2014 Releases

[ketelone]

Any word whatsoever regarding FOV, BBI, etc.? I can't stand the silence...

[ledhead0085]

i know right! i fear fov is done!

[cjg476]

I've been wondering the same thing....

[ketelone]

Aw crap, don't say that. Although my purchases are way down due the prices. I find myself looking more at Thomas Gunn and K&C. I'm also looking at old FOV and 21st and old Britains, Dinky, etc.... I have models to build but no time, patience or energy to build them.

[cjg476]

I know. 1/32 is dead it seems like. I did as you said and started buying old releases I didn't have but even that is getting expensive. I been trying to think of other hobbies I like because 1/32 diecast is bumming me out.

I like the eagle moss star trek ships. Also was thinking 1/48 hobby master planes. I just can't justify the heavy price on things that are lack luster like fov re-releases.

With kids I don't have the patience to build kits right now so for me that's out too.

I also collect halo mega bloks which is about the only the only thing I'm spending money on that I enjoy.

K & C and Thomas Gunn are cool but to pricey for me. Also aren't they 1/30 scale?

[ketelone]

Yes, TG and K&C are 1/30 but I try to buy pieces that have not been done in 1/32 so there is no frame of reference. If you have a very discerning eye you can see the difference in scales. I do not possess such discerning eyes. Another secret is I don't buy pieces which are just plain huge. Recently I have purchased the Italian tanks (K&C), Soviet armored scout car (K&C) and some light tanks (TG) for which there is no frame of reference and some of the K&C Panzers which are closer to 1/32 than 1/30. With the way FOV has been going, for about $30-$40 more you can have TG vehicles. I'm also still buying retired Britains and Frontline vehicles. You'd be surprized how cheap you can get them if you hunt ($25-$30 a piece). Even some of the Corgi 1/32 planes (older releases) are now reasonably priced.

[Dauntless]

Not much of anything in 1:32 armor I'm guessing. Anything in 1:72 armor or rather ground support vehicles?

Somebody namely FOV is finally releasing a 1:72 V-22 though. I'm very surprised no one hadn't done it sooner.
I really hope they do a decent job. These will sell very well I suspect unless they really mess them up.
http://www.themotorpool.net/USMC-Bell-B ... osprey.htm

Even the older Corgi 1:32 planes are mostly above $100 these days Ketelone. I should have jumped on those when they were less expensive, only have one

[RAD 2112]

Did anything happen with 4D Vision's 1/48 scale F-16 and F-18?

I wish BBI would have released the 1/32 F-104...
They need to issue a 1/32 F6F Hellcat.

[ketelone]

Dauntless, I have purchased Corgi's Mosquito for about $70 and a Spitfire for about $60. I bought it from an individual and he had some P51s for around $60. I bought them of all places at a model railroad show. They're out there... Years ago Tuesday Morning had Me 109's for about $30. I purchased a couple.

[cjg476]

My concern with price is the question "is it worth the price?" I find it hard to justify the $60-$120 price tag anymore. I'm trying to find something new to get into. I like a balance of different subjects like sci-fi and history and other genres. It just seems like price climbs, quality falls and all these companies want to put out the same scheme that we've seen a hundred times. I'm going through tis phase right now where I can't find anything to collect that just captures my attention. It's driving me nuts.

[aferguson]

the demise of 1/32 is surprising to me. The demise of 1/18 was sort of a foregone conclusion, but i thought 1/32 would thrive, at least with armor. But it seems that only the small scales like 1/72 that are destined to endure.

The Corgi Avro Vulcan is a piece i'm looking forward to this year. They have a C-47 coming out as well that looks nice but it's really pricey and the lack of an opening side door is really a turn off for me. Otherwise a lot of repaints. Nothing much else exciting coming that i've seen. But it is only Jan. 1.

[Dauntless]

Dauntless, I have purchased Corgi's Mosquito for about $70 and a Spitfire for about $60. I bought it from an individual and he had some P51s for around $60. I bought them of all places at a model railroad show. They're out there... Years ago Tuesday Morning had Me 109's for about $30. I purchased a couple.

Yeah they used to be like that then all of a sudden shot up in price. You got some sweet deals.
Check out the prices on ebay now.
There's a couple reasonable ones, but for the most part they're a lot higher now. You lucked out getting them from an individual.
You have some good investments.

Strange how we've seen some repaints of 21st Century Toys 1:18 trickle out in various schemes from JSI and the like, but no one knows for sure what happened to all those wonderful 1:32 planes and armor, and there were a lot of different ones to choose from. It's like they went into a black hole.
I always thought they had more viability than the 1:18 scale niche market and would appeal to a broader base of collectors. Not to mention more available shelf space for retail. I don't understand BBI's lack of re-release of their WWII 1:32 planes either. Many like me are glad we got the planes, armor and playsets like we did then, because all that has shut down now. I don't understand it.

[plasticgeneral]

SADLY, we did this one last year.
It was a huge thread and turned up NOTHING.
For the most part in 1:32, WWII, you can rely on MODEL KITS and PLASTIC INJECTION toy soldiers.
If FOV puts something new out, consider ourselves lucky.

Plastic General

[ledhead0085]

theres a mold maker job available at my work. this is the first time its up for someone with out schooling. i hope i get it! if they will teach me how to make molds. i could some make molds at home and maybe start my own company. that be really cool! im already making silicon molds at home now.

[snake]

The lack of much new 1/32 is somewhat surprising to me as well.

Seems like a perfect scale for armour, as the 1/72 is just too small, at least for me. But FoV have been pretty quiet, and their later releases have that "more expensive, with less quality" conundrum going on. Not a good sign.

Love the 1/32 scale for WWII fighters as well, but Corgi's only release was an RAF Mustang, and it didn't do too well. RAF was a bad choice for the latest P-51, and they should have gone for a 'bluenoser" instead, or any of the excellent US schemes that have yet to be done.

They also released another Fighter/ Bomber Mosquito, but very similar to the Amiens raid one that was done the year before. And these are big, and pricey.

Hobby Master decided to release another 1/32 model to with its excellent Daunless versions. An F6F Hellcat, but it is priced well over $200, and at this price, don't see it doing that well either. Just too expensive.

Don't know why BBI hasn't done more than one Dauntless, or Wildcat, but they haven't.

Think there are a variety of factors in play, why 1/32 has seemed to slow right down. Global recession certainly doesn't help, nor does the ever increasing Chinese labour costs.

Other than the HM Hellcat, not sure if we will see another 1/32 aircraft in 2014, but who knows? Lots of times there are surprise announcements that nobody saw coming. So fingers crossed.

[plasticgeneral]

"BUILD MODEL KITS"
"PAY NERDS TO BUILD & PAINT YOUR KITS"
1:32 "LIVES"

Plastic General

[Coreyeagle48]

Greetings:

In the last few years as my photography interest has grown and I have spent more in that arena of my hobby spending, I too have become concerned about the pricing of these toys/models and have really cut back on my spending on new aircraft, only buying very select pieces.

In regards to King and Country, I bought a couple of there pieces awhile back. They are nice, sturdy and painted with detail, however, the polystone construction is very different. To me, each of the pieces felt more like the resin flowerbed decorations you get and not like the stuff we are used to. The polystone construction also does not handle finer detailing well, so parts that should be smaller like tailwheels and landing gear are usually out of proportion. A lot of the K&C collectors argue the pieces have very limited runs which makes them truly collectible pieces. That may be true, but I still do not think they are worth the prices they are sold at.

I also used to have some of the John Jenkins Designs World War I airplanes. Same thing with these. Very well detailed and a really unique subject matter, but in my opinion very expensive. A very bad taste was left in my mouth with these when I got a defective one of these pieces and the retailer refused to take the return (despite the fact it was clearly broken before I opened it).

Hobbymaster and Corgi are a bit better but not very much. To me, the prices have really gone up where the quality overall hasn't changed much. We're also seeing more and more repaints than ever before.

I think the companies are really hurting themselves. Not offering variety is certainly hurting their sales. The increased prices are as well. The economy is still not solid and I think many people have greatly cut back on their hobby budgets. It has been interesting to see how many folks are shying away from the HobbyMaster 1/32 Hellcat due to the price as well as other issues. This shows me clearly people are concerned about price and their own budgets, as I would have expected much more excitement over this new release in that scale.

I'm with Snake on some of what he said, BBI would do well to rerelease their Wildcat and Dauntless models in a different scheme. If they kept them under $80 and the quality the same as before, I think they would do well.

I don't think it is a scale problem as much as people say. I think it is more people are just being more picky in what they buy. People aren't buying all the schemes anymore and the endless repaints. Just seems that way to me. Personally, I buy what I enjoy, what is affordable, and what fits well in my collection. I'd rather have 10 nice models that are true conversation pieces than 100 P-51 repaints just to say I have them all. That's my feeling anyway.

Corey

[tmanthegreat]

Speaking of 1:32 scale, I was surprised by the number of 1:32 aircraft kits that were on the shelf at my local HobbyTown USA store the last time I went in a few days ago... All were kits for larger multi-engine aircraft from the B-17, to the B-25, HE-111, even a P-61. There were also modern aircraft as well. The kits were not cheap with prices ranging from $150 on up, and of course, one would have to build a kit with hundreds of parts, but nevertheless there were 1:32 scale items being sold.

[[CAT]CplSlade]

And that is in large part fueled by the fact that these are NEW offerings in 1/32, not repaints of existing kits. If BBI and FOV had any true business sense they would pay attention to what buyers have been clamoring for for years and stop reprinting what they think is money in the bank. Plenty of people have asked for things like more Russian vehicles or the Wespe but how many people have said, "Boy, I could use yet another Tiger to go along with the half-dozen I already have." or "That spot on my shelf is just crying out for another BF-109 or Mustang!"

They are catching new buyers with basic introductory vehicles but not hanging on to continuing collectors due to lack of variation in the inventory.

[plasticgeneral]

1:32 HORTON

1:32 LANCASTER

Still the same hobby & scale, only now I just have to build them?

[ledhead0085]

i know new molds at work cost us alot of money. even the ones we get from china cost a ridiculous amount. im not sure why they cost so much. even small molds that make small parts can cost us 10g or more. force of valor are just trying to make as much as possible of each mold. they arnt really making any new costumers so the only thing to do is to get us die hards to buy 2 or 3.
designing a new kit is one thing but making the mold is like sculpting it in a mirror because the mold is the reverse image of the 3d object. you also have to make it in such a way that the part will fall out and the details don't get caught in the mold and the mold closes back on the part possible damaging the mold. theres alot of thought that gos in to making a mold/ kit. then you got to pay someone to run it and repair it if it gos down. then the workers that assemble and paint and pack the product. then ware house and shipping.