Badcat's Top 5 1/32 suggestions
Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 12:15 pm
From Badcat's blog:
All But Forgotten 1:32 Plastic--Cat's Top 5
21st Century Toys laid the groundwork for cheap but detailed, finished plastic models in 1:32 scale. Mustangs, Spitfires, Stukas, P-40s, P-47s, Zero, 109s, Fws, Corsairs and even some Macchis gave collectors a number of planes from which to choose. As is their common strategy, BBI followed with even more detailed but also more expensive SBD and F4Fs in this scale. From 2007-2008, the scale grew quickly and was widely accepted by collectors until 21st's death in early 2009.
There are several marketplace advantages 1:32 shares over 1:18. First the smaller size allows collectors to buy more units. With houses quickly filled by 1:18 pieces, a dozen 1:32 birds can be added to a den with plenty of room left to walk around. 1:32 can also be hand flown and use for play or demonstration/teaching purposes, whereas 1;18 are simply too big to play games with. Finally, 1:32 scale is inherently cheaper to produce than 1:18, meaning lower risk to the supply chain. More subject risk can be taken which means more obscure planes can be given a try (this is the only reason the Macchi exists). A sales failure of a subject in 1:32 probably won't sink the manufacturer or kill the line.
Currently, 1:32 scale has no clear leader to provide production direction. It's important to note that premium 1:32 diecast (once made by both Corgi and Hobby Master, among others) is a completely different market with upscale pricing and much fewer fans. FOV's diecast is certainly cheap enough but it is largely shunned by collectors demanding more accuracy. The only prebuilt plastic 1:32 manfacturer left is BBI, who normally prefers to follow than take command, the market has a clear vacuum that will almost certainly be filled at some point.
So what planes will it take to make a homerun in sales and get collectors excited about buying 1:32 again? Here's the Cat's top 5 subjects in 1:32 plastic and why:
1. P-38--This one's simply too easy. The plane with the best sales legs in the 1:18 business, the P-38 airframe just sells, and sells, and sells, one paint scheme after another. Simply lead off with Wine, Women and Song, then get the rights to follow with Bong's Margi and everyone will be smiling.
2.--Mosquito--Corgi Aviation Archive produced the Mossie in 1:32 premium diecast and these pieces can come close to $200 each. They sold pretty darn well but are well off-center from the heart of the market. A $59.99 retail 1:32 plastic Mossie should be really well received. Unlike the Hurricane, the Mossie has a definite sex-appeal that sparks an emotional response in airplane buffs.
3. B-25--This popular workhorse has been one of the most requested planes by fans of prebuilt plastic. From the Doolittle Raiders scheme at beginning of the war to the awesomely destructive gunships that flew later in the war, there would definitely be very broad appeal for this one. Hard to go wrong with the Mitchell.
4. B-17--A large, expensive, and complex (which equals risky) project from the git-go, the Flying Fortress would almost certainly get everyone excited. An by everyone, I mean the 1:18 collectors, too. The big bird would appeal to collectors from a number of scales and bring some much needed positive attention to the hobby. A gamble but a very calculated one with lots of upside.
5. F/A-18F--Of all the modern jets, the Hornet sells the best. Pick a scale, any scale, and the F/A-18 is the clear favorite. It's a little hard to get excited about a Hornet in 1:32 when it would be dwarfed by the 1:18 C version released by BBI. By choosing the Super Hornet, however, the 1:32 bird would be 25% larger than the C variant and the Big Bug has not yet been modeled that often.
All But Forgotten 1:32 Plastic--Cat's Top 5
21st Century Toys laid the groundwork for cheap but detailed, finished plastic models in 1:32 scale. Mustangs, Spitfires, Stukas, P-40s, P-47s, Zero, 109s, Fws, Corsairs and even some Macchis gave collectors a number of planes from which to choose. As is their common strategy, BBI followed with even more detailed but also more expensive SBD and F4Fs in this scale. From 2007-2008, the scale grew quickly and was widely accepted by collectors until 21st's death in early 2009.
There are several marketplace advantages 1:32 shares over 1:18. First the smaller size allows collectors to buy more units. With houses quickly filled by 1:18 pieces, a dozen 1:32 birds can be added to a den with plenty of room left to walk around. 1:32 can also be hand flown and use for play or demonstration/teaching purposes, whereas 1;18 are simply too big to play games with. Finally, 1:32 scale is inherently cheaper to produce than 1:18, meaning lower risk to the supply chain. More subject risk can be taken which means more obscure planes can be given a try (this is the only reason the Macchi exists). A sales failure of a subject in 1:32 probably won't sink the manufacturer or kill the line.
Currently, 1:32 scale has no clear leader to provide production direction. It's important to note that premium 1:32 diecast (once made by both Corgi and Hobby Master, among others) is a completely different market with upscale pricing and much fewer fans. FOV's diecast is certainly cheap enough but it is largely shunned by collectors demanding more accuracy. The only prebuilt plastic 1:32 manfacturer left is BBI, who normally prefers to follow than take command, the market has a clear vacuum that will almost certainly be filled at some point.
So what planes will it take to make a homerun in sales and get collectors excited about buying 1:32 again? Here's the Cat's top 5 subjects in 1:32 plastic and why:
1. P-38--This one's simply too easy. The plane with the best sales legs in the 1:18 business, the P-38 airframe just sells, and sells, and sells, one paint scheme after another. Simply lead off with Wine, Women and Song, then get the rights to follow with Bong's Margi and everyone will be smiling.
2.--Mosquito--Corgi Aviation Archive produced the Mossie in 1:32 premium diecast and these pieces can come close to $200 each. They sold pretty darn well but are well off-center from the heart of the market. A $59.99 retail 1:32 plastic Mossie should be really well received. Unlike the Hurricane, the Mossie has a definite sex-appeal that sparks an emotional response in airplane buffs.
3. B-25--This popular workhorse has been one of the most requested planes by fans of prebuilt plastic. From the Doolittle Raiders scheme at beginning of the war to the awesomely destructive gunships that flew later in the war, there would definitely be very broad appeal for this one. Hard to go wrong with the Mitchell.
4. B-17--A large, expensive, and complex (which equals risky) project from the git-go, the Flying Fortress would almost certainly get everyone excited. An by everyone, I mean the 1:18 collectors, too. The big bird would appeal to collectors from a number of scales and bring some much needed positive attention to the hobby. A gamble but a very calculated one with lots of upside.
5. F/A-18F--Of all the modern jets, the Hornet sells the best. Pick a scale, any scale, and the F/A-18 is the clear favorite. It's a little hard to get excited about a Hornet in 1:32 when it would be dwarfed by the 1:18 C version released by BBI. By choosing the Super Hornet, however, the 1:32 bird would be 25% larger than the C variant and the Big Bug has not yet been modeled that often.
