Some of you older guys (not all of course) are crying about how expensive new kits are while you also admit that you purchased a bunch of kits that you never build and you selling them now. Insted of spending $100 on bunch of old crap each month, just buy one kit. A lot of scale modellers now both younger and older are after super detailed kits because we want them to look great and we still put a lot of effort in yet even more extra detailing, painting and weathering. Its just taking this hobby to another level and i guess some don't understand that. I know a lot of guys who build the same looking kits for 30 years without any progress, and thats okay, but dont say that the market is over saturated with hight quality, expensive kits that is killing the hobby or something. its not, more and more scale modelling brands appear and keep releasing new kits,. If they fail a release, it could be end of their business as to release one kit, it cost a LOT of money. Also look how much aftermarket stuff for model kits reskit releases each month. the hobby is doing great and it was never a better time to be in a hobby than its now. Also brands like airfix, revell or even tamiya and others are still making kits to target younger audience, its just scale modelling was never a hobby for kids, ask around and your scale modelling friends will say they build a few kits when they were young, but returned to hobby as adults when they have a job, money and their life is pretty setttled. Kids and young adults have different activities like sports, school, spending time with friends or video games, not many of us built models whole life, because we didnt have time for it.
Interesting video. I’m 54, and I’ve been in the Hobby since about 1977. One of the major things I have noticed is that these days, newer people to the hobby consider any kit that isn’t a Bandai or Moderoid glue free kit ( Gundams etc. ) or a Tamiya kit sub standard. Many older modelers ( myself included) consider a kit basically a skeleton. Having to remove flash, fill seams, etc. is PART of modeling. The challenge of struggling with the kits inadequacies to produce something you are happy with is an expected ( and enjoyable) facet of the hobby. Nowadays it seems like people getting into building are not really interested in modeling in the same way as people used to be, they are interested in easily assembling action figures.
I feel the same about cleaning flash and having to actually scale model your kit. It was all part of the joy of building a model when I was young. However there is a trend to want fast easy to assemble kits so the modeller can just get on with the painting and weathering. Not my thing. I still want a reasonably good fit and quality, but have no issue with an old Airfix kit that needs my love to blossom.
@@HarryHoudiniModels I kind of feel the same. I like some of the extra details but I actually do get the why do we need all that extra cockpit detail when you’re not going to see it. I’m kind of torn about the 2nd hand market as we all like a bargain for a few £££. Keep doing what you do Harry or what ever your name is fantastic product.
As someone who got into the plastic modelling scene through Bandai's Gunpla, I really enjoy the alternative to standard plastic modelling that they gave. I live in an area where painting is a bit of an issue, and having something that looks really good right out of the box was a huge deal breaker for me. Many young people where I live (Taipei) also get their plastic model fix through Gunpla too and it does motivate people to try other types of plastic models too. I feel that the biggest deal breaker for people getting into traditional plastic modelling would be not knowing where to start. With Gunpla, you can easily figure out the right skill level for you, either HG, MG or SD, but when looking at an entire wall of tank models at a shop, not having these identifiers makes it much more difficult to get a feel of what you're buying. A beginner wouldn't know about Scalemates, or sift through the information they have if they did know about it, therefore an identifying mark would make this nicer for people entering. I want companies producing kits that are easier to get into, like Hasegawa's 1/72 tanks, which were my first introduction to armour. I know these kits aren't particularly well detailed, but they're fun, they build together easy enough and look like an actual tank with a few licks of paint here and there. Please making these videos and keep up the good work!
Mr. trouble never hangs around, when he hears this Mighty sound, Here I come to save the day! That means that Mighty Harry is on the way! Yes sir, when there is a wrong to right, Mighty Harry will join the fight! On the sea or on the land, He's got the situation well in hand!
Someone once said: "There are lies, Damn lies, and Statistics." I think it's only us grumpy old gits that are keeping the hobby alive - most model making channels on TH-cam are by people who have generally waved goodbye to their thirtieth birthday. A huge amount of young people today probably have never set foot in a hobby/model shop (bookshops similarly), and to whom the idea of sitting down for hours, days, months, building something interesting and intricate is anathema. Gratification has to be near instant, which is why the ready coloured, snap it together in ten minutes kit is gaining popularity. I collect action figures, too - always have done. They are expensive, as the market for them now, is adult collectors. Most children and young teens nowadays don't know how to play with physical toys, having grown up with virtual ones. This has led to the sad state of affairs where imagination has gone out of the window, for a lot of people. My younger brother and I had our own bit of dirt in the garden. On this, we played with Airfix 1/76 scale figures and toy cars. For hours and hours. Powered only by pints of orange squash and our imaginations. A few years ago, my brother cleared an area of dirt for his then five year old son. He told him he could play on it with his toy cars. The boy looked at it and went inside. When my brother asked him if he was going to come back out and play on it, he was told no, because his cars would get dirty, and also, he didn't know what to do on there. I took some photos of a large scale SPV (from Captain Scarlet) Diecast model on the dirt, and a week or so later, my brother replaced the turf. The whole thing made him rather sad. Patience and imagination. They both seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur. Luckily, for the present, us grumpy old gits possess both, and in great abundance.
Great video. I’m a 52 years old from Texas and I got back into the hobby after nearly a 30 year absence. I started back up at around age 42. In the ten years since getting back into it, the things I find troubling is first price (super expensive) and secondly finding that happy balance between quality and enjoyability. Some of the simpler kits, while nice, are a bit too simple and the next level of kit are super complex with a crazy number of parts. Simple kits can be a bit pricy so I opt for the more complex ones at a comparable price point. Then I end up losing interest because of the interior details that are not even viewable from the outside. I’ll spend hours upon hours building, painting, detailing, and weathering just to cover up all my hard work with the exterior body. Thanks for confirming my thoughts about the hobby. I thought it was just me being a complainer. New subscriber here from the USA.
You are not alone Hector, and if the comments here are any indication there is a need for the not so complex, but not too simple, model kit. We had them half a century ago, and many were well detailed, and are still highly sort after today. So the precedent is there.
Gen X here. I may not be representative but I remember that this nice hobby has not been the main type of activity when I was younger. In fact I only ever knew 2 other guys who would build plastic models, and we were only amateurs ... but most other boys would ... actually I don't know, I started reading, but they most probably were into sports and not much else. And I never saw a girl doing this stuff. So this has always been a niche industry for a niche interest group, and as such one can wonder why it still exists (some companies were indeed bankrupt some time), because most of us had to abandon the hobby as we had no more time because we had to work, move to another town (and again and again) and face a lot of very different challenges than how to clean and paint plastic parts etc. What has changed over 40 years is that one extreme - rarity, how to get ONE plastic kit - flipped into the other - abundance, massive availability that is so massive that it flattens me every time, because I remember how hard it was back then. Which led me to overcompensate, and buy a considerable stash ... so many things I never saw before, and my curiosity re-ignited like crazy. But again, I had too little time to finish more than a handful of them. OK, so I know, I am not alone. By far, not. Thanks for the statistics!
Thanks for commenting Jan… sorry about the thumbnail but you need something that gets clicks or the Algorithm just doesn’t share your video. And yes, you are not alone. Despite being a niche hobby the return of the baby boomers, and to some extent Gen X, as we approach retirement has created a golden era of scale modelling. But sadly it is a two edged sword. Our cashed up retirees have driven prices up and now, for the very few youngsters who may want to enter the hobby, it may be unaffordable.
I'm guilty as charged... My last 10 new kit purchases were nearly all £70gbp plus. It will kill off the hobby for newbies getting in, though in fairness my 12 year old just asked me for a cheap Tamiya Sherman to build Oddball's tank from Kelly's Heroes so there's hope!
Thanks for this video! Being of Gen-X persuasion, I came to the realization years ago that I don't need every single thing I build to be a museum quality engineering study in miniature. I can't help but recall an interview with the late Shepherd Paine, a major influence on my early modelling efforts as a teen in the 1980s, who said when asked why he stopped modelling. He replied " ..because it stopped being fun..." Thanks again ! More waffle please!
It has got quite pricey… I paid three times as much for the new release Bristol Bulldog than I did for the Hawker Fury kit! Yet both will build up to look very similar.
Thanks, Harry. The topic has been on my mind lately. Recently looked at the analytics on my channel and was shocked to see the viewership audience was 100%, male, 55-64 year old with a few 65-. Actually, no, I wasn't shock or even mildly surprised. A visit or video watch of a model show can clarify for the most part. As older adults returning to the hobby: 1/We wanted more complexity and accuracy with new kits because we did not have them as kids nor the vast amount of reference information. 2/It was a way for model companies to entice us with something new and improved. 3/Confirmed that we are skilled craftsman building a historically accurate miniature comparable to pro modellers that do scratch building upgrades, not old guys stuck in a room for hours playing with their toy. I agree with a new format for kits. Like buying a car, there should be options from a base model to fully loaded. Have manufacture w/sites for build your own kits that are put together and shipped to distributors in plain boxes and PDF instructions for another cost saving alternative. For the last two years I have challenged myself in building/correcting/improving lower grade kits, mostly 1/24 aircraft as a way to develop more skills. The amount of work increases build time by many months and if successful gives higher rewards and pride. I believe Kotare is a good example for the larger manufacturers to emulate.
I get from 2-5% female audience, its the beard, banjo, and cat I expect. However like you my age demographic is getting older as I get older. No young whipper snapper wants to listen to an old fart like me going on about vintage model kits.
Hi H ,we were only talking about this a couple of weeks ago and your right all the detailing where you can't see it is just b/s ,lve resorted to as you say old airfix, revell and heven forbid Atlantis repops so l hope these winners listen to your advice.
Yes I think he saw my post on Patreon when I was planning this video a few days back. But we both share the same concern about the future of the hobby.
I'm Gen X. My Brothers and I built model kits even after "getting into cars". I still build, and my son (now 16) also builds kits, helped set up a model club at his primary school, and met other kids that build models at High school. Not all Gen X built models, but many did and still do. I do have an issue with manufacturers thinking we all want to build "Museum Quality Models". And the prices are getting too high for most modellers to buy. Thankfully my son and I have a considerable "stash" ranging from some of the most recent offerings back to classic Frog Kits. Covering Sci-Fi / ships / planes, and Military Vehicles to satisfy our needs.
One of the biggest problem is the traditional hobbies is that a lot of young people aren't comeing it to the world of hobbies in numbers to keep it buoyant,toy soldier shows seem to be mid to late 50s,toy trains seems even older,wargame shows are a bit more mixed but proberly 25 plus,so the tradition of watching a film on a Saturday afternoon and either rushing out to build the plane or get boxes of figures out on the floor to refight the battle(the bulge,the alamo,roukes drift etc)seem to be fading in people's interests,I'm just glad I'm taking everything with me when I go......just need a bit more tnt.
Excellent analysis!Kits should be reasonably priced and have decent detail, that was the beauty of many old Airfix kits,beginners could make them but advanced modellers could use them as a basis and go to town on them.Personally I like the challenge of a bit of scratch building or 'kit bashing 'to come up with something that bit different
I like that challenge too and feel these over detailed kits are taking that option away and simply bloating the market with expensive kits that only a few will want.
You make some good points, Cap'n. My special gripe is super-detailed cockpits with no crew figures. As someone who is coming back into modelling after decades, I feel that manufacturers aren't hitting my "sweet spot". Keep up the good work and greetings from Brazil.
I actually have 2 Airfix snap together kits beside my bench right now. They’re for a couple of girls under age 10 who’ve seen my display. My wife said one of those girls wanted to help me build; I said I could top it and let her build her own. The other one heard about it, so I got another one for her.
For me personally, the number one criteria that decides which kit of a particular subject I build is: fit and engineering! After that comes accuracy and detail. Then kit complexity/features comes a distant third in my personal selection process. Usually the first criteria decides the matter long before criteria two or even three come into the equation. But that's just me.
I live in "South America" that place that nobody cares for and we buy most of our kits abroad, since the local prices are ridiculous; I have 6 mt3 (yes, cubic meters) of models and 90% I bought from Hong Kong direclty.
Good summation of the current state of the hobby. Not only is the oversupply of high part count, complex, interior kits is a problem, but at the other end of the spectrum we’re being sold overpriced, low-part, hackneyed kits as well. For example, Kotare pump out another Spitfire (yawn), and charge $172 AUD for it. FFS what a joke. Manufacturers are pulling our pants down. I’ve got 60 kits in my stash and I’m happy to go on building those kits for the next 10 to 15 years. I’ve made a commitment this year to not purchase any new kits and so far I’m sticking to it.
Interesting presentation. Agree with unnecessary internal detail and tiny decals which must push costs up. The increase of older people as a proportion of the total population in Europe should keep demand up as they are more likely to take the hobby up. All the best from UK 🇬🇧
Well bloody hell Harry. You actually made some sense 😳 Becker did a similar take on the hobby as you know and the flood of complicated kits coming out. I think Academy are in the right area for what you are saying. But even Trumpeter / Hobby Boss are getting very expensive for the resent moulds. We have great Hobby shop hear in Mackay but he even has well priced value for money kits like Takom Blizts kits, Academy, older Hobby Boss and Eduard weekend edition and like you say older Tamiya kits are great value even now. I just wanna build a reasonable kit with good mould and are mostly correct with enough details and maybe a choice of 2 schemes. Build, paint, finish, NEXT !!!!! Less parts, faster turn over for those of us who build 18-24 kits a year. I think you and Becker are right 👍 And it frightens me 😱😂😂😂😂
As long as we talk about the issue, then maybe the manufacturers will realise it is in their business interest to fix the problem. Otherwise we all lose in the end.
Now you've gone and done it :) what a subject to talk about. Having been an avid watcher of Yes Minister and yes Prime Minister I know full well that any statistics can back up the view point you want. If yu take Europe as the driving force as you say, then it's aircraft that are the biggest genre by far, in the U.S it's cars, so it comes down to where the figures are taken. I agree with you that I think actual kit buying is going down, but as you say the prices increasing will show that more is being spent. I believe it's not necessarily the middle market as you say but the subject matter, times have moved on and todays kids are interested in different things. Harry has solved modelling, I see a new t-shirt on the way :), take care and model on
Always nice to hear from you Sarah-Jane. Yes, in reflection those kit figures are probably La’merrycan, so not the same distribution as Europe. However the other figures are world wide and were the same from a handful of sources, so I think are a good indication of the state of play. Interpretation of stats is a black art, and you can almost prove anything. But I think the 3% increase per annum aligns with at least the Aussie figures. The sources did say the subject matter was being driven by movies, TV, and social media. The old nostalgia demographic, which I am a guilty party of, is fading away.
Great video, Harry… In the U.S. model railroad market Scale Trains is doing exactly what you suggested. They offer their locomotives and some freight cars in three different levels of detail, with corresponding different price points. I’m sure they monitor the sales of each level and adjust the mix in each future offering. Of course, the 1:1 automobile manufacturers have been doing this forever. We used to joke growing up that the only difference between a Chevy, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Cadillac was the amount of chrome you got. More chrome = higher price.
Great points and well made. I came from the era where you could build a decent standard kit for a good price and then had options to buy parts from companies like Verlinden if you wanted to go more advanced. We need to go back to that. Aftermarket should be where it's at.
There is an increasing cottage industry of the 3D printed niche add ons for nearly every model flavour. Most new entries on Scalemates are not kits, but 3D printed extras.
Great video. Flyhawk normally do two versions of their 1:700 scale ships. One with PE and one without. But here's the rub. You have to scrape of so much plastic to fit the PE !. Manufacturers who supply PE should mould parts without detail which is scrapped off. This might encourage basic modellers to become intermediate modellers. Just a thought. Keep up the good work.
Very interesting John.. I have never built Flyhawk so was unaware they did this. There are Academy, Tamiya, and Fujimi ship kits that are “Gold” versions with all the extras in the box.
Wargaming and railway modelling are facing the same crisis. It’s like the old high street and even malls, everything killed off by the Information Revolution. By the way many firms are consolidating, look at Hornby who own Airfix, Lima, Scalextrix, Meccano, Riverossi and tons more. Italiscary of course bought many of Escis molds too.
Yes consolidation is not a new thing… Hornby became the umbrella for many brands decades ago, and Italeri have been acquiring smaller model makers for as long as I remember. It’s just business. Revell absorbed Monogram and Matchbox too.
And hornby is struggling, if they don't improve soon they could end up broken up. As they are publicly traded their accounts are publicly available. Manns model moments has just done a video on it. As for wargaming, pretty much 90% of that market is games workshop in terms of sales and market. They effectively have no competitors who can truly worry them and they have a huge margin. However they are being clever and licencing is increasingly a big part of their revenue with more games and merchandise and potentially if it goes ahead a amazon TV series.
I was surprised how big the proportion of vehicle models was. As for what the hobby needs, I'm not sure. But I agree that modelling subjects need to be accessible; in terms of pricing for new or more casual builders, level of skill required and choice of subject. I'm sure there will always be a market for Spitfires, Lancasters, Mustangs, Zeros and Bf109s. But will interest in those fade as they go from being "dad's" planes, to "grandad's planes", and now "great grandad's planes". Are people in their 30s and 40s now interested in Falkland or Gulf War subjects? I'm at the top end of that bracket, so I'm one of the genX people ruining the hobby. But I bought an Airfix Lockheed Martin F-35 B Lightning starter set after seeing videos of the real thing on the Mach Loop in Wales. I'm as interested in pioneering planes and cars as I am in modern subjects. Anyway, sorry for the ramble. I hope it helps with the algorithm.
I live near a warehouse-style hobby store in Southeastern Michigan called Michigan Train and Toy. I call them Hobby Heroin Hut. They have low markup and survive by online orders to buoy up brick and mortar sales. I also have Michigan Toy Soldier Company the next county over. Night Shift blew their sales up by marketing their discount code on his show.
The power and influence of social media these days can be quite dramatic. When I first posted my idea to 3D Print the sailing ship rigging tools I had previously hand made for myself for many years, there was an instant response with dozens of orders. Just from that one video suggesting it might be a fun thing to do.
For me, it's the subject matter. I like kits that are different. In the old days, I think kit makers were much more adventurous in what they offered. This is one of the reasons why I prefer old kits because I can build really different things like Revell's old Hospital ships range or Heller's oil tankers. These are kits that are well out of the mainstream and not made any more, although I think Heller still do their oil tankers and the Le Suroit, the Titanic Searcher. These are the sort of things I like, and I have noticed I've got even more picky since I returned to the hobby. I also picked up my very first wooden ship kits, Harry. A brand-new Endurance kit by Occre, that's a beauty, and a Juan Sebastián Elcano & Scottish Maid, both old kits by Artesania Latina. I think these are from the '80s or late '70s. The point is they are different and leave lots of room for that all important scratch building. My little Revell Bounty taught me how much fun that is.
it Upsets me because if I am priced out of even the £350 model boat kits the kids have no chance... Until you lot came and shared so Bless you for that Good Sir ''Admiral on Deck!'' I am gonna save for that Billings or the other main brand HMS Victory that is for around 500 here it's what it is. One day haha
That was happening anyway, and especially after the plague. Either sell online or go broke. Most hobby shops here are now 90% full of radio control cars. Luckily we have a good choice of online plastic model retailers with affordable postage Down Under.
Excellent Vid Harry. I couldn't agree with you more. Manufacturers need to produce kits that are relevant to the market. I started as a kid build ing planes and now I build AFV's. WW2 in the main. What I want to see is lesser known vehicles that fought in the Battle of France, North Africa, Barbarossa and the Far East. Tanks, Armoured Cars, Artillery and also troops with specialist weapons or comms. I don't want another Tiger, Sherman, T34. I want the lesser vehicles that proved obsolete to put in diaramas. Your idea of using 3D printers to provide kits with add ons is a great one.
The people who made spinning tops, skipping ropes, iron hoops, etc must have thought the same thing. Plastic kits came about in the late 1950s. Everything has its time.
You may be right and the hobby may just pass the way of the Dodo… right now it’s at a peak due to the Baby Boomers and Gen X retiring and returning to the craft. However the later generations may just not be as interested being distract by modern push button tech instead.
@@HarryHoudiniModels ha ha! Just got a package from them last week. No Canadian store carries as much after market parts. And shipping is relatively cheap.
The only things kids these days have a interest in is their bloody mobile phones . Frankly though the prices of model kits and paints also modelling tools 22:23 really don’t help to keep the hobby afloat . Well gone are the lovely days of getting 2/6s and dreaming of that kit you want next desperately.
Woolworths no longer sells model kits for pocket money. Times changed and we are mostly to blame wanting more accuracy and more detail. The manufacturers knee jerk reacted to the loudest wants, but this doesn’t supply the majority’s needs.
2/6d + a few bob on the bottle of Airfix paint... (I can still smell that paint when I think about it). All the colours. Red, Green AND Blue. + some lovely tasty tube of Airfix glue.
I have to admit I set myself a limit of £40 as to how much I will spend on a kit (paint and glue excluded) after coming to the conclusion that I got the same level of satisfaction building a kit regardless of price. This was at the time Tamiya had just released the dragon wagon at £120 and I didn’t see the value in that kit however good it is. I so far have managed to stick to that limit with one exception hobbyboss’s T35 which I splashed out on metal barrels and an etch metal set which added another £20 but the T35 was a “I want one” tank as it is bonkers. The thing is at this moment there are plenty of kits that cost less than £40 you just have to accept that it isn’t going to be the latest releases until they are discounted.
@@HarryHoudiniModels true indeed and in the UK most of the hobby shops have already disappeared due to online sales undercutting them . That and unlike when I grew up you don’t see models stocked in stores like Smiths or corner shop chains .
The same super detail demand is afflicting the model railway market. This makes them more fragile and the companies (hornby especially it seems) increasingly are getting a pooqc reputation. Personally i like the extra details, but I would be happy with simpler cheaper options as long as they remain accurate. Hornby technically do this with their railroad range, but those are very old models by now and they set the prices too high imo. With model kits i don't think interiors you cannot see without doing a cutaway model are worth the cost, the cockpit fine you can see some of that, but often everything else is invisible when you close the fuselage. In 1/32 however, sure that makes sense potentially and panels will often be modelled open etc, so engines, guns etc. 1/72 doesn't need too interiors, but the dimensions and shape must be correct i feel. Some things companies do in plastic they'd have been better letting 3rd parties do in etch or resin parts.
I made a basic interior for a 1/144 aircraft… but you could just see it through the windows, so that worked for me. Not for everyone, and never needed in the kit. Just a fun thing to add, as it should be.
Hi Harry, I like the idea of a multi-level kit with optional detail.👍🏻 I follow modeling groups in France and members like to show their new purchases, actually the new kits seem less expensive there than here in the US, not only Heller (that in now German) but everything imported also. Here, I think that the 2nd hand market is huge because Americans like their classic cars, Vietnam era military, or things I don't even know what it relates too like "Rat fink" series, that are not newly produced. Sorry to say, but the hobby is doomed as very few kids will start modeling. When I moved to SF bay area, 20 years ago, I used to shop or visit 7 hobby shops nearby, there was probably more, now we have 0, the closest one is 80 miles away and a good one 400 miles away in L.A. area. It's so much easier and dopamine rewarded for kids to play with a phone or a tablet (parents even give toddlers a tablet and it works like Valium). There is, of course new modelers but not enough, to my point of view. 👋🏻
The Hobby shop issue is more of a case of being convenient and often cheaper to order online. Which was elevated during the plague. I miss the hobby shops too, but it is easier for me to order online what I want from anywhere in the world now.
Just go to your local shop where models are available for purchase and ask them how many and to whom they sell. Only 1 place where I live, smallish town on the East coast of Oz, and I asked the lady behind the counter that very question. She replied with "Old blokes like you" (no offense given or taken) and when I delved deeper she said most boys these days can't be bothered putting the time into building a model. I've recently built a couple of the newer Svezda 1/35 armour kits, a T34/75 and an M4 Sherman, and I consider the quality to be as good as anything out there and they were C H E A P compared to other names like Ta...Tami...Ya oh you know the one I mean. I've picked up a few kits at our local Dump (read recycle or tip) shop, yes they have a shop and sell stuff that otherwise go to the tip face. One was a rather expensive kit that had been given a pitiful effort by little Johnny but he got bored and it was taken to the dump. I suspect that little Johnny's grand dad had given it to him, (I mean all boy kids made them back in grand dad's day) but things have changed and little Johnny would rather have his snotbox buried in a crApple Spudphone.
I think the demographic for visiting a Hobby Shop is a select few, and no doubt just the old buggers who from habit still go there. Young ones buy online. It is true the hobby is dominated by older men, that is evident at any Scale Model show or Swap Meet. Youngsters used to be encouraged by their fathers. My father built wood models, so got me into that, then plastic kits came along and I enjoyed them more. My father thought the plastic kits were boring and too easy. Times change, but the fondness for a tactile hobby will always remain even if the medium changes.
In my neck of the woods, i.e. Metro-Detroit, we had Jo-Han and AMT models back in the day. Hazel Park was the original location of Squadron Shop before they moved to Texas for tax benefits and to become a mail-order, then later an online warehouse. RIP to Joe's Hobbies in Warren, P&D by me in Roseville, and Old Guard in Sterling Heights. Whistle Stop is still hanging on in St. Clair Shores, along with Prop Shop in Center Line. Lionel used to have a factory in Chesterfield till they outsourced to China. I grew up surrounded with hobby stores and suppliers, now I'm left with 2 reliable hobby stores within 20 miles or I have to buy from ebay merchants. I'm ashamed to say Hobby Lobby sometimes has good supplies at cheap prices even though they're an amoral Walmart megacorp. We're living in those interesting times the Confucian scholars warned about.
I frequented Joe's when it was on Wyoming. Joe Delair was a pioneer in the hobby. When I was in high school ( Mumford) students would fly u control in front of the school in the afternoon as well as hand launched gliders. Joe's was just down the road.
That’s definitely part of the problem. I think though that kids need something they can see and relate to before they get interested in making a model. Back in our day there were excellent documentaries on tv all the time about just about any subject. Now there is only reality television crap which even kids won’t watch. Nothing to relate to means no context and no interest.
I don’t know if that’s 100 true. My son got started on legos as a kid and now at 20 still buys and builds them. They are his version of model kits. Albeit his taste have got more expensive with the UCS Star Wars sets. I love the detail of the new kits but choking down the price tag can be hard for a kid who built monogram as a kid because Tamiya and haegawa were too expensive when I started building. Still love to old Mono kits
What I always think about when it comes to keeping the hobby going is hand brushing. People (whether children or adults) who are curious about modelling and want to casually try it out the first time don't necessarily have the desire or the means to buy an airbrush and compressor right away. It's too big a financial commitment for someone not sure how far he wants to go in modelling. The same can be said about a spray booth and breathing mask. Rattle cans tend to require those things, and can be very inconvenient indoors or outdoors. Conclusion: people who do build videos might want to put more emphasis on using hand brushes--and for entire kits, not just detailing.
It is an idea, and for a lot of my ship models I hairy brush almost all of it. But for convenience it is easier to base colour by rattle-can or airbrush.
Sorry for the triple comment haha it can only help the page, There are a lot of great younger than me artists that are keeping this alive what I have found is painting is painting we when looking at other great work getting inspiration for our pieces learning others are too and I found that I am watching modelling not particularly related to my modelling builds the paint jobs relevent or wire on an undercarriage you get the idea So that said you have done what you said you are you are saving it, just keep going I plan to upload some of my work doing a Flight inspired custom PC Case W/Runway inside it scaled Harrier inside, MH60-Pavelow Blackhawk helicopter on top of the PC case rotors swept complete with vinyl Ejection warning sticker glows under UV light too, a Challenger 2 Tank Diorama, and some of the Ali express boat kits I'm medically retired if I am a heathen for buying a model boat kit for £70 I shall pray for forgiveness. Otherwise I may never build one, The kit I'm saving for is the go big or go home one in 1/96 I think i'll keep it and love it though i'm saving if I don't make it I have have hope and faith the future young people will and THAT is better than how it seemed this hobby was heading for the forgotton to time section but No Sarrrr :D
A 3% sales increase on a £3 billion market can ONLY be price rises. There is no way you'd get a sales increase that low in a market with growing interest by consumers. On the detail aspect, you're right Harry. The work bring produced today on many yt channels is truly staggering. It's to a level we could never have achieved 40-50 years ago because the products which enable this simply weren't available. But.... what these guys at the top of the tree skills-wise are making aren't - to me - models. They're miniatures - and that's a completely different thing. I've been toying with getting back properly into modelling, but - to be frank - the 'Miniaturists' are putting me off as I know I'll never be able to 'model' to the standard of a 'miniaturist'.
Build to your own standard mate… there’s always someone better than you, and someone not as good. Just enjoy the hobby for what is.. a relaxing pastime.
Sad to say this but when thee n me were kids we built models to then recreate that film we had seen or fight that imagined battle. Today, grab an ipad and download a game, the models are there and interactive, and can be set alight any time you like. Airfix introduced their snap together legoalike kits but too little too late?????
Great video Harry really enjoyed it, very informative and entertaining, your we need more variety in kits how tigers can you build and the huge scales like 1:16 tanks are ridiculous you need to build a garage to park them in LOL
I did say back when I first come across your great work thank you for sharing because I saw my first kits all in 1;75 upward because expensive, as for Model Ship building if your Dad didn't know you wasn't building it. Lol Cos NO ONE would tell you their secrets hahaha took em to the grave they did. I'm 40 in December so we talking 30 years ago at the very earliest I learned model kits very basic ones I was a cadet @11-12 1995 Put it this way the hobby got humbled Model Ships are still the exact same price they was back then at least in the UK however Certain kits that were just expensive because they are bigger than 1/72 are no longer expensive out of fairness. For example I got a Revell 1/32 ECR Tornado that is a big plane for a model kit, £50 now price whereas back in the day £179.99 without a doubt. So I completely agree with you but I can't stand poorly fitting kits even the expensive ones it is time we got more detail, ultra new detailed kits can't be as expensive though as Sprues are now things of the past 3D Printing
Buttons done... I have just baught and built the new Airfix 1.72 Meatbox, F8/FR9. The bits are so detailed and fiddly. Im split on the detail V the old simplicity. I have been looking up second hand older kits and the prices are more than new kits. Its stupid. Plus if you buy an old kit then the decals will likley be naff and you will have to spend more on new decals. And why is the vintage 1.24 Harrier the same price as the new tool 1.24 Spit ? Im loving the new vintage classics. The Heraclese was verry enjoyable, although the Belvadere is awfull.
Vintage Classic may be all the new kits I will buy from Airfix in the near future, if they keep over complicating new tool releases. Just because you have CAD, doesn’t mean you need to go crazy with it!
@@HarryHoudiniModels the excessive detail is what people expect these days and is in fashion. But I like the old Airfix kits and buy ones that I built in the 70s to give them a bash now to see if I can get better results plus they are just down the road from me in Margate so I support the local company (not exclusively) . Never seen much need for the Photoetch stuff and aftermarket except for instrument panels in 1/24 scale aircraft like the old Airfix Spitfire, ME109, Stuka and Hurricane kits.
I think some manufacturers like ICM are trying for the middle ground but none are doing the multiple levels of complexity from one molding. The idea makes sense to me but like in many hobbies people go from beginners to all the gear and no idea.
Interesting video, thought provoking. Ive postulated similar for model railways et al. With modern market research, via internet, Eg. paid for research on a 50p per survey basis? How accurate is that multiple choice research with a money incentive? I believe that your comments are sound though and the figures are roughly right that you've pointed out. My thinking is similar. Ive always tried to give back to the hobby, a hobby that has been there for me, therapeutically, in times of need, however many my age dont care about others or the hobby's longevity. And, as you say, all of a sudden, we are getting old (it seems like five minutes ago I was a teen building kits - I started aged 6-8 yrs, when in fact, thats nearly 50 years ago! That is genuinely scary, like some sort of timeslip weirdness to me). In model railway kit building, many are bought, from small suppliers, with small production runs, whilst theyre available, stockpiled and not built. Either over run by RTR, or better, easier kits, or the next generation dont have the skills to build them (Im speaking of brass, nickel silver, and/or multimedia kits). In Blighty, its very similar for OO/HO model railways as it is for IMP kits, the teenager/improver/intermediate modellers, are being neglected and not encouraged. Its also all, hypnosis machines; tablets, smart phones, smart TVs, with addictive colours, games etc, zombifing several generations, taking their money, time, lives and health, enslaving them. Im not sure if customers are truly being heard or understood by idiot suits (business is mainly over-run by accountants and/or marketeers both professions often kill a business or whole industries, and dont get me started on faux Carbon Climate Change). I believe that Hornby/Airfix et al have started to loose their way again too, since the likes of Simon Kohler et al have left. The only manufacturer/supplier Ive seen who listen, offer continuous improvement, quality, value for money, etc., of late, are Harder and Steenbeck airbrushes. Their ethos is nigh on perfect, many model companies could learn from them and/or from us, if they only employed joined up thinking to management and entrepreneurship too. In addition, as an ex student and practioner of business (who now loathes modern business practices, especially big business and NGOs), most managers are not taught how to manage, entrepreneurs are not helped/taught (sometimes thats a good thing) either, none of us are really taught about finance, how FIAT money works, its all about the super elite and NGOs and their puppet governments, keeping it (£€$) to themselves. After the PLANdemic and the biggest, illegal and unlawful, transfer of wealth and power in history, the biggest theft from the masses (plus several political coups that went unchallenged), we are all seeking out second hand items. That sometimes drives up specific costs of second hand items now too (desirability and rarity). There is a rise in SMEs producing and supplying quality 3DP items (often via eBay) though, which will be interesting to see play out. At the moment theyre niche items, or associated products, but that may change.
Takom is doing something like that already. You can get the Jagdpanzer 38(T) "Hetzer" with and without an interior. The same with the Panther. Meng does some interior sets that you can add to the basic vehicle. I'm not sure that this would work with aircraft though. You'll always need some kind of cockpit 😉
Excellent. I showed how the Airfix Bulldog interior could be built as a simple basic unit that was all visible using the more complex and mostly hidden excessive interior parts. So it could be done for aircraft with a little CAD wizardry and lateral thought.
Thanks for my Sunday morning video a good talk, for me its the price of kits, turn 67 on Monday i am retried on a pension love the hobby but need to watch me pennies Dragon do a Tiger 1 for £79:99 a Stug IV £62:99, Tamiya £29:99 and £19:99 i know the Dragon comes with all the bits and bobs but you can look around for any after market accessories if you want, anyway look forward to the next kid build say hello to Bask have a great day
I know what you mean, I recently wanted a kit of a 1967/8 Mustang Fastback. I got an AMT kit after much hunting but it still cost me AU$60 and that hurts on a pension. It it wasn't for Afterpay then I couldn't buy kits.
Hornby did offer (and also sort of said that they were their idea) 3d printed trackside and loco crew figures that were made by a 3rd party. These were based on scans and very good, but pricey.
@@HarryHoudiniModelshave a look at Modellu, they take a stonking big scanner to certain events which does a total 3d body scan, that gets processed and then their impressive 3d printer takes over and voila a mini you, which can be replicated as many times as you like….imagine millions of mini Harry’s ranging from plus G scale down to N and T gauge. Frightening…..
Modellers' spend should not come down to how many models they want, but how many they can afford. Manufacturers are going to operate on margin/profit, not number of units where there is a relatively fixed discretionary spend. Australian wage growth has been 3.12% compounded since 1998, so if you can apply the 3% CAGR global model figures to Australia then the spend on models has stayed level with wage growth, and it is not a dying art/craft. But, with regards to complexity yes, individual kit costs have gone up. More complexity uses more plastic, as well as higher development costs with more expectation of details and accuracy etc. But they also take more time to build. I have a Series 1 Airfix Roland C11, with a ~1968 price tag of $0.75 from Grace Bros in Brisbane (as well as several other bagged Series 1 kits with the red stripe and similar prices). Australian cost inflation puts that at $11 today, or $12 adding GST - no way of buying a simple newer mould 1/72 kit for that today - you are looking at $20 to $25, or say double. Although, in 2023 Airfix rereleased the old mould Brisfit/DR1 dogfight double for A$24 - $12 per plane, but no new moulds or development was required. However, my grandfather bought me an Airfix Short Stirling in ?1972. It was a series 5, and my recall is that at that time the series number coincidentally equalled the Australian dollar price, so $5. With inflation that puts it at $60 today (plus GST = $66). The new release 1/72 Liberator price at Hobbyco is $102, or 1.5 x. Do increased average costs per kit come from there being more of a selection of larger scales, and hence more detail required, and more plastic per kit, and more being sold? BTW, the Heracles has stalled - waiting for the kids to come back from holidays so as I can print the seats. If you want to make the above word salad more palatable just add anchovies, olives and feta!
Yes it’s pretty much worldwide on average. So turn over might be increasing, but costs are also. Volume however is not, we are all buying less in harder times.
@@HarryHoudiniModels I think the other factor in the US is the decline of brick and mortar model stores. There was once a time you could swing by, pick up something cheap to put together over the weekend. That sort of immediate impulse buying has gone, especially if your significant other looks at the credit card bill lol
Gday Harry, you've obviously seen Mr Beckers video blog. Yes, I agree with you, you are correct. Being in Asia, I'm right in the middle of what is, and, what isn't happening. It's conflicting information all the time here, I struggle to understand just what is actually correct. I know our tv network aircraft videos can generate model interest, but so do iphones, Disney, Google idiot adverts etc. Wolfpack in Korea are very good at combining many multimedia ideas into a single product, BUT, they make these kits at a very relaxed rate. Hasegawa, they told me their internal market sustaines them so they are not worried about other countries. If you check the kit stockists worldwide you will find that they are down on stocks (90%), the manufacturers are not producing much at the moment I believe on purpose. Some of the smart arse buggers enjoy watching us rant and rave about things, I think I'll just give up and go build my stash of older kits (with new added resins etc, hahaha). Cheers, Gaz, 🇰🇷🇦🇺.
Kits are becoming too complex in particular aircraft cockpits, even in 1/72 scale. Just finished Airfix Spitfire XIV in 1/48 scale, and although I nice kit seemed to have unnecessary complications
Hi Harry Love your work . Just noting that you didnt mention the hidden dark matter of plastic modelling --- BANDAI. Go to model shops in Japan and the amount of Gunpla is staggering. Its getting that way here the Gundam section in model shops is getting bigger and bigger. Wikipedia says they have sold 4.5 billion gunpla kits! (suck on that Airfix) I have always thought aircraft modellers were the Cinderellas of the model making. Cars always outsell aircraft its just that they are bought and built by people for themselves and not clubs or competitions. Just look when Aldi have the sale of plastic car kits, they usually sell put where do they go?
I did mention Bandai in passing reference to click together kits and yes the whole Gunpla thing is growing like Gundam has but is still only in that 10% of other plastic kits. May be big in Japan but Spitfires and Tiger tanks out sell them in the West.
Hi Harry and Bask Any idea on the cost of 1/700 model ships in 1971 in Sydney ? Mainly Airfix and Tamiya i think. (I only earned $4.00 a week as a schoolboy doing Prescription deliveries.) Im trying to work out how did i afford to build so many ships, mostly German WW2 and the Warspite plus Ark Royal. Non were painted. Now ive got heaps to build and paint .
As a younger person who is pretty good at model making I’d say the biggest reason that kids aren’t getting involved is that everything is so damn expensive. You could buy a 60 dollar game that will last you years where you can play it with your friends or you can buy a 40 dollar kit, with 6 dollar glue, 30 bucks worth of paint and other things pertaining to color and so on and so forth and you could still end up with a mediocre model. Everything in this hobby is too expensive and kids these days don’t have pocket change to spend on a hobby. Video games are a much safer investment of your money.
@@HarryHoudiniModels a lot of video games have lifespans of only a few months but other have spans of many years. Games like Minecraft and battlefield 1 have millions of annual players and still make obscene amounts of money even though they are 10 years or older.
We are out pricing the starters.Airfix have starters kits are old but great. Cheap but with enough detail to look good. Leave the super detail for the museum builders? Hornby trains in UK are going the wrong way. Who looks inside a train engines cab as it goes round and round?
Agreed. I just got my old kits out that i built when i was a teenager and they look really good, painted with enamels, and had few parts and they came with a pilot. Kits get too complicated and turns me off, but another thing that turns me off is watching TH-cam and all the builds are perfect. There's some TH-camrs that don't make perfect kits and i much prefer watching them.
I think that it's a choice between building fast or trying to get perfection, I believe that any modeller can achieve beautiful models but it takes months, perhaps years instead of days or weeks. I, personally, don't enjoy a video where the guy says every 2 minutes "Well, good enough".
Your right...as usual. I find the "influencers" knock anything that doesn't have 40 sprus of crap..that needs correcting.. Gregs models and yourself are the only guys worth watching. But what do I know. 🤔
Thanks for watching Dave… I do a lot of correcting, well - scratch additions. But hope you realise I just accept the kits for what they are, with my additions being a personal choice, not needed for everyone.
I can't afford to buy kits any more, I have gone back to wooden ships, it takes time to save up to buy them, but keeps me occupied for many months. I have one kit in my "Stash" But I now build wooden stuff.
True the Vintage Classic kits are great from Airfix, but they are just like second hand kits in a new box, not new tool kits for a younger market. What is ICM doing?
Airfix has released several modern new starter kits over the past few years. Simple, detailed 1/72 aircraft like the new spitfire kits and they just released several brand new 1/43 scale car kits. They are superb, easy to assemble weekend projects. Also Bandai has for years made their gundam kits in many different versions and complexities that allow literally anyone to get into the hobby, at any level.
Yep Bandai have the right track IMO. ICM are making good solid, well detailed kits but not going overboard with details. They also have pilot/crew figures available separately that fit their kits.
More elaborate kits have a higher profit margin, and the incremental cost of adding detail is not high. Modeling is an aspirational hobby, and models can thus be sold based on detail and features even if they are never built. You have a situation where people buy the kits even if they can't build them. The number one thing influencers could do is encourage people to get the kits down off the shelf and build.
The Hobby is recreational not aspirational. Higher priced kits do not necessarily mean higher profits - ill informed and incorrect assumption. Cost of adding more detail is higher due to extra research and CAD. Most modellers buy kits to build. Collectors just buy kits with the hope of selling at a profit. The only thing you got right was your last sentence!
Sight unseen, I ordered Airfix's 1/48 Fairey Gannet, just bevause it's a weird-looking duck -- especially with the wings folded. When it arrived and my shop called me, I shelled out $117.50 Cdn -- the first time I've paid more than $100 for an aircraft kit in my life. Is it beautifully molded? Yes. Is it well-detailed? Yes. Will it fit together? By all accounts, yes. Do I have dozens of years of modelling behind me? Yes. Will this kit be purchased by a junior modeller? No. Will a junior modeller ever finish this kit? Hell, no! Model kits don't need to be perfect. In fact, many of the things I've learned about modelling came from my connecting or modifying a kit in order to actually build it. Including optional 3D parts in a kit will encourage intermediate modellers to venture into modifying their kit. But if the kit doesn't fit properly, or the single-sheet instructions are indeciferable, then what's left of the kit gets stuffed back in the box never to see the light of day again. And mom or dad? They never wander into a model shop again, checking out instead: ▪︎ an RC plane/tank/boat ▪︎ a board game ▪︎ a chess club ▪︎ a facing or stunt bike ▪︎ a real rocket kit or ▪︎ the dreaded video game. There has to be more done to encourage the intermediate modeller to move beyond the beginners' kit which they've mastered into the more advance kit with optional parts and decal/decoration versions. That's how you sell multiple kits -- I wonder how that Gannet would look with its wings outstretched and its flaps lowered? Sure we all fream about Tamiya and Trumpeter kits, but who has the time, or the space (let alone the price) for for a 1/200 Bismarck or a 1/15 Sturmgeshutz? Get 'em started, get 'em hooked, feed them kits, and then introduce optional parts and decals sets. But if you can't keep them interested then the hobby is dead.
@HarryHoudiniModels Revell started in Venice California and had a European franchise. Also Monogram is the one who bought Revell, not the other way round.
did some research about Revell… “ In 1986 Odyssey Partners purchased Revell. Monogram was purchased by Odyssey at the same time and mold swapping occurred. Monogram and Revell were still marketed under their respective names”
@HarryHoudiniModels Monogram was bought in the spring of 1986. Revell was bought a few months later in the summer, and ALL production was moved to the Monogram plant in Illinois. Under Odyssey, Revell and Monogram weren't treated as separate entities, Revell was folded into Monogram, and all Revell staff were on the Monogram payroll. The Revell name was only used because it had more brand recognition outside of the US.
Your right there it back to the basic kit now the new have kits have way to many parts as mention the older kits could help out the younger generation they would sell more plus people would buy the new kits are way over price and time consuming and all this interior are just to cram full which we won't see inside anyhow I alsways try to buy the older ones cause I miss out on buying the older kids I find that there east to build and work on the new kits could take weeks month before long you would get bore of the kit in time after a while either you put it away makeing room for moe stash and rhe older kits would keep you buying more
I think for the europe figures, before they only had stiff paper, right to the end of the communist russia disolution. Now you can build that which was hard as far as smooth shapes were concerned, is now easy in plastic. plus also easier.
Interesting figures there chap. I wouldn't have guessed that Europe (depends how you measure Europe) outstrips N American sales by a goodly amount. It makes me wonder why so many companies spend so much time releasing American subjects as kits in that case.
If 'Plastic Model Kits' include Warhammer which sells many hundreds of thousands of dollars of plastic kits - most of that in Europe and US... Including Games Workshop kits will skew your take on the 'scale model' market tremendously
Most warhammer stuff is plastic now, it depends how they define model kits. My kid used to build planes and tanks but now it’s all warhammer he’s interested in and that stuff is bloody expensive. 😆
Of course it's old rich farts like us who are beyond spending all their money on Porsches, Harleys and girls that can afford expensive models. Although I have enough kits to build one every week for the next 30 years or so, I still buy plenty of new ones, with a major focus on ICM and other Ukrainian companies. 2 in 1 supporting the hobby AND the Ukrainian economy.
Nice sentiment, although the kits from the Ukraine were most likely exported before the war and are being sold from old warehouse stock. I don’t think there would be much manufacturing going on in a war torn country right now. Unless ICM has moved manufacturing to Poland?
@@HarryHoudiniModels No, they develop and manufacture everything in-house in Kiev. Who knows they may also be supplying plastic components for weapons? th-cam.com/video/jkdMByUnYTI/w-d-xo.html
Some of you older guys (not all of course) are crying about how expensive new kits are while you also admit that you purchased a bunch of kits that you never build and you selling them now. Insted of spending $100 on bunch of old crap each month, just buy one kit. A lot of scale modellers now both younger and older are after super detailed kits because we want them to look great and we still put a lot of effort in yet even more extra detailing, painting and weathering. Its just taking this hobby to another level and i guess some don't understand that. I know a lot of guys who build the same looking kits for 30 years without any progress, and thats okay, but dont say that the market is over saturated with hight quality, expensive kits that is killing the hobby or something. its not, more and more scale modelling brands appear and keep releasing new kits,. If they fail a release, it could be end of their business as to release one kit, it cost a LOT of money. Also look how much aftermarket stuff for model kits reskit releases each month. the hobby is doing great and it was never a better time to be in a hobby than its now. Also brands like airfix, revell or even tamiya and others are still making kits to target younger audience, its just scale modelling was never a hobby for kids, ask around and your scale modelling friends will say they build a few kits when they were young, but returned to hobby as adults when they have a job, money and their life is pretty setttled. Kids and young adults have different activities like sports, school, spending time with friends or video games, not many of us built models whole life, because we didnt have time for it.
Don’t hold back young fella… tell us what you really think LOL
Paragraphs are a real thing in written communication.
Interesting video. I’m 54, and I’ve been in the Hobby since about 1977. One of the major things I have noticed is that these days, newer people to the hobby consider any kit that isn’t a Bandai or Moderoid glue free kit ( Gundams etc. ) or a Tamiya kit sub standard.
Many older modelers ( myself included) consider a kit basically a skeleton. Having to remove flash, fill seams, etc. is PART of modeling. The challenge of struggling with the kits inadequacies to produce something you are happy with is an expected ( and enjoyable) facet of the hobby.
Nowadays it seems like people getting into building are not really interested in modeling in the same way as people used to be, they are interested in easily assembling action figures.
I feel the same about cleaning flash and having to actually scale model your kit. It was all part of the joy of building a model when I was young. However there is a trend to want fast easy to assemble kits so the modeller can just get on with the painting and weathering. Not my thing. I still want a reasonably good fit and quality, but have no issue with an old Airfix kit that needs my love to blossom.
@@HarryHoudiniModels I kind of feel the same. I like some of the extra details but I actually do get the why do we need all that extra cockpit detail when you’re not going to see it. I’m kind of torn about the 2nd hand market as we all like a bargain for a few £££. Keep doing what you do Harry or what ever your name is fantastic product.
As someone who got into the plastic modelling scene through Bandai's Gunpla, I really enjoy the alternative to standard plastic modelling that they gave. I live in an area where painting is a bit of an issue, and having something that looks really good right out of the box was a huge deal breaker for me. Many young people where I live (Taipei) also get their plastic model fix through Gunpla too and it does motivate people to try other types of plastic models too.
I feel that the biggest deal breaker for people getting into traditional plastic modelling would be not knowing where to start. With Gunpla, you can easily figure out the right skill level for you, either HG, MG or SD, but when looking at an entire wall of tank models at a shop, not having these identifiers makes it much more difficult to get a feel of what you're buying. A beginner wouldn't know about Scalemates, or sift through the information they have if they did know about it, therefore an identifying mark would make this nicer for people entering. I want companies producing kits that are easier to get into, like Hasegawa's 1/72 tanks, which were my first introduction to armour. I know these kits aren't particularly well detailed, but they're fun, they build together easy enough and look like an actual tank with a few licks of paint here and there.
Please making these videos and keep up the good work!
Interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing matey
Good insight on the current state of modeling. You right things need to change. Hopefully the model makers will make this adjustment.
I just hope they all watched my video, but suspect they probably will not.
Mr. trouble never hangs around,
when he hears this Mighty sound,
Here I come to save the day!
That means that Mighty
Harry is on the way!
Yes sir, when there is a wrong to right,
Mighty Harry will join the fight!
On the sea or on the land,
He's got the situation well in hand!
He rhymes a yarn
and shows his charm
with every word
and nor a turd
to please a doggy fan!
An excellent video Harry. Got me thinking about my purchases and keeping the hobby alive.
If I made one person think then my work is done.
Harry and Becker both on the ball here IMO. Keep up the great work guys!!
Must be something in the water downunder?
And we came up with these topics independently of each other! It wasn't a conspiracy I swear!
@@beckersmodelsI kinda liked the thought I could have been a conspiracy!! 😂 The forces of Becker and Houdini converged!!
Someone once said: "There are lies, Damn lies, and Statistics."
I think it's only us grumpy old gits that are keeping the hobby alive - most model making channels on TH-cam are by people who have generally waved goodbye to their thirtieth birthday. A huge amount of young people today probably have never set foot in a hobby/model shop (bookshops similarly), and to whom the idea of sitting down for hours, days, months, building something interesting and intricate is anathema. Gratification has to be near instant, which is why the ready coloured, snap it together in ten minutes kit is gaining popularity.
I collect action figures, too - always have done. They are expensive, as the market for them now, is adult collectors. Most children and young teens nowadays don't know how to play with physical toys, having grown up with virtual ones. This has led to the sad state of affairs where imagination has gone out of the window, for a lot of people. My younger brother and I had our own bit of dirt in the garden. On this, we played with Airfix 1/76 scale figures and toy cars. For hours and hours. Powered only by pints of orange squash and our imaginations. A few years ago, my brother cleared an area of dirt for his then five year old son. He told him he could play on it with his toy cars. The boy looked at it and went inside. When my brother asked him if he was going to come back out and play on it, he was told no, because his cars would get dirty, and also, he didn't know what to do on there.
I took some photos of a large scale SPV (from Captain Scarlet) Diecast model on the dirt, and a week or so later, my brother replaced the turf. The whole thing made him rather sad.
Patience and imagination. They both seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur.
Luckily, for the present, us grumpy old gits possess both, and in great abundance.
I must start that grumpy old dinosaur group before we be one extinct!
Great video. I’m a 52 years old from Texas and I got back into the hobby after nearly a 30 year absence. I started back up at around age 42. In the ten years since getting back into it, the things I find troubling is first price (super expensive) and secondly finding that happy balance between quality and enjoyability. Some of the simpler kits, while nice, are a bit too simple and the next level of kit are super complex with a crazy number of parts. Simple kits can be a bit pricy so I opt for the more complex ones at a comparable price point. Then I end up losing interest because of the interior details that are not even viewable from the outside. I’ll spend hours upon hours building, painting, detailing, and weathering just to cover up all my hard work with the exterior body. Thanks for confirming my thoughts about the hobby. I thought it was just me being a complainer. New subscriber here from the USA.
You are not alone Hector, and if the comments here are any indication there is a need for the not so complex, but not too simple, model kit. We had them half a century ago, and many were well detailed, and are still highly sort after today. So the precedent is there.
You're not wrong Harry ... I totally agree with you
Good on you Nick
Gen X here. I may not be representative but I remember that this nice hobby has not been the main type of activity when I was younger. In fact I only ever knew 2 other guys who would build plastic models, and we were only amateurs ... but most other boys would ... actually I don't know, I started reading, but they most probably were into sports and not much else. And I never saw a girl doing this stuff.
So this has always been a niche industry for a niche interest group, and as such one can wonder why it still exists (some companies were indeed bankrupt some time), because most of us had to abandon the hobby as we had no more time because we had to work, move to another town (and again and again) and face a lot of very different challenges than how to clean and paint plastic parts etc. What has changed over 40 years is that one extreme - rarity, how to get ONE plastic kit - flipped into the other - abundance, massive availability that is so massive that it flattens me every time, because I remember how hard it was back then. Which led me to overcompensate, and buy a considerable stash ... so many things I never saw before, and my curiosity re-ignited like crazy. But again, I had too little time to finish more than a handful of them. OK, so I know, I am not alone. By far, not.
Thanks for the statistics!
Thanks for commenting Jan… sorry about the thumbnail but you need something that gets clicks or the Algorithm just doesn’t share your video. And yes, you are not alone. Despite being a niche hobby the return of the baby boomers, and to some extent Gen X, as we approach retirement has created a golden era of scale modelling. But sadly it is a two edged sword. Our cashed up retirees have driven prices up and now, for the very few youngsters who may want to enter the hobby, it may be unaffordable.
I'm guilty as charged...
My last 10 new kit purchases were nearly all £70gbp plus.
It will kill off the hobby for newbies getting in, though in fairness my 12 year old just asked me for a cheap Tamiya Sherman to build Oddball's tank from Kelly's Heroes so there's hope!
Well at least your child is building models, that’s a good thing.
I think you are right Harry. I love the resources we have these days, but I really don’t want to get locked into a two month build all the time.
Eduard have their Weekend Kits with no PE and just one set of decals. Same high quality but in a kit you can build one day, then paint the next.
Thanks for this video! Being of Gen-X persuasion, I came to the realization years ago that I don't need every single thing I build to be a museum quality engineering study in miniature. I can't help but recall an interview with the late Shepherd Paine, a major influence on my early modelling efforts as a teen in the 1980s, who said when asked why he stopped modelling. He replied " ..because it stopped being fun..."
Thanks again ! More waffle please!
Once the fun bags go, it’s just not sexy anymore.
Yeah I noticed in Australia , on average a 1/35 tank is around a hundred bucks now , new :)
It has got quite pricey… I paid three times as much for the new release Bristol Bulldog than I did for the Hawker Fury kit! Yet both will build up to look very similar.
Thanks, Harry. The topic has been on my mind lately.
Recently looked at the analytics on my channel and was shocked to see the viewership audience was 100%, male, 55-64 year old with a few 65-.
Actually, no, I wasn't shock or even mildly surprised. A visit or video watch of a model show can clarify for the most part.
As older adults returning to the hobby: 1/We wanted more complexity and accuracy with new kits because we did not have them as kids nor the vast amount of reference information. 2/It was a way for model companies to entice us with something new and improved. 3/Confirmed that we are skilled craftsman building a historically accurate miniature comparable to pro modellers that do scratch building upgrades, not old guys stuck in a room for hours playing with their toy.
I agree with a new format for kits. Like buying a car, there should be options from a base model to fully loaded.
Have manufacture w/sites for build your own kits that are put together and shipped to distributors in plain boxes and PDF instructions for another cost saving alternative.
For the last two years I have challenged myself in building/correcting/improving lower grade kits, mostly 1/24 aircraft as a way to develop more skills.
The amount of work increases build time by many months and if successful gives higher rewards and pride.
I believe Kotare is a good example for the larger manufacturers to emulate.
I get from 2-5% female audience, its the beard, banjo, and cat I expect. However like you my age demographic is getting older as I get older. No young whipper snapper wants to listen to an old fart like me going on about vintage model kits.
Hi H ,we were only talking about this a couple of weeks ago and your right all the detailing where you can't see it is just b/s ,lve resorted to as you say old airfix, revell and heven forbid Atlantis repops so l hope these winners listen to your advice.
I can only present my case Mark. Who knows if it will just fall on deaf ears.
Thanks Harry, interesting points.
Happy to share my musings Cos
You and Chris saving the industry one day at a time
Yes I think he saw my post on Patreon when I was planning this video a few days back. But we both share the same concern about the future of the hobby.
@@HarryHoudiniModels I agree with you both totally
Nice analysis, HH. :)
Thanks Mal
I'm Gen X. My Brothers and I built model kits even after "getting into cars". I still build, and my son (now 16) also builds kits, helped set up a model club at his primary school, and met other kids that build models at High school. Not all Gen X built models, but many did and still do. I do have an issue with manufacturers thinking we all want to build "Museum Quality Models". And the prices are getting too high for most modellers to buy. Thankfully my son and I have a considerable "stash" ranging from some of the most recent offerings back to classic Frog Kits. Covering Sci-Fi / ships / planes, and Military Vehicles to satisfy our needs.
That’s great to hear
@@malcolmwatson9032 you guys are the future. Well done blokes!
One of the biggest problem is the traditional hobbies is that a lot of young people aren't comeing it to the world of hobbies in numbers to keep it buoyant,toy soldier shows seem to be mid to late 50s,toy trains seems even older,wargame shows are a bit more mixed but proberly 25 plus,so the tradition of watching a film on a Saturday afternoon and either rushing out to build the plane or get boxes of figures out on the floor to refight the battle(the bulge,the alamo,roukes drift etc)seem to be fading in people's interests,I'm just glad I'm taking everything with me when I go......just need a bit more tnt.
Ah I see you have watched my The Undead Gooch where I talked about what we do with our models and stash when we pass away
A great insightful and interesting video.
Thanks Dean. Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent analysis!Kits should be reasonably priced and have decent detail, that was the beauty of many old Airfix kits,beginners could make them but advanced modellers could use them as a basis and go to town on them.Personally I like the challenge of a bit of scratch building or 'kit bashing 'to come up with something that bit different
I like that challenge too and feel these over detailed kits are taking that option away and simply bloating the market with expensive kits that only a few will want.
You make some good points, Cap'n. My special gripe is super-detailed cockpits with no crew figures. As someone who is coming back into modelling after decades, I feel that manufacturers aren't hitting my "sweet spot". Keep up the good work and greetings from Brazil.
Thanks for watching Jose
I actually have 2 Airfix snap together kits beside my bench right now. They’re for a couple of girls under age 10 who’ve seen my display. My wife said one of those girls wanted to help me build; I said I could top it and let her build her own. The other one heard about it, so I got another one for her.
Good on you matey
For me personally, the number one criteria that decides which kit of a particular subject I build is: fit and engineering! After that comes accuracy and detail. Then kit complexity/features comes a distant third in my personal selection process. Usually the first criteria decides the matter long before criteria two or even three come into the equation. But that's just me.
That is fair enough matey
I live in "South America" that place that nobody cares for and we buy most of our kits abroad, since the local prices are ridiculous; I have 6 mt3 (yes, cubic meters) of models and 90% I bought from Hong Kong direclty.
I care about you matey and yes, we used to get great bargains from Hong Kong. Sadly since the Chinese took over things are not as good.
Good summation of the current state of the hobby. Not only is the oversupply of high part count, complex, interior kits is a problem, but at the other end of the spectrum we’re being sold overpriced, low-part, hackneyed kits as well. For example, Kotare pump out another Spitfire (yawn), and charge $172 AUD for it. FFS what a joke. Manufacturers are pulling our pants down. I’ve got 60 kits in my stash and I’m happy to go on building those kits for the next 10 to 15 years. I’ve made a commitment this year to not purchase any new kits and so far I’m sticking to it.
Stick to your guns Anthony
Cool as always. 👍
Good on you matey
Interesting presentation. Agree with unnecessary internal detail and tiny decals which must push costs up. The increase of older people as a proportion of the total population in Europe should keep demand up as they are more likely to take the hobby up. All the best from UK 🇬🇧
Thanks Stuart… we can only hope Europe keeps the hobby alive
Well bloody hell Harry.
You actually made some sense 😳
Becker did a similar take on the hobby as you know and the flood of complicated kits coming out.
I think Academy are in the right area for what you are saying.
But even Trumpeter / Hobby Boss are getting very expensive for the resent moulds.
We have great Hobby shop hear in Mackay but he even has well priced value for money kits like Takom Blizts kits, Academy, older Hobby Boss and Eduard weekend edition and like you say older Tamiya kits are great value even now.
I just wanna build a reasonable kit with good mould and are mostly correct with enough details and maybe a choice of 2 schemes.
Build, paint, finish, NEXT !!!!!
Less parts, faster turn over for those of us who build 18-24 kits a year.
I think you and Becker are right 👍
And it frightens me 😱😂😂😂😂
As long as we talk about the issue, then maybe the manufacturers will realise it is in their business interest to fix the problem. Otherwise we all lose in the end.
Now you've gone and done it :) what a subject to talk about.
Having been an avid watcher of Yes Minister and yes Prime Minister I know full well that any statistics can back up the view point you want.
If yu take Europe as the driving force as you say, then it's aircraft that are the biggest genre by far, in the U.S it's cars, so it comes down to where the figures are taken.
I agree with you that I think actual kit buying is going down, but as you say the prices increasing will show that more is being spent.
I believe it's not necessarily the middle market as you say but the subject matter, times have moved on and todays kids are interested in different things.
Harry has solved modelling, I see a new t-shirt on the way :), take care and model on
Always nice to hear from you Sarah-Jane. Yes, in reflection those kit figures are probably La’merrycan, so not the same distribution as Europe. However the other figures are world wide and were the same from a handful of sources, so I think are a good indication of the state of play.
Interpretation of stats is a black art, and you can almost prove anything. But I think the 3% increase per annum aligns with at least the Aussie figures. The sources did say the subject matter was being driven by movies, TV, and social media. The old nostalgia demographic, which I am a guilty party of, is fading away.
Great video, Harry… In the U.S. model railroad market Scale Trains is doing exactly what you suggested. They offer their locomotives and some freight cars in three different levels of detail, with corresponding different price points. I’m sure they monitor the sales of each level and adjust the mix in each future offering. Of course, the 1:1 automobile manufacturers have been doing this forever. We used to joke growing up that the only difference between a Chevy, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Cadillac was the amount of chrome you got. More chrome = higher price.
@RichardFrieser .
And Scale Auto was folded by Kalmbach. Now that's the way to promote the hobby.
There you go… the business model already exists as a proven way to cater for customers.
Great points and well made. I came from the era where you could build a decent standard kit for a good price and then had options to buy parts from companies like Verlinden if you wanted to go more advanced. We need to go back to that. Aftermarket should be where it's at.
There is an increasing cottage industry of the 3D printed niche add ons for nearly every model flavour. Most new entries on Scalemates are not kits, but 3D printed extras.
@@HarryHoudiniModels I'll have to see what's out there when I'm ready to get back into things.
Great video.
Flyhawk normally do two versions of their 1:700 scale ships. One with PE and one without. But here's the rub. You have to scrape of so much plastic to fit the PE !. Manufacturers who supply PE should mould parts without detail which is scrapped off. This might encourage basic modellers to become intermediate modellers. Just a thought.
Keep up the good work.
Very interesting John.. I have never built Flyhawk so was unaware they did this. There are Academy, Tamiya, and Fujimi ship kits that are “Gold” versions with all the extras in the box.
Wargaming and railway modelling are facing the same crisis. It’s like the old high street and even malls, everything killed off by the Information Revolution. By the way many firms are consolidating, look at Hornby who own Airfix, Lima, Scalextrix, Meccano, Riverossi and tons more. Italiscary of course bought many of Escis molds too.
Yes consolidation is not a new thing… Hornby became the umbrella for many brands decades ago, and Italeri have been acquiring smaller model makers for as long as I remember. It’s just business. Revell absorbed Monogram and Matchbox too.
And hornby is struggling, if they don't improve soon they could end up broken up. As they are publicly traded their accounts are publicly available. Manns model moments has just done a video on it.
As for wargaming, pretty much 90% of that market is games workshop in terms of sales and market. They effectively have no competitors who can truly worry them and they have a huge margin. However they are being clever and licencing is increasingly a big part of their revenue with more games and merchandise and potentially if it goes ahead a amazon TV series.
I was surprised how big the proportion of vehicle models was. As for what the hobby needs, I'm not sure. But I agree that modelling subjects need to be accessible; in terms of pricing for new or more casual builders, level of skill required and choice of subject. I'm sure there will always be a market for Spitfires, Lancasters, Mustangs, Zeros and Bf109s. But will interest in those fade as they go from being "dad's" planes, to "grandad's planes", and now "great grandad's planes". Are people in their 30s and 40s now interested in Falkland or Gulf War subjects? I'm at the top end of that bracket, so I'm one of the genX people ruining the hobby. But I bought an Airfix Lockheed Martin F-35 B Lightning starter set after seeing videos of the real thing on the Mach Loop in Wales. I'm as interested in pioneering planes and cars as I am in modern subjects.
Anyway, sorry for the ramble. I hope it helps with the algorithm.
Algorithm box ticked. Thanks John
I live near a warehouse-style hobby store in Southeastern Michigan called Michigan Train and Toy. I call them Hobby Heroin Hut. They have low markup and survive by online orders to buoy up brick and mortar sales. I also have Michigan Toy Soldier Company the next county over. Night Shift blew their sales up by marketing their discount code on his show.
The power and influence of social media these days can be quite dramatic. When I first posted my idea to 3D Print the sailing ship rigging tools I had previously hand made for myself for many years, there was an instant response with dozens of orders. Just from that one video suggesting it might be a fun thing to do.
For me, it's the subject matter. I like kits that are different. In the old days, I think kit makers were much more adventurous in what they offered. This is one of the reasons why I prefer old kits because I can build really different things like Revell's old Hospital ships range or Heller's oil tankers. These are kits that are well out of the mainstream and not made any more, although I think Heller still do their oil tankers and the Le Suroit, the Titanic Searcher. These are the sort of things I like, and I have noticed I've got even more picky since I returned to the hobby. I also picked up my very first wooden ship kits, Harry. A brand-new Endurance kit by Occre, that's a beauty, and a Juan Sebastián Elcano & Scottish Maid, both old kits by Artesania Latina. I think these are from the '80s or late '70s. The point is they are different and leave lots of room for that all important scratch building. My little Revell Bounty taught me how much fun that is.
Great to hear you have the wood bug now. It’s all scratch buildng!
Loving the Norwegian Blue bit in the middle 😂
Beautiful plumage
@@HarryHoudiniModels pinning for the fjords
it Upsets me because if I am priced out of even the £350 model boat kits the kids have no chance... Until you lot came and shared so Bless you for that Good Sir ''Admiral on Deck!'' I am gonna save for that Billings or the other main brand HMS Victory that is for around 500 here it's what it is. One day haha
Ya saves your shekels and ya pays the piper…
Hobby Shops have rather disappeared 😊.
That was happening anyway, and especially after the plague. Either sell online or go broke. Most hobby shops here are now 90% full of radio control cars. Luckily we have a good choice of online plastic model retailers with affordable postage Down Under.
Excellent Vid Harry. I couldn't agree with you more. Manufacturers need to produce kits that are relevant to the market. I started as a kid build ing planes and now I build AFV's. WW2 in the main.
What I want to see is lesser known vehicles that fought in the Battle of France, North Africa, Barbarossa and the Far East.
Tanks, Armoured Cars, Artillery and also troops with specialist weapons or comms.
I don't want another Tiger, Sherman, T34.
I want the lesser vehicles that proved obsolete to put in diaramas.
Your idea of using 3D printers to provide kits with add ons is a great one.
Well 3D designers… but yes the add ons could be printed by anyone with a printer just like the ones I give away
The people who made spinning tops, skipping ropes, iron hoops, etc must have thought the same thing. Plastic kits came about in the late 1950s. Everything has its time.
You may be right and the hobby may just pass the way of the Dodo… right now it’s at a peak due to the Baby Boomers and Gen X retiring and returning to the craft. However the later generations may just not be as interested being distract by modern push button tech instead.
Makes sense, in Canada, the market is so small, if I want after market parts I have to order from Australia or Ukraine.
I heard many of you like our online BNA store.
@@HarryHoudiniModels ha ha! Just got a package from them last week. No Canadian store carries as much after market parts. And shipping is relatively cheap.
Makes good sense to me.
Good on you Steven
The only things kids these days have a interest in is their bloody mobile phones . Frankly though the prices of model kits and paints also modelling tools 22:23 really don’t help to keep the hobby afloat . Well gone are the lovely days of getting 2/6s and dreaming of that kit you want next desperately.
Woolworths no longer sells model kits for pocket money. Times changed and we are mostly to blame wanting more accuracy and more detail. The manufacturers knee jerk reacted to the loudest wants, but this doesn’t supply the majority’s needs.
2/6d + a few bob on the bottle of Airfix paint... (I can still smell that paint when I think about it). All the colours. Red, Green AND Blue. + some lovely tasty tube of Airfix glue.
I have to admit I set myself a limit of £40 as to how much I will spend on a kit (paint and glue excluded) after coming to the conclusion that I got the same level of satisfaction building a kit regardless of price. This was at the time Tamiya had just released the dragon wagon at £120 and I didn’t see the value in that kit however good it is. I so far have managed to stick to that limit with one exception hobbyboss’s T35 which I splashed out on metal barrels and an etch metal set which added another £20 but the T35 was a “I want one” tank as it is bonkers. The thing is at this moment there are plenty of kits that cost less than £40 you just have to accept that it isn’t going to be the latest releases until they are discounted.
True but if the manufacturers and then hobby shops can’t sell stock until it is discounted to what the market can afford… they will both go broke.
@@HarryHoudiniModels true indeed and in the UK most of the hobby shops have already disappeared due to online sales undercutting them . That and unlike when I grew up you don’t see models stocked in stores like Smiths or corner shop chains .
The same super detail demand is afflicting the model railway market. This makes them more fragile and the companies (hornby especially it seems) increasingly are getting a pooqc reputation.
Personally i like the extra details, but I would be happy with simpler cheaper options as long as they remain accurate. Hornby technically do this with their railroad range, but those are very old models by now and they set the prices too high imo.
With model kits i don't think interiors you cannot see without doing a cutaway model are worth the cost, the cockpit fine you can see some of that, but often everything else is invisible when you close the fuselage. In 1/32 however, sure that makes sense potentially and panels will often be modelled open etc, so engines, guns etc. 1/72 doesn't need too interiors, but the dimensions and shape must be correct i feel. Some things companies do in plastic they'd have been better letting 3rd parties do in etch or resin parts.
I made a basic interior for a 1/144 aircraft… but you could just see it through the windows, so that worked for me. Not for everyone, and never needed in the kit. Just a fun thing to add, as it should be.
Kits ran from 50¢ -$1.00 pretty much in the 60s..when a kit hit $2.00 I thought robbery ..lol
Times are relative… my first Spitfire was 5 shillings
Hi Harry, I like the idea of a multi-level kit with optional detail.👍🏻
I follow modeling groups in France and members like to show their new purchases, actually the new kits seem less expensive there than here in the US, not only Heller (that in now German) but everything imported also.
Here, I think that the 2nd hand market is huge because Americans like their classic cars, Vietnam era military, or things I don't even know what it relates too like "Rat fink" series, that are not newly produced.
Sorry to say, but the hobby is doomed as very few kids will start modeling. When I moved to SF bay area, 20 years ago, I used to shop or visit 7 hobby shops nearby, there was probably more, now we have 0, the closest one is 80 miles away and a good one 400 miles away in L.A. area.
It's so much easier and dopamine rewarded for kids to play with a phone or a tablet (parents even give toddlers a tablet and it works like Valium). There is, of course new modelers but not enough, to my point of view. 👋🏻
The Hobby shop issue is more of a case of being convenient and often cheaper to order online. Which was elevated during the plague. I miss the hobby shops too, but it is easier for me to order online what I want from anywhere in the world now.
Just go to your local shop where models are available for purchase and ask them how many and to whom they sell. Only 1 place where I live, smallish town on the East coast of Oz, and I asked the lady behind the counter that very question. She replied with "Old blokes like you" (no offense given or taken) and when I delved deeper she said most boys these days can't be bothered putting the time into building a model.
I've recently built a couple of the newer Svezda 1/35 armour kits, a T34/75 and an M4 Sherman, and I consider the quality to be as good as anything out there and they were C H E A P compared to other names like Ta...Tami...Ya oh you know the one I mean.
I've picked up a few kits at our local Dump (read recycle or tip) shop, yes they have a shop and sell stuff that otherwise go to the tip face. One was a rather expensive kit that had been given a pitiful effort by little Johnny but he got bored and it was taken to the dump. I suspect that little Johnny's grand dad had given it to him, (I mean all boy kids made them back in grand dad's day) but things have changed and little Johnny would rather have his snotbox buried in a crApple Spudphone.
I think the demographic for visiting a Hobby Shop is a select few, and no doubt just the old buggers who from habit still go there. Young ones buy online. It is true the hobby is dominated by older men, that is evident at any Scale Model show or Swap Meet. Youngsters used to be encouraged by their fathers. My father built wood models, so got me into that, then plastic kits came along and I enjoyed them more. My father thought the plastic kits were boring and too easy. Times change, but the fondness for a tactile hobby will always remain even if the medium changes.
It's really odd that Gundam is not shown in that graphic since they are all the rage
The statistics may not show the whole picture… but they are interesting never the less
In my neck of the woods, i.e. Metro-Detroit, we had Jo-Han and AMT models back in the day. Hazel Park was the original location of Squadron Shop before they moved to Texas for tax benefits and to become a mail-order, then later an online warehouse.
RIP to Joe's Hobbies in Warren, P&D by me in Roseville, and Old Guard in Sterling Heights. Whistle Stop is still hanging on in St. Clair Shores, along with Prop Shop in Center Line. Lionel used to have a factory in Chesterfield till they outsourced to China. I grew up surrounded with hobby stores and suppliers, now I'm left with 2 reliable hobby stores within 20 miles or I have to buy from ebay merchants.
I'm ashamed to say Hobby Lobby sometimes has good supplies at cheap prices even though they're an amoral Walmart megacorp.
We're living in those interesting times the Confucian scholars warned about.
That Confucius guy knew a thing or two. Woman who puts food and pees in a pot is unhygienic!
I frequented Joe's when it was on Wyoming. Joe Delair was a pioneer in the hobby. When I was in high school ( Mumford) students would fly u control in front of the school in the afternoon as well as hand launched gliders. Joe's was just down the road.
i think the problem is kids don't want to build models today, they can build all sorts of things in pc games and things like that.
They are stuck on their screens. Go outside! Then come back in and make a model!
Kids these days have the attention span of a goldfish....if its not already to go then they dont want it
That’s definitely part of the problem. I think though that kids need something they can see and relate to before they get interested in making a model. Back in our day there were excellent documentaries on tv all the time about just about any subject. Now there is only reality television crap which even kids won’t watch. Nothing to relate to means no context and no interest.
Kids build models but not as models as adults know it. They build Lego sets and Gundam. Check out volume sold of these items at places such as target.
I don’t know if that’s 100 true. My son got started on legos as a kid and now at 20 still buys and builds them. They are his version of model kits. Albeit his taste have got more expensive with the UCS Star Wars sets.
I love the detail of the new kits but choking down the price tag can be hard for a kid who built monogram as a kid because Tamiya and haegawa were too expensive when I started building. Still love to old Mono kits
What I always think about when it comes to keeping the hobby going is hand brushing. People (whether children or adults) who are curious about modelling and want to casually try it out the first time don't necessarily have the desire or the means to buy an airbrush and compressor right away. It's too big a financial commitment for someone not sure how far he wants to go in modelling. The same can be said about a spray booth and breathing mask. Rattle cans tend to require those things, and can be very inconvenient indoors or outdoors. Conclusion: people who do build videos might want to put more emphasis on using hand brushes--and for entire kits, not just detailing.
It is an idea, and for a lot of my ship models I hairy brush almost all of it. But for convenience it is easier to base colour by rattle-can or airbrush.
Sorry for the triple comment haha it can only help the page, There are a lot of great younger than me artists that are keeping this alive what I have found is painting is painting we when looking at other great work getting inspiration for our pieces learning others are too and I found that I am watching modelling not particularly related to my modelling builds the paint jobs relevent or wire on an undercarriage you get the idea So that said you have done what you said you are you are saving it, just keep going I plan to upload some of my work doing a Flight inspired custom PC Case W/Runway inside it scaled Harrier inside, MH60-Pavelow Blackhawk helicopter on top of the PC case rotors swept complete with vinyl Ejection warning sticker glows under UV light too, a Challenger 2 Tank Diorama, and some of the Ali express boat kits I'm medically retired if I am a heathen for buying a model boat kit for £70 I shall pray for forgiveness. Otherwise I may never build one, The kit I'm saving for is the go big or go home one in 1/96 I think i'll keep it and love it though i'm saving if I don't make it I have have hope and faith the future young people will and THAT is better than how it seemed this hobby was heading for the forgotton to time section but No Sarrrr :D
The third time is a charm matey
A 3% sales increase on a £3 billion market can ONLY be price rises. There is no way you'd get a sales increase that low in a market with growing interest by consumers.
On the detail aspect, you're right Harry. The work bring produced today on many yt channels is truly staggering. It's to a level we could never have achieved 40-50 years ago because the products which enable this simply weren't available.
But.... what these guys at the top of the tree skills-wise are making aren't - to me - models. They're miniatures - and that's a completely different thing.
I've been toying with getting back properly into modelling, but - to be frank - the 'Miniaturists' are putting me off as I know I'll never be able to 'model' to the standard of a 'miniaturist'.
Build to your own standard mate… there’s always someone better than you, and someone not as good. Just enjoy the hobby for what is.. a relaxing pastime.
Hi Harry I couldn’t agree more. It would be great idea to have varying levels of complexity from one base kit. Let’s see if you get response.
We can only hope they are listening Guy
Sad to say this but when thee n me were kids we built models to then recreate that film we had seen or fight that imagined battle. Today, grab an ipad and download a game, the models are there and interactive, and can be set alight any time you like. Airfix introduced their snap together legoalike kits but too little too late?????
Airfix has persisted with their Quick Kits for a while now so they must be selling them, and they are a great starter for someone new to the hobby.
Great video Harry really enjoyed it, very informative and entertaining, your we need more variety in kits how tigers can you build and the huge scales like 1:16 tanks are ridiculous you need to build a garage to park them in LOL
This was why I sold off my 1/72 Submarine kits, 1/24 Aircraft, and large scale ships. Simply not enough room to build or display them.
I did say back when I first come across your great work thank you for sharing because I saw my first kits all in 1;75 upward because expensive, as for Model Ship building if your Dad didn't know you wasn't building it. Lol Cos NO ONE would tell you their secrets hahaha took em to the grave they did. I'm 40 in December so we talking 30 years ago at the very earliest I learned model kits very basic ones I was a cadet @11-12 1995 Put it this way the hobby got humbled Model Ships are still the exact same price they was back then at least in the UK however Certain kits that were just expensive because they are bigger than 1/72 are no longer expensive out of fairness. For example I got a Revell 1/32 ECR Tornado that is a big plane for a model kit, £50 now price whereas back in the day £179.99 without a doubt. So I completely agree with you but I can't stand poorly fitting kits even the expensive ones it is time we got more detail, ultra new detailed kits can't be as expensive though as Sprues are now things of the past 3D Printing
More detail is easy in CAD but you still have the ever growing expense of manufacturing and distribution.
Buttons done... I have just baught and built the new Airfix 1.72 Meatbox, F8/FR9. The bits are so detailed and fiddly. Im split on the detail V the old simplicity. I have been looking up second hand older kits and the prices are more than new kits. Its stupid. Plus if you buy an old kit then the decals will likley be naff and you will have to spend more on new decals. And why is the vintage 1.24 Harrier the same price as the new tool 1.24 Spit ? Im loving the new vintage classics. The Heraclese was verry enjoyable, although the Belvadere is awfull.
Vintage Classic may be all the new kits I will buy from Airfix in the near future, if they keep over complicating new tool releases. Just because you have CAD, doesn’t mean you need to go crazy with it!
@@HarryHoudiniModels the excessive detail is what people expect these days and is in fashion. But I like the old Airfix kits and buy ones that I built in the 70s to give them a bash now to see if I can get better results plus they are just down the road from me in Margate so I support the local company (not exclusively) . Never seen much need for the Photoetch stuff and aftermarket except for instrument panels in 1/24 scale aircraft like the old Airfix Spitfire, ME109, Stuka and Hurricane kits.
I think some manufacturers like ICM are trying for the middle ground but none are doing the multiple levels of complexity from one molding. The idea makes sense to me but like in many hobbies people go from beginners to all the gear and no idea.
You have that right… great comment Phil
Interesting video, thought provoking. Ive postulated similar for model railways et al.
With modern market research, via internet, Eg. paid for research on a 50p per survey basis? How accurate is that multiple choice research with a money incentive?
I believe that your comments are sound though and the figures are roughly right that you've pointed out. My thinking is similar.
Ive always tried to give back to the hobby, a hobby that has been there for me, therapeutically, in times of need, however many my age dont care about others or the hobby's longevity. And, as you say, all of a sudden, we are getting old (it seems like five minutes ago I was a teen building kits - I started aged 6-8 yrs, when in fact, thats nearly 50 years ago! That is genuinely scary, like some sort of timeslip weirdness to me).
In model railway kit building, many are bought, from small suppliers, with small production runs, whilst theyre available, stockpiled and not built. Either over run by RTR, or better, easier kits, or the next generation dont have the skills to build them (Im speaking of brass, nickel silver, and/or multimedia kits).
In Blighty, its very similar for OO/HO model railways as it is for IMP kits, the teenager/improver/intermediate modellers, are being neglected and not encouraged.
Its also all, hypnosis machines; tablets, smart phones, smart TVs, with addictive colours, games etc, zombifing several generations, taking their money, time, lives and health, enslaving them.
Im not sure if customers are truly being heard or understood by idiot suits (business is mainly over-run by accountants and/or marketeers both professions often kill a business or whole industries, and dont get me started on faux Carbon Climate Change). I believe that Hornby/Airfix et al have started to loose their way again too, since the likes of Simon Kohler et al have left.
The only manufacturer/supplier Ive seen who listen, offer continuous improvement, quality, value for money, etc., of late, are Harder and Steenbeck airbrushes. Their ethos is nigh on perfect, many model companies could learn from them and/or from us, if they only employed joined up thinking to management and entrepreneurship too.
In addition, as an ex student and practioner of business (who now loathes modern business practices, especially big business and NGOs), most managers are not taught how to manage, entrepreneurs are not helped/taught (sometimes thats a good thing) either, none of us are really taught about finance, how FIAT money works, its all about the super elite and NGOs and their puppet governments, keeping it (£€$) to themselves.
After the PLANdemic and the biggest, illegal and unlawful, transfer of wealth and power in history, the biggest theft from the masses (plus several political coups that went unchallenged), we are all seeking out second hand items. That sometimes drives up specific costs of second hand items now too (desirability and rarity).
There is a rise in SMEs producing and supplying quality 3DP items (often via eBay) though, which will be interesting to see play out. At the moment theyre niche items, or associated products, but that may change.
Thanks for commenting
Takom is doing something like that already. You can get the Jagdpanzer 38(T) "Hetzer" with and without an interior. The same with the Panther. Meng does some interior sets that you can add to the basic vehicle. I'm not sure that this would work with aircraft though. You'll always need some kind of cockpit 😉
Excellent. I showed how the Airfix Bulldog interior could be built as a simple basic unit that was all visible using the more complex and mostly hidden excessive interior parts. So it could be done for aircraft with a little CAD wizardry and lateral thought.
Thanks for my Sunday morning video a good talk, for me its the price of kits, turn 67 on Monday i am retried on a pension love the hobby but need to watch me pennies Dragon do a Tiger 1 for £79:99 a Stug IV £62:99, Tamiya £29:99 and £19:99 i know the Dragon comes with all the bits and bobs but you can look around for any after market accessories if you want, anyway look forward to the next kid build say hello to Bask have a great day
Bask says “meow” John… thanks for dropping in.
ICM just came out of a nice Ford Model A kit but retails for $75. Yikes! Revell sells its Model A kits for around $30. What's with ICM?
Those are nearly 50 year old molds….
@@TheModelGuy the molds are from the 1960s but are very nicely detailed and accurate by todays standards.
ICM has a reputation and produces different subjects to the mainstream so charges what the market will pay for short runs of unusual kits.
I know what you mean, I recently wanted a kit of a 1967/8 Mustang Fastback. I got an AMT kit after much hunting but it still cost me AU$60 and that hurts on a pension. It it wasn't for Afterpay then I couldn't buy kits.
Hornby did offer (and also sort of said that they were their idea) 3d printed trackside and loco crew figures that were made by a 3rd party. These were based on scans and very good, but pricey.
I wonder how they got the crew to stand still while they scanned them?
@@HarryHoudiniModelshave a look at Modellu, they take a stonking big scanner to certain events which does a total 3d body scan, that gets processed and then their impressive 3d printer takes over and voila a mini you, which can be replicated as many times as you like….imagine millions of mini Harry’s ranging from plus G scale down to N and T gauge. Frightening…..
I believe the biggest growth comes from Eastern Europe with so many new fantastic products coming from that area
Yes that is true but you are talking about manufacturing. My video was about consumption and the dollars spent on kits.
@@HarryHoudiniModels it is also the consumption side. In western Europe the hobby is in decline
I think RFM have got right idea with they Panther / Jagdpanther kits do one with full interior and do one with out interior
Now that is good news. Other manufacturers should take note
Modellers' spend should not come down to how many models they want, but how many they can afford. Manufacturers are going to operate on margin/profit, not number of units where there is a relatively fixed discretionary spend. Australian wage growth has been 3.12% compounded since 1998, so if you can apply the 3% CAGR global model figures to Australia then the spend on models has stayed level with wage growth, and it is not a dying art/craft. But, with regards to complexity yes, individual kit costs have gone up. More complexity uses more plastic, as well as higher development costs with more expectation of details and accuracy etc. But they also take more time to build.
I have a Series 1 Airfix Roland C11, with a ~1968 price tag of $0.75 from Grace Bros in Brisbane (as well as several other bagged Series 1 kits with the red stripe and similar prices). Australian cost inflation puts that at $11 today, or $12 adding GST - no way of buying a simple newer mould 1/72 kit for that today - you are looking at $20 to $25, or say double. Although, in 2023 Airfix rereleased the old mould Brisfit/DR1 dogfight double for A$24 - $12 per plane, but no new moulds or development was required.
However, my grandfather bought me an Airfix Short Stirling in ?1972. It was a series 5, and my recall is that at that time the series number coincidentally equalled the Australian dollar price, so $5. With inflation that puts it at $60 today (plus GST = $66). The new release 1/72 Liberator price at Hobbyco is $102, or 1.5 x.
Do increased average costs per kit come from there being more of a selection of larger scales, and hence more detail required, and more plastic per kit, and more being sold?
BTW, the Heracles has stalled - waiting for the kids to come back from holidays so as I can print the seats.
If you want to make the above word salad more palatable just add anchovies, olives and feta!
A drizzle of olive oil, a smattering of feta, and a handful of olives… delicious word salad. Thanks mate.
I live in the US, and your 10% estimate on increase is pretty close to what I am seeing here (Exclusively ships)
Yes it’s pretty much worldwide on average. So turn over might be increasing, but costs are also. Volume however is not, we are all buying less in harder times.
@@HarryHoudiniModels I think the other factor in the US is the decline of brick and mortar model stores. There was once a time you could swing by, pick up something cheap to put together over the weekend. That sort of immediate impulse buying has gone, especially if your significant other looks at the credit card bill lol
Gday Harry, you've obviously seen Mr Beckers video blog. Yes, I agree with you, you are correct. Being in Asia, I'm right in the middle of what is, and, what isn't happening. It's conflicting information all the time here, I struggle to understand just what is actually correct. I know our tv network aircraft videos can generate model interest, but so do iphones, Disney, Google idiot adverts etc. Wolfpack in Korea are very good at combining many multimedia ideas into a single product, BUT, they make these kits at a very relaxed rate. Hasegawa, they told me their internal market sustaines them so they are not worried about other countries. If you check the kit stockists worldwide you will find that they are down on stocks (90%), the manufacturers are not producing much at the moment I believe on purpose. Some of the smart arse buggers enjoy watching us rant and rave about things, I think I'll just give up and go build my stash of older kits (with new added resins etc, hahaha). Cheers, Gaz, 🇰🇷🇦🇺.
I had posted my idea about this video days ago on Patreon, which no doubt influenced Becker in his video. But we are both on the same page here.
Kits are becoming too complex in particular aircraft cockpits, even in 1/72 scale. Just finished Airfix Spitfire XIV in 1/48 scale, and although I nice kit seemed to have unnecessary complications
Yes Gary this has been a big complaint of mine lately and why I prefer the old kits.
As a modeller for forty years,please,please no more Spitfire kits.
As long as modellers keep buying them, then manufacturers will spit the kits out. But I agree. Time for some new subjects as well.
Hi Harry Love your work . Just noting that you didnt mention the hidden dark matter of plastic modelling --- BANDAI. Go to model shops in Japan and the amount of Gunpla is staggering. Its getting that way here the Gundam section in model shops is getting bigger and bigger. Wikipedia says they have sold 4.5 billion gunpla kits! (suck on that Airfix) I have always thought aircraft modellers were the Cinderellas of the model making. Cars always outsell aircraft its just that they are bought and built by people for themselves and not clubs or competitions. Just look when Aldi have the sale of plastic car kits, they usually sell put where do they go?
I did mention Bandai in passing reference to click together kits and yes the whole Gunpla thing is growing like Gundam has but is still only in that 10% of other plastic kits. May be big in Japan but Spitfires and Tiger tanks out sell them in the West.
Hi Harry and Bask
Any idea on the cost of 1/700 model ships in 1971 in Sydney ? Mainly Airfix and Tamiya i think.
(I only earned $4.00 a week as a schoolboy doing Prescription deliveries.)
Im trying to work out how did i afford to build so many ships, mostly German WW2 and the Warspite plus Ark Royal. Non were painted.
Now ive got heaps to build and paint .
I was in Perth WA back then… no Tamiya in our shops just Airfix, then some strange Eastern brand kits when Kmart started up
As a younger person who is pretty good at model making I’d say the biggest reason that kids aren’t getting involved is that everything is so damn expensive. You could buy a 60 dollar game that will last you years where you can play it with your friends or you can buy a 40 dollar kit, with 6 dollar glue, 30 bucks worth of paint and other things pertaining to color and so on and so forth and you could still end up with a mediocre model. Everything in this hobby is too expensive and kids these days don’t have pocket change to spend on a hobby. Video games are a much safer investment of your money.
Video games last for years? Who knew it? Interesting perspective
@@HarryHoudiniModels a lot of video games have lifespans of only a few months but other have spans of many years. Games like Minecraft and battlefield 1 have millions of annual players and still make obscene amounts of money even though they are 10 years or older.
I’m 30, kids buy games and will play them for a day and not touch them again.
Mostly cause the games these days are terrible
We are out pricing the starters.Airfix have starters kits are old but great. Cheap but with enough detail to look good. Leave the super detail for the museum builders? Hornby trains in UK are going the wrong way. Who looks inside a train engines cab as it goes round and round?
I blame CAD… just because you can design it, doesn’t mean it makes the model really any better.
I don't buy new kiits,the price is gone to much for my model budget.All my kits come from the used market.
That is what is happening. Which won’t work long term for either modellers or manufacturers.
Agreed.
I just got my old kits out that i built when i was a teenager and they look really good, painted with enamels, and had few parts and they came with a pilot.
Kits get too complicated and turns me off, but another thing that turns me off is watching TH-cam and all the builds are perfect. There's some TH-camrs that don't make perfect kits and i much prefer watching them.
I think that it's a choice between building fast or trying to get perfection, I believe that any modeller can achieve beautiful models but it takes months, perhaps years instead of days or weeks. I, personally, don't enjoy a video where the guy says every 2 minutes "Well, good enough".
Yves I can take years to build some of my kits, but it is more procrastination than perfection LOL
Be interesting to see a breakdown of your subscribers by age group....ill start 50-59 😊
I have subs from 18 to 80 yeas old but my bell curve is median around 55-65 with about 95% male and 5% female.
@@HarryHoudiniModels no suprise there then
Your right...as usual. I find the "influencers" knock anything that doesn't have 40 sprus of crap..that needs correcting.. Gregs models and yourself are the only guys worth watching. But what do I know. 🤔
Thanks for watching Dave… I do a lot of correcting, well - scratch additions. But hope you realise I just accept the kits for what they are, with my additions being a personal choice, not needed for everyone.
@HarryHoudiniModels That's how it was done at one time...if you wanted a better this or that you did it...🥸
I can't afford to buy kits any more, I have gone back to wooden ships, it takes time to save up to buy them, but keeps me occupied for many months. I have one kit in my "Stash" But I now build wooden stuff.
Yes wooden models are pretty cost effective for the many hours of enjoyment you get from them. Just not always good starter kits for a novice.
Well, Airfix is reissuing their old kits. And ICM is on the right track with their strategy.
True the Vintage Classic kits are great from Airfix, but they are just like second hand kits in a new box, not new tool kits for a younger market. What is ICM doing?
Airfix has released several modern new starter kits over the past few years. Simple, detailed 1/72 aircraft like the new spitfire kits and they just released several brand new 1/43 scale car kits. They are superb, easy to assemble weekend projects. Also Bandai has for years made their gundam kits in many different versions and complexities that allow literally anyone to get into the hobby, at any level.
Yep Bandai have the right track IMO. ICM are making good solid, well detailed kits but not going overboard with details. They also have pilot/crew figures available separately that fit their kits.
More elaborate kits have a higher profit margin, and the incremental cost of adding detail is not high. Modeling is an aspirational hobby, and models can thus be sold based on detail and features even if they are never built. You have a situation where people buy the kits even if they can't build them. The number one thing influencers could do is encourage people to get the kits down off the shelf and build.
The Hobby is recreational not aspirational.
Higher priced kits do not necessarily mean higher profits - ill informed and incorrect assumption.
Cost of adding more detail is higher due to extra research and CAD.
Most modellers buy kits to build.
Collectors just buy kits with the hope of selling at a profit.
The only thing you got right was your last sentence!
Sight unseen, I ordered Airfix's 1/48 Fairey Gannet, just bevause it's a weird-looking duck -- especially with the wings folded. When it arrived and my shop called me, I shelled out $117.50 Cdn -- the first time I've paid more than $100 for an aircraft kit in my life.
Is it beautifully molded? Yes.
Is it well-detailed? Yes.
Will it fit together? By all accounts, yes.
Do I have dozens of years of modelling behind me? Yes.
Will this kit be purchased by a junior modeller? No.
Will a junior modeller ever finish this kit? Hell, no!
Model kits don't need to be perfect. In fact, many of the things I've learned about modelling came from my connecting or modifying a kit in order to actually build it. Including optional 3D parts in a kit will encourage intermediate modellers to venture into modifying their kit.
But if the kit doesn't fit properly, or the single-sheet instructions are indeciferable, then what's left of the kit gets stuffed back in the box never to see the light of day again.
And mom or dad? They never wander into a model shop again, checking out instead:
▪︎ an RC plane/tank/boat
▪︎ a board game
▪︎ a chess club
▪︎ a facing or stunt bike
▪︎ a real rocket kit
or
▪︎ the dreaded video game.
There has to be more done to encourage the intermediate modeller to move beyond the beginners' kit which they've mastered into the more advance kit with optional parts and decal/decoration versions.
That's how you sell multiple kits -- I wonder how that Gannet would look with its wings outstretched and its flaps lowered?
Sure we all fream about Tamiya and Trumpeter kits, but who has the time, or the space (let alone the price) for for a 1/200 Bismarck or a 1/15 Sturmgeshutz?
Get 'em started, get 'em hooked, feed them kits, and then introduce optional parts and decals sets. But if you can't keep them interested then the hobby is dead.
Get ‘em started, get ‘em hooked…. oh my! I think there are laws against that…. hehe
Aurora in the USA!
True, although I was talking about European brands and only mentioned Revell as having a La’merrycan franchise.
@HarryHoudiniModels Revell started in Venice California and had a European franchise. Also Monogram is the one who bought Revell, not the other way round.
thanks for that… I really only ever knew of Revell from Germany.
did some research about Revell…
“ In 1986 Odyssey Partners purchased Revell. Monogram was purchased by Odyssey at the same time and mold swapping occurred. Monogram and Revell were still marketed under their respective names”
@HarryHoudiniModels Monogram was bought in the spring of 1986. Revell was bought a few months later in the summer, and ALL production was moved to the Monogram plant in Illinois. Under Odyssey, Revell and Monogram weren't treated as separate entities, Revell was folded into Monogram, and all Revell staff were on the Monogram payroll. The Revell name was only used because it had more brand recognition outside of the US.
Your right there it back to the basic kit now the new have kits have way to many parts as mention the older kits could help out the younger generation they would sell more plus people would buy the new kits are way over price and time consuming and all this interior are just to cram full which we won't see inside anyhow I alsways try to buy the older ones cause I miss out on buying the older kids I find that there east to build and work on the new kits could take weeks month before long you would get bore of the kit in time after a while either you put it away makeing room for moe stash and rhe older kits would keep you buying more
Sadly the older kits won’t last forever… we need new kits as good as them
In South Africa we're paying 50% more ...............
Prices here are crazy.
That is horrendous mate
@@HarryHoudiniModels Indeed so!
I think for the europe figures, before they only had stiff paper, right to the end of the communist russia disolution. Now you can build that which was hard as far as smooth shapes were concerned, is now easy in plastic. plus also easier.
Well that explains it… thanks matey
Lima Agreement
Not sure what that has to do with my video, but thanks anyway :)
Interesting figures there chap. I wouldn't have guessed that Europe (depends how you measure Europe) outstrips N American sales by a goodly amount. It makes me wonder why so many companies spend so much time releasing American subjects as kits in that case.
They release what they think modellers want and will buy… they don’t drive the subject choice… sadly we do!
You mean to tell me you don’t have enough spitfire kits yet? Lol
👍
Thanks for the thumbs up
Why do you have to pick on me for building a V-8 pleasure machine for my wife?
Oh so it was you! Can I get the plans please?
Horses for courses
Wombats for holes…
If 'Plastic Model Kits' include Warhammer which sells many hundreds of thousands of dollars of plastic kits - most of that in Europe and US...
Including Games Workshop kits will skew your take on the 'scale model' market tremendously
I think the Warhammer and other figure kits are resin, not injected styrene plastic. So they are not included in these statistics.
Most warhammer stuff is plastic now, it depends how they define model kits. My kid used to build planes and tanks but now it’s all warhammer he’s interested in and that stuff is bloody expensive. 😆
Of course it's old rich farts like us who are beyond spending all their money on Porsches, Harleys and girls that can afford expensive models. Although I have enough kits to build one every week for the next 30 years or so, I still buy plenty of new ones, with a major focus on ICM and other Ukrainian companies. 2 in 1 supporting the hobby AND the Ukrainian economy.
Nice sentiment, although the kits from the Ukraine were most likely exported before the war and are being sold from old warehouse stock. I don’t think there would be much manufacturing going on in a war torn country right now. Unless ICM has moved manufacturing to Poland?
@@HarryHoudiniModels No, they develop and manufacture everything in-house in Kiev. Who knows they may also be supplying plastic components for weapons? th-cam.com/video/jkdMByUnYTI/w-d-xo.html