Small Scale Military Headquarters

Some new 32X items listed at the Build-a-Rama website. I've always been a big fan of BAR stuff, and the new "watch tower" and "guard station" look very nice, but at $60 and $80 each (not including shipping) some of this stuff is just getting way too expensive for me to collect anymore. I don't know, I guess increased costs are affecting all aspects of the hobby, including scenics and diorama items.

http://www.build-a-rama.com/catalog_1_32.shtml

I've always looked longily at BAR stuff but unfortunately I've never bought any. These two new items look superb but $80 does seem excessive. I mean that's more than their building cost. Almost 2 times as much!

I've always been a big fan of BAR, and Mark is a great guy to deal with, but it's difficult for me to justify spending $70 plus for one diorama piece. The good news is you can sometimes snag great deals on used BAR stuff on ebay if you are patient and persistent, I once brought home a HUGE ebay lot of 1:32 BAR dio pieces with a retail value well in excess of $200 for $125 delivered, but deals like that don't come along very often.

I could see that price for a 1/18 product, but for 1/32, someone is smokin' crack...

They are probably appealing to the folks that have more money to spend than anything else..

like the buildings, but for the price I can get a pair of MiniArts or maybe Verlinden and do my own painting/weathering.

I too have never picked up any of the BAR stuff, mainly due to cost. I think what killed the business for him is the FOV jerrycans, oil drums and crates that only come a few to each release but seem to breed like rabbits in storage. I don't think I will ever want for any of these items. Now 1/18 though seems like the only way to get some of the stuff is from BAR.

I have thought about getting some barb wire and camo netting from him though. My homemade stuff looks horrible. Can anyone vouch for the quality?

like the buildings, but for the price I can get a pair of MiniArts or maybe Verlinden and do my own painting/weathering.

One thing I've noticed about the BAR 1:32 items is that they are always displayed at their site with vehicles and figures from King & Country, it would seem they are marketing their diorama pieces more for the people who collect the high end stuff from K&C, Figarti, Conte, and others. Heck, if you can afford $200 for a single K&C vehicle, then what's another $75 for a bunker or command post... but for many of us who collect mostly 21st and/or FOV.... the BAR stuff has become just too expensive.

Now 1/18 though seems like the only way to get some of the stuff is from BAR..... My homemade stuff looks horrible. Can anyone vouch for the quality?

All the BAR stuff in any scale is top quality, I can tell you that from personal experience.

ostketten wrote:

like the buildings, but for the price I can get a pair of MiniArts or maybe Verlinden and do my own painting/weathering.

One thing I've noticed about the BAR 1:32 items is that they are always displayed at their site with vehicles and figures from King & Country, it would seem they are marketing their diorama pieces more for the people who collect the high end stuff from K&C, Figarti, Conte, and others. Heck, if you can afford $200 for a single K&C vehicle, then what's another $75 for a bunker or command post... but for many of us who collect mostly 21st and/or FOV.... the BAR stuff has become just too expensive.

Now 1/18 though seems like the only way to get some of the stuff is from BAR..... My homemade stuff looks horrible. Can anyone vouch for the quality?

All the BAR stuff in any scale is top quality, I can tell you that from personal experience.

it's not just price point. I can spend 140 on a full 3 story churcht w/tower kit on the 1/35 market...the building are better..bigger more detail and a wide selection of areas. Baltic states, Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Western Europe and Germany itself..plus MiniArt bundles some of their stuff with DML Figure sets or guns or thier own gun kits without much of a price increase. True you have to build and paint..which is a boon to some and a burden to others.

ostketten wrote:I've always been a big fan of BAR, and Mark is a great guy to deal with, but it's difficult for me to justify spending $70 plus for one diorama piece. The good news is you can sometimes snag great deals on used BAR stuff on ebay if you are patient and persistent, I once brought home a HUGE ebay lot of 1:32 BAR dio pieces with a retail value well in excess of $200 for $125 delivered, but deals like that don't come along very often.

WOW, your lucky, the only BAR I ever see on EBAY is at buy-it-now prices that are equivalent to the ones suggested on the BAR sites, so no deals there.

I have never bought anything from these guys always thought about a few things but maybe one day.

Jagdpanther wrote:I have never bought anything from these guys always thought about a few things but maybe one day.

Yeah.. After you hit the lottery...

the only BAR I ever see on EBAY is at buy-it-now prices that are equivalent to the ones suggested on the BAR sites, so no deals there.

Just keep checking, the deals are there but you have to keep an eye out for them. Here is an example of what I'm talking about...I just won this field fortification, cost me all of $11.99 including delivery, and the same exact item retails at the BAR site for $25 not including shipping. It's very doubtful you could get a Verlinden or any other 1:35 kit of a similar item for $12 delivered, and then you would still have to assemble, paint, and weather it, and unless you are really good I doubt you could do a much better job of it than BAR has. The deals are there, just keep looking.

BAR 1:32 Field Fortification: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... %26fvi%3D1