Cost of plastic models ....

[General Blasto]

Dang these have gone up in price over the years
I picked up a 1/32 tank model yesterday just for the turret to make the turret for my Armoured car and it was $20 And that was a cheap one too. Most of the other 1/32 or 1/35th model were $30 to $40 a pop So I guess I don't feel the pinch of buying the 1/18th at the new cost now Da General

[pickelhaube]

Dang these have gone up in price over the years
I picked up a 1/32 tank model yesterday just for the turret to make the turret for my Armoured car and it was $20 And that was a cheap one too. Most of the other 1/32 or 1/35th model were $30 to $40 a pop So I guess I don't feel the pinch of buying the 1/18th at the new cost now Da General

So for about $20 to $30 more you get a model 2 time the size and fully constucted and painted.
If you put that in perspective our 1/18s are a bargin.

[General Blasto]

Yep, now 21st and BBI need to keep cranking out more models for us to collect. Wait for the KT and 88s The re-release of the Panther now has seen 7 of them showning up here on my base Da General

[immeww2]

I remember when the Tamiya 1/35 tanks were under $20. Wish I had bought more of them. Now they are well over $30 for some of the larger tanks.

[Threetoughtrucks]

Yeah, prices sure change. 100 years ago when TRU was clearing out of 1/18, I happened to be on my usual toy run and I found nine 21C 1/18 Command Cars clearance priced at $2.50 each. Being such a nice guy I left one for somebody else and bought eight. The same week another Board member, who knew I was into 1/6 also, tipped me to another TRU that had 1/6 Command Cars on clearance for $50. When I got there I found six and I told the manager I'd buy all six if he gave me the 1/18 P-38 that had been hanging in the toy section for three years. The guy said OK. I left with my Chevy SW (anybody remember SW's) backed with CC's and a very dusty P-38. Down to one of each after years of trading and eBay. Anybody see what they are going for today??? Outrageous..

Those were the days..... We will never see them again as long as plastic uses oil in it's manufacture..

TTT

[gary1930]

I found nine 21C 1/18 Command Cars clearance priced at $2.50 each.
TTT

I think Jesus loves you.

[AlloySkull]

LOL.

[General Blasto]

I will be putting the 1/35 Panzer IV kit (opened, but not the parts in plastic bag )up in the BST forum for a more reasonable price then what I paid for it. Da General

[Panzer_M]

I remember when the Tamiya 1/35 tanks were under $20. Wish I had bought more of them. Now they are well over $30 for some of the larger tanks.

I paid 50$ for the new Pz III N from Tamiya.

[kduck]

I remember when the Tamiya 1/35 tanks were under $20. Wish I had bought more of them. Now they are well over $30 for some of the larger tanks.

Back in the early 80's you could get most of the Tamiya tank kits for around $12 or less. The smaller stuff like jeeps were about $5. If you went mail order you could get tanks like the Tiger I for around $8 but then you had to wait 6-8 weeks for delivery. Of course back then the kits didn't have all the super detailing parts like they do now.

I remember when you could get 1/32 Monogram tanks for around $5 or less. One great thing about those times was that you could find model kits in some of the oddest places. You could get them at the grocery store and the drug store. One of my favorite places to buy military kits was at a hardware store.

My best deal ever on kits was in the late 70's. I went to a JC Penny outlet store with about $10 in birthday money and they had a bunch of Aurora and Monogram models on clearance for about 50-75 cents each. I bought about 15 models and still had some money left over.

[skypirate]

My best deal ever on kits was in the late 70's. I went to a JC Penny outlet store with about $10 in birthday money and they had a bunch of Aurora and Monogram models on clearance for about 50-75 cents each. I bought about 15 models and still had some money left over.

I think my first two Tamiya tanks, a Pzkw IV and a JadgPanther were from JC Penny too. Early '73 or '74. I think the JadgPanther was wired remote control too.

I dunno, maybe metal has become more affordable. I finally broke down and bought a mostly metal airsoft 1:1 AGM MP40 for just under $100. I guess the Thompson will be next.

[GooglyDoogly]

I don't mind price increases too much...as long as they have something to show for it.

You can't compare the new model kits on the market now with the kits that was available during the 80s, 90s, or even during only a couple of years back.

Model kit companies have tried to outdo themselves, making kits better and more accurate over the years. Now, you will be simply amazed by the quality and attention to details of these models.

Companies like Dragon, Tristar, Trumpeter has elevated the quality, the accuracy, and the wealth of selection of model kits in the past few years. So a price increase of 10-20 dollars isn't that much to swallow.

[kduck]

...Model kit companies have tried to outdo themselves, making kits better and more accurate over the years. Now, you will be simply amazed by the quality and attention to details of these models.

Companies like Dragon, Tristar, Trumpeter has elevated the quality, the accuracy, and the wealth of selection of model kits in the past few years. So a price increase of 10-20 dollars isn't that much to swallow.

I don't disagree with what you're saying. From what I've seen some of the newer kits are absolutely amazing. But there is a downside to the direction that the model kit industry seems to be taking. Not everyone is enamored with these new multimedia kits. It's not just prices that went up. All those detail parts add a lot of time to the build process too. Photo-etched parts look great but I always found them extremely difficult to work with. The last time I tried assembling a pair of 1/48 photo-etched Spandaus for a WWI plane I nearly went insane! I don't actually build models anymore because I simply don't have the time but I would like to get back into the hobby some day. When that day comes I hope that there are still models that are affordable and that can be completed and look good without putting months into their construction.

I think the real death knell to the model building hobby may be the availability of model kits in general. When I was a kid you could buy model kits almost anywhere. Hobby shops were plentiful and just about any kind of retail store sold model kits. It's a totally different picture now. Wal Mart just recently quit selling models and the Target stores around here don't sell them. Hobby shops are nearly extinct too. I used to know of about 4 in my area and now they are all closed down. The only place I can think of nearby that carries model kits is the craft store chain Michael's but how many kids shop there? I know that models are readily available online and by mail order but that's not gonna do a whole lot as far as introducing kids to the hobby. When a kid goes to the store with $20 in birthday money he's not gonna buy a model kit because almost none of them seem to sell them anymore. My son is 9 and I would really like to introduce him to the hobby but it's not gonna happen if we have to go kit shopping on the internet. Like most kids he's gonna spend his birthday money on video games but that's a whole nother story...

[GooglyDoogly]

...Model kit companies have tried to outdo themselves, making kits better and more accurate over the years. Now, you will be simply amazed by the quality and attention to details of these models.

Companies like Dragon, Tristar, Trumpeter has elevated the quality, the accuracy, and the wealth of selection of model kits in the past few years. So a price increase of 10-20 dollars isn't that much to swallow.

I don't disagree with what you're saying. From what I've seen some of the newer kits are absolutely amazing. But there is a downside to the direction that the model kit industry seems to be taking. Not everyone is enamored with these new multimedia kits. It's not just prices that went up. All those detail parts add a lot of time to the build process too. Photo-etched parts look great but I always found them extremely difficult to work with. The last time I tried assembling a pair of 1/48 photo-etched Spandaus for a WWI plane I nearly went insane! I don't actually build models anymore because I simply don't have the time but I would like to get back into the hobby some day. When that day comes I hope that there are still models that are affordable and that can be completed and look good without putting months into their construction.

I think the real death knell to the model building hobby may be the availability of model kits in general. When I was a kid you could buy model kits almost anywhere. Hobby shops were plentiful and just about any kind of retail store sold model kits. It's a totally different picture now. Wal Mart just recently quit selling models and the Target stores around here don't sell them. Hobby shops are nearly extinct too. I used to know of about 4 in my area and now they are all closed down. The only place I can think of nearby that carries model kits is the craft store chain Michael's but how many kids shop there? I know that models are readily available online and by mail order but that's not gonna do a whole lot as far as introducing kids to the hobby. When a kid goes to the store with $20 in birthday money he's not gonna buy a model kit because almost none of them seem to sell them anymore. My son is 9 and I would really like to introduce him to the hobby but it's not gonna happen if we have to go kit shopping on the internet. Like most kids he's gonna spend his birthday money on video games but that's a whole nother story...

Amen brother. I think it was Dragon who started this trend, with them selling their "special" 3-in-1 limited edition kits through Cyber-Hobby. It became a fiasco, with people hurrying to pre-order months ahead just so they'd be in line to get the things.

And I think the brick and mortar hobby stores can't really compete with online stores. Especially since people can order kits from Hong Kong a couple of months earlier before they even see that kit in their local hobby shops. Not to mention that Hong Kong sellers sell these kits at very cheap prices, compared to local stores.

If you want bargains, check Ebay. You can usually find old kits at very low prices. Like you said, they're not the most accurate thing out there, but they work well enough for the average builder, plus if you're buying a Tamiya, their kits are so hassle-free to make, they're a great way to spend an evening alone.

[kduck]

...If you want bargains, check Ebay. You can usually find old kits at very low prices. Like you said, they're not the most accurate thing out there, but they work well enough for the average builder, plus if you're buying a Tamiya, their kits are so hassle-free to make, they're a great way to spend an evening alone.

I actually started out selling on eBay by selling the hundred or so kits I had accumulated and never built. Still I don't think eBay and internet shopping is going to save the model building hobby much less allow it to thrive. Kids have to get interested in it. They want instant gratification and if they don't see models in the stores then they aren't going to get their interest sparked and they're unlikely to get into the hobby. My first kits were "battle damaged" airplane models that my parents bought me at a grocery store. As soon as I saw them I knew I had to have them. If I'd had to get them from some kind of 1970s equivalent of eBay or through mail order I would never have gotten interested in the hobby. If the kit industry doesn't find a way to get their products back in the large retail stores I believe that the hobby may well die off. Personally I'd hate to see that happen . When I hear company names like Aurora and Revell and Monogram I get a warm fuzzy feeling...