tom@skyworkstoys wrote:Looks like the clear winners are the A-10 Warthog, the F-4 Phantom II, and the P-39 Aracobra.
What would you consider a fair price for a kit of these? How about a full finished and painted version?
Great question. An innovative "garage" manufacturer might well be able to experiment with different forms of release for projects as potentially popular as these three planes. Just for instance:
-- A completely unpainted kit of all parts and decals unassembled.
-- An unassembled kit that is partially painted (i.e. the biggest parts -- wings, fuselage halves -- painted) but with decals unapplied.
-- Partially assembled, but unpainted
-- Partially assembled, partially painted
-- Completely assembled and painted.
Approaching these projects like this would also make it easier to work in different versions of the planes. The F-4 and the P-39 especially went through lots of minor variations, so designing the molds so that these different versions could be implemented at the kit or partial kit level might be a good idea.
Given the enthusiast market and only online sales, saving on packaging might make pricing more tolerable.
Release in different modes like this might open up a market for "finishers" such as we have seen sort-of beginning with the F-14 repaint services offered here.
You might also experiment with leaving out some details -- such as cockpit detailing -- that could become a niche for other garage manufacturers.