AlanM Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I'm getting old and the brain is going. You'll have to help me out. Are you saying that the Tamiya 1/48 F-16CJ is under $50? The retail at Tamiya USA is $66, and Tower Hobby has it for $54. http://www.hlj.com/product/TAM61098/Air?utm_source=GMC_US&utm_medium=GMC&utm_campaign=Air&gclid=CLeS-Ljj5r4CFYGhOgodLHYAmQ http://www.scalehobbyist.com/catagories/Model_Aircraft/TAM00061098/product.php?gclid=CPeK3cnj5r4CFaVQOgodJVQAIg http://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-Models-F-16CJ-Fighting-Falcon/dp/B000MTIF1K Quote Link to post Share on other sites
delide Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Or Revell's new Tornado, PV-1... or pretty much every new tool Revell kit? In any other business, mediocre products would have to be priced competitively, not normally... For model kits you could do a unique subject and get away with "spectacular mediocrity" without the competitive pricing. Especially when many people believe and accept that the price is "normal", because Japanse kits are similarly or higher priced. From the price of KH kits(being 100% made in China) one would think that Chinese people were getting paid similarly like People in Germay/USA/Japan(where Revell or others design their kits), which is wrong. Besides, I tend to believe that the others would do lot more research work than KH. So I believe that there is a lot of water in it, for the price you get a lot less effort. If the kits do not sell good enough, that's is not because the market/interest for the subject is insufficient, but because people normally do not like mediocre products. A little situation that seems to be unknown to many, is that the Japanese tool making industry(for general products) is getting killed by the competition from China, because they get the job done much less cost, one of the few reasons that the Japanese tool makes still get orders is the precision that they are able to achieve, which may be required by customers from car industry for example. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Petarvu Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 (edited) For a while I have been saying that KH kits are way overpriced. Even their approach to multiple parts breakdown proved to be a disaster..their kits just aren't high end products, even decals are crap. And then we come to research ....I wont go there I regret selling my two Heller Jags.. P Edited June 7, 2014 by Petarvu Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vince14 Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 From the price of KH kits(being 100% made in China) one would think that Chinese people were getting paid similarly like People in Germay/USA/Japan(where Revell or others design their kits), which is wrong. KH has almost no say in how much their kits cost once they leave their hands. The distributor and retailer, who not only have to pay KH for the kits, but also have to pay for shipping etc. evaluate how much the market is willing to pay for a certain kit and still be able to make their own profit - that's how the pricing is set. From what I've read in the past, under half of what a kit costs goes back to the manufacturer. Vince Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 http://www.hlj.com/product/TAM61098/Air?utm_source=GMC_US&utm_medium=GMC&utm_campaign=Air&gclid=CLeS-Ljj5r4CFYGhOgodLHYAmQ http://www.scalehobbyist.com/catagories/Model_Aircraft/TAM00061098/product.php?gclid=CPeK3cnj5r4CFaVQOgodJVQAIg http://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-Models-F-16CJ-Fighting-Falcon/dp/B000MTIF1K That's not a fair comparison, though. Those are shipping from Japan. Some people don't want to/can't buy their kits from Japan. In the US market, you won't find it for under $50 retail. KH kits in Asia are priced lower as well. The best comparison would be to see how much the KH F-101 is in Asia and compare it to the Tamiya kits. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Inquisitor Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 (edited) That's not a fair comparison, though. Those are shipping from Japan. Some people don't want to/can't buy their kits from Japan. In the US market, you won't find it for under $50 retail. KH kits in Asia are priced lower as well. The best comparison would be to see how much the KH F-101 is in Asia and compare it to the Tamiya kits. Well only HLJ is from Japan. The other two are from the USA. Edited June 7, 2014 by Inquisitor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlanM Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 That's not a fair comparison, though. Those are shipping from Japan. Some people don't want to/can't buy their kits from Japan. In the US market, you won't find it for under $50 retail. KH kits in Asia are priced lower as well. The best comparison would be to see how much the KH F-101 is in Asia and compare it to the Tamiya kits. Check again my fine friend, both Amazon and Scale Hobbiest are US companies, shipping from the U.S. Face it, the kits a dog, no matter how you slice it. You can excuse it all you want but it won't change the FACTS. Will I build a couple sure, when I can get them at fire sale prices like that other great new kit, the Hobby Boss F-80. ( I just got one for 22 bucks) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenshb Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 That's not a fair comparison, though. Those are shipping from Japan. Some people don't want to/can't buy their kits from Japan. In the US market, you won't find it for under $50 retail. KH kits in Asia are priced lower as well. The best comparison would be to see how much the KH F-101 is in Asia and compare it to the Tamiya kits. The KH F-101 arrived in the shops in Japan while we were there a couple of weeks ago. As I didn't have room in my suitcase for one, I took no interest. I seem to remember the price was around 4500 yen though. The other KH kits I saw - Mirage F.1 were priced in the same ballpark. Tamiya's F-16C Aggressor boxing is 440 yen list price while Hasegawa's RF-4B was 3200 yen list price. Jens Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Check again my fine friend, both Amazon and Scale Hobbiest are US companies, shipping from the U.S. Face it, the kits a dog, no matter how you slice it. You can excuse it all you want but it won't change the FACTS. Will I build a couple sure, when I can get them at fire sale prices like that other great new kit, the Hobby Boss F-80. ( I just got one for 22 bucks) I'm not saying it's not a dog. My position is simply that kits aren't going to be cheap anymore. No one should be surprised that kits will be running $50 anymore. You have the exact strategy that I have, though. I don't need it "right now", unless I'm going to do something for the Steel Beach line. Other than that, I'll wait for the price to come down. Your example of the F-80 is perfect. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KursadA Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 A close-up from the kit decal sheet stencils: I am pretty sure none of these existed on a real F-101. Let's leave aside the warnings about "hog cancer" for a minute; does anyone know where the "hail the speaker, hail to who knows" reference comes from? A quick Google search does not match any well-known poems or lyrics. I am curious to find out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Laurent Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 does anyone know where the "hail the speaker, hail to who knows" reference comes from? A quick Google search does not match any well-known poems or lyrics. I am curious to find out. A message showing how KH is irritated by rivet-counting forum dwellers ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenshb Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Even the decals are MrSonged...:( Jens Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Finn Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I am pretty sure none of these existed on a real F-101. Let's leave aside the warnings about "hog cancer" for a minute; does anyone know where the "hail the speaker, hail to who knows" reference comes from? A quick Google search does not match any well-known poems or lyrics. I am curious to find out. Not quite the exact quote: http://paganandproudofit.com/Words-of-the-Bard.html scroll to the bottom. Jari Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Koen L Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Come on guys, with all the time they spent on making an accurate well fitting kit of course there was no time left to do any research on the decals. ;) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Laurent Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Not quite the exact quote: http://paganandproud...f-the-Bard.html scroll to the bottom. Jari Glen Coleman <-> Germanic languages speaker (via LinkedIn) <-> Odin ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KursadA Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 As Jari pointed out, it sure sounds like a snippet from the Old Norse poem "Havamal". The original lines are: heill sá er kvaðheill sá er kann This is really weird. Perhaps a Chinese grad student moonlighting as a decal artist? I wonder if there will be other hidden messages in future KH kits. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spruemeister Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 There are some real gems on the F-94C sheet too. All of the data block stencils on the Voodoo sheet are for F-101B serial 58-264 All of them. Gee, I wonder which F-101B they will have in their kit? Please tell me you have stencils on your new sheet. Rick L. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Laurent Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 (edited) It's not the first time companies played with stencils. Fonderie Miniature (RIP) did with their Griffon II: linky. Edited June 8, 2014 by Laurent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gene K Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 ... the Hobby Boss F-80. ( I just got one for 22 bucks) WHY??? :o/> Gene K Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Koen L Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Full build review on Modeling Madness http://www.modelingmadness.com/review/korean/cleaver/usaf/tc101.htm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ReccePhreak Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 WHY??? :o/>/> Gene K Some people have money to burn. <_< Larry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
randypandy831 Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bashace Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Well, I'm just an average builder and far from being a "Rivit Counter", but I think the kit is easy to build, parts can fit together just fine with some trial fitting, the plastic is actually a little soft making sanding and shaping an easy task. There are a ton of sink marks that need to be addressed, more of a minor annoyance than a hindrance, but ultimately I believe the average modeler would be happy with the outcome of the kit, just the kit quality doesn't match it's current price tag. Airframe built up with Tamiya Light Gray Primer topped with a light coat of Tamiya Bare Metal Silver Spray. A few missed sink marks still need to be addressed before final coat can be applied. Looks like an F-101C to me! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Well, I'm just an average builder and far from being a "Rivit Counter", but I think the kit is easy to build, parts can fit together just fine with some trial fitting... Airframe built up with Tamiya Light Gray Primer topped with a light coat of Tamiya Bare Metal Silver Spray. A few missed sink marks still need to be addressed before final coat can be applied. Looks like an F-101C to me! Wow that looks sweet sitting there! Do you have anymore pics, in build pics or what have you that you may be able to post? I am so back and forth on this kit. My favorite One-O-Wonder is the Canadian B model, and I love the Monogram kit and have plenty in the stash. But the single seat Voodoo does have some appeal. Thanks for posting! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
echolmberg Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Looks like a nice build-up to me. One thing I was one-oh-wondering though was the panel lines around the nose/gun area. In the picture, they look rather trench-like. Is that how they actually are on the model or was it just a matter of funky lighting on the metalic finish? They kind of remind me of the trench-like panel lines on the Revell 1/72 B-17G. Eric Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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