Ferrari 599GTB fiorano!!!FUJIMI's new releasing!!!

Guys i feel very exciting to share with you this,FUJIMI is planning to release the new ferrari 599GTB fiorano!i hope it's not a repost.just check it out!http://www.geocities.jp/hobbyshows/japan/shizuoka/pla/06.htm

And there is a Porsche Cayman sitting next to the 599.

Guys i feel very exciting to share with you this,FUJIMI is planning to release the new ferrari 599GTB fiorano!i hope it's not a repost.just check it out!http://www.geocities.jp/hobbyshows/japan/shizuoka/pla/06.htm

They're quick! But IMHO i think the 599 and 612 are so absolutely ugly :rolleyes: I was a real Ferrari Enthusiast, but I like almost every Ferrari until the F430, after that, it went downhill with the design.... too bad.

But I notice also the Lamborghini Concept! I like that :iceslolan

also the new MX-5 Miata kit is going to be full detail. notice the open hood and motor detail (hopefully its not a flat plate like the Golf kit)

Yeah it's a repost but we're excited enough to let it slide :wink:

I didn't like the 599 much until I saw one w/Challenge-style rims in a color other than red. The pentagram rims are creepy...:evillol: :uhoh: :rofl:

I have some ideas to restyle it, sort of like I did w/the Scaglietti which is too boring for a Ferrari. If the ride height was lowered and the rear-facing side vent were removed it will look a lot cleaner. Most people hate the taillights; I love them. The car harkens back somewhat to the 275 GTB and Veyron wants to assassinate me every time he hears me say that :lol: I'll reserve final judgement on it until I see one in person.

F430's are a bit over-detailed; they're decent in some colors but in standard Ferrari red they look kind of cheap.

The Cayman is the biggest surprise. If one looks at a Tamiya Boxster and 996 or GT3 chassis, you see that they are basically the same, except the engines are mounted 180 degrees apart; the rear axles are in the same place, the wheelbase and basic suspension mounting points are the same. Fujimi has a chance to start with the Cayman and do the Boxster, and then insert the chassis mold to accept the rear engine/exhaust setup and do up some 911 variants. Anyone for a 997 Turbo, GT2 or GT3?? I hope they do a Tech Art Cayman, would be a natural. It's better to see Fujimi doing these cars, as Fujimi is known to get a lot of mileage out of kit variations, something Tamiya never exploited very well; why they never did 996 turbo and GT2 is baffling :shakehead

They Cayman and the full detail MX-5 are super exciting. What's with the tiny models in front? I read they Lamborghini is going to be 1:43, but it looks like a 1:43 IS and one that's even smaller. Are these just proportion tests or test shots of actual kits/models?

The Cayman is the biggest surprise. If one looks at a Tamiya Boxster and 996 or GT3 chassis, you see that they are basically the same, except the engines are mounted 180 degrees apart; the rear axles are in the same place, the wheelbase and basic suspension mounting points are the same.

Actually the wheelbase of Cayman/Boxster are longer than that of 997.

Fujimi has a chance to start with the Cayman and do the Boxster, and then insert the chassis mold to accept the rear engine/exhaust setup and do up some 911 variants. Anyone for a 997 Turbo, GT2 or GT3?? I hope they do a Tech Art Cayman, would be a natural. It's better to see Fujimi doing these cars, as Fujimi is known to get a lot of mileage out of kit variations, something Tamiya never exploited very well; why they never did 996 turbo and GT2 is baffling :shakehead

Hopefully Fujimi will bring us back to Porsche Heaven, like they did in the 80-90 with a full line of 911. It has been very disappointing to be a Porsche model fan for a long time.

Wheelbase is indeed longer on Cayman; 95.1" vs. 92.5" on 996/997. They look identical on the Tamiya kits, but I checked w/calipers and the Boxster wheelbase is the proper length (3.96") and the GT3 was 3.9", slightly long but w/in assembly tolerance. So I was wrong :uhoh: Be that as it may, that's easy to deal with when designing a new kit from scratch, but it may not be necessary. If Fujimi thinks the Cayman is worth kitting, then they must be thinking higher than that as well. It's kinda sad that we're getting to the point of no longer needing nor thinking Tamiya :frown: Times have surely changed.

It's kinda sad that we're getting to the point of no longer needing nor thinking Tamiya :frown: Times have surely changed.

I don't find it sad. As long as someone is kitting the cars I want to build, I am anything but sad. And Fujimi has been very impressive lately. Times have changed, but so have cars, models, and us :icon16:

I don't find it sad. As long as someone is kitting the cars I want to build, I am anything but sad. And Fujimi has been very impressive lately. Times have changed, but so have cars, models, and us :icon16:

I guess I won't bitch (you don't know how much I wanted to add a two-letter prefix starting with "M" to that word) :uhoh: :icon16: :wink: too much if the models I really want that are traditionally associated with Tamiya are done by Fujimi; but I do miss the precision and attention to detail, and make no mistake-Fujimi is getting good but they're NOT Tamiya, not even close, they never were when they were kitting new Enthusiast kits either. There's that certain something that Tamiya does (did :frown: ) so well that nobody else has yet to achieve. I'm am certainly glad that the once moribund Fujimi is kickin' ass. I'm still shocked that Tamiya is now basically out of the sports car business. Anyone remember the time a few years back when Fujimi had done nothing for a looooong time, and it was speculated that they were going under. Then out of nowhere they did a new kit, the Toyota MR-S.

also the new MX-5 Miata kit is going to be full detail. notice the open hood and motor detail (hopefully its not a flat plate like the Golf kit) I bet it's going to be similar to the engines in their Murcielago and Gallardo kits, but still it doesn't look so bad. (and the price is right too--by today's standard, that is.)
http://www5f.biglobe.ne.jp/~artforce/shb/shb.htm (http://www5f.biglobe.ne.jp/%7Eartforce/shb/shb.htm)

> ZoomZoomMX-5
As far as car kits are concerned, Tamiya's engravings are no way near as detailed as AMT or Revell (compare alternators or a/c compressors for example), and Tamiya bodies are usually inaccurate because they're deliberately exaggerated. So it's not that Tamiya is always better. What makes Tamiya so good is the fitting of parts, and that makes the construction easy, giving the impression that Tamiya is good. But that's one of the fundamental requirements that all manufacturers should meet, and if someone else can do it, I think it's okay to give Tamiya a little break, until they recover from the slump.

I'm thrilled about the 599, and that Cayman's more than I would have hoped for.

Very kool...

I realize that Tamiya has it's faults, but honestly I simply don't have that glow of satisfaction upon completing any Fujimi kit that I'd get building nearly any Tamiya kit. There's always been something on the Fujimi kit to tell me that it clearly wasn't in Tamiya's league. Doesn't stop me from buying or enjoying the kit, but I'm spoiled by Tamiya's superior part quality and assembly ease. I don't mind the tradeoff for some engraving details when the kit simply fits as intended and I've spent much less time prepararing the parts for paint and assembly. No Revell, AMT or Fujimi engine yet has fallen together so perfectly as the ones in my Mercedes 600 or 360 Modena or any of the Tamiya motorcycles I've built. That Mercedes engine can be completely assembled dry without any glue while test-fitting, and boy does it fit.

I don't think Tamiya's car bodies are exagerated! Compare the Fujimi SLK and Tamiya SLK. The Tamiya's body was spot on, while the Fujimi body was soft and bloated.

Getting back on track (this thread was about the 599 GTB at one time :wink: ), wonder how they'll accomplish parts of the 599 model. Will it have any engine detail? Will the airfoil/buttresses be in scale? They'll have to be made separate (they're separate on the 1:1) and they'll be fairly delicate to fit precisely. I hope they'll also kit an optional-parts version like the F430, with Challenge-style rims and the more aggressive sport seats.

Wonder if Revell is also planning this car?

The 599 should be banned real and in scale...but since it's being kitted I might have to make a 599 GTC Prodrive to go with the 612 GTC. It could look alright in that form.

I'm very happy with news, and I agree with ZoomZoomMx5: I would have it from Tamy, I don't know why but they're back compare Fuji vitality, However to stay in the matter I'm just courious to see how they've done the rear glass and the two side roof's coloured parts (spell?) I hope they don't take in consideration the shortcut.

And I'm sure It's a curbside, like the maranello and the 430. But at least don't we have a lot of cheap scangi around?

Im hoping that Fujimi opens up a US division so the prices will drop.:)

Im hoping that Fujimi opens up a US division so the prices will drop.:)

..but tamiya somewhat has a US division, and their prices are still high:frown:

599 GTB - not fussed
Cayman - you little ripper! :)

Im hoping that Fujimi opens up a US division so the prices will drop.:)

Erm...a little Econ 101 is in order. If Tamiya's, Fujimi's or any other kits were produced in the US they would cost a lot more...higher wages, government restrictions etc. all go into the costs of the product which in turn are past a long to you the consumer.

That's why all models are made elsewhere already.:)

The 599 should be banned real and in scale...but since it's being kitted I might have to make a 599 GTC Prodrive to go with the 612 GTC. It could look alright in that form.

Can't wait to see the 1/18 scale resin conversion from Hong Kong :wink: :evillol:

Can't wait to see the 1/18 scale resin conversion from Hong Kong :wink: :evillol:

Buzz kill.:(

The 599 should be banned real and in scale...but since it's being kitted I might have to make a 599 GTC Prodrive to go with the 612 GTC. It could look alright in that form.

Cool...... someone has to develop the prototype.:evillol:

Erm...a little Econ 101 is in order. If Tamiya's, Fujimi's or any other kits were produced in the US they would cost a lot more...higher wages, government restrictions etc. all go into the costs of the product which in turn are past a long to you the consumer.

That's why all models are made elsewhere already.:)

I think he means that he hopes Fujimi opens a Fujimi America division like Tamiya America, so that distribution cost will fall. Fujimi and Aoshima kit pricing here is way out of wack with what they're costing in Japan, while Tamiya kits are a little more in line.

I think he means that he hopes Fujimi opens a Fujimi America division like Tamiya America, so that distribution cost will fall. Fujimi and Aoshima kit pricing here is way out of wack with what they're costing in Japan, while Tamiya kits are a little more in line.

That won't lower cost, Tamiya just has a different distribution philosophy. They have offices all over the world.

A funny thing happened in the late 80's or 90's. MRC (Model Rectifier Corporation) was the Tamiya US distributor. Tamiya prices were higher than all the other Japanese manufacturers.

Tamiya decided to open their own US offices, and take over their own distribution, dumping MRC. Fujimi then decided to take up with MRC. Overnight the costs of Tamiya kits went down, and Fujimi kits went WAY up, and well above Tamiya! Made zero sense, and that's when Fujimi sort of fell from grace from the US and now doesn't really have an "official" US distributor; MRC's markup basically killed sales. Seems the distributors in the US can't buy them cheap enough in Japan, add their cut, and sell the models for a similar dollar value as in Japan, so they're more expensive here. Some of the prices I see in hobby shops of Fujimi kits is at extortion level; and I complain about sketchy Trumpeter kits selling for $40 when Fujimi kits with 1/4 the detail (attempt to) sell for more than that. I've seen Stevens' wholesale prices for Fujimi kits, often higher or just the same as we buy them from HLJ. That's why Fujimi kits are about 40% more expensive in US hobby shops than from HLJ.

If Fujimi really wanted US distribution, which I think they could care less about, they could do their own distribution here like Tamiya. By not doing so, and using middlemen, their prices are higher. Hobbylink benefits the most from the fact that Japanese companies, aside from Tamiya, don't really see much benefit from distributing in the US. I've gotten used to putting in an order from Hobbylink, I don't need to buy those kits at a hobby shop if the prices are going to be so stupid.

Never heard of Bluefin? They have been the official importer of Fujimi and Aoshima products for the past 3 years. If you happen to pay more than $10 above the Japanese retail price, your local hobby store is probably using someone else. The problem is those stores can't switch their distributors overnight because they have established business relationships to maintain.

What makes the cost higher in the US is because the country is so big that the domestic shipping won't come cheap. Ideally, if Fujimi accepts orders from each retail store, then the retail price will be much cheaper, but that's not how the business works, so we still have to pay a small fee to those who carry our kits several thousand miles from Shizuoka.

Besides, Tamiya doesn't make money by selling plastic models, and Fujimi doesn't have R/C other divisions to cover the loss, so I don't think opening a US subsidiary will affect the retail price of Fujimi (and Aoshima) kits in the US.

And just to be the ass that i am.... I really could care less because no one is covering Motorsports right now!?! Whats going on? Tamiya has thrown a few bones here and there with there diecast chassis kits but where are the plastic 550's, GT-3's, etc... in Motorsport form? Is the aftermarket really killing the plastic market for new plastic releases? What was the last plastic Japanese made LeMans kit that isnt a re-issue? Resin kits must be so cheap that the plastic guys cant compete:rolleyes: :rolleyes: Ive given up on plastic, it seems to be dead thanks to R/C and Diecast. RIP plastic it was nice while it lasted.

You know, going of freakmech’s comments Taimya, Fujimi or any kit from Japan etc are pretty pricey in the UK. Most of the latest kits retail at around £20 - £30.

Revell (ROG) seem to release new kits at about £14 a pop. Pretty affordable, but then Revell can distribute in Europe pretty well, despite mostly being produced in China. I think ROG kits are produced in Poland and Revell Monogram in china?

I cannot afford to take up Resin building. The Resin kits are hugely expensive to me. I’d rather pay £30 for plastic, then pay £120 + for a lower detailed (in most cases) resin model. My finances, and my model budget do not allow me to drop £200+ per build. I budget for £60 - £80 per model, including aftermarket, CF decals, paint and if needed brushes and tools….

So, if plastic is dead then I guess so is my hobby. Anyhow, before I get moaned at for complaining of kit quality etc.. All I’ll say is that I doubt I’ll be converting to the Resin crowd anytime soon, simply as Resin is too darn expensive.

I've known about Bluefin for several years (Andy from Scale Auto/Fine Scale told me about them) and though they are official they've hardly made much a dent or a difference in the market as far as I can see; hobby shop prices for Fujimi/Aoshima are still sky-high anywhere I've seen them and selection isn't great. Bluefin isn't going to be able to make Fujimi nor Aoshima mainstream in the US unless they can price the models significantly less, and even then they're fighting a difficult battle. Maybe as more Aoshima kits trickle into Hobby Lobby they'll make a bit of a dent. They can thank the previously lousy importers and attitudes and high prices for the lack of support from the hobby shops that also have been brutalized by this country's emphasis on Wal Mart and how it's affected the hobby and what's available. It's hard enough for a hobby shop to sell a $17 retail AMT or Revell kit when they sell for $10 or less at Wal Mart or mail order. No wonder $30-$50 import kits aren't flying off the shelves nor are easy to find; shops tend to avoid them unless someone asks for them specifically. A hobby shop in the US that happily caters to model car builders and gives them at least a token discount and gets the desired models and aftermarket stuff in regularly and in a timely fashion and keeps a good stock is an extremely rare commodity. I can't count on any of my local hobby shops in Atlanta or within a 3 or more hour drive having anything but glue and some paint. It's a wasteland out there, I can only count on mail order to keep me happy and supplied. HLJ has the new stuff immediately, and I don't have to drive across town to get it. It used to be a tradition on Saturday morning to hit the hobby shop to see what's new, and there was almost always something worth the trip. Now I can't even count on finding a can of primer or clear I might need.

As for kit subject matter, yes it is a PITA that we have to buy resin of many road racing/LeMans subjects. Tamiya is the only source aside from Revell's C5R/C6R. Most of the problem starts from licensing issues and trickles down from there, cost only being a partial problem there. It's a lot more work just to get a competition subject on the shelf-every decal/contingency sticker/mfg. has to get their licensing agreement/fee, and some manufacturers such as Aston Martin/VW/Audi have effectively priced their licenses out of the mainstream market. The aftermarket guys sell few enough to skirt licensing, or roll the fee into the already high price. And we can thank the US steamroller of NASCAR from keeping interest in other subjects at bay. Kit manufacturers will chase whatever they think can make them money. Too few people in the US know or care about LeMans, and even fewer are willing to build them. Like it or not, we're a fringe element when it comes to taste, subject matter, and subject availability. We'd have to completely revolutionize the way motorsports is viewed in the US before LeMans subjects are on the radar of mainstream kit manufacturers. It's a shame that Tamiya has retreated from their previous position. It might take a startup company like Accurate Miniatures to try to get plastic kits out that satisfy a smaller market, at a price in-between plastic and resin.

It's amazing sometimes that we get kits of anything anymore :shakehead

I agree that license fees have strangled the producers from releasing some of the Le Mans cars etc most yearn for. In the early 90’s you’d have the pick of the bunch, now we all lament the lack of subjects from the big T and other plastic kit producers.

This is something that has been discussed many times before. It’s not going to change, and as I’ve not got the money to delve into the Resin Market, I seriously doubt the hobby would hold much interest to me if it all went resin only, unless I get a much better paid job, and can afford to purchase the Resin kits.

I’ve looked over resin kits so many times, really wanted to buy some, but the cost is simply too much. I have no idea how some of you afford such lavishly expensive models. I sometimes begin to feel that model making is part skill, part how big your wallet is.

Its little wonder the once pocket money hobby is now overrun by adults trying to relive their childhood, as these are mostly the only ones who can afford this, at times, hideously expensive hobby. A plastic kit offers a cheaper way to build a scale model that can be expanded upon by aftermarket. Meaning a plastic Le mans could in affect cost £20, + say £15 for paints, or plus another £50 - £100 on aftermarket. It’s your choice, cheapo model, or enhanced to be as big as your wallet.

With Resin, it’s £100+ just for the kit, and then you need countless aftermarket parts, books or reference materials, specialist tools, even lathes to turn out something that a plastic kit can offer for a fraction of the price. Sadly, if it continues like it currently is, soon I’ll be priced out the market, and this isn’t good at all for the hobby.

All this discussion makes great reading but I thought this thread was about the Ferrari 599GTB.

Forum rule #1: All threads must be derailed.

All this discussion makes great reading but I thought this thread was about the Ferrari 599GTB.

It is! Read between the gazillion lines, and you'll see that for me to get a Fujimi 599 GTB Fiorano in the US will require an order through HLJ unless I want to hand over an arm, leg, and my firstborn to a local hobby shop that probably won't have it until 2008 at the earliest :wink:

Great news!
BTW: Take a look at Revells Superamerica, doesn´t look bad at all!

http://www.geocities.jp/hobbyshows/japan/shizuoka/pla/37.jpg

I think i will buy it as soon as i detect it in my LHS.:grinyes:

this is going to be one of those rare occasions that a Revell Ferrari kit will be better then a Fujimi. The Revell kit not only has the correct wheels, but also a full detail engine. kudos to Revell, good job on this one, I'm gonna wait to see (and expect it will) end up in a Revell USA box

Well as a rebuttal, my wallet isnt that big, but i could say i do spend more then i should. But to justify my statement lets take a trip back to the early- mid 90's. This is when companies put money into the tooling for a road car, made some bucks and but that back into modifying the tooling to produce the race versions of the releases. Now they just take the money and run. in the Past 6-7 years ive bought so many plastic kit just because they were new and somewhat interesting, and because there was a lack of new Motorsport subjects. These kits are still sitting on my shelf to this day collecting dust. So i dont see the fault in buying a few resin kits a year of interesting race subjects instead of buy hoards of plastic kits that only semi-interest me just to fullfill my hobby allowance, and justifying it by telling myself its "only $15-$30 dollars". My point was and is, who really wants to build a 599, i mean really wants to build one, and have been waiting forever for it to come out? Not many but we will still buy them up because what else are we gonna spend our money on. Its silly and id rather invest money on kits im going to actually enjoy building. Id rather see these companies reissue there older kits then to see more substandard but "safe" releases. Its like they have this idea, well its a Ferrari so i know its going to sell. And i bought into that for a long time. I bought every Porsche and Ferrari that came my way cause i thought "im a model builder this is what im supposed to do". Then i got to thinking, well where are the Maseratti's, Aston Martins, etc.... The big companies have there safety nets out and release these safe brands cus eventually we will walk into a hobby shop with with $40 to burn and there wont be crap we really want so might as well get that new 599. Screw that im not buying into it anymore, im going after the cars i really want to build, at whatever cost. In the long run im still spending the same kind of money but now, for the first time in a while im actually excited about building again, not just doing it cus thats what i do. Sorry for the rant, i feel better now, and this is just my own opinion. But when you pick up that 599 box (ugly car) at the hobby shop, think about why your actually going to buy it, is it a beautiful car that must be in your display case or is it it only slightly newer and or better then the other kits on the shelf?

Chad, I have a basement full of stuff like that, but it's a bunch of now almost worthless "Americana" kits, and I built a lot of it before but it just doesn't interest me much anymore. I'd love to cut about 90% of my collection so I can focus on the stuff I really want to build. I like new Ferraris, I enjoy building them. I build very few race cars, I prefer vintage racers over new subjects. As for resin I have a LeMans Miniatures McLaren F1 Gulf Livery, a Jaguar XKE Lightweight, and Quick Skins Corvette GTP. All are way cool and will make for some fine building memories and finished results, and they're subject matter that the "majors" all but ignore. I'll buy the 599 because I like the car, and because I would also like to do my own "coachbuilt" custom variant based on it as I feel it's not Ferrari's finest styling. Subject matter is a matter of personal preference, you're doing the wise thing by honing in on buying exactly what YOU want, and not buying something merely to satisfy some other objective (peer pressure, a great price, whatever). But remember what you like/don't like isn't necessarily the same for the next guy. I've cut back my kit purchases severely. Fujimi and Revell are still making models that I feel I have to have, because I love the subject and want to build it. And dammit I'm hating Model Factory Hiro's prices; I'm going nuts over the Climax/Aston DB4 Zagatos because I've got this mental hurdle of spending much more than $100 on a kit, but it's a car I'd kill to build. I'd trade 100 boring kits for that in a heartbeat.

Aston Martins and Maseratis are a harder sell than Ferraris, and again the licensing fees may make them impossible for the majors, so you're stuck with resin or nothing. But I can live w/that to some extent if the resin is nice...and exclusivity is cool...the chances of the same model being built and at a show are less.

Yeah and i did claim this is my own opinion, but im just looking at stacks of kits and asking why did i buy that? I will still buy every Porsche kit but thats a fetish thing LOL. Im not targeting the 599 im just using it as an example. I know the average modeller buys what he builds but alot of us (Bob;) ) get kind of obsessive over this new kit thing. I thing Revell of Germany and Fujimi are doing some great things. And ill buy 10 Fujimi 917Ks in my life time but it just seems alot of kits being put out are just to safe and carry no shelf life.. No one is taking any chances any more. And of course im biased because i truely love Motorsports. I know the business of things make some kits hard to liscense and cost versus sales in an issue but i thing if more companies stepped up and took more chances they would be surprised by the sales of some more off the wall kits. Hell Revell in the 80's put out a kit for every prototype that hit the show curcuit and they didnt go out of business. Sure some releases would be flops but other would be very sucessful. Revell rolled the dice with the Tuner "series" which was not well recieved, why not a "vintage racer" series, or "economy car series" to see if that dooes any better. I just think if they took more chances and explored more avenues they might hit onto something big. But everything is so safely played now, we will never see great kits like Tamiyas 1/12 935 or Fujimis 365, or "fill in the blank" of kits you love but are impossible to find. Granted the new Fujimi Subies are great kits but do you see yourself wanting to build one 5 years from now? 10 years from know? I want timeless kits, not just the new and trendy. Most the kits on my shelves wore out there appeal in a year or so, cool new car... until the next new thing comes along. I could go on and but i wont, i just think this hobby is in alot of trouble if these major companies dont start thinking of the future. Sure youll sell gads of Ferarris and 50's reissues now, but what about the modellers in 10, 20 , 30 years, what are you going to reissue for them? A 599 of no historical meaning or clout, the Eclipse tuner? Ive lost my whole point here.... sorry, i just think the stated of this hobby is predictable and getting boring with few surprises far and few between. Sure the 40-60 year olds are in hog heaven with the reissues but in 20 years when there not around whats going to be on the plate for the newer generations of builders? Most guys my dads age or older can bash a few kits together and replicate there first car, how many people under 35 can say the same thing?OK ill stop now, im flogging a dead horse....:frown:

Man, what a long thread with a lot of long posts! :D

And an unusual subject, too - nobody is producing the right kits! j/k

Some of you guys have been building so long, I think maybe you've done most kits twice. Me, I on my sixth so everything in my stash is still fresh, virgin territory to me.

On the subject or resin kits, I am seriously considering selling off my ridiculously huuuge pile of "generic" plastic kits that I will probably never build and investing the same money in a couple/few resin kits of cars that a) I would really like to build; and b) haven't already seen 664 times on the forums. In other words get some nice Aston and Jaguar kits!!

IMHO many (not all) resin kits represent good value for money. They can offer an interesting unique subject, they include PE details, metal wheels and good liveries. I think that some times when you add up the investment made in a generic plastic kit to bring it "up to spec" you are almost at the resin threshold anyway.

Just wanted to get that off my chest (forum rule #2) - thanks

Freakmech, please I wasn’t calling your Mr Money Bags. Just in case this was what you was thinking. The thread as totally gone off the rails, and back to the old “we aren’t getting the kits we want”. I’m getting pretty adapt at churning on about the same thing…

I guess the only resolve for me, is to save my pennies and buy a Resin Kit. But, £100 + for one kit. It does leave a lump in your throat as you try and justify it. The way I see it, a plastic kit is a good induction to model building, whereas resin, so much can go wrong… My only dabble into resin came in the form of an SAS transkit, and it was a disaster. The resin was so messy, I couldn’t clean it up. Mostly this was down to lack of knowledge, tools and basically being obstinate, and complacent with the “little” skill I had.

Imagine someone new to model building, and ALL there was to buy is expensive resin. I’m pretty sure the hobby would fold very soon. Therefore the plastic releases are needed, and more then ever before… I gone on about kit quality before, but only as I pay money for these kits, and I want to get value for money. I’m a total tightwad at times, so will always look for the better deal.

To me, I’d rather buy a £25 Tamiya F2001 then a £130 + Studio 27 resin kit, and the tamiya has more detail, as it’s not curbside… To me, that’s better value, EVEN with £40 worth of SMS CF and P/E.

And this is why I don’t like what I’m seeing…. The DB9 that I’ve just seen built is another model I’d love to get. But, it’s too expensive… And I’ve heard it’s not that accurate either.. Great. Only the very cream of model builders, with big budgets can afford and have this model and make it look right. Jealousy, yep.. of the fact I can’t build it, and can’t afford it….

Oh well..

On the topic of kit prices...

That thing that gets me everytime I'm in a hobby shop, and I see the $30 - $40 (- $50!!!) price tags on the Japanese kits, is that every single one of them has the MSRP in yen right there on the box.

I happen to follow the yen conversion, because tons of stuff I'd love to buy (in 1/24 and in 1/1) is from Japan...

So it's like I'm standing there, and I can see that the shop is putting a $32 price sticker over the "$18" printed right on the box. :banghead:



Inflamatory statement of the week:
"Fujimi, Aoshima and Hasegawa should make a deal with Wal*Mart." :evillol:

Back on topic here. Anyone interested in seeing some video of the 599 Fiorano???

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/23/video-ferrari-599-gtb-fiorano-test/

Going to take some getting used too, but I like the wheels and the detuned Enzo engine...

Chris

On the topic of kit prices...

That thing that gets me everytime I'm in a hobby shop, and I see the $30 - $40 (- $50!!!) price tags on the Japanese kits, is that every single one of them has the MSRP in yen right there on the box.

I happen to follow the yen conversion, because tons of stuff I'd love to buy (in 1/24 and in 1/1) is from Japan...

So it's like I'm standing there, and I can see that the shop is putting a $32 price sticker over the "$18" printed right on the box. :banghead:



Inflamatory statement of the week:
"Fujimi, Aoshima and Hasegawa should make a deal with Wal*Mart." :evillol:


Last "important" releases from Tamiya (Carrera GT, Enzo Ferrari or Peugeot 307) cost here in Spain nearly 60 euro, something like 66 or 68 USD. Our distributor is just stupid :(

Hasegawa has another distributor and their prices are more normal, I bought some weeks ago the new Impreza for 28 euro, something like 33 or 34 USD.

Fujimi, Aoshima... You cannot buy that brands here in Spain :(

i just cant wait these two cars.