Moebius Proteus, milking it

[whitestar12chris]

Looking forward to Moebius's upcoming release in 1/35 of the Proteus from Fantastic Voyage, all the test shots look amazing with a fully detailed interior. see link;

 

http://www.monstersinmotion.com/cart/spaceships-vehicles-item-listj-c-13_192/fantastic-voyage-1-32-proteus-model-kitinterior-moebius-p-21145

 

But i cannot dismiss the fact that they are milking their new releases, an additional $35 for a set of crew figures that look awful, thats not Raquel as i remember her or Donald Pleasence, see link

 

www.monstersinmotion.com/cart/popup_image/pID/23263

 

also they are doing the same with the BSG Raptor, with you having to buy the weapons pack seperately.

 

All the best Chris

[Stu_davros]

I'm also looking forward to this release, I've still got a Lunar models vac formed one in the stash.

Those figures are a waste of time and effort though, anyone could convert some 35th figures to look better than that.

 

Cheers,

Stuart

Edited March 8, 2017 by Stu_davros

[Richard Baker]

I believe that Proteus Crew is not by Moebius but an aftermarket company, two have said already they are producing figures for this kit.

It is not so much Moebius is 'milking it' but trying to keep the costs lower so more people can afford the kit. If they were to produce an accurate crew they would have to pay for the use of the actors likenesses 

 

Similar thing with the Raptor- the basic kit is going to be expensive and by offering the weapons pack as a separate item they fill a need without every buying having to pay for something they do not wish for. 

 

Moebius is a small company and wants as many people to buy kits as possible so they get a good return on investment. Big kits sell in low volumes, IIRC the Jupiter 2 did not sell as well as anticipated which surprised them. Adding a Crew or weapons pack adds to an already expensive kit and could be enough to push it out of the reach of a lot of people. I have a very limited hobby budget myself and have had to often choose between one big kit or a number of smaller ones dspite how much I want the big one.

[Caerbannog]

20 hours ago, Richard Baker said:

(...) I have a very limited hobby budget myself and have had to often choose between one big kit or a number of smaller ones dspite how much I want the big one.

 

Know this too well - I do not buy a 100 Euro kit and the next couple of weeks I bought some bargains of subjects which I like but which I would not have considered at their normal price. In the end I have spend as much money for several nice-to-have kits then on one which I really want.

 

Back to Moebius I understand the philosophy to keep the cost down, but if I buy the Proteus kit I would want to have crew figures in this detailed interior. So I will have to keep the extra expenses in mind. Those who do not "need" figures will be happy not to pay for them. Now how about lightning? :-)

I think Moebius decision is reasonable. Not all who buy and build this kit will build it the same way. Some will build OOB, others will add tons of extras. To provide a complete base kit with full interior (should be mentined...) and leave the extras to the customer makes sense in this price range. I think the kit is about 130 USD without Figures. Including it would be maybe 150 USD or even more.

 

Btw.: I watched most episodes of BSG but never saw that armed Raptor. Where does it appear?

 

Besides: Others do it the same way. Hasegawa sells seperate weapon sets and does not include full weapons load in the kits. OK for me as I do usually not hang such bulky ordenance under my sleek jets ;-)

 

René

 

 

[Richard Baker]

Starship Modeler has it in the store now for $95.95 (plus shipping). 

I will get this kit eventually, it is a grail kit for me but I simply do not have the funds for a big model purchase right now. When I do so I will be getting an aftermarket crew to go inside- Drew of Crowsnest is going to release a great set. He made a magnificent 1:48 Proteus and does stellar figure work. He has closed up shop and moved his focus to the real world for now, but he said he will restart things just to produce the figures for the Moebius kit.

 

The Armed Raptor was seen in a couple of episodes briefly but was featured in their very last show- it was the craft that fired off the Nukes and destroyed the massive Cylon Headquarters thing that the Galactica rammed and boarded.