Let,s see,where do we start? I have a MONOGRAM M48-A-1. I paid $1.49 for it fourty years ago. I bought the same kit not to long ago and it was over twenty-five bucks ! I do believe the price rises can be attributed to many very important things.
1-The cost of oil.
2-the cost of licensing.
3-the import duties.
4 The cost of the changing technology used to produce the model.
5-Has anyone given ANY thought to the cost of color printing and such in the packaging? This is figured in the price too.
6 Lastly,the marketplace and how savvy the buyers are.
7-I build model ships ,so,I don,t get much of a break buying 1/700 so I stay with 1/350–My favorites - DRAGON- SMARTKITS,TRUMPETER and a few TAMIYA and HASEGAWA kits,WHY-- quality,quality , quality.i/e value for the buck.
Leastwise ,that,s my take on it.It,s like scratchbuilding plastic supplies. For years PLASTRUCT was the only game around and even now their prices haven,t changed much,EXCEPT go up–So I buy EVERGREEN–Fairer price and in my opinion better selection! Nuff said—TANKER-builder
A simple answer too, is the fact that people are willing to pay the price.
Generally speaking, kids (with little/no money) aren’t building models like we did to entertain ourselves. It’s us “grown ups” with extra income. Manufacturers know this, and price kits as high as people are willing to spend. Notice, over time, the price of a new kit will drop off because people simply aren’t buying any more.
(I know, I’m speaking more about NEW releases…as to old molds, refer back to line 1!)
After being in the hobby for more than a few years I’ve better learned when to grab a kit…sometimes its best to grab it when it first comes out, sometimes its better to wait…it becomes instinct…It also doesn’t hurt hurt to compare prices among three or more online retailers, and to “bundle” purchases to maximize your shipping dollar…
I’ve noticed more online sales of late as well. But don’t assume a sale will give you a better price. I recently found that even w/ a sale of 25% from one retailer it only brought the price down to about parity with another online retailer. Then I found out later that the other retailer was actually running a 10% off sale at the same time!!!
I remember buying my first Monogram Pz IV for around $3.99 back in the mid 70’s. I saw some of their kits going on ebay for over $30!
As long as we hanker for kits from our childhood, prices will continue to stay inflated.
I must admit that t inflation calculator is interesting. The biggest cause of increased prices are all the AM that Dragon and said companies jam into their kits.
I had looked up the inflation for quite awhile now, going back to the fifties when I first built plastic models, and for a long time, the price of kits always had an envelope so that in real dollars the old prices would fit the envelope (by envelope I mean the range between cheapest kits and most expensive ones).
In order to compare prices you need to compare apples and oranges- the complexity, accuracy, and detail of the kit. Kits in the fifties and sixties tended to be very basic- no ccckpit detail, no wheel well details (some didn’t even have landing gears- you mounted them on a stand). You can’t compare one of those with something that includes resin and photo etch.
That being said, the inflation in recent years has been low, while I see the price of kits taking big jumps in the past year or two. I guess, as someone else suggested, as long as we are willing to pay the price, they’ll keep raising it, until they reach a point we stop buying. Glad I am willing to scratch build
I know my local Michael’s arts & crafts store carries the Monogram M48A2 for $25, but they are also one of the retailers who habitually carry a 40% or 50% off coupon in the Sunday paper. You’d really have to be nuts to pay $25 for that old kit, but once a coupon is applied, it is fairly reasonable.
With an all-new M48 kit on the way from AFV Club (actual version is still unknown, but speculated to be either an A2 or A3), I’d save my money for it.
