Small Scale Military Headquarters

I got this from the other board:

http://www.themodelhangar.com/forum/goo ... omber.html

(my apologies if it's been posted before)

$42.75 for a 1/32 Dauntless seems a little steep to me----I saw 21st Century 1/32 planes at Wal-Mart for $14.99.

dragon53 wrote:$42.75 for a 1/32 Dauntless seems a little steep to me----I saw 21st Century 1/32 planes at Wal-Mart for $14.99.

Totally agree....saw Badcat had it up for pre-order for $39.99....ouch!! That is way steep for a WW2 bird in 1:32 scale. Nobody can argue about the it's a jet or larger size issue on this one. Especially since 21C can do it for the price you mentioned above or about $23 on the etailer sites.

Dan

I sure like the paint scheme shown on the Badcat site. That is not the scheme I have seen in other adds for the model. Looks nice.

Greetings:

The Dauntless looks nice, I will be looking forward to adding this aircraft to my collection.

The cost may seem high but there are a couple of important facts to consider with it. First, the cost of everything including fuel, which makes plastic, is going up. Second, the Dauntless is a bit of a bigger aircaft than some of the smaller 1/32 fighters we have seen from 21st.

Finally, Walmart is a blessing to us because they sell 21st airplanes cheap. I think so far they have kept the cost the same but I expect in the near future we may see a price hike on the items. Remember, Walmart's buying power allows them to undersell everyone. I've seen 32X airplanes anywhere from $20 to $40 at other retailers and on ebay. I feel very fortunate when I find one of these aircraft at Walmart because the price point is so good and is such an advantage over an online retailer or an airshow vendor.

I also must say that I feel the BBI products are a bit more durable and the quality is slightly better than 21st. My 1/18 F-16 fell off a shelf and onto the floor and survived with no damage and I was able to assemble the F-4 with minimal effort and not breaking anything. The same can't be said for some of the smaller 21st products or even the bigger models. I had a heck of a time getting a wing into my Canadian F-104, where my BBI models slipped together, fit tightly and have no issues. I will gladly pay a little more for a model if it is done right and there are minimal issues.

I don't feel the Dauntless price point is too out of line, especially when you factor in what the F-4 cost when it was first released. Of course if the price bothers you, you could buy the Hobby Master version:)

Corey

We think the price is steep, too.

We complained to our distributor to no avail and stated that comparable 1:32 aircraft are about half this price at wholesale.

The Mfr cites, and I believe correctly so, huge increases in Chinese labor prices, fuel and material costs skyrocketing, increased transportation fees, less efficient distribution (through a distributor instead of factory direct), a very weak US dollar that has little buying power, and almost no price inflation for the past five years, as reasons for the sticker shock.

We know many consumers will not be able or willing to purchase at this price point and have adjusted our order downward accordingly. Rumor has it that significant price increases from all other manufacturers will be coming shortly, if they haven't adjusted upward lately. If memory serves, wholesale FOV has increased nearly 100% in the past two years.

BTW, we sold 1:18 Kepford Corsairs retail for $64.99 in 2003--so we need to keep things in perpective. Competition has increased and kept prices down but there is no longer room to wiggle as wholesale price increases have now absorbed all the cream and then some.

One thing is certain. Our $39.99 price for the 1:32 SBD Preorder will definitely be more once the product arrives as the wholesale cost approaches that of lower-end 1:18 merchandise.

Rob

The price may seem high, but when compared to the Hobbymaster counterpart, which isn't all metal, the BBI piece will be well received.. The only question is, can BBI sell more than one scheme for that price and can the market bear it..

BTW, Petes is selling the SBD for $42.75 (regular price) so hopefully Badcats "preorder" price won't be too much higher or the SBD will be taking up valuable inventory space on Badcats shelves..

I am really looking forward to the BBI Dauntless.

BadCatMatt wrote:We think the price is steep, too.

We complained to our distributor to no avail and stated that comparable 1:32 aircraft are about half this price at wholesale.

The Mfr cites, and I believe correctly so, huge increases in Chinese labor prices, fuel and material costs skyrocketing, increased transportation fees, less efficient distribution (through a distributor instead of factory direct), a very weak US dollar that has little buying power, and almost no price inflation for the past five years, as reasons for the sticker shock.

We know many consumers will not be able or willing to purchase at this price point and have adjusted our order downward accordingly. Rumor has it that significant price increases from all other manufacturers will be coming shortly, if they haven't adjusted upward lately. If memory serves, wholesale FOV has increased nearly 100% in the past two years.

BTW, we sold 1:18 Kepford Corsairs retail for $64.99 in 2003--so we need to keep things in perpective. Competition has increased and kept prices down but there is no longer room to wiggle as wholesale price increases have now absorbed all the cream and then some.

One thing is certain. Our $39.99 price for the 1:32 SBD Preorder will definitely be more once the product arrives as the wholesale cost approaches that of lower-end 1:18 merchandise.

Rob

Well spoken Rob.

Good News:
Weak dollar = cheaper US goods for the world.

Bad News:
Weak dollar = $40 SBD Dauntless.

I don't know how I feel about this now that I think about it. Of course I will be buying one!

Well I definitely will buy one also.