Too poor to have an opinion?

[Seahawk]

28 minutes ago, Giorgio N said:

The second reason is that the internet  today allows everybody to know what the value of something could be. Today many see that there is interest in old kits, they can see websites dedicated to collecting them, they can see specialised shops selling these same kits... in this way many people who used to sell these kits as old stuff have realised how they can sell them at much higher prices. This is something that does not only appkly to ebay, it also applies to model shows and even flea markets, there are more and more dealers who increase their prices on the basis of the collectability of a kit and its perceived value. Even if sometimes this collectability is only in the mind of the dealer...

 

As usual, all very true.  As you say, "...what the value of something could be".  Nowadays people with kits to get rid off pop onto Ebay and see what prices are being asked.  Some of those vendors will be optimists, others chancers, others ill-informed and yet others plain deluded.  You can of course ask whatever you like when selling your own property but a far more reliable indication of what you'll get will be what the model actually sold for (if it did, which many don't).

 

Of course, as any auctioneer knows, if the right people are in on the day, there's no telling what something will go for.

[AWFK10]

23 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

I did his Wasp conversion, but with two Seahawk nosewheels and two from Herons.  Modern modelling is more expensive but I that's not counting the cost of four Hudson kits for one Wasp!  if I was doing another, there is a modern aftermarket set - still needs that Scout though.

I recall an Avro 504N conversion in Airfix Magazine (1969, I think) that recommended using an engine from the then fairly new Airfix Hs 129. However the author referred back to a previous article on the same subject published a couple of years earlier, which I never saw. He said something along the lines of "Luckily, it is no longer necessary to suggest the use of a modified engine from the Airfix B-29"! How a 2200 hp Cyclone R-3350 could ever have been considered suitable as the basis for a 200 hp Lynx to stick on the front of an Avro 504 beats me. 

[Neil.C]

13 hours ago, sardaukar said:

<snip>

 

As an aside apparently Brexit caused ebay to start enforcing 20% VAT charges on all foreign imports including China although I dont believe China was ever a part of the EU. I dont want to get into politics and it is against the rules. However ebay really? You are just enforcing 20% extra on all foreign purchases and ebay are you really feeding that all back to HMRC? 

 

 

 

Brexit enforced ebay to charge VAT on European imports.
 

In the past VAT was paid at the country of origin on European imports, now it goes to the UK government.

 

Anything imported from anywhere else in the world including China has always been liable for VAT and duty.

 

I seriously doubt ebay would try to defraud HMRC. 

[bentwaters81tfw]

1 hour ago, Neil.C said:

 

Brexit enforced ebay to charge VAT on European imports.

 

The UK merely brought this into effect 6 months prior to the rest of the EC introducing it. It was going to happen anyway even had we stayed in.

Some people seem unable to grasp this.

[lasermonkey]

Please could we not get bogged down on the B-word. I know it engenders strong feelings. I'd just rather the thread not get locked down over it, as it has been otherwise mostly respectful and constructive.

 

...aaaaaand breathe!

 

@wellspropI ditched Facebook last month, as I was finding it quite toxic, along with many other forms of social media. I'd had a look around the marketplace, but never found anything of interest and what I did find was overpriced. Britmodeller is the only form of social media I still engage in and I was having a break from here as well. I shall likely continue to have a break once this thread has died down.

 

Regarding paints, etc, I do buy in bulk but as I mentioned, it does wipe out my budget for the month. I also find that I never seem to run out of the most used colours at the same time, no matter how hard I try! Sod's law, I guess. As a colours and markings buff, having the correct colour is very important to me, or at least having the range of tones a given colour could realistically expect to be. As I said before, if it doesn't look right from three feet away, there's no coming back from that for me. It's also common for my chosen brand of paint to be out of stock of some of the colours I need. This isn't a dig, by the way, as I completely understand why. It just makes it harder to make up the 12 item order to get the postage cost down, so I buy less frequently than I otherwise would, leaving projects on hold for the interim. As someone who isn't a natural completer, I don't really need enabling!

 

Anyway, if things go as planned, there will be an impending house move which should see my well-being improved in many ways (with a detached house, more isolated and closer to nature) but will likely mean no modelling budget whatsoever. It's a slightly scary prospect, it has to be said.

 

Cheers,

Mark.

 

 

[Ed Russell]

Hmmm......... without denigrating those who continually and repetitively complain about prices, I would suggest that building models, even at a high level of expenditure is one of the cheapest hobbies you can find. I have a nodding relationship with some of the alternatives and, maybe excepting the last, they simply can't be done at the most extravagant level of modelling prices. There are many more than on this skimpy list.

 

World Travelling

Skydiving

Car Racing

Flying

Model Railways

Yacht Racing

Gambling

Horses

Car Collecting

Polo

Art Collecting

 

With the exception of the first, I reckon all of these were a lot cheaper in 1990, 1980, 1970, 1960, 1950...... etc

[Jon Bryon]

Interesting that Hannants have posted that large price increases are imminent on some brands. In the case of the recent ICM Bronco it's an increase of about 35%.

 

Jon

[PLC1966]

On 1/16/2022 at 11:58 AM, Tijuana Taxi said:

 

No thanks, rather keen on good quality German beers especially of the Weiss variety and no interest in drinking cheap muck.

Erdinger and Krombacher are both about £1.90 per 500ml bottle, fairly priced in my opinion. 😀

 

cough.......................www.beersofeurope.co.uk.....................down at Kings Lynn.........just saying 😉......................

[Bertie McBoatface]

This has been a very thought provoking thread. Thanks, Lasermonkey for kicking it off.

 

I've reduced my stash, bit by bit, to a single year's worth of the kits I really want to build in this year. It helped me lose my bad feelings about having kits 'pending', a sense of obligation if you know what I mean.

 

I was quite happy with that until I started to hear about rising inflation in the daily news. Now. I'm asking myself, is this the time to move my shrinking capital into plastic all over again?

[bentwaters81tfw]

I started to lay down my stash before my son was born, and built up my SABLE collection, as I expected pennies would be tight after retirement.

Life threw many curve balls in between, and I have thinned my stash over the years, but still have a sizeable heap.

There is no way I could amass my stash over again on a pension, and I am not alone in this.

It has to be something good before I will consider buying these days. I went to Telford without a shopping list for the first time, though I did spy the odd bargain rarity.

There are new releases coming up, though I will probably not have time to make them, and that is now my criteria. I have existing stuff I want to build while I am able. My purchases are now mostly paints and canopy masks.

[Tijuana Taxi]

1 hour ago, PLC1966 said:

cough.......................www.beersofeurope.co.uk.....................down at Kings Lynn.........just saying 😉......................

The warehouse behind the garage on the A10.

Oh yes that has been visited, last occasion I snapped up their stock of De Koninck Bolleke 330ml

I have a stash of a slightly different kind, diminishes fairly quickly though i'm sorry to say

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by Tijuana Taxi

[Lazy Modeller]

1 hour ago, Bertie Psmith said:

This has been a very thought provoking thread. Thanks, Lasermonkey for kicking it off.

 

I've reduced my stash, bit by bit, to a single year's worth of the kits I really want to build in this year. It helped me lose my bad feelings about having kits 'pending', a sense of obligation if you know what I mean.

 

I was quite happy with that until I started to hear about rising inflation in the daily news. Now. I'm asking myself, is this the time to move my shrinking capital into plastic all over again?

It is not just inflation, but also the difficulty in production and the abusive prices of transport costs, which will worsen even more in the coming time. I've been waiting almost 2 years for the Takon panzer II and 1 year for the cybber hobby bottles and jerrycans... and with the looming conflicts in Europe and Asia it does not bode well.

Anyway, people complain about the prices, but if I remember correctly in the 80s and around there the prices of the kits were really exorbitant considering the salary I received... if I were you and I wanted something in particular, enjoy it while there is time. For my part I won't buy many more let's say the 2 Panzer III in the 1/16 of Das werk and it's done.

 

Cheers

LM

 

[PLC1966]

39 minutes ago, Tijuana Taxi said:

The warehouse behind the garage on the A10.

Oh yes that has been visited, last occasion I snapped up their stock of De Koninck Bolleke 330ml

I have a stash of a slightly different kind, diminishes fairly quickly though i'm sorry to say

 

Not been there yet, but next time I travel down to Norwich will call in.  Only found them at Xmas when I used them to get a couple of Dozen Dortmunder Union at @£2.00 a bottle.  Lovely chubbly....

[PLC1966]

13 minutes ago, Lazy Modeller said:

It is not just inflation, but also the difficulty in production and the abusive prices of transport costs, which will worsen even more in the coming time. I've been waiting almost 2 years for the Takon panzer II and 1 year for the cybber hobby bottles and jerrycans... and with the looming conflicts in Europe and Asia it does not bode well.

Anyway, people complain about the prices, but if I remember correctly in the 80s and around there the prices of the kits were really exorbitant considering the salary I received... if I were you and I wanted something in particular, enjoy it while there is time. For my part I won't buy many more let's say the 2 Panzer III in the 1/16 of Das werk and it's done.

 

Cheers

LM

 

You a glass half empty kind of guy by any chance.....?

[Lazy Modeller]

Just now, PLC1966 said:

You a glass half empty kind of guy by any chance.....?

It depends... If its water its full and if its beer is empty...

Cheers

LM

[Bertie McBoatface]

24 minutes ago, Lazy Modeller said:

It is not just inflation, but also the difficulty in production and the abusive prices of transport costs, which will worsen even more in the coming time. I've been waiting almost 2 years for the Takon panzer II and 1 year for the cybber hobby bottles and jerrycans... and with the looming conflicts in Europe and Asia it does not bode well.

Anyway, people complain about the prices, but if I remember correctly in the 80s and around there the prices of the kits were really exorbitant considering the salary I received... if I were you and I wanted something in particular, enjoy it while there is time. For my part I won't buy many more let's say the 2 Panzer III in the 1/16 of Das werk and it's done.

 

Cheers

LM

 

Hi Lazy.  I thought you would tell me to buy all the AFVs I could fit into my flat!

 

I have completed two kits this year already so I think I am ‘allowed’ to buy two replacements in order to keep a years worth on hand. 

[Tijuana Taxi]

21 minutes ago, PLC1966 said:

Not been there yet, but next time I travel down to Norwich will call in.  Only found them at Xmas when I used them to get a couple of Dozen Dortmunder Union at @£2.00 a bottle.  Lovely chubbly....

 

Dortmunder Union, not heard of that for a few years.

Last time I drunk that was in a small bar in Aachen, only went in because they had a sign for Union outside.

 

B of E isn't a very posh place, just like a cash and carry behind a garage, easy to miss the turning.

Get a trolley and off you go filling it up then to the checkout.

They do supply boxes, but sometimes try and jam as much as they can in each one so maybe take additional storage just in case.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Tijuana Taxi

[Lazy Modeller]

3 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

Hi Lazy.  I thought you would tell me to buy all the AFVs I could fit into my flat!

 

I have completed two kits this year already so I think I am ‘allowed’ to buy two replacements in order to keep a years worth on hand. 

Of course! You may proceed!

That also reminds me that I also have completed 2 so I'm good to go to!

 

Cheers

Lazy modeler was here!

[Tojo72]

Happens all the time with many things,people used to go out to eat,now they cant,can't, fees and equipment have priced people out,going to the movies,many things.Its sad but reality

[Bertie McBoatface]

22 minutes ago, Tojo72 said:

Happens all the time with many things,people used to go out to eat,now they cant,can't, fees and equipment have priced people out,going to the movies,many things.Its sad but reality

That’s a fact. We baby boomers were very lucky economically and things are definitely harder for our children. I can’t see life getting much better anytime soon either. 

[IanHx]

I'll put in my £0.000000002    (inflation adjusted tuppence worth)

 

I think we're in for a protracted period of prices rising faster than incomes, not just a blip.

That does make we worry about the continued future of this hobby, which is after all a luxury based

on discretionary spend.  

I understand that manufacturers employ people, and they all have to earn a living, and face the same inflationary pressures we do.

But if you're chasing an ever smaller pool of people able to afford your products, its not going

to end well for many of the current mass-market producers.

Lower sales means greater pressure to make only dead-cert commercial money spinners, means less variety as nobody willing

to take a punt at producing the more exotic subjects and instead the catalogue is 50 shades of Spitfires.

 

Everyone has got their own limits when it comes to what they are prepared to pay. And irrespective of my bank balance,

I'm not handing over £100 for a 1:72 Vulcan.  Or even half that amount.

I'll go read a book instead.

(last year I'd have said 'play on the computer' instead,  but with the price of electricity it's back to paperbacks...)

[bentwaters81tfw]

Just a slight skew off thread, With the demise of Kitty Hawk, I leaned yesterday that 4.2 Million companies in China have closed down following a plummet in China's financial situation. It's not just Evergrande in the clag.

 

Doesn't auger well for the future. If you want something, and can afford it, perhaps you should act sooner rather than later.

[BD757]

This has been a fascinating topic and one I have followed and have certainly had my eyes opened.

 

At my current build rate my stash is certainly ABLE! I have quite a few kits that I have, on occasion, paid over the odds for via auction sites. However, this is all about the era and subject of kits I want to make. I returned to the hobby when my children arrived and I was a little surprised to see what (to me) was a much shallower selection of kits to choose from compared to my trips to the lhs when I was a boy.

 

So I am happy to pay over the odds at times if the kit is one I want to make and is suitably rare. Seeing how the manufacturers select kits for production runs mean I would rather bulk out the stash with my choice of kits knowing they are there when I want to build that subject in that scale rather than having to go hunting for it. I am lucky in that I have an income that facilitates that but often have to bide my time.

 

We are seeing the scale model market in a state of fluctuation. All parties are going to act in a manner that suits their needs where commercially and / or personally appropriate.

 

I certainly want my boys (7&5) to enjoy making models - this year they have had Airfix quick build as birthday presents, Airfix Hawk starter set a Christmas and a joint build with me of an Airfix Shackleton AEW from the works. Their preferred option was the new Hawk stater kit! Compared to the latest console game they wanted, modelling has given them more skills and pride - as a parent, I can't put a price on that.

 

 

 

[Lazy Modeller]

1 hour ago, BD757 said:

This has been a fascinating topic and one I have followed and have certainly had my eyes opened.

 

At my current build rate my stash is certainly ABLE! I have quite a few kits that I have, on occasion, paid over the odds for via auction sites. However, this is all about the era and subject of kits I want to make. I returned to the hobby when my children arrived and I was a little surprised to see what (to me) was a much shallower selection of kits to choose from compared to my trips to the lhs when I was a boy.

 

So I am happy to pay over the odds at times if the kit is one I want to make and is suitably rare. Seeing how the manufacturers select kits for production runs mean I would rather bulk out the stash with my choice of kits knowing they are there when I want to build that subject in that scale rather than having to go hunting for it. I am lucky in that I have an income that facilitates that but often have to bide my time.

 

We are seeing the scale model market in a state of fluctuation. All parties are going to act in a manner that suits their needs where commercially and / or personally appropriate.

 

I certainly want my boys (7&5) to enjoy making models - this year they have had Airfix quick build as birthday presents, Airfix Hawk starter set a Christmas and a joint build with me of an Airfix Shackleton AEW from the works. Their preferred option was the new Hawk stater kit! Compared to the latest console game they wanted, modelling has given them more skills and pride - as a parent, I can't put a price on that.

 

 

It seems to me a very sensible comment, since you want to turn kids into addicts.... tststs

Cheers

Lazy modeler was here!

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

23 hours ago, Lazy Modeller said:

Of course! You may proceed!

That also reminds me that I also have completed 2 so I'm good to go to!

 

Cheers

Lazy modeler was here!

 

I proceeded as ordered, sir!

 

I just ordered a Rolls Royce Armoured Car. (Maybe the start of a series????) and a Wasp Flamethrower Jeep. Definitely not aeroplanes!