What happened to the "Inexpensive" kits from China?

[pepperman42]

We used to complain about the price of Japanese kits. The arrival of Dragon, Trumpeter etc seemed to lower the price point considerably albeit with accuracy problems at times. Here in Canada a Hasegawa 1/32 single engine aircraft kit comes in somewhere between $70-$90 and new Tamiya kits about $150. Recently Great Wall released a P40B to the tune of $280!!! Whah happen?......

Steve

[bobs_buckles]

The oil wells dried up! 

 

[masterKamera]

well here is the thing, it is expensive, but cost is dependent upon location. In the united states the price is supposedly 140$..

The honest truth is the kit quality, although themoddellingnews review shows alot of flash on parts,, is simply excellent.  Look at the photographs, the kit comes as "cross section model" where you will be building interior detail that is expensive to do.

Look at it this way,  you are getting to purchase for REFERENCE an standard p-40 model kit, and then purchasing every known customizing kit for it, guns, photoetch, cockpit, etc..  so in a way the kit is expensive but you are technically buying a 40$ kit with the 100$ in aftermarket upgrades for it at the same time, in the same box..

besides it has naked lady decals, so HUSH...

[pepperman42]

I'm not sure $140US is the price. Sprue Brothers, who I always consider reasonable, is selling it for $179.99US with a list price of $220. You are absolutely right though, there's a lotta bang for your buck. I'm just not sure how much interest there is in full interiors. Some, I think, but not a ton.

Steve   

[Bughunter]

I heard already during in autumn 2021 that the steel injection mould prices are exploding in China and South Korea. Many companies don't have a own manufacturing so this is and will be an issue. Not only calculations, also for decisions which models to be created.
As far as I know Eduard has an own manufacturing also for tools at home location.

So may be 3D printing will be more important in future?

Cheers,
Frank

[masterKamera]

I'm not sure $140US is the price. Sprue Brothers, who I always consider reasonable, is selling it for $179.99US with a list price of $220. You are absolutely right though, there's a lotta bang for your buck. I'm just not sure how much interest there is in full interiors. Some, I think, but not a ton.

Steve

There is alot of interest in interiors...  at least for cockpits.

[pepperman42]

I agree, cockpits are, of course, a focal point of an aircraft model. I'm just not sure all the internal structure is of interest to the majority though. Canada's position in the import/export world results in higher prices vs the US so we suffer accordingly on kit prices. As I said, here, the Tamiya kits, with excellent OOB cockpits, are coming in at $100 less than this latest GW kit. You are right again though, it's all there ready for you - open the box - build. Convenience comes at a cost. Frank, your insight on this may be the answer to it all. Part of the dilemma is I really try to support the LHS as much as possible but the $140Can for the kit directly from China, even with the shipping risks, delays and duty possibilities make it tough. Fortunately we live in a free society - I can make  the decision.

Steve   

[masterKamera]

I heard already during in autumn 2021 that the steel injection mould prices are exploding in China and South Korea. Many companies don't have a own manufacturing so this is and will be an issue. Not only calculations, also for decisions which models to be created.
As far as I know Eduard has an own manufacturing also for tools at home location.

So may be 3D printing will be more important in future?

Cheers,
Frank

3d printing is more expensive..

[macsporran]

3d printing is more expensive..

Only at the moment, but in a few years it'll be as cheap as chips!
Sandy

(This from a man who used to sell Hitachi mainframe DASD disk drives to Fortune 500 companies. A 20Gb drive was the size of a washing machine and cost 25,000GBP; you'd get four in a row with a controller, again 25,000GBP, so 125,000GBP for 80Gb. I've now got a 100Gb SIM card in my phone that cost me 5 quid!)

[Bughunter]

3d printing is more expensive..

But already now Eduard offer at least 57 "Brassin Print" series kits which parts are directly printed:
https://www.scalemates.com/search.php?fkSECTION%5B%5D=All&q=Brassin+Print

And the 3D printed Camel seat (street price around 3,50€) was the most sold part last year!

Cheers,
Frank

[masterKamera]

3d printing is dependent on cost of material used to create the 3d print.

[WD]

Frank and others, you're right. Tooling costs were insane already, but it's only going to get worse in the current world economy. 3D printing has absolutely exploded, and it seems, outside of our little niche corner of what is already a niche hobby, that folks are climbing out of the word work with aftermarket items all over the place. This method/medium already has advantages over resin casting that I don't need to go into here, and we're already seeing a lot of cottage industry and individuals offering kits. (I personally know of one individual working on a proper Nie.11/16 kit.) Are we at the point where a lot, much less most, kits will be 3D printed?  No, not by a long shot, but that long shot, as Sandy can tell you, can pass by pretty quickly.

WD

[Dave W]

I think part of the problem with kit prices is that the modelling community over the years has become so demanding for 'accuracy' and fine detail and the companies go silly with over-engineered kits that consequently drive up the retail price. I've heard of a number of large scale modellers moving down to smaller scales again because the big kits cost silly money.

I opened an old 1970s 1/32 Revell Hawker Hurricane kit the other day and wondered where all the parts had gone, there were so few in the box. Yet this was a complete kit. Basic by today's standards and crying out for aftermarket jewellery but to me these old classics can be more fun than some of the modern kits that require a college degree to understand the construction process.

Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia