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What's up with Hasegawa?


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While other manufacturers are producing more a more new tools these days, Hasegawa keeps in doing the same, releasing same kits with new decals and at very high prices.

Any idea why?

I would have loved them doing the Viggen rather than Tarangus/MPM.

Juan

Edited by solher1
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Probably they have a lax attitude ,resting on their laurels, beliving they are still the modelling benchmark... :bandhead2:/>

Tooling costs of cutting it domestically in Japan are sky high. And they still remember F-22 debacle.

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Why would they need to produce any new kits? They can just reissue the old ones, with a new decal sheet, and double the price.

Correct - as long as "we" keep buying them... once sales drop they will consider new kits.

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Tooling costs of cutting it domestically in Japan are sky high. And they still remember F-22 debacle.

I was away from Aircraft modeling for the past few years. What was the debacle with the F-22? I did notice that the price of that kit dropped quite a bit.

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Sure. $70CDN-Osprey... mad.gifexpl.gif

And we're back to the old japanese kit prices for domestic japanese market and USA/EU imported into japan with inflated japanese prices vs USA/EU in their local markets with local prices vs expensive japanese kits debacle.

While other manufacturers are producing more a more new tools these days, Hasegawa keeps in doing the same, releasing same kits with new decals and at very high prices.

Any idea why?

I would have loved them doing the Viggen rather than Tarangus/MPM.

Juan

Besides the Hasegawa MV-22 Osprey, they have been churning out new sci-fi/videogame/anime kits almost every month. Hasegawa doesn't only make airplane kits you know?

Should I list the new and previous releases which involve new molds or new parts?

Let's see for october the have a new mold 1/700 updated JMSDF Kongou ship and a 1/1500 Arcadia from Captain Harlock and another mecha from virtual-on (old kit with new parts and decals).

Last month, september they had a YZR500 with new parts.

July was the MV-22 osprey release, one new space ship kit from an anime, and another mech from virtual-on with new parts and rereleased an IJN ship with new parts.

June they released a new mold 1/16 Sopwith Camel F.1, the twinseater version of their Eurofighter Typhoon kit and another virtual-on mecha with new parts.

May new mold 1/450 scale IJN Yamato and VE-11 from Macross with new parts.

March new mold Mecha kit from Virtual-on videogame

and so on.

And you say they're not making new kits?

Edited by Inquisitor
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I was away from Aircraft modeling for the past few years. What was the debacle with the F-22? I did notice that the price of that kit dropped quite a bit.

That was the debacle; their F-22 kit has such highly raised RAM panels/panel lines, you can use it as a cheese grater. And that was for a $70+ kit. About two years ago they dropped the price down to about $20-$30 (depending on the retailer, YMMV) just to move the kit. The kit builds up just fine, but you'll have to do a lot of sanding in the process.

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About two years ago they dropped the price down to about $20-$30 (depending on the retailer, YMMV) just to move the kit.

I never cease to be amazed by how many people still think kit makers control the prices retailers sell their kits at.

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Exactly! The osprey kit is 28 bucks in japan, 70 here in the states, blame hobbico for jacking the prices.

Well actually it is $34, but most big shops discount to $28, but anyway...

And those big shops paid about the same, within 5 bucks or so, for that Osprey as the little mom-and-pop shop did, from the same distributor(s). And all the distributors bought them from Hasegawa at the exact same percentage of MSRP as they bought every other Hasegawa (or Tamiya, or Fujimi, or Aoshima) kit. Distributors have been known to dump kits at cheap prices to get them out of their warehouse, but aside from only a very tiny handful of cases (none of which involved the Hasegawa F-22, but most of which involved a company in serious trouble) over the past decade makers don't dump kits/toys on distributors at fire sale prices. If a kit is on the shelf for 50% off, it is either the retail shop or their distributor who is losing money on that kit, not the maker.

And of course conversely, if a kit is on the shelf at 300% of MSRP as printed on the box, it sure isn't the maker pocketing all that money.

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That was the debacle; their F-22 kit has such highly raised RAM panels/panel lines, you can use it as a cheese grater. And that was for a $70+ kit. About two years ago they dropped the price down to about $20-$30 (depending on the retailer, YMMV) just to move the kit. The kit builds up just fine, but you'll have to do a lot of sanding in the process.

What? No picture of Iron man flying around Raptors?

Stark is not incorrect. IMHO the raised lines are still tolerable with a grain of salt. I plan on just leaving mine as is and remind myself it's "just a model".

I gotta laugh when I think of the marketing or Engineering Manager Genious who made the deicsion to go with those ginormous raised RAM panels. I wonder if they still have a job there.... :tumble:/>

in before: "Stark built his Raptor IN A CAVE, WITH SCRAPS!"

Edited by toadwbg
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Sure. $70CDN-Osprey... :angry:/> :explode:/>

Hmm, I am pretty sure I just saw that kit in one of our local shops here in Alberta at $49.00 plus GST. I had no interest since it is in 1/72nd. Sounds like we have a good price out here in the West. I will have to double check again. Maybe take a pic to make sure I read it right :)

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...And those big shops paid about the same, within 5 bucks or so, for that Osprey as the little mom-and-pop shop did, from the same distributor(s).

I wouldn't blame most people for thinking/assuming that, but for you (considering where you work) to say such a blatant lie when you know there are at least a few people on here who know better... Just because *you* get to buy, let's say Hasegawa kits, at stupid prices, doesn't mean everyone else does.

And all the distributors bought them from Hasegawa at the exact same percentage of MSRP as they bought every other Hasegawa...

That might be a little closer to the reality, but then there's this whole other thing with some distributors/wholesalers who undercut their own wholesale customers by selling retail...

And to those who might still be confused, or think that there is a conspiracy by all of the retailers outside of Japan to double prices on Hasegawa kits (because that would be a really good business decision, apparently) - the wholesale price for the Osprey kit mentioned above in North America is $36 US, which would make it a $60 US retail in the states, and add about 15% to put it on a shelf in Canada (thanks to the fictitious free trade). So that should give you an idea about how retailers here pay "about the same" as a big mail order house/distributor in Japan.

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Hmm, I am pretty sure I just saw that kit in one of our local shops here in Alberta at $49.00 plus GST. I had no interest since it is in 1/72nd. Sounds like we have a good price out here in the West. I will have to double check again. Maybe take a pic to make sure I read it right :)/>

Sounds like it, I'd love to know where they buy them. :)

But I think it's either a loss leader, or they just gave up on doing a markup on Hasegawa completely and price them somewhere half-way.

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I wouldn't blame most people for thinking/assuming that, but for you (considering where you work) to say such a blatant lie when you know there are at least a few people on here who know better... Just because *you* get to buy, let's say Hasegawa kits, at stupid prices, doesn't mean everyone else does.

Well now you've gone and rubbed me the wrong way...

We were not always big, you know, we grew. I know exactly what distributors charge a little mom-and-pop shop, what they charge a large store, and what they charge major retailers. The difference in pricing is within a couple of percentage points - single digits. We don't get "stupid pricing", whatever you think that is.

Now, if you think you "know better"... well, that's your problem.

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I saw a new osprey today in my local shop. My opinion ? Juniorized and overprized... (52USD/38EURO) It is still a 1/72 kit !!! I wait for sale. Old Italeri was more detailed and this is a 20years old mould...No interior for transport cabin, no open rear ramp... And on parts are scratches ! Too bad !!! Another new kit from "Hawa" was a 1/16 "strip down" Camel (for 250 USD)... And 1/450 (?!) Yamato... (70USD)

I think - Hasegawa was down...They relased new EU fighter for 52USD (Revell 1/32 cost 62USD), little Osprey and overprized Camel in strange scale and nice, but in "bad scale" famous japanese battleship. This isn'a bestseller (Maybe Yamato in home market)... Tamiya made a one kit- but great kit (Corsair) and is happy, but Hasegawa made a strange kits... for hightest price...Another example is Dragon - still the same - Panzer IV, Panzer III, T-34, Sherman, STuG. Sometimes a really new tool (Patton from 'Nam) but - this is all ! Cybermodeler's aircrafts are overprized and bad detailed... As sings Adele in Skyfall "This is the End..." Yes, this is end. But-on market are many new and progresive companies from China/Taiwan... Don't worry.

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in jets lately, the Draken in 1/48, F-22 in 1/48, Su-33 in 1/72, and Typhoon in 1/72. Some of their stuff still interests me, but not at the prices they are going for new. Eduard, Revell, and Airfix can release good quality and lower prices, why not Tamiya and Hasegawa?

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I wouldn't blame most people for thinking/assuming that, but for you (considering where you work) to say such a blatant lie when you know there are at least a few people on here who know better... Just because *you* get to buy, let's say Hasegawa kits, at stupid prices, doesn't mean everyone else does.

That might be a little closer to the reality, but then there's this whole other thing with some distributors/wholesalers who undercut their own wholesale customers by selling retail...

And to those who might still be confused, or think that there is a conspiracy by all of the retailers outside of Japan to double prices on Hasegawa kits (because that would be a really good business decision, apparently) - the wholesale price for the Osprey kit mentioned above in North America is $36 US, which would make it a $60 US retail in the states, and add about 15% to put it on a shelf in Canada (thanks to the fictitious free trade). So that should give you an idea about how retailers here pay "about the same" as a big mail order house/distributor in Japan.

Reading your reply, I think you are misunderstanding something here and need to read that first sentence you're quoting again. What LancerB was referring was the big retailers in "Japan" vs a Mom&pop shop in "Japan" paying around the same price when they both buy from the same distributor in "Japan". That sentence wasn't talking about having the same distributor price on the USA and Japan.

Edited by Inquisitor
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