Jump to content

1/144 - Lockheed C-5B & M (Super) Galaxy by Roden - C-5B & C-5M released - upgrade sets by Metallic Details


Homebee

Recommended Posts

On 7/28/2017 at 9:08 AM, mitchem said:

 

:idea:

 

The rainbow thing has just made sense now! It's a subliminal message from Roden telling us to :

  • follow the rainbow to the end
  • dig down and recover the gold
  • Pay for your Roden C-5

I wish more manufacturers were that thoughtful.

 

:clown:

 

 

 

 

I think you're probably right there though the badly painted rainbow might not have a pot of gold at the end.    

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a crazy, ridiculous price and despite the best efforts of the enthusiastic Pocketbond/Bachmann sales team there is absolutely no way that I will be buying this as a stock item. If somebody wants to order one I'll be happy to get it for them, but unfortunately it is symptomatic of what is happening a lot with some manufacturers.

 

Edited by T7 Models
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hoped the price is something like a hoax or strange marketing trick. They really stick to it??? Checking other Roden kits lately I noticed a price increase of their kits in general. They used to be very attractive but now not so much anymore I must say. But as you say - it happens a lot lately. Even a Chinese company started with crazy prices lately. Should this trend continue my stash might make me a millonaire someday. But I am affraid a C-5 will not be part of it.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 5:46 AM, sofiane1718 said:

Personnaly, I was waiting for the C-5M and the C-133 to arrive, wasn't planning to buy the C-5B, maybe they are trying to see how far they can go with this one, before the other two releases.

 

One word my friends: BOYCOTT this one, if you don't want to see all their future releases come at such ridiculous prices...

Boycotting Roden is unlikely to have any effect other than reducing the subjects they choose for production to those that will sell in large quantities (comparatively). You may feel that the maths on this kit are cruel, but as I pointed out earlier in this thread, it is not hard to see how the selling price was derived. Unlike the 1960's and 70's, kits are no longer a commodity item and a significant loss on any one release could easily jeopardise the survival of a company like Roden. If you want to see the C-5 kit selling in the $30-40 range then it probably needs to sell 10,000 copies at least, maybe double that. If the market at any price is even 2000 kits, I would be very surprised.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, T7 Models said:

It's a crazy, ridiculous price and despite the best efforts of the enthusiastic Pocketbond/Bachmann sales team there is absolutely no way that I will be buying this as a stock item. If somebody wants to order one I'll be happy to get it for them, but unfortunately it is symptomatic of what is happening a lot with some manufacturers.

 

How many C-5 kits do you think you could sell if the price were "right?" Let's say at half of what the MSRP on the Roden kit will be?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, VMA131Marine said:

Boycotting Roden is unlikely to have any effect other than reducing the subjects they choose for production to those that will sell in large quantities (comparatively). You may feel that the maths on this kit are cruel, but as I pointed out earlier in this thread, it is not hard to see how the selling price was derived. Unlike the 1960's and 70's, kits are no longer a commodity item and a significant loss on any one release could easily jeopardise the survival of a company like Roden. If you want to see the C-5 kit selling in the $30-40 range then it probably needs to sell 10,000 copies at least, maybe double that. If the market at any price is even 2000 kits, I would be very surprised.

 I'd be OK with $70-$90.

 

$165 is nuts, I can buy a new tool 1/32 Tamiya kit for less than that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, VMA131Marine said:

Boycotting Roden is unlikely to have any effect other than reducing the subjects they choose for production to those that will sell in large quantities (comparatively). You may feel that the maths on this kit are cruel, but as I pointed out earlier in this thread, it is not hard to see how the selling price was derived. Unlike the 1960's and 70's, kits are no longer a commodity item and a significant loss on any one release could easily jeopardise the survival of a company like Roden. If you want to see the C-5 kit selling in the $30-40 range then it probably needs to sell 10,000 copies at least, maybe double that. If the market at any price is even 2000 kits, I would be very surprised.

You're probably correct about the boycott. but, I think the apparent estimate of a market for 2000 kits (presumably world wide?) is absurdly low? Roden may have placed a relatively low market in their calculations but,I would suspect that it may turn out to be even lower  - largely due to the ludicrous price of the kit. I do not doubt your reasonable presentation of the business case but, as with all commodities, the price( be it a new TV, household appliance, new car or, even a model kit) is likely to be the final arbiter. Modellers will vote with their wallets and, very poor sales may force a rethink about pricing (or, probably more likely lead to withdrawal of the kit). Of course, the opposite may hold true and, demand might exceed  expectations?  I was actually in my local model shop yesterday and,  this kit (among others) arose for discussion. They will not be stocking this kit.

 

I do not profess to know how many C5 kits WOULD sell at a lower price but, if it were in your hypothetical $30 - $40 price range (that is £24 - £30)I would personally buy 2 - 3. I don't know if this is a valid comparison but, when Revell produced their Antonov AN-124 kit ( a broadly similar type), it was available in the UK for under £25 ($33) each. For any single 1/144 kit, I would not personally pay more than about £35 ($45). I think Roden may have shot themselves in the foot with this one!

Allan.

Edited by Albeback52
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Scooby said:

 I'd be OK with $70-$90.

 

$165 is nuts, I can buy a new tool 1/32 Tamiya kit for less than that.

:lol: I wouldn't pay $165 (£126) for ANY kit but, I am after all a tight fisted Scot! Joking apart, I would not personally pay more than about £35 ($45) for any 1/144 kit. Although maybe not a valid comparison, I can buy Revell's excellent 1/72 Airbus A-400 kit for £49.49 ($64.80). Kind of puts the price for the C-5 into some sort of perspective. This is now the second issue of the Revell kit. I wonder what Revell estimated the market was for the A-400?

 

Allan

Edited by Albeback52
Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be quite honest if you tool a kit like this and justify the £100+ price tag with that's what we need to price it at to break even then perhaps you should not of tooled it in the first place, i think this kit will deter revell or another major manufacturer from tooling one up at a cheaper price due to the poor sales the roden kit will likely attract, they will say it wasnt a great seller but they wont consider the over inflated price, perhaps roden should have left this subject to a larger manufacturer with deeper pockets, best go and buy a c-123 provider before the price goes stratospheric .

Edited by gavingav1
because i am a bad speller .
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, gavingav said:

To be quite honest if you tool a kit like this and justify the £100+ price tag with that's what we need to price it at to break even then perhaps you should not of tooled it in the first place, i think this kit will deter revell or another major manufacturer from tooling one up at a cheaper price due to the poor sales the roden kit will likely attract, they will say it wasnt a great seller but they wont consider the over inflated price, perhaps roden should of left this subject to a larger manufacturer with deeper pockets, best go and buy a c-123 provider before the price goes stratospheric .

Interesting and, very valid point. However, I don't think another manufacturer will necessarily be put off - especially if the ludicrously high price is a contributing factor to poor sales. I think rather they may see it as an opportunity to say "we can do better"? Using your quoted example of Revell, they managed to produce a superb kit of the Antonov AN-124 ( a broadly similar subject) at a very low price - I got mine for £22.95 each! 

 

Allan 

Edited by Albeback52
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, VMA131Marine said:

How many C-5 kits do you think you could sell if the price were "right?" Let's say at half of what the MSRP on the Roden kit will be?

 

If Roden did this one at £60, I would be tempted to have at least a couple in for stock, maybe more if I felt the interest was there -which it largely isn't. If they did it at £40, I'd have probably half a dozen and I would expect to sell them between now and Christmas.

 

gavingav raises a very valid point. If you need to sell a model for in excess of £100, it really needs to be a justifiable subject. A 1/32 Mossie or 1/24 Typhoon is; a 1/144 Galaxy, outside of the US market? I wonder. We often criticise the beancounters at companies such as Airfix, but they do provide a valid service. SWMBO is a beancounter by training* -and I often call her that to her face, usually from outside hitting range- but her analytical mind is able to step back and look at things coolly when I could get carried away and rush in. In Roden's case, their beancounters should surely be able to take a look at the projected costs to produce this model and how many they would have to sell at the price needed and say, whoa there. Are you sure about this?

 

 

*These days she is an auditor. She explains that whereas accountants go around a battlefield and count the dead, auditors will go around and bayonet the wounded to make sure of it.

Edited by T7 Models
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On reflection, Roden's price is close to what you might  expect to pay if the kit was being produced by one of the "cottage industry" manufacturers: for example some of Welsh Models' larger resin/vac form kits check out at just over £60.

 

18 minutes ago, T7 Models said:

*These days she is an auditor. She explains that whereas accountants go around a battlefield and count the dead, auditors will go around and bayonet the wounded to make sure of it.

 

Having been audited far too many times a good point well made.!

 

On a similar vein: how do you recognise an extrovert actuary - they look at your shoes when they're talking to you.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes T7, for the majority of us, spending north of £100 on a model kit is a once in a lifetime passion project that once we have spent the money we have immediate regrets, it's not the kind of money to fling around casually, i really do think roden have got their numbers wrong on this one , it's a kind of sell one at £100 or sell five at £20 scenario , revell have done very well for themselves knocking out state of the art 1/32 spitfire and messerschmitts at £20 .

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Scooby said:

 I'd be OK with $70-$90.

 

$165 is nuts, I can buy a new tool 1/32 Tamiya kit for less than that.

Which is irrelevant if the subject you want is a C-5.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Albeback52 said:

You're probably correct about the boycott. but, I think the apparent estimate of a market for 2000 kits (presumably world wide?) is absurdly low? Roden may have placed a relatively low market in their calculations but,I would suspect that it may turn out to be even lower  - largely due to the ludicrous price of the kit.

Do you know the story about the S&M Viscount kit? They produced 10,000 of them and this was the result: 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/SMKBOX

 

That's why the announced production of the upcoming 1/72 Canberra B.2/T.4 is only 1000 kits split among both variants. Demand for that aircraft you would think would be much higher than for a 1/144 C-5. So why do you think an estimate of 2000 sales is absurdly low? 

Edited by VMA131Marine
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, snapper_city said:

I built the S&M Viscount.  Not the worst kit in the world.

It's not a bad kit at all and I wasn't trying to suggest that it was. Just that it is very hard to find 10,000 punters for any new model aircraft kit these days that isn't a Spitfire, P-51, Bf 109, Fw 190, and maybe an F-16. There is a reason the large companies have all or most of these in their catalogues.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...