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Would people really pay that for a Wingnuts Jasta 5 set?


Beardie

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Hi all, I have to admit that life has been interfering with my pursuit of WWI Wingnuts kits and I was just surfing that well know auction site tonight to see what was currently for sale in the way of Wingnuts. There is one copy of the Wingnuts Jasta 5 set on there and the seller is asking just shy of 400 quid for it, are people really paying that sort of moolah?

Sure it's a really great set (I have three copies of it and they ain't for sale at anything less than an astronomical price which no-one would pay) but are people really willing to pay those sorts of prices?

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There’s always one Beard! 

The seller is probably half reluctant to sell it anyway and if he/she gets a good price for it, then it’s a good sale. It’s amazing what people pay for a number of things so the proof will be to watch it and see if it sells or (more than likely) just gets re-listed again at a lower price. 

 

There are things I’d pay more than the average for, and plenty of other model related items that I wouldn’t. The WNW product is not  in my overall area of interest, however if someone wants one desperately and that’s the going price - it is what it is. I normally try to sleep on these type of purchasing decisions and more often then not end up keeping my wallet shut and wife happy. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

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Ah well it's not a private seller trying to cash in on something from his stash but rather an online shop 'greentail models' so I don't think it's reluctance to sell rather than taking advantage of the fact that it is a 'sold-out' kit.

 

I suppose it isn't that surprising considering what people were prepared to pay for the Sopwith tripe and RE8 kits after they went Sold Out though.

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Look at it from the seller's perspective Marty, 'flying a kite' at that price and with zero auction cost if it doesn't sell means it's a win-win situation for that chap/lady isn't it.

 

The rate you knock these kits out, your own 3 sets won't be around too long anyway!

 

Cheers mate.

Gary

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Hi Gary, I guess that is true, the Wingnuts certainly have a secondary market that goes two to three times the purchase price or more once they are sold out so you are bound to get folks cashing in on them. The worry I guess is when it becomes so lucrative to sell on this secondary market that kits are snapped up the way concert tickets are with a view to making a killing as soon as they become unavailable. I suppose it is testament to how highly rated the Wingnuts kits are as well that people are willing to pay those high prices. I am hoping they come up with some sort of special on the RE8 at some point so that I can get at least one more of those. At the moment sadly continuing knocks on my finances don't allow the purchase of any kits at present so I am just window shopping. 

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I've just been mulling it over and one of the problems that the limited nature of the Wingnuts production runs creates a reluctance to build them once you have them. If you are not in what you perceive to be your, as the advertising types would put it, 'forever home', a situation I find myself in at the moment, you are loathe to build them and then need to transport your fragile little gems a year or even ten years down the line knowing that you won't be able to obtain another kit to build should they be damaged or destroyed in transit, especially if, like me, you find that your financial stability has taken some very hard knocks which make even replacing a non sold out kit almost impossible. 

 

The three Jasta 5 kits I have won't be built until I find myself in what I believe to be my 'forever home'. I have the idea in my head to build a flight line diorama of jasta 5 Albatri (Ideally I would like another three or more Albatri as I think I have decals to create 14 or more Jasta 5 machines) as they are seen in numerous photos. Obviously that would be one very large diorama, would require a lot of space that I don't currently have in my home and be pretty difficult to transport safely.

 

Jasta 5 aside I find it very difficult to crack open the box on any of my Wingnuts stash knowing that, with most of them, I will only have one or two chances to produce an outstanding model and can't just nip onto fleabay to replace a kit in the stash. I suspect that many people are in the same boat with these coveted kits and, God forbid, I ever find myself in a situation where I am forced to sell any of my stash in order to save the family from some financial disaster. I suspect that a lot of the kits that do come up for sale are from the stashes of people needing to free up some much needed cash in a hurry. 

 

It is an admirable mission that Wingnuts are on to create superb kits but it does have a certain selfish exclusivity to it at the same time. I have heard it stated "Why should we bother with re-issuing a kit we have already finished with when we can spend our time on creating new ones" well one answer could be - "In order to do the World War I modelling community a great service in allowing all to be able to have ready access to the kits without having to stretch already hard pressed budgets or trawl endlessly through fleabay listings etc. hunting the kits."

 

 

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I agree with the theory of waiting until life’s just perfect before cracking open some rare or expensive kits, however we should also be mindful that we probably have a ‘modelling sweet spot’ where ones skills tends to slowly diminish as we all get older. 

 

The trick is knowing when this period is? My 1/24 Typhoon is one such kit that springs to mind, so when that actually gets built is anyone’s guess. It will though at some stage - probably when I think my skills are better then what they actually are! 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

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I have been waiting to hit that 'sweet spot' for years now and I'm beginning to wonder if I will ever have it. The more I build the more faults I find with my builds. I could argue that I am getting but, at the same time, as my knowledge and skillset increases setting higher standards but I think the reality is that I am always battling my 'close enough' nature rather than going to extremes to get the 'perfect' finish.

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Hello Beardie, you have hit a bit of a raw nerve with me here. I have a few WNW kits including the Jasta 5 set and have become somewhat nervous at starting a new build from my collection.  I completed the Pflaz DVII and was not happy with the result so I bought another one ‘to do it properly ‘  this something that I can not do with the majority of my unmade WNW now.  I have the Felixstowe eyeing me nervously from the shelf - I don’t think it is ready yet btw

I do have a lot that I would like missing from the collection but they have gone and I am not paying the prices asked for.  On a positive note it is good to see the Pup has had a reprise even if you have a little man to paint! 😂 

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53 minutes ago, Beardie said:

@Bear Paw  Do you mean the Tripe? I haven't heard anything about a pup release.

Ah Yes I mean the Tripe, I have the Pup which I don’t want to start yet of course.  

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On 7/23/2018 at 10:03 AM, Bear Paw said:

Hello Beardie, you have hit a bit of a raw nerve with me here. I have a few WNW kits including the Jasta 5 set and have become somewhat nervous at starting a new build from my collection.  I completed the Pflaz DVII and was not happy with the result so I bought another one ‘to do it properly ‘  this something that I can not do with the majority of my unmade WNW now.  I have the Felixstowe eyeing me nervously from the shelf - I don’t think it is ready yet btw

I do have a lot that I would like missing from the collection but they have gone and I am not paying the prices asked for.  On a positive note it is good to see the Pup has had a reprise even if you have a little man to paint! 😂 

@Bear Paw @Beardie good few on re release with the 'little man' with them, including the red baron, and also the DH.2. It was only a matter of time before they came round again.

 

I've a couple stashed, including a felixstowe duelists, but reluctant to start any. My let out has been the 1/32 Roden equivalents,  cheap and cheerful, and if you can do that you can throw a WNW together I'm sure!

 

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235037045-new-from-wingnut-wings/

Edited by sailorboy61
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It is true Salior boy ( that doesn’t sound right!) I would like all but one of the new ‘little men’ releases (that being the Fokker). I wonder if there will be a market for the figures second hand?  

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It is interesting following this discussion.  I bought my first WNW at an IPMS Nationals in Wellington when the model first came out- It took about an hour to decide which one to spend my limited resources on.  I now have about 6 or 7 and after the first one have decided to wait until I get an airbrush before I risk starting the rest (up until now have been a member of the hairy stick fraternity).  I have no concerns about starting them rather than keeping them as a financial reserve but I am concerned about starting them until I can do them justice-  I think the idea of practicing on a much cheaper Roden is a good one (no offence intended).

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  • 5 weeks later...

it's more interesting to look at the SOLD auctions than the chancers asking high prices. 

it's also helpful if you're looking for an OOP edition---you know an under-market kit when you see one. i got a Gotha at a fair price (considering it's OOP). 


that said, the Re.8 really IS going that high. 

I'd never pay a mint for the Albatrio, i'd just get 3 of the Richtofen boxing, and buy or barter the decals i want. there are so many decal options someone's bound to have the ones you want. 

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Ah well I bought three of the Jasta V set because I want to do all the options one of these days. I did want four of the kit but I didn't have the cash but I do have copies of the three earlier Albatros boxings so have enough to do twelve Jasta V machines. In my minds eye I can see a big long diorama with hangars and them all lined up just like in the photo's. If Wingnuts do something similar with say a 56 Squadron trio I could then see the Albatri diorama mounted, like a shelf, along one will with an opposing 'shelf' on the opposite wall with a dio of SE5a's or Camels or etc. etc. lined up on their airfield. 😁

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@Beardie i've got 2 of the kits but i'm only doing 3 crates as Jasta V, so i may have some extra decals if you need... 

for the record i paid retail, second one was one of the last 3 at Weta.... 

 

but i paid a mint for the sold out Gotha... to be fair, it was still less than normal ebay rates and came with extras... but still a mint. 

Edited by Jeff.K
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@Jeff.K Thanks for the offer I will keep it in mind but I think I have more than enough. I have the FCM decal sheets which include four Jasta 5 machines so that gives me more than enough decals to produce twelve machines. 

 

@spaddad Now you are asking, I have a memory something around goldfish standard. I think it was around £160 a set which was a very good price considering that, if I recall correctly, I had previously bought a copy of the original kit of the Albatros (the one with Fritz Rumey's machine on the artwork) for something like £140.

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Aye it is. I see there is someone currently flogging the Rumey single kit I mentioned on t'bay and asking £155 still £400 for the Jasta 5 kit seems to me to be a touch 'beyond the pale'.

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Ah I suspect that was because it dipped in value with the release of the Jasta 5 Kit (My God is it really already over a year since that was released? How time flies). I think a lot of people were surprised by just how limited the availability of the Jasta 5 set was. The one thing I was disappointed with regarding the Rumey kit was the lack of decals for the 'candy stripe' which I could see being an absolute nightmare to get right. I have the FCM decal set which includes the candy stripe which, I am hoping, will be just the ticket when that one reaches the bench.

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On ‎8‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 5:49 AM, spaddad said:

Hi Marty, just out of interest what was the Jasta V retail when you bought them?

According to my WNW spreadsheet 189USD at the time it went out of production/

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