Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

How much should model kits cost?


Recommended Posts

Everybody thinks kits cost too much.

A $2.00 model kit in 1964 is $15.38 in 2014.

But in 1964, AMT made millions of models. There was an economy of scale (no pum intended). The volume is so low today. Plus, the car companies helped subsidize the tooling. The extra $10 is a reflection of that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't forget licensing fees to the car manufactures as well as lawyers that negotiate those fees.

I hear plenty of people complain about model prices, especially the non-US companies ie Trumpeter, Tamiya, Revell of Germany etc. Never heard a complaint yet about Monogram models that are priced under $20. With me once the price goes over $25 I start thinking twice about whether I really want it but then again I have a stash of over 600 to work on already.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you compare it to the rise in cost of everything else it's not a bad deal.

It's a worse deal.

The price of model kits has risen more than the rate of inflation.

$2 kit in 1968... factor in inflation, that kit would cost $14 today. Obviously new kits cost a lot more than $14-15.

http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A $2.00 model kit in 1964 is $15.38 in 2014.

A gallon of gas in 1964 cost 25 cents. Today, at $3.60, that's 14.4 TIMES more. Your $2 model kit should cost $28.80 by that reckoning.

$15.38 seems like an OK deal to me.

Of course, most of the kits I see in stores are in the $25 range, and cheapos from e-bay, when you factor in shipping, are around that number too.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most corporations use accountants called actuaries, whose job is to study the market and past performance, then assess cost vs. probable return, and thus predict and set the effects of pricing in the marketplace. This is going to differ wildly between new tools, reissues, consumer interest and the state of market conditions among model manufacturers.

Edited by sjordan2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The last time I bought a lot of models was around 1995. I had about 150 stashed in the attic. Now that I am back to building and the rate I am going at it they should last me until I'm over 100yrs old.I have sold kits and priced them at $10-$15, I almost felt bad about charging that price (about what I paid for them) until I went to a hobby shop and priced them.

I still have about 40 left and I have bought a few more but have a tough time paying over $20.

I tried trading but after realizing I was trading a $10 model and paying $10 shipping I might as well just buy the kit I want. I am trying to set up a Facebook page for people in my area to trade and sell kits and not have to deal with shipping.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that's kind of like asking how long is a piece of string. Many different things go into determining the cost of a kit. What I think what they should cost would be dictated by my pocket book but actual cost to the consumer is something else again. I personally don't think that most kits are over priced ( ebay exception ). It is far cheaper than other hobbies and to me is worth every penny I pay for them in terms of enjoyment and relaxation and stress relief. Ok, that does not apply to all kits . : )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everybody thinks that?

Maybe you better go back to mind reading school before you make any more laughable pronouncements like that.

I think 50$ would be a better price if we got a much better product (mainline USA kits) than we are now. oh and something us not-stuck-in-the-fifties guys would appreciate. oh and Tamiya quality.

edit to add: I don't think "inflation" has anything to do with discretionary luxury items like, uh, toys.

jb

Edited by jbwelda
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A gallon of gas in 1964 cost 25 cents. Today, at $3.60, that's 14.4 TIMES more. Your $2 model kit should cost $28.80 by that reckoning.

You can't take the price of one particular item and tie the cost of everything to the rate of the price increase of that one item. The price of a lot of things has risen more than the rate of inflation. Like gas. And model cars.

Not everything rises in price to correspond directly with the rate of inflation. And some things, factoring in inflation, actually cost less today than they did years ago. But model cars, to name one, have definitely risen in price at a rate that is higher than if they had only risen in price at the rate of inflation.

To put it another way, the inflation calculator I linked to tells you that you would need $14 of today's dollars to buy what $2 bought you in 1968. So if two bucks bought you a model kit in 1968 (and it did), then if model kit prices had risen only at the rate of inflation, that kit would cost $14 today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can't take the price of one particular item and tie the cost of everything to the rate of the price increase of that one item. The price of a lot of things has risen more than the rate of inflation. Like gas. And model cars.

Not everything rises in price to correspond directly with the rate of inflation. And some things, factoring in inflation, actually cost less today than they did years ago. But model cars, to name one, have definitely risen in price at a rate that is higher than if they had only risen in price at the rate of inflation.

To put it another way, the inflation calculator I linked to tells you that you would need $14 of today's dollars to buy what $2 bought you in 1968. So if two bucks bought you a model kit in 1968 (and it did), then if model kit prices had risen only at the rate of inflation, that kit would cost $14 today.

Yes sir, I'm actually quite aware of all of that, but your elaboration on my point is well taken.

And yes, many things today are remarkably cheaper, even unbelievably cheaper, than they were years ago. A computer with the power of the one I'm using to write this, that I bought used for $400, would have been practically impossible to build in 1964, would have filled a LARGE building if it COULD have been built, and would have cost millions of dollars.

On the other hand, there is a sloppy correlation between then-and-now prices on most everything that makes things today, in general, similar in cost to things then (whichever "then" we're talking about)...after, of course, adjusting for inflation.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a worse deal.

The price of model kits has risen more than the rate of inflation.

$2 kit in 1968... factor in inflation, that kit would cost $14 today. Obviously new kits cost a lot more than $14-15.

http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: "The rate of inflation" is but an AVERAGE! Some things have gone up far faster than others over the decades, other things have "inflated" far less than the "rate of inflation", and still others have remained flat, or perhaps even gone down in price when that's adjusted for inflation.

It's called "The study of economics 101", a course which most people prefer to ignore, from High School onward.

Art

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's called "The study of economics 101", a course which most people prefer to ignore, from High School onward.

Yup, and the folks who studied it and accepted it as gospel were mostly the same folks who brought us the global economic meltdown. Anybody remember that?

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some things have gone up far faster than others over the decades, other things have "inflated" far less than the "rate of inflation", and still others have remained flat, or perhaps even gone down in price when that's adjusted for inflation.

Did you happen to read post #16?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...