Whatever BBI's reasoning behind the price and stores that it releases its products, I'm sure they have a good idea of what they are doing. BBI understands that they are catering to a niche market and simply that in regards to the sales of their military toys. I hate to say it, but we toy soldier fans with our taste for highly-detailed military toys are really in a minority when all consumers are considered.
In the past, BBI did attempt to sell their products at mass retail. While I can't say how successful it was for them in the long run, 1:18 Apaches, Blackhawks, M1 Abrams and LAVs were not exactly flying off the shelves. Why else do you think Target so severely discounted them last year? There are even still a few "Daisy June" Corsairs at my local TRUs and those appeared in 2006.
BBI probably understands that their greatest appeal for their military planes will come from collectors, not the general public. The average consumer will no appreciate or have the knowledge of the historical significance of the planes, which will still be priced above the cheaper goods. BBI seems to have decided to cater exclusively to the collector market for that reason. It does mean that they make overall fewer pieces and sell them for a higher price, but the items do get around and do sell. BBI has also diversified what they do. Military toys are not their "bread and butter" and they have other venues to fall back on should the military stuff do poorly in sales.
Although it would drive down the price, BBI would actually be at a loss if it made tons of Dauntlesses and F-4s, only to have them gather dust on retail store shelves and eventually be discounted. That is exactly what happened to 21c. They grossly overestimated the appeal of their products, sold Wal Mart and others on the idea, and wound up getting screwed in the end when the products didn't sell. Many of us were at a loss even further because we never found the products at mass retail and 21c never got them to the small retailers where we could have purchased them.
They days of truly cheap military collectables are pretty much over, but in some respects they never should have been that way. We were spoiled over the past few years and some people got into the collecting thing when they otherwise would not have. The fact is that most military collectables sell for quite a bit. Look how much the Hobbymaster SBD Dauntless costs, or the Corgi or the GMP aircraft. Heck, look at the Dragon 1;72 and 1:35 tanks? Part of me asks why the heck I should pay $25 bucks for a three-inch long Tiger tank or $50+ for a 1:72 F-4? But they are high-quality collectables, with few overall being made and the companies do have to turn a profit.
My apologies for the rant, but case in point is that we have to realise that realistic military toys have a very limited appeal (even in the best of economic times) and that if companies want make quality products and sell them, they have to raise the price and make fewer items because selling them at mass retail is too much of a financial risk...
All that said, the BBI Dauntless is well worth the price and pushes the bar for 1:32 military aircraft. Yes, I could purchase a 21c 32x Stuka for half the price, but that plane has somewhat less detail, no weathering, and a high probability of QC defects that BBI has largely rectified on their planes
