Why are kits so much money!?

[slusher]

You only live once if you can afford it buy it. other wise money is no good if you don't spend it....

[62rebel]

sure it is... your kids can blow it on stuff YOU wanted, but were too "sensible" to waste money on! me, i'm leaving the way i came in... broke.

[MyBradKeselowski]

No matter how high model kits become I'm always going to buy them, as when I decease I can't take the models or the money with me...

They could though put both of them in my casket... LOL

:D

[brad4321]

Maybe you should tell yourself we're lucky they don't cost more. I know nothing about the process of designing or building a kit but it seems tough. Imagine if I gave you a block of white plastic and said, here make a nice and accurate model with 150 pieces of this car right here.

[91blaze]

Maybe you should tell yourself we're lucky they don't cost more. I know nothing about the process of designing or building a kit but it seems tough. Imagine if I gave you a block of white plastic and said, here make a nice and accurate model with 150 pieces of this car right here.

It's actually not that bad because of all the machines and computers doing most of the work.

[brad4321]

It's actually not that bad because of all the machines and computers doing most of the work.

Yes, but you couldn't get it done for less than 50 bucks.

[91blaze]

Yes, but you couldn't get it done for less than 50 bucks.

Obviously not, because I don't have access to the machinery and technology they do, just like with any manufactured product.

[brad4321]

And tha

Obviously not, because I don't have access to the machinery and technology they do, just like with any manufactured product.

And that's my point. Machines are expensive. Research is expensive. People smart enough to use them are expensive to employ.

[91blaze]

That's why smaller, newer companies charge so much for their kits. But bigger companies like Revell have already sold enough kits to make up for their start up cost. That's why kits don't need to be as expensive as they are. They should actually get cheaper as they go along, but the model companies are taking advantage of the fact that we are willing to spend as much as we do. It doesn't help that there are fewer and fewer modelers out there to buy the kits.

Edited July 26, 2012 by 91blaze

[mademan]

make more paper...

everyone complains about the price, but in the end , everyone still buys them.

[mademan]

That's why smaller, newer companies charge so much for their kits. But bigger companies like Revell have already sold enough kits to make up for their start up cost. That's why kits don't need to be as expensive as they are. They should actually get cheaper as they go along, but the model companies are taking advantage of the fact that we are willing to spend as much as we do. It doesn't help that there are fewer and fewer modelers out there to buy the kits.

You`re theory sounds good.... I mean the first year of a 1:1 production car shoudl have paid all of the fees and costs, so the next couple of years should be signifigantly cheaper??? these companies still have employees to pay, facility costs, buildings, maintnence, taxes.......

[1930fordpickup]

Greed ! LOL

[sjordan2]

Greed ! LOL

No. There's not enough profit margin after the R&D and manufacturing for that to make any sense in a shrinking market. The kit manufacturers are just trying to hang on and keep their jobs.

Edited July 26, 2012 by sjordan2

[Harry P.]

It's tricky. How do you price a model kit so that your average consumer won't choke on the price, yet still make a profit while at the same time your consumer base is shrinking, not growing? Do you charge less per kit in the hope of selling more kits to fewer people and build sales volume that way... or do you charge more per kit because your consumer base is dwindling and you have to make more money per unit in order to survive? And if you go with the higher price business model, at what price point do you start actually killing sales?

Like I said, it's not that easy. I sure don't have the answer.

[cobraman]

Cost of model, 20 dollars. Cost of paint and supplies, 12 dollars. Time spend relaxing and building, priceless.

[mademan]

Cost of model, 20 dollars. Cost of paint and supplies, 12 dollars. Time spend relaxing and building, priceless.

I agree...... if you are looking for a cheap hobby..... this isnt it.

[1930fordpickup]

No. There's not enough profit margin after the R&D and manufacturing for that to make any sense in a shrinking market. The kit manufacturers are just trying to hang on and keep their jobs.

Note LOL on the end I was Joking .

[1930fordpickup]

Honestly I think the cost of paying for the right to use the car / truck brand is the biggest cost. I have heard from people at the Toledo show that Good Year wanted a dollar a tire not that long ago.

[lanesteele240]

I am building the focus wrc in ken block livery. This kit sucks. It would be over priced at 40 bucks. Wait 2 or 3 years and yo will be able to buy it off ebay. I am going to cronical my head aches in the on the work bench

[mikemodeler]

That's why smaller, newer companies charge so much for their kits. But bigger companies like Revell have already sold enough kits to make up for their start up cost. That's why kits don't need to be as expensive as they are. They should actually get cheaper as they go along, but the model companies are taking advantage of the fact that we are willing to spend as much as we do. It doesn't help that there are fewer and fewer modelers out there to buy the kits.

Almost sounds like some of the political ads we are being bombarded with!

John, the truth is if enough profit is not made, a company cannot continue production. If it only came down to "the machines are already paid for, therefore it is cheaper to make the next model" then we would still have MPC, Johan, etc giving us new kits all day long!

Let's take a look at the recently re-issued GMC pickup from Revell. They basically gave us the same pickup truck they produced years ago with an added snow plow. Judging by the looks of the kit, they had to tool up 2 new trees for the snowplow and design some new artwork for the decals. By using an already existing tool for the truck, the investment by Revell was minimized but I would guess that they still have $40,000 in tooling for the plow. Add in the research and time spent verifying that the first run is correct and the costs add up quickly.

There are many people who work for Revell who might not play a part in the development of the kit but yet rely on kits being sold to make a living. Assume for a minute that Revell makes $5 per kit (they might make more, not sure), so if they sell 10,000 kits, they make $50,000 and in the above scenario, they have begun to cover their costs, let alone make a profit. The profits are what makes it possible to get those new tools we all clamor for (50 Olds, 57 Ford) which will cost alot more than a snow plow!

The re-issues of existing kits and modifying an existing tool into a new kit generates profits without incurring great expense for the model company. A good example is the Yenko Camaro tooling has probably been used to create parts for many different kits (think of all of the recent Revell kits with a big block Chevy!) and look at simple things like wheels and tires that can be shared across many kits.

Despite what some might claim, this is still a relatively cheap hobby. How much you spend is up to you, and you alone. We all know of places where we can get models cheap, use household items for detailing, large cans of spray paint to get the job done cheaper, and trade parts and kits for those we want. Much like the 1:1 world, this hobby has folks who can build outstanding vehicles with very little expense while others will spend what most would consider an extreme amount to achieve the same result.

Yes, I do spend a decent amount on my hobby but at the end of the day, I have few other outlets that I spend money on and I always use my spare "lunch money" before I would consider using family funds.

[Rob Hall]

Modeling is a very cheap hobby compared to other pastimes....model cars are generally a lot cheaper than military models, or R/C cars, or R/C airplanes...and definitely much cheaper than the other pastimes I've dabbled in over the years that require lots of expensive, specialized gear (mountain biking, skiing, golf)...

[Guest G Holding]

I don't think this hobby is really all that bad. I shoot pictures...My Leica cost 800.00 ten years ago (plus optics) A new DSLR today is $1200.00 or more today for just the body (Nikon 7000) I wont even think about a Leica dslr (25K)I have over 20K in non digital equipment....only 2.5K digital now. Models are a reasonable hobby if you want it to be...or you can spend a lot...Its what you want it to be.

Just my couple of cents here...

[southpier]

Modeling is a very cheap hobby compared to other pastimes....

this.

anybody go to a movie lately? heaven help you if you dared have soda & popcorn, too!

16 - 22 bucks for two hours of mindless drivell.

88 bucks for a kit, paints, & some etch or resin - 50 hours of fun and something to show for it both educationally ( you did research some part of the build - right?) and a tangible asset to the hobby shelf.

it's an easy choice for me.

[Rob Hall]

this.

anybody go to a movie lately? heaven help you if you dared have soda & popcorn, too!

16 - 22 bucks for two hours of mindless drivell.

Speaking of movies, I went to see The Dark Knight Rises this past weekend--$13 for the ticket, $16 for popcorn, a coke, and Junior Mints. About 3 1/2 hours w/ the trailers..but I thoroughly enjoyed it...

[Ace-Garageguy]

Modeling is pretty cheap compared to building 1:1s, which I haven't been able to afford for several years, thanks to the greed-crazed idiots who got us in this economic mess. I'm thankful I can still indulge my car jones with models. Amen.