Small Scale Military Headquarters

Hey Guys,

On all of my projects I try to do my best to get as much detail and as close to scale as I can.

But some have said that my stuff is rather pricey. It takes day to weeks to make one prototype.

I am on my third week on my Sdkfz 222 with the price of $225-$250.

What if I would have taken only one week and get it close with the outline right but the details cheesy ?

Est price about $100- $150.

One of my regular guys has said that I would lose him as a customer.

Guys are paying $40 for that Chap Mei Wespe pooh pooh . If I make a little more detail would this be the way to go ?

I could make it more like a model rather than a toy.

$40 is reasonable $80 is twice but you would have twice what you are paying for.

What if ...........

Well, what about a basic kit with low price and an upgrade kit for those who wants to pay more ? This could be the way to go. Just my two cent opinion...

phil

If you could give me tires and basics for much less that would snag me because I could do the rest

i would be more interested in lower price, simpler quality vehicles. But i wouldn't pay $100 for a chap mei quality wespe either. So it's a balancing act to get a low price and reasonable quality.

For example, i'd be will to pay $60-70 for a chap mei quality t-34, but unwilling to pay $200 for a very high quality t-34. In fact there are only a small number of things i would pay that kind of money for (like the Tomcat) and i can't think of any armour pieces that i would. For tanks, $150 would be my ceiling and at that it would have to be assembled and painted reasonably.

Well........don't go cheesy on us Pickel. The Chap Mei Wespe looks like.........uh you were nice...pooh, and it will take alot of work to make it look decent. Your work has given many of us the opportunity to buy what the big guys won't make.
In a past life......uh about 18+ years ago I worked as a mold maker for an artist, I know the cost and time involved but then then there is quality and detail. This Chap Mei doesn't have this.
If you want to cut costs to make your kits more affordable maybe loosing some details might be the way to go.......Turret or cockpit interiors, vehicle chasis under sides what ever it takes. This is all up to You, but I just want to say your work is kick ass! Yours and The Hun's!

I just saw Andrews post above mine, I'd never pay $200 for an aircraft model. Armor... yes. Not trying to start anything here, just seems to be a matter of preference.

My vote, as a past customer, keep doing what you do..

pickelhaube wrote:Hey Guys,


I am on my third week on my Sdkfz 222 with the price of $225-$250.
.

That item is well worth that price, as are all of your offerings. The question is not the value you are offering, it is simply the cash outlay. I collect a lot of high end items, but when the price goes over the $100-$150 mark, I have to put serious thought into the purchase. I love to build models, but with the backlog of projects I have, I need to pick and choose items I am very passionate about. For a lot of people it is a simple matter of economics.

You make awesome stuff Pickel but It is way out of my league price-wise.

I've paid more for your custom upgrades (the pavehawk FLIR, Radar, Fuel probe and mini guns - and Stuka cannons) than I did for the Pavehawk and the Stuka by themselves. I think it's worth it to have something fairly unique. For $250 or more it has to look good - as good as the Tomcat looks in their paintmaster pics. We all know you can do the details as good as anyone. The question is how many of us (like me) will pay for it? If you ever do the A-10 (because JSI or BBI won't "man up") I'll buy that one if you can keep it under $350. I'm not a big armor guy though - don't like to spend over $70 on armor so that limits it to whatever is mass produced for me on the armor.
Phil

grunt1 wrote:My vote, as a past customer, keep doing what you do..

amen.

yea I think it would be best if ya kept up with what you are doing! I still might try for your spitfire.

BTW would a big resin piece like that start to deform over time?

flyboy_fx wrote:yea I think it would be best if ya kept up with what you are doing! I still might try for your spitfire.

BTW would a big resin piece like that start to deform over time?

Sometimes it does. It is not good to keep them in the attic.

I have had some issues with my flak gun sagging in the middel. I take precations in egineering mine to try and reduce this effect.
Gussets, ribs extra laminations and such.

The problem with resin kits is the price of the resin.

The larger the piece the more the resin. There is about $30-$40 worth of resin in the M-10 alone. The 222 will have about $30-$40 in each one.

The cost of resin in a Chap mei T-34 would be $40-$50 then you need to add on the work to make the model. So a $150 T-34 may work but it would be one plain Jane SOB.

No revit details , bolt heads that kind of thing.

Is it alittle pricey? yes, but considering what it takes to bring one of these to life and it being a true collectors item I believe it will be worth it. When you look at the price of a comparable scale 222 its a bargain.

Guys are paying $40 for that Chap Mei Wespe pooh pooh .

That is a good point Pickel, and to me it clearly illustrates the difference between "toy" and "model". The CM and PTE stuff are clearly toys, and I personally don't collect toys. I'm not putting down the guys that collect that stuff, it's just not my cup of tea, and I would gladly pay the requisite premium for a properly done model.

I did get the Chap Mei Wespe and I do collect some PTE items, but I would rather Pickel continue to make high quality (21c-style) models. I may have the CM Wespe, but it is on the chopping block to bring it up to the approporiate standards of detail that I desire. I will most likely spend more on parts, paint, and glue customizing my Wespe than what I spent on the entire set it came with in the first place

Pickel, just keep on keepin on. I don't think i'll lay down the cash for one of your works (not without a payrise!), but for what your doing, and the time and materials involved - seems quite justified. If you were a huge company with a large workforce and multiple toolings, then the pricepoint would taste a bit sour, but your a freakin one man army.

Just out of interest. How do you present the models? Have you thought about making a box with artwork on the cover (If your not already). Could even be just a printout spray-glued on a standard stationary type box.

Just keep doing what you are doing Pickel.
Your stuff is excellent and not available anywhere else.
Even if people were able to do this themselves,they would still have to outlay the time, effort and money.
Plus the mess.

Keep up the good work Matthew.