I went to the LHS which sadly is just a Hobby Town. I was going mainly for paint. I wandered over to the kits just to see and a Tamiya armor kit caught my eye as something new in the store. It was a 1/35th scale Italian tank that looked so puny that it made the Stuart or Matilda look like a Tiger tank, price was an incredibly high (My opinion) 65 bucks! Then some real big boxes I had never seen caught my eye. On the top shelf were a Spitfire, Hurricane, and P-51D all in gigantic 1/24th, all were Airfix. Prices were 59 bucks for the Spit and 48 each for the other two. I thought the pricing made the big planes look like steals. What do you guys think? All these planes looked to be new releases too. Any one bought one? Are the kits nice? Have heard a 1/24 Mosquito also is made now.
The Airfix kits are all old. The only new Airfix kit in 1/24 scale is the mossie which is going to be priced around $200 dollars when it is released. The other 1/24 kits vary in quality. By far the 1/24 Airfix Stuka is the best of the bunch. The Mustang is not t bad. The Spitfire definetly will need some work to improve it but all of them are a good value for the dollar and the huge size makes them impressive when build.
Soulcrusher[oX)]
The Airfix kits all date from the 1970s. the good news is that the outlines are allprtty good. Detail is variable - on the Hurricane,it’s generally excellent, with the other two,not so much. Expect,for example, to have to box in, and add detail to,wheel wells, as an absolute minimum.
Also,the quality of the decals in these kits tends to be unreliable. Poorly-printed and out-of-register Airfix decals are common. Check the availability of aftermarket decals before buying,and factor in the cost of such decals to determine the kit’s true value for money. It is said that new-mould Airfix kits will have decals by Cartograf,but this has yet to actually materialise.
As to the Tamiya tank,be careful. Recently,Tamiya have re-issued a number of their older moulds, dressed up with new link&lenght tracks, turned metal gun barrels, and better-quality accessory parts, and doubled the price in the process. I think your Italian tank may be one of these.
That said, USD65 is towards the bottom end of the going rate for new-mould 1/35 tanks from reputable manufaacturers these days. This is a much less cheap hobby than it used to be!
Cheers,
Chris.
Well, you aren’t buying meat by the pound! Those Airfix kits are not very good. I’d much rather spend the money on a newer kit in a smaller scale that is easier to build and more accurate. For me I’ll do 1/72, but even in 1/48 a very very good P-51 can be had for $ 30 or so.
As for the armor, I’d cede the point to Chris. Back in the day Tamiya sold all their armor for upwards of $ 20.00, when a good model airplane cost about $ 15.00. So a price of $ 60 or slightly more seems very reasonable to me for armor.
Ive done the 51, spit, and 109. the 109 was my favorite, followed by the spit, then the 51.
They all need a bit of work, nothing horrible, as I recall, the decals were some of the best I’ve ever used. I got all 3 of them from Squadron for $20 each(10 yrs ago). All three completely lack landing gear bay detail, and the rubber tires suck.
But they are huge and impressive!!!
The 51s wings are too flat.
Lots of detail for the pit and engine.
If you like 51s like me, go for the Trumpy, also boxed by Hobbycrat for much less $$$. It’s not without its headaches, but a much better 51.
FERMIS
Up to a point, Bondo. In terms of outline accuracy,all the Airfix 1/24 kits of WW2 subjects, except the FW.190, are pretty good. In fact, the Hurricane and Mustang are both better in this respect than the much more expensive Trumpeter kits of the same subjects.
Their weaknesses are in the detail (though the Hurricane’s pretty good here, as is the Stuka) and the decals. Since there isn’tmuch in terns of aftermarket, and what there is is moslty intended to correct mistakes on the Trumpeter kits, if you want todo something about this,you’re in for quite a lot of work.
Generally, though, you’re correct. Better-quality kits of all these subjects (except,maybe,the Hurricane) exist in both 1/48 and 1/72. They also have the advantage of being cheaper,having less need for aftermarket or scratchbuilt added detail, and not taking up so much shelf space!
CGI and resin prototypes of the Mossie do look very nice. Start saving your pennies!
Cheers,
Chris.
I’ve had the Stuka, Mustang, and Spitfire in the past (way past, that is, circa 1979) and gotta say that I liked both of 'em… They built up well and had enough detail to warrant a bit a super-detailing… IMHO, they fall right into line with what one would expect to pay for a kit of that scale & detail, perhaps a bit high… These days, I have no use kits in that scale, but only because I settled on 1/48th aircraft and 1/32-35th aircraft & armor as my preferred scales (exceptions are the 1/28th scale WW1 kits from Revell. I love those kits) for diorama building…
Armor prices on the other hand, have gotten ridiculous and out of hand… But that’s another thread in another forum…
It doesn’t matter what your interests or hobby is…everything has seen a tremendous cost increase. Back when I started flying I could rent an airplane for $13/hr wet (that included fuel) and high end model kits were very affordable by todays standards.
Fishing, I can remember not having to pay more than $1.99 for the crank baits regardless of brand name. I can remember filling the gas tank of the car for less than $10. It’s all gone up…partially because of what we’re all willing to pay.
Gas prices crashed once consumers slowed their consumption. Now that we’re slowly creeping back to consuming more the prices are again inching up.
As a consumer you don’t have to pay full price. When Trumpeter announces retail pricing for a kit at $179.00 USD most everyone feels outrage, yet they still continue to sell. You and I might not be the ones purchasing them but there are those who continue to do so thus feeding the beast and keeping prices high.
I’ve had conversations about how this economy is forcing businesses to close their doors…well it happens when businesses are upside down on their control of expenses. Just as home owners lose their homes because they owe more than they earn…eventually something must give way. In business when one fails there are others in the wings waiting for the opportunity to start and pick up where the looser left off. Free enterprise. Those who remain balanced gain strength in the market and survive.
Cost are high, but it is up to the consumer demand to change the pricing and availability. Watch the battle between the Kindle and the new offering from Sony…pricing will determine who survives…and the consumer benefits with lower priced units and greater selection. Remember Beta vs VHS?
Hobby Lobby…using their 40% OFF coupons is the only way to shop there. They do have 25-30% off model kit sales on a regular basis too when no coupon is available. Yes, plastics are too expensive, but what isn’t?
Bravo, Gerald. [tup]
I realize this hobby has gone way up in price, but 65 bucks for a who cares Italian tank kind of shocked me. I bought a 1/35th King Tiger by Dragon for 50. I love the impressiveness of a big scale plane as much as the next guy but I haven’t bought anything over 1/32 since I don’t have the space. Just thought they were very reasonably priced compared to the tank. Cheers, Mark
Your $50 Dragon King Tiger won’t have been their latest all-singing, all-dancing version. In the UK, you can get Tamiya’s 1990s-vintage King Tiger for £26 (say $US43). It’s not up to current standards, but its plenty good enough.
If you look around,and aren’t concerned that your kit shoulf be etched and indy-linked to a fare-thee-well, there is still good value to be found. For example Revell Germany have just brought out a ‘Dambuster’ version of their 2007-vintage Lancaster for £17. It’s better in prety much every respect than the Hasegawa’s vesion of the samesbject,which is more than twice the price. Or the new Airfix 1/72 Spitfire PRXIX,
£5.99, and better in most respects than the Fujimi, costing more than 3/4 as much again.
Cheers,
Chris.
Aw, but you are but one modeler in this world. Just as you may not prefer wearing button down shirts with a tie there are others who do enjoy wearing them. Apparently, there are those who relish the chance to purchase and build one of those “who cares Italian tank” otherwise the mfr wouldn’t have produced them. How would our hobby look if they only produced models of German aircraft and armor…what would the feeling be on this side of the pond? The more and diverse subjects the better in my opinion. Let us see the “whole” history representated in scale, not just the most popular pieces of it.
Phooey…
Judging by the number of LHS closing their doors, modelers are voting with their wallets… When was the last time you saw a 12 year-old buying a 60.00 kit?
My guy won’t even stock the “new” kits… He’ll order 'em for ya, but he won’t keep 'em in inventory…
The marketplace has changed. Many LHS haven’t embraced the new methods to market their businesses. This industry isn’t the only one that has changed, the cosmetics industry has lost a lion share of the department stores that continue to carry their products so they have had to adapt. Travel agencies too are quickly disappearing, its is easier and cheaper to order online.
Again it is a combination of several factors, consumer demand, access, marketing, education, social, economic…etc.
I talk to LHS all over this country on a near daily basis, many have yet to even understand the importance of a computer, Internet and email…how do they expect to compete? Yes for every new hobby shop opening its doors there are two leaving and closing up shop. Sad but true. Does this mean all of the hobbies represented in the LHS are going to die, NO. Mfrs will find new venues to sell their products…Internet retailers, direct or through nontraditional venues.
Afterall you can purchase a Hot Wheels car at the grocery store, some day you might be able to get plastic models there too. The large craft chains such as Michaels and Hobby Lobby are poised to captilize on the market share as LHS close, that is if they can make the margins they want on the products…and craft stores make some very good margins on their merchandise…because they know how to run their operations effectively.
Hobby shop owners missed the opportunity and the insight to move from Main Street to the outskirts and into “the Mall” where people preferred shopping because of the convenience of everything under one roof…one stop shop. Now the Malls in many areas are dying as there is a rebirth of doing business on Main Street again. Had the LHS owners been market savy and adaptive to promote their goods and services, they might still be alive to benefit from this shift back into downtown.
There are even those LHS today that I call on who are only open a fleating few hours a day…usually not the hours when convenient to their customers need them to be open. They wonder why business is falling and failing? Gee, its obvious to me!
When I started building in the mid-60s, the grocery store and drugstore were the only places within 30 miles that I could buy kits (on the spinning metal rack), lol… The drugstore was the only place with a Testor’s paint-rack too…[;)]
Gawd, I hate the 21st century…
‘HawkeyeHobbies’ post just reinforces several of the responses to another thread about “Would you open an LHS if you won the lottery?”. My own response was “no, I wouldn’t” and asked rhetorically if there was any region of this nation that could “stand alone” support and LHS long term. Sadly, only a couple of guys were able to show examples of such.
The internet/scale model hobby marriage is a perfect match in my eyes. A business has to move product to generate the profits that ensure it’s survival. Less than one hour ago, I placed an order of $125.00 from Squadron (free shipping over $100.00). None of the items I wanted are available from my LHS (HobbyLobby) so it’s not like I screwed a local guy out of a sale by going this route.
I had a motorcycle shop for over 20 years and am glad that I got out before the internet really exploded there. I speak with friends who are still in the industry and they are being pummeled because they just can’t match the prices and still pay the overhead expenses of a neighborhood shop.
Only an internet outfit with it’s worldwide reach can afford to try and keep the kind of inventory it takes to keep what few modelers (relatively) there are left in this hobby. Worldwide reach is the key to survivability.
In the days of my youth, our local mall had a wonderful hobby store. They carried a huge swath of plastic, rail, rocket merchandise. They died out a long time ago. Since then, there have been a couple of valiant attempts by guys to keep it going, but the only one who was able to last did so by riding the RC wave and now, being tied to the whims of the public, like all other fads in modern ADD America, he succumbed as well. The 21st century isn’t SO bad, is it?
Regards, PWB.
Airfix’s new 1:24 Mossie has been preceded by a pretty novel Youtube video. It is worth watching. Certainly got me excited! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIiieWvcRK0
Hawk, I actually agree with you about representing all planes, tanks, etc. I was just trying to make a point even though I do feel that way about Italian armor costing 65. Chris, I don’t need super detail but I do think my King Tiger has some phot etch. Hopefully next trip over your was I’ll be checking out Bovington and Dorchester as you suggested. Cheers, Mark
Many LHS were and are stuck in the day of the newspaper and Yellow Pages advertising paradigm, when the world around them has shifted to Internet and soon to appear on your electronic device direct marketing.
Had many embraced the technology they’d have increase their geographic footprint from Podinkville to Worldwide in the blink of an eye. If you share the information of what you stock, there are those seeking to find and PURCHASE those items. Look how effective eBay and Craigslist is for people wanting to sell odds and ends. I sell worldwide…as do many other small manufacturers…I embraced the technology and new marketing idiologies. How broad of a market would I reach if I only put an ad in my local paper or Yellow Pages…not far. Most of my customer are outside of the state I am based. 3% are in this state, 70% CONUS and the rest are elsewhere around the world…can’t do that with a local market advertising only campaign.
Sure it takes effort to impliment this new venue of retailing but so does opening a new store in another location whether it is across town or in the next…virtual retailing is here to stay and it is convenient too. Internet retailers have the same overheads as brick and mortar stores…they just interact with their customers in a different form. They both pay rent, lights, employees, property taxes, sales taxes, and insurance. The bigger you are the more the costs of doing business is…regardless if you are virtual or not.
This country started via mail order for its supplies…there are some of us who remember how Sears & Robuck met our ever need. Local store owners used it to service their customers as well. It worked then and it is working again, now only electronically…for those who embrace it.
Taking business from the local guy, well if he really wanted to get part of your dollar, he’d set up a way to facilitate it. Problem is when one entity gets so big, that they are the importer, manfacturer, distributor and retailer they can set the rules and pricing structure that weeds out the middle man. Unforunately that is the way it is…and does make being the little guy even harder.
Again it boils down to consumer demand and how to service that demand. Some companies are seeing, that like the motorcycle industry did, eliminate the distributor and go direct to make prices more reasonable and profit margins good enough as to remain competitive. In this industry many manufacturers are not set up to do so yet, but the need to consider it is creeping up on them fast.
Actually, the big reason I got out of model building a few years ago was the fact one of my LHS back in Ohio closed… The other one is run by a guy who must be pushing 100, and really seems to emphasize trains… So I kinda gave it up.
A year or so ago I got the itch to get back into. I couldn’t find a decent hobby shop on my end of San Antonio (its a big city). Anyway, some people pointed me towards greatmodels.com and this place. The internet is really the only way I can build… plus it opened the door to all kinds of aftermarket stuff I never even knew existed.
Yes, the money is crazy if I want a nice kit from sayTrumpeter. However, if I consider the fact I can entertain myself for more than a month with a $70 kit and maybe another $30 in paint/glue/etc I have entertained myself for a month for $100. That is better than my other hobby, shooting… Which costs me almost $100 every time I go for barely an hour.