Kits quality: short run and the market

[72linerlover]

Hi, gents.

In the last days there have been on the forums several conversations regarding new kits, specially regarding aircraft, in particular civil aircraft and in 1/72nd scale.

Now I don't want to enter in detail of the news and the comments, but just want to share my thoughts about accuracy and the way to get there.

 

"Short run” producer do make this kind of kits, since they require a minor investment to generate the molds and don't need zillion of sells to reach the break even.

My asking now is: why some of these producer don't care about accuracy in a modeling world that nowadays is so “accuracy demanding”?

 

I think that most modelers require two main characteristics that are: correct dimensions and correct shape.
The smart engineering of the parts separation or the surface details drop in background and the modeler is prepared to a tricky assembly or improve details.

 

In some cases, some short run producers asked the community for suggestions and constructive critics, showing what they have in mind to produce, involving their future potential clients in a project of which they feel part. And the results were more than good.

Of course this habit reveals the future plans, the release of a new kit is no more a surprise and this situation leads other producers to try to make the same subject.

 

Nevertheless it as happened that a low quality 1/72 short run was produced and (obviously) not appreciated by the modelers.

In few years, a mainstream factory released the same airliner and had a full success and still has.

So the low quality short runs have an already written destiny and run the risk to be overtaken by others.

That said, the risk to see the idea copied by other in the drawing stage exists, if the producer shares his projects, but if this leads to a hi quality short run, the risk is mitigated.

 

I think that there is no need to make filigree details in a short run, thus making the tooling very expensive.

It is better, in the developing stage, to contact the aftermarket producers and ask them to become partners of the project.

If not, these cottage industries will nonetheless produce some correction and improving parts.
So, some modelers should buy a hi priced, low quality kit and the relative aftermarkets.
Many, me included, won't (and the sells drop).

 

Let's not forget that we are talking about modeling and not of national affairs and keeping a secret is often counterproductive than reveal the plans.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Best regards.

Euge

[sierrascale]

3 hours ago, 72linerlover said:

Hi, gents.

In the last days there have been on the forums several conversations regarding new kits, specially regarding aircraft, in particular civil aircraft and in 1/72nd scale.

...

 

Best regards.

Euge

Short run kits are a labor of love for the owner of the company.  Small company owners make what they want, what they like, what they think will sell. Many of my WWI vacform kits were superseded by Eduard, Special Hobby, etc. You retire those and just press on with other niche subjects. Before I decided to quit the business, I had a lengthy list of 1/48 between the wars aircraft that I wanted to produce. Guarantee that none of them would have been made by injection molding companies. Trust me, there are a LOT of interesting airplanes out there; I did not foresee running out of subjects.

Bob at Sierra Scale

Edited November 22, 2019 by sierrascale