinding on the seams for a couple months at this point.
I never purchase from Greatmodels via PayPal. Each time I attempted it always ended in failure. Not sure what the problem is…thought it was just me. I still purchase from them, but only with a credit card.
If you are still looking for one, this place has for about $76 shipped
http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/kin/kin48013.htm?source=froogle
Or you can try luckymodel.com, I think they are actually affiliated or started kinetics. Its in Hong Kong, and it will cost you about $73 shipped to the US.
I order periodically from GM, I would talk to or email Loic @ GreatModels he’s the owner, in the interest of good customer service he should honor the original deal.
IMO Sprue Brothers has the Gold standard when it comes to all around customer service though.
Good luck, hope you get it sorted out!
Thanks for the contact info. The service person said they would call me back, but it’s been two days and I haven’t heard anything.
I usually order from Squadron and Sprue Bros, mostly out of habit than anything else, and quite frankly I spend a lot on money on my hobby. I was enticed to try GM by the sale price of the kit, but it hasn’t been a positive experience so far.
I’m trying to keep an open mind about the situation, but I’m getting a bit disallusioned by their lack of response.
If I don’t hear anything from them today, I’ll probably just ask for my PayPal account to be credited and take my business elsewhere.
BTW, I agree about Sprue Bros customer service. They’re the best. I had a problem with one order and they pulled out all the stops to get it corrected.
Mark
I can’t complain about Greatmodels… I used to deal with them almost exclusively until an awesome local shop opened right down the street from me.
As I posted on 4/21, I was told that a Great Models sales manager would call me back and let me know if they would honor the sale price on the Kinetic Hawkeye. I had been patiently waiting, but had not heard anything so called yesterday afternoon, 5/3.
A different customer service person answered and I gave her a summary of my situation: I ordered the kit online on 3/22; the order had been “lost” (possibly my fault), but they had still charged my PayPal account. By the time I called to check on the status, the kit was no longer on sale and they wanted to charge me the new, significantly higher, price.
The service rep asked me if I still wanted the kit and told me they would honor the sale price and ship it right away.
I appreciate their gesture, but still a bit disappointed they didn’t follow up with me like they promised.
I see no reason not to do business with them in the future, but will be sure to track my orders closely.
Mark