> I've been following the "wants" list with a great deal of interest,but
> the one outstanding item that I see is that prices are quite out of line
> with what they should be. Ten dollars for a 1/72nd scale bird is too
> high of a price unless it includes a complete photoetch cockpit. These
> may be legitimate prices for short run productions a la Pegasus or Meikraft
> but for the normal companies, I consider it price gouging. If this con-
> tinues to be the trend for models in general, then I'll just sit back and
> use the Squadron Shop's monthly flyers to do my shopping rather than support
> my local hobby shops.
There are a few things here that I've heard complaints about. First
of all - as I've said before - $22 for a 1/72nd kit (which I just
spent for the Pegasus Roland D.II) is quite a bit steep, especially
for one that's only two-three inches long. If a "larger" company
would put this out, I would suspect around $10 - which is still "too
much", but at least you can get two instead of one. I do wish there
were new "$5 Revell" kits again, but with inflation, and the way the
dollar has been internationally, I doubt we'll see it.
Another complaint I've heard is from the likes of Rosemont. They get
really upset with MMD (Squadron) and their pricing. Since Rosemont
isn't as big as Squadron, there is no way he can put Pegasus kits on
sale, and make any kind of profit. Squadron can do this because
they're much larger, and with the bulk they sell, will make up for it
in the long run. However, one "bright spot" is the fact that
Squadron is losing a lot of distribution rights. They used to be
exclusive Eduard for North America (now Eduard has a distribution
center in Canada). They also used to be exclusive for Pegasus - from
what I've heard is Squadron owes money to Pegasus, so they're
actively looking for another. In the long run, Squadron's pricing
"schemes" hurt the smaller shop. I too would rather wait to buy an
Eduard Sopwith Baby/Schneider for $4.99 (the current Squadron "sale
price") then the original $19.99. However, the local shop that still
has a couple at $19.99 would only lose a lot of money if they dropped
it to $4.99. I will probably still buy from Squadron, just becuase I
don't necessarily "believe" in the current manufacturer's pricing
schemes.
So, how many of you are still waiting for your Lloyd Triplane? I
know a lot of people very upset with Meikraft, especially since they
spent the money for his model club, and haven't seen squat from it
for going on four years. Anybody talk to him direct? Steve?
Anybody want to? Let me know.
Matt Bittner | "We devour those
meba@cso.com | who would subdue
Omaha, Nebraska | us."