Academy re-boxing Asuka kits now?

[Kingsman]

Just seen listings on eBay for the Asuka PzII Luchs and M4A3E2 Jumbo in Academy boxes.  Asuka logo also on box.

 

I wonder if this is Asuka's way of getting better market penetration?  AFAIK there is still no UK agent for the brand and according to a post over on M-L the same is true in Australia.  Selling through Academy might work for them.

 

The Jumbo was priced at US$61 from Korea with "free" shipping, which works out at about £46, which is not at all bad.  But there is the risk of another £20 in VAT and Post Office fees...........  If they make it to Europe it will be interesting to see if the pricing is more Academy or Asuka.

[zigster]

I guess, it doesn't matter that much to the manufacturer, who is moving their sprues. There's more & more of it.

Airfix is selling Academy stuff, Eduard had Tasca Sherman, and many others.

Guess, if I had enough money, I can open my line of re-boxed Asuka.

Pecunia non olet (money does not stink), according to that old roman saying.

Yet, I'm very surprised, that with widely acknowledged quality of their Sherman line, there is such a problem with obtaining of their kits.

They should have made a killing in the market! Saturated to the brim! What went wrong?

My idea is - they left it to them cousins and other family connections, rather than follow "western way distribution channels"

And Das A, i think it was just one-off business from Academy, than some, long distribution changes.

Zig

 

[Kingsman]

I've also just seen an Academy re-boxed Zvezda KV-2, again both company logos on the box.  This one is from a UK seller.

[AntPhillips]

For whatever reason the availability of Asuka kits is pretty appalling (well certainly in the UK, maybe elsewhere too).

 

I'm with Das on this one, it seems to me that they are trying to get around this lack of market penetration by linking up with other companies that already have large distribution networks e.g. Tamiya and Academy.

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't help that even if you can find them, the kits are generally priced on the high side, it's no wonder that the likes of RFM and Meng have spotted a gap in the market and are producing kits that are the equal at least of Asuka and are pitching them at a slightly better price.

 

I've bought 2 Asuka kits in the last 2 months, a Sherman V from a UK source and a Sherman Ic Firefly from Poland, both cost just a shade under £50.00 each, the RFM Firefly I had last week was £43.00 from China and I see their now going for less than £40.00, and some UK sellers are listing them at similar prices.

 

In this global market age that we live in, it seems there is quite a lot of mould sharing going on, Revell reboxing Hasegawa & ICM kits fairly regularly, Airfix reboxing Academy armour kits, who knows we might even see Asuka kits in Airfix boxes at some point.