Question on new models

[shonin]

The biggest threat to plastic kits is definitely die cast. Look at the availability of die cast vs plastic kit at any major retail outlet or hobby stores.

The major competitive edge of die cast is the appeal to both young and old. That's a real killer for Tamiya and co whose plastic kits generally appeal to an older demographic.

That's why it makes perfect sense for me as to why Tamiya focuses on their r/c division. I see R/C as having greater appeal to a wider age range and demographic.

[CrateCruncher]

R/C parts are like printing your own money. There are hundreds of replacement and improvement parts. Consumers don't notice the high margin when it's a bunch of little stuff. $3.00 for a couple of screws is pretty profitable.

[drunken monkey]

I'm not ever convinced that die casts are a real threat to Tamiya's (or any other kit manufacturers') model kits.
Generally, speaking, people who build model cars do so because they like to build model kits.
Give anyone here a choice between a die-cast McLaren F1 and a kit McLaren F1 and there'd be no contest.
We as model builders only tend to buy a die cast when there is no other option.

Then there are car fans who buy a model of a car whether it be in kit or die cast form.

R/C is an altogether different market.
Yes there may be an overlap as ultimately they share a common theme (cars) but in my opinion, model kits =/= die-cast =/= r/c.

[guiwee]

Hey heres an idea!!
Is there any kind of statistical document that list sales?
I mean isnt that sort of stuff public knowledge.
I mean if im a stock broker I want to know which modeling company sold the
most kits right? There has to be a way to look at the numbers.
Or is that sort of stuff "inside information"? Dont companies have to list some sort of sales document. I.E. tamiya sold 3 million units in U.S....2 million in Asia..etc...

[guiwee]

Originally Posted by shonin

The biggest threat to plastic kits is definitely die cast. Look at the availability of die cast vs plastic kit at any major retail outlet or hobby stores.

The major competitive edge of die cast is the appeal to both young and old. That's a real killer for Tamiya and co whose plastic kits generally appeal to an older demographic.

That's why it makes perfect sense for me as to why Tamiya focuses on their r/c division. I see R/C as having greater appeal to a wider age range and demographic.

I agree with that to a certain extent. Those die-cast are really sweet. I picked up a magazine as a reference for a coupla kits I used.
Only problem is they can be really expensive too. Much more than a kit
be it tamiya or otherwise. Yes I know they have some that are cheap..(they look it too). But I think that die-cast stuff isnt for kids.more an adult thing. Am I right?.. I know I for one would never display something I didnt build, Whats the point? My buddies would go "hey I can buy that too!!".(lololol) Yes they can buy my kits too but it wont look like mine!!!!

[MPWR]

What are you trying to figure out?

Tamiya is a privately held company. They don't have to release any of that, and they choose not to.

[guiwee]

Originally Posted by MPWR

What are you trying to figure out?

Tamiya is a privately held company. They don't have to release any of that, and they choose not to.

Ouch!!! Hey I meant know offense. It was just idle speculation.I didnt know they were a privately owned company. Forget it. I was just wondering which kit manufacturer sold the most units or whatever.
I thought that stuff was public knowledge didnt mean to ruffle anyones
feathers. Just idle speculation from a thinker

[CrateCruncher]

Originally Posted by guiwee

...I think that die-cast stuff isnt for kids.more an adult thing. Am I right?.. I know I for one would never display something I didn't build, Whats the point?

A local friend that builds to a high level showed up one day with a bunch of CMC die-casts. They were impressive and I doubt I could build a kit for the price but...they were built by some slave girl in China, not by me. What is the point?

That same friend has resold most of his CMC's on Ebay. I guess he soon got bored looking at them and "flipped-em".

[MarcoSaupe]

Originally Posted by drunken monkey

We as model builders only tend to buy a die cast when there is no other option.
Then there are car fans who buy a model of a car whether it be in kit or die cast form.

I agree absolutely, but I think, we as "kit-only" customers are unfortunately not the majority. Like I said, in the racesim forum, there is someone, who used to build Tamiya F1 kits, but because of time and ability sold his kits and now buys die casts (and satisfies his building need by improving them e.g. with etched belts etc...), and he's not the only one. And considering the time we spend on a kit, buying a die cast is not expensive, either - I think that's also a major point, with more options to spend your time, less people have the time to build. When I visited the big Leipzig hobby and model fair, you had hundreds of built ships and planes, only a handful built racing cars, but several dealers with thousands of die cast cars...
You can probably get every WW2 plane in several variations in plastic, but less than half of the cars that won the F1 world championship.
I don't like it, but I fear that's the way it is.

[[email protected]]

mpwr i really apperciate what you have written.,very helpful

[CrateCruncher]

Marco, you make a good point. My friend with the CMC's has a wife and two adolescent age kids, two dogs, a cat, an aging house and a two hour commute. At this stage in his life there's not much time left to sit down and lose himself in a model build-up. Those high-detail CMC's seemed the perfect solution. But he eventually came to realize that simply owning the model wasn't that important to him. It was really the experience and gratification of seeing the model come together that gave him pleasure.

We all know the motivational benefits of sharing our WIP's on the internet. But the photo documentation is capturing the build experience in a bottle so we can reminisce decades from now about a great build. Die-cast kinda robs us of that experience.

I build and fly R/C airplanes. While that hobby isn't a perfect comparison to static display, there are some similarities. That industry has gone from a box of balsa sticks to Almost Ready to Fly (ARF) models that you drop an engine and radio in over a weekend. It has grown the size of the hobby by making it more accessible because people that just want to fly don't have to learn to build. But many retired builders with lotsa time also buy ARF's. Flying puts the plane in peril and they often say they don't have the emotional attachment to an ARF that they do with a hand built airplane so they tend to fly more relaxed. But they also go through a lot of airplanes because they get bored with them quickly and many folks no longer have the patience or up to date skills to build their own anymore. They love to talk about that plane they built 30 years ago though...."It was the best damn plane I ever flew....etc."

[MPWR]

Originally Posted by guiwee

Ouch!!! Hey I meant know offense. It was just idle speculation, didnt mean to ruffle anyones
feathers. Just idle speculation from a thinker

No offense taken, and none implied.

But really, what is the point?

Tamiya doesn't make car kits anymore- so what? There have been lots of fantastic kits produced- more than you or I or any of us could ever build.

Meanwhile speculating about stuff that we have no way of knowing about isn't going to do much. No amount of lamenting or applying clever deductions on our part is going to compel Tamiya to do anything.

Sure we can try blaming licensing fees, or diecasts, or video games, or evil money grubbing execs who hate model cars and builders, or kids these days, or freemasons for taking away our new kits- if it really makes us feel better. But does really it matter at all?? It's idle and uninformed speculation, that cannot change in any way the situation we're going on about.

I suppose it may be human nature to go on about the good old days (when Tamiya made great new car kits every week and dinosaurs happily built them) and lament their passing. But because things used to be one way does not mean that they can still be that way today. And a lack of new issues in no way keeps us from being able to enjoy modeling now.

[drunken monkey]

Originally Posted by MPWR

Sure we can try blaming .... freemasons for taking away our new kits- if it really makes us feel better.

I am compelled to say that catagorically that Freemasons have nothing to do with this.

[MPWR]

Do you think you could get me in? I were a mason I'd just sit at the back and not get in anyone's way.

[drunken monkey]

the official response is:

what masons?
there's nobody here 'cept us chickens.