Small Scale Military Headquarters

tmanthegreat wrote:In my area, at least, it would sell among only a general audience, with perhaps only a limited appeal to the broader mass of consumers. Thus I think a few of the planes would sell, however if truckloads were ordered (as often seems to be the case with Wal Mart) then they would have the sales potential of the Avenger.

Veterans, aviation buffs, historians, collectors and the like would immediately recognize the plane and get it. However, the majority of people in my community, especially those going into Wal Mart, know next to nothing about US history, if they can even speak proper English! A 1:32 B-17 would be the same as a 1:18 Bf-109 which is the same as an F-104. Something that perhaps catches interest if they need to get a present for their child, but which at $50, already costs too much to spend their precious few earnings on.

Not so much them ordering boatloads as their distribution. One store gets dozens and others nothing.

Ray

Now, perhaps I'm being a bit harsh on my fellow citizens. Yet, when you have to teach college students about who Adolph Hitler and the Nazis were because they had no idea such people existed, and you see parents directing their kid away from the 21c products to some cheap "Homies" car/bike crap as the 21c items cost too much, it gives you an idea of what their mentality is like...

I won't get into the distribution system, or the hoarders/ ebay sellers that would further limit the supply.

So in conclusion, the plane would proabaly sell just like any other product 21c makes

tmanthegreat wrote:In my area, at least, it would sell among only a general audience, with perhaps only a limited appeal to the broader mass of consumers. Thus I think a few of the planes would sell, however if truckloads were ordered (as often seems to be the case with Wal Mart) then they would have the sales potential of the Avenger.

Veterans, aviation buffs, historians, collectors and the like would immediately recognize the plane and get it. However, the majority of people in my community, especially those going into Wal Mart, know next to nothing about US history, if they can even speak proper English! A 1:32 B-17 would be the same as a 1:18 Bf-109 which is the same as an F-104. Something that perhaps catches interest if they need to get a present for their child, but which at $50, already costs too much to spend their precious few earnings on.

Now, perhaps I'm being a bit harsh on my fellow citizens. Yet, when you have to teach college students about who Adolph Hitler and the Nazis were because they had no idea such people existed, and you see parents directing their kid away from the 21c products to some cheap "Homies" car/bike crap as the 21c items cost too much, it gives you an idea of what their mentality is like...

I won't get into the distribution system, or the hoarders/ ebay sellers that would further limit the supply.

So in conclusion, the plane would proabaly sell just like any other product 21c makes

Rowsdower wrote:People around here stop and admire the big 21st stuff but they just don't buy it. There are tons of retirement communities around here and scores of WWII vets, but most of them have no interest in big static models.
The big thing here for the old timers is RC aircraft. My local hobbyshop sells tons of RC planes and supplies and just about every flyer is 70+.

ltcbj wrote:I wonder. Given the really poor public education, lack of historical context and general self-absorption of today's youth I suspect that the the B-17 is even less recognizable than the P-51 to someone who can't find India on a map.
We're in a pretty select, and self-selected at that, group here but out in the world I strongly doubt the desire for, based upon recognition of, the B-17 exists.