Rising price of our hobby

[Harry P.]

What else can you spend 25.00 or so bucks on an get that amount of time and satisfaction? Not to mention when your done you have something to show for your money.

I agree. When it comes to "bang for the buck" it's hard to beat model building.

[Dave Van]

Oh my.  The hills of West Virginia don't have the greatest rep overseas.  Dave, Luc is Belgian, not British.  Just a FYI.  But then maybe you were using the Brits as an example. 

Still, for some reason I could not recommend your area for Luc.  Sorry if I wreck this thread.

 

 

Luc and I have known each other 10 years or more. Meeting in person a few times even.

What the folks in West Virginia are truly made of was brought to a bright light around June 23 2016.

Long story short....after 10 inches of rain in about two hours we were caught about 70 miles from home after a morning doctor appt. The one road home was under water....we spent the night in a parking lot 50 miles from home. No lights it could have gone bad.....but the many other trapped all checked on each other....including a number of pro  Quad racing teams trapped with us. Shared what each of us had. 

Come daylight we headed home. The bridge that was under water could be seen but condition unknown. A few guys that knew something walked it....cleaned debris....then drove it before all were aloud to pass. Almost home....a large tree had fallen across the road. One guy was there when we drove up. As other on both sides of the tree arrived....someone had a small finish saw...many took turns trimming limbs until there was a 'tunnel under the trunk we could drive through.

While I was wheelchair bound for 2 years....my trash got taken to the dump, grass cut while I was at a Dr appt, even rain gutters clean out w/o me asking or any one wanting credit. So that bad rep is far from correct.....but that's OK to most here as it makes most outsiders leave us ALONE!!!  THX

jUNE 23 i-64 under water.

[Art Anderson]

By the way, kits being affordable to kids in the past is a bunch of B.S. too. They could buy models with their lunch money? Who were these kids? I sure couldn't. In the late 1960's, in 5th and 6th grade, a hot lunch ticket cost .25 cents. I was allowed two hot lunches per week. The other days I had to brown bagged it. Using the same bag the whole week. An AMT kit cost $2.00. A month of hot lunches for me. Guess what? I mainly got models on birthdays and holidays. Starting in about 7th grade I started making big money mowing lawns. I charged $2.00 per lawn. A good week I'd maybe earn $10.00 to $14.00. But, there were other things I wanted besides just model kits. Don't feel too bad for me. I had plenty of models. Not as many as wanted. But, that was life.

Do I like the price of models today? Of course not. But, compared to other things, it's still a relatively cheap hobby. What does a dinner with drinks cost at a somewhat nice restaurant? I'm just tired of people whining about this one subject. If it cost too much money quit buying them. Me? I've got more models in my collection today than I ever have had. And some I've had to $29.95 for. Others less. I'm willing to pay to play. And not whine about it.

 

Well,in 5 yrs, a night out with your special other will mean two double cheeseburgers at McDonald's with fries and a small drink!

[SfanGoch]

Well,in 5 yrs, a night out with your special other will mean two double cheeseburgers at McDonald's with fries and a small drink!

That's another validation that car modelers are cheapskates.  

[russosborne]

Here's a point I think some are missing.

Back when we were buying kits with allowance money, we were not also having to use that money for car payments, utilities, food, housing, etc. In other words normally all of our money back then was disposable. Now it isn't . In my world at least that makes a huge difference.

Are prices going to continue to go up? Certainly. Almost everything we buy is costing more and more. And the reasons given for the rising cost of kits are valid, not saying they aren't or trying to bury my head in the sand wishing for the good ol' days.
Are a lot of us going to be priced out of buying new kits? Probably. It isn't a matter of being cheap. It is a matter of having enough money to pay for the necessities before paying for luxuries. And yes, model kits fall into that last for a lot of us.

$30 dollars will pay for the normal night out for me and my wife. I generally prefer to do that instead of just spending on something she can't also enjoy. But that is my choice. I only bought models this time because I had gotten some birthday cash and my wife insisted I spend it on me instead of us for a change. Although one of the kits is something I would never have bought for myself, but she happened to say it was cute when she saw it a month or so ago so I am building it for her.  And I wouldn't even have bought that kit if it wasn't on clearance already. I almost never buy without the HL coupon or being on clearance. Miss out on a lot, I do.

 

Since I was apparently the unwitting instigator of this thread I felt I needed to say something. Although in my post where I talked about the price I was just reporting, not commenting.

 

Just my opinion.

Russ

 

Edited August 7, 2016 by russosborne

[Harry P.]

The amount of your disposable income has nothing to do with the price of a product.

Manufacturers price their products based on expected sales, and how much they need to charge for that product to make a profit. They have no way of knowing how much disposable income you have, and they don't care. Their numbers are based on their expenses and their projected profits.

[Luc Janssens]

You think the way they govern here is any better???

I don't think you have to pay 56% taxes on your salary and it goes up if one works more, like on weekends to have an extra buck, in short, we're punished for working.

Also the utility bills are way up there, think we pay the highest price in the whole EU, for electricity.

but back to the regular program now, the price of automotive model kits....(PM me for off-topic, thanks!)

 

Edited August 7, 2016 by Luc Janssens

[Joe Handley]

56% Income Taxes?!

I think anything like that, even on the wealthiest in the country, went away when Kennedy was elected 56 years ago.  I think it had been something like 94% on the wealthiest from WW2 up through Ike's administration, IIRC, it's some of how we paid for NASA and our Interstate System.  State income tax wise, I think we're 4%-5% flat tax, no matter if you earned $14k or $14b, and give away tax breaks like they're candy...........no wonder this state is broke.

[DeeCee]

, "All the new kits seem to be priced at $29.99. Still a few older ones on the shelves for less, but definitely getting up there." 

 

I have not been able to buy kits at this price for 15 years!  The average kit here in Tasmania and most of Australia is $45-$50, and has been up there for a long time,

you just don't know when you have it so good.  

But, all hobbies are expensive, so you just need to choose carefully i suppose, it wont stop me from building them..

 

[Dave Van]

I don't think you have to pay 56% taxes on your salary and it goes up if one works more, like on weekends to have an extra buck, in short, we're punished for working.

Also the utility bills are way up there, think we pay the highest price in the whole EU, for electricity.

but back to the regular program now, the price of automotive model kits....(PM me for off-topic, thanks!)

 

People in this country think 'free everything' doesn't cost anybody anything.  When a recent candidate offered 'free' college, health care, and phones......I, as a retired bank analyst, looked at how this could happen. I found that countries like those Luc live in have a 50 to 62% tax rate. WHY  folks in the USA think it's all free without a COST. Thanks Luc......I understand.

You really want to come here....I'd be first in line to help.

[mikemodeler]

I find this hobby to be one that I can enjoy and decide how much I want to spend to get that enjoyment. While I would love to have a couple of 1:1 rides, I am a realist and know that it would mean a much different lifestyle, and I doubt the other 3 people in my household (wife and kids) would share that same level of joy. 

The reality of this hobby is that YOU can decide how much to put into it and what YOU get out of it. Some members here look for builders and parts lots and through trading and searching, find enough pieces to construct a model to their tastes and desires. Others spend big dollars on kits, detail pieces and equipment to build show pieces. In both cases the builder gets to realize their vision and neither one is wrong in their approach to the hobby.

Through the internet and forums like this one, we have become a little better educated about deals, companies and ways to maximize our hobby dollars. Considering that fewer hobby shops exist and yet we are still getting new releases says something about this hobby. With only a couple of large retailers to sell through, the model companies have come to depend on places like this to get the word out on new releases. When I got back into this hobby 20+ years ago, mail order was the way to get deals, mass merchandisers still carried models and hobby shops were everywhere. Today, it is the internet or discount coupons from certain retailers, along with hobby shows.

 

Yes, seeing MSRP on a kit at $30 or higher is hard to swallow for some, but for others it is a price to pay for hours of work to build something they like. I buy very few kits at full retail, mainly because I have become educated on not having to! There have been a few that I have bought at a hobby shop or from an online retailer, mostly because of the subject matter.

In the end, the reason for spending or not spending money on this hobby is yours, and as long as you enjoy it, it shouldn't matter if you have a set of custom machined aluminum wheels on your model or something you found in a parts lot on eBay!

[Daddyfink]

What other hobby can you spend almost $30 for a kit and then try to sell it at a kit show and you can't even get $5 for it! LOL! 

We can be some seriously cheap types when it comes to kit shows. We balk at high prices at the stores and then balk at low prices at kit shows! 

[StevenGuthmiller]

People in this country think 'free everything' doesn't cost anybody anything.  When a recent candidate offered 'free' college, health care, and phones......I, as a retired bank analyst, looked at how this could happen. I found that countries like those Luc live in have a 50 to 62% tax rate. WHY  folks in the USA think it's all free without a COST. Thanks Luc......I understand.

You really want to come here....I'd be first in line to help.

When you're one of the people receiving the free health care & phone, (and that's just the tip of the iceberg) & not one of the people paying for it, you could care less where the money comes from.

I once heard someone say, that when the day comes where there are more people feeding at the trough in this country than filling it, our country will cease to exist as we know it.

If we haven't already reached that point, we're extremely close to it.

 

Steve

[russosborne]

The amount of your disposable income has nothing to do with the price of a product.

Manufacturers price their products based on expected sales, and how much they need to charge for that product to make a profit. They have no way of knowing how much disposable income you have, and they don't care. Their numbers are based on their expenses and their projected profits.

Harry,

I never said or implied that my disposable income has ANYTHING to do with pricing. It DOES  have a huge amount to do with the price at which I stop buying kits ( or any other luxury items).

Geesh.

Russ

[Snake45]

 

I once heard someone say, that when the day comes where there are more people feeding at the trough in this country than filling it, our country will cease to exist as we know it.

If we haven't already reached that point, we're extremely close to it.

 

Steve

Yup. "We are very, very near the end of civilization." That used to be a standard David Letterman punchline after reading some absurd news story. It's not funny anymore, and hasn't been for a while now.

[Dave Van]

When you're one of the people receiving the free health care & phone, (and that's just the tip of the iceberg) & not one of the people paying for it, you could care less where the money comes from.

I once heard someone say, that when the day comes where there are more people feeding at the trough in this country than filling it, our country will cease to exist as we know it.

If we haven't already reached that point, we're extremely close to it.

 

Steve

IE Velenzuela 

[Harry P.]

Margaret Thatcher once said that Socialism is a great system... until you run out of other people's money. 

[Harry P.]

Harry,

I never said or implied that my disposable income has ANYTHING to do with pricing. It DOES  have a huge amount to do with the price at which I stop buying kits ( or any other luxury items).

Geesh.

Russ

Sorry, I misunderstood your post.

[Rob Hall]

Modeling is still quite cheap compared to sports hobbies I've dabbled in over the years such as golf, skiing, and snowboarding... or 1:1 car collecting for that matter.   Or other occasional recreational events I enjoy such as concerts, NFL games, etc. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

Margaret Thatcher once said that Socialism is a great system... until you run out of other people's money. 

Yes, & unfortunately, we've already run out of "other peoples money".

With a nearly 20 trillion dollar national debt, that is quite obvious.

 

Steve

[mikemodeler]

The wife and I went to a matinee movie today. Two tickets, a medium popcorn and 2 hours only cost us $25. I bought a model the other day at Hobby Lobby for $16 and I can promise you that I will get more enjoyment from it than I did the movie.

[GT4494]

I am just getting back into the hobby in a bigger way and some of the things I have noted.

1. We used to make plug wires with Thread we "borrowed" from the sewing machine.

2. Now they have fully wired Distributors that all you need to do is drill the spark plugs out and put the wires in.

3. WE had one type of glue. Then it went that sickening orange scent because of all my friends that were "huffing" it.

4. Airbrushes were "exotic".  Heck dad painted a 1:1 car with a Sears tank-less sprayer. I still have the wheelbarrow he painted at the same time.

5. Nice kits are expensive.  But they have detail and realism that was unheard of in the old days.

 

I could go on and on.  Do we need this stuff to build a decent model?  probably not.  Do they make building kits more expensive?  Definitely.  Should it scare new modelers away?  Probably not as much as the intimidation factor that new-by's develop if they see some experienced modelers and their work.  (Harry P, your work continues to amaze me and yes its intimidating in a challenging kind of way). 

IMHO The major problem is not the cost.  Its the way society view leisure time activities.  You need to be on your phone (which your parents got you when you turned 6 yo) or computer all your waking hours.  just sitting and working on something that gives you a sense of accomplishment isn't the popular thing to do.  You need to have something all your electronic "Friends" can give you a "like" when you do anything.

Will the hobby die?  Not to sound morbid but probably, It will definitely slow down and have a smaller group of enthusiasts as we get older, can't see and eventually pass on.  There will be some new blood but not in the numbers we remember.

I have several 1:1 classic cars and that hobby will is passing away also.  Hopefully I will be gone before my hobbies and they will have dignified deaths also. 

[Art Anderson]

Well,in 5 yrs, a night out with your special other will mean two double cheeseburgers at McDonald's with fries and a small drink!

They do (at least domestically) pay a lot of attention to price points though!  They do know that there are limitations as to the final MSRP--and then work to provide as much as possible within the expected price point.  But you are quite correct, Harry--model kits, just as with any other product, are priced based on covering all the costs (from design & tooling to production and distribution costs) with an expected profit margin added on top of those--it's called being in business to stay in business.

Art

[Greg Myers]

Best time in my kit buying life , early '70's living in Japan, Yen 380 to 1 $. I bought some kits, a bunch. 

[GT4494]

Best time in my kit buying life, early '70's living in Japan, Yen 380 to 1 $. I bought some kits, a bunch.

 

It was 360 yen - $1 when I was there.  Mowed yards for a bunch of Officers and lived like a King (ok a prince). 

We lived off base and I would go to the 10 yen (candy) store right next to the school bus stop. I'd buy candy and sell it to the kids whose parents were afraid to let them off base. 

Got in trouble for that when the teacher found out.  Parents thought it was brilliant for a 10 year old and it gave me  a LOT of disposable income.