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Well Hasegawa you are about to lose another customer!!


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$159.99 retail on the reissued 1/48 Sea King?? Serious??

I could have bought the same kit two years ago for $59.99!! I shuddered at that price then.

Good luck selling all those 15 year old moulded kits! Looks like Trumpeter has some competition now!!

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Crazy, isn't it? This is not a cheap hobby anymore! However, more toys in it than ever before too!

Problem with these prices though (no reasons being talked about here) is that it is really hurting the LHS. It hurts so much to pay those prices that folks are going more and more to online sources to save that 10-20% and when the kits are $100 or more, that is starting to be some serious cash.

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That is insane!

Glad I grabbed mine at 50!

It's out of hand....and clearly shows that Dragon was not at the bottom of the price increases in the States as originally thought. Dragon is out of the picture now so if that were the case prices would either maintain or move the other way.

It's a sad day when you go to a shop and ask for a Hasegawa kit and the owner says "We don't carry them anymore cause they cost too much. Besides, you'd save a ton of money if you order from one of the Hong Kong sites"

Edited by paul.nortness
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Okay, mine is for sale at that insane price. Not. Gonna keep it. :tease:

Maybe it's a typo? If not, who is the retailer? Did a quick check on a few places I buy from and some kits list under $60. Agreed the Hasegawa prices are high. My LHS can't stock Hasegawa kits anymore either.

Edited by PlasticWeapons
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Yet there are those that will argue that $159.99 is what the kit cost us in relation to the Yen price back in yadda, yadda, yadda. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I quit buying Hasegawa kits at retail prices a while ago. I ONLY buy their kits through the secondary (used) market for the very fact that they are too damn expensive. The same thing goes for Trumpy, HobbyBoss and anyone else who thinks they can command these kinds of prices. Once a kit exceeds $100 and takes me more than a day's pay to purchase, I refuse to do it period. I'll wait until that kit is either on clearance or somebody else who has paid the retail price, decides to dump it.

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Mike,

If you want a Seaking, I still have some of the most recent re-issues of the older kit at $45 each. I also have some of the recent released "Royal Navy" version and I can save you almost $100 over the $160 price that you quoted. BTW who is the new US distributor for Hasegawa? If I can help you with either, let me know! Thanks!

Best Regards,

Ken Bailey

(SonyKen)

PS All of my kits are factory fresh and still factory sealed! Cheers!

Edited by SonyKen
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Okay, mine is for sale at that insane price. Not. Gonna keep it. :tease:

Maybe it's a typo? If not, who is the retailer? Did a quick check on a few places I buy from and some kits list under $60. Agreed the Hasegawa prices are high. My LHS can't stock Hasegawa kits anymore either.

Squadron Mail orders flyer. It is on sale for $127.19 though!! :tease: kit number HE09863

Regardless of kit number there is NOTHING that Hasegawa can add to make this kit jump 100 bucks in price!

Edited by Two Mikes
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Oh okay. I knew I had seen some that expensive though. I think that catalog might be one, but I have to travel a bit for work and so make a point of visiting the LHS. Gotta buy something and support them, right?!?! Anyhow, I think I saw one of the re-issues for around the $150 price point. So, it's not just the catalog.

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Several months ago, the local Hobbytown USA received the re-released Hasegawa 1/72 F-14A with classic VF-41 markings. So far as I know, these markings have probably never been released in the "new tool" boxing of the kit. It had a beautiful box photo and was marked for $53.95. I shuddered, but it was the only one in the shop. I had to have it and ponied up. Last week, Hobbytown had another one and a Red Rippers ($48.95 list) F-14B on the sale rack for 50% off. They shop owner said they were so expensive that they had a hard time moving them. I didn't really need another F-14A (four in the stash), but could use another B, so I bought the Red Rippers kit for $25 and figured I paid about what it is really worth.

So, yes, I agree Hasegawa kits are generally WAY overpriced at retail, especially in high end chain shops like Hobbytown. Unfortunately, a hobby shop that relies partially on plastic cannot really be successful if it abandons Hasegawa and the other imports. I think the middleman is responsible. Otherwise, how can I buy a kit from Luckmodel, have it shipped to the US, and still only pay about half US retail in the US.

Edited by DutyCat
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Thank god for R/C! For the cost of 2 kits i can get a ARTR short course truck and go racin'. The model industry is going to be in bad shape here before to long and the FEW die hards will PAY the price.

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Just looked at the flyer, it is HAS09863. That's either a typo on Squadron's part or they're electing to sell it at well over MSRP. Check Sprue Brothers price, also listed at DragonUSA, who was the importer for this until recently at $71.95 which would pretty much be the standard US MSRP since they were the distributor for Hasegawa.

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Mike, Sprue Bros has a couple. A US version for almost $48 and the Brit version for $66.

I have Sprue Brothers price on both kits beat. Cheers!

Best Regards,

Ken Bailey

(SonyKen)

Edited by SonyKen
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I have Sprue Brothers price on both kits beat. Cheers!

Best Regards,

Ken Bailey

(SonyKen)

Gee Ken, how can you afford to sell that $127 kit at those prices? Maybe it's yet another case of slinging mud at Hasegawa unjustly?

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Mike,

Money is not an object to me. I have so much of it, I can afford to daily buy kits and sell them for less than half of what I paid for them. And if you believe that I will tell you another. Are you interested in some seashore property in Iowa? Hmmm?

Best Regards,

Ken Bailey

(SonyKen)

Edited by SonyKen
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