My most expensive kit was bought in the 1990s in Japan. It was Kotobukiya’s 1/220 scale Buran, a giant space going crab-like mobile armor from Kazuhisa Kondoh’s take on the Gundam franchise. I think it was in the ¥20,000 range, which was about $180 USD at the time. I had to go back to the hotel to get more money! The other was Fine Molds’ Millennium Falcon, also about the same price. And now Moebius Models’ Discovery from 2001 looms, again around $200.
I see a pattern here - I blow a lot of money on sci-fi! But neither kit has been built, which forms yet another pattern. Hope not to be on “Hoarders”!
I think that my most expensive model was probably the 1/72 scale Revell of Germany Flower Class Corvette, that I think I bought for about $100 a few years ago. The next would probably be a 1/350 scale Battleship Gangut (also from Revell of Germany) that was originally going for $99, but my local hobby shop had it (and a number of other models) on clearance for I think 20% off. So I guess that would be about $80. If I had waited another week though I found out that they dropped the price of stuff that was on clearnace another 10% [:S]. I guess I bought too soon.
I’ll update from back when. I did get the Merit Enterprise, at $170, next in line would be Dragon’s Scharnhorst at $150, them Hase’s CVE-73 at $110, then tossed another $100 at it with all three of their upgrade kits. Also the 1/72 Gato
Also picked up Hellers 1/100 Victory at a decent price of $85.
The Enterprise, Gato and Victory came from fellow members here.
Keavdog, please post WIP of your MRAP. I’m not into HUGE armor but Trumpeter has a coulpe I may splurge on, the MRAP being one.
As for most expensive… I have spent almost 200.00 USD for one of the new Trumpeter 35th MAZ varients. Given my skills, or lack of, at super detailing and the amount of room I have for my stash, I think 200.00 is my limit. It would have to be a smoking cool offering that I knew I would build immediately to get me to spend more than that.
$330.00 list? Wow! Hasegawa should make it seem more special by indicating a limited edition of 12 kits. If they got lucky they could sell-out.
Amazing what we modelers will spend. I’ve got a few that I thought were expensive: $106 for a 1/100 Victory and $110 for a Heller Hipper (but it came with PE). I think my most expensive kit, for what I got, was the old original Pyro Constitution. It cost me $9.50. Not much you say, but it was worth only about $.95 at the time. I thought I was getting the newer Pyro version with a proper sized hull that was NOT a bathtub toy.
Expensive is a rather Subjective term.
I would love to hear from Collectors who bought rare kits to save for future sale and profit. I saw a bunch of Nichimo 1/500 ships go for big bucks. I’m sure the Nichimo molds are still around, unlike the Aurora molds of Kits like Atlantis and Seaview, the molds of which were said to be destroyed in a supposed Train Wreck.
The most I’ve spent on one kit was $80 for the Kitty Hawk 1/32 OV-10A at the 2016 IPMS Nationals. Otherwise it was the $50 I spent for a 1/25 Tamiya Tiger I that I bought about 20 years ago. I try to limit my impluse buys to $25 or less. Now for a planned purchase (as the OV-10A was) I would probably go as high as $100. Of course, if I’m buying kits, tools, paints, and reference materials all at once that would be double that. I also usually ask the wife first (for the planned purchase) unless I’ve saved enough of my allowance. She manages money better than I do.
BAAAHAAAHAAHA oh man LMAO, way to give some humor Retired In Kalifornia, BAAHAAHA. One good thing about this “zombie thread” is the OP is still posting and accorrding ti him RETIRED, so now he can being the dead back to lfe more often. Glad Tojo is still here.
