How big is too big and how expensive is too expensive?

[Tim Marlow]

It's no different to anything else, if you have the money and want it then buy it. Some people drive a Bentley, some eat out at Le Gavroche and some wear a Rolex watch. If I won the lottery my spending would be rather different to what it is now :smiling:

I always think anyone who’s spending pattern won’t change after winning the lottery doesn’t deserve to win it :tongue-out3:

[KarlW]

Plenty of fit issues in the offing then…..and surely not viable from a business perspective. The income of 1400 or so UKP per week would only support about two full time workers, especially when the costs of premises etc are taken into account. How are they going to recoup development time…..

It's not all they make, could be a one man cottage operation.

[Dave Ward]

Too Expensive? It's what you are comfortable with. I have bought expensive models, but I find that my enjoyment of a model is not linked to the price. The enjoyment comes elsewhere, in the subject, in the presentation, in the appearance of the mouldings. how they fit together & what skill is used to do a decent job. ( I also enjoy the research and the hunting down of a bargain! )
Too Big? How much room have you got? You have to be realistic about the size of a model - do you fill that space with a biggie, several middies, or a multitude of tinys? Your preference.
Of course it's all dependent on if you can afford it - Expensive may mean spending less on other items ( like food! ). All a very personal choice and view
Dave

[Tim Marlow]

It's not all they make, could be a one man cottage operation.

Exactly where I was coming from ref fit issues. Not a problem if you are aware of it, but anyone expecting modern injection mould type fit and finish might be sadly disappointed. Not saying it will be a bad product, far from it, just that it might take a little more work than many are used to.

This sort of operation used to be a very large part of the scale railway modelling scene back in the day. A standard joke was ”it’s easy to make a small fortune in railway modelling, start with a large fortune and become a cottage producer“.

[Geoffers]

No judgement on anyone, if you have the money buy what you want.

However I don’t spend too much on any individual kit, sub £30 suits me fine but I do often add some AM extras so that pushes the price up a little.
I’d worry too much if I had anything too expensive to work on that I either wouldn’t do it justice or muck it up in some way

I only build 1/72 scale as oddly I find bigger scales clunky to work on, they just don’t feel right.

So the trend for bigger and bigger scales doesn’t appeal to me personally but I do enjoy seeing the big models built up when at shows as they usually look very impressive.

Geoff.

[Dave Ward]

This sort of operation used to be a very large part of the scale railway modelling scene back in the day. A standard joke was ”it’s easy to make a small fortune in railway modelling, start with a large fortune and become a cottage producer“.

The same with vac-form aircraft in the 70's/80's - real garage businesses, made by enthusiasts as a sideline...................
Dave

[Allen Dewire]

An interesting topic folks. I was one that always frowned at spending hard earned cash on expensive kits as I usually didn't have the money for them. I would scour evilbay for days/weeks to find something I really wanted and then took the chance to win it at a good price. Won a few, lost a few or let a few slide by (price too high). My first expensive kit was €125 and was an auction win of the Zoukei Mura He-219. Could I afford it? Not really, but the price was too good and it was on my wish list for a long time, so 3-2-1-Mine!!!

I also still had 3 or 4 kits on my wish list and they too weren't getting any cheaper. But, I had also set a limit of €150 for a kit, max!!! As I retired back in 2021 (unofficially), but still working, it gave me more pocket money, but didn't change the rules of spending for kits...

That changed when MBK, here in Germany bought the last container of WnW kitsets from New Zealand late last year. They threw them up for sale 3 January and I only bought the one that I wanted. It was for €449 and contained 2 kits in it. One of them was the one I had wanted for over 10 years, the Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 (check out the latest Acqusitions). Expensive, but I had to have it. I did buy 3 more WnW kitsets and even if they don't get built, they won't lose value anytime soon...

I guess that makes me a collector too, Or?...
On a final note, I only have 8 kits in the stash that did cost over €100 and it will stay that way..................

Prost
Allen

And only 3 of them were over my set limit. 1 was only €14 more...

[Gern]

Too big for me, but on a side note, probably the most expensive kit in my stash is around £120 - that's for the 1/72 Dora railway gun which is big, complex and has lots of parts and would be a very, very long build for me - at least a couple of hundred hours - so the cost comes down to about 50p an hour. It's sure as eggs is eggs I can't get entertainment that cheap anywhere else!

But my entire stash at one time was worth around £10 000 so comparison of individual kit prices seems irrelevant to me. If I really want one, I'll buy it regardless of cost.

[The Smythe Meister]

So who's up for it

Not me.

[The Smythe Meister]

Personally I struggle with myself to pay more than £40 for a kit,(although I have pushed the boat out on a few that I'd wanted for a long time,and paid about £55-£60). The past twelve months or so I've started getting mask sets, and the odd bit of etch too mind,so that bumps the overall price up.
No particular reason, it's just me,and I don't blame anyone for splashing out large amounts.... if you can afford it,then why not?!

[boatman]

Too big for me, but on a side note, probably the most expensive kit in my stash is around £120 - that's for the 1/72 Dora railway gun which is big, complex and has lots of parts and would be a very, very long build for me - at least a couple of hundred hours - so the cost comes down to about 50p an hour. It's sure as eggs is eggs I can't get entertainment that cheap anywhere else!

But my entire stash at one time was worth around £10 000 so comparison of individual kit prices seems irrelevant to me. If I really want one, I'll buy it regardless of cost.

WELL Dave when will we see this dora rail gun built then ? as Dave gove started to build his but his mojo went awol so be nice to see your one bein built on here an how are your hands now over the shakes ?
chrisb

[Andy the Sheep]

What really scares me :fearful:about those high priced kits is the idea of messing it up while building it.
I'm really unnerved when I mess up a cheap kit, I cannot imagine my reaction at badly breaking a wing or fogging the transparencies of a 1500 € Kit.
That's an idea that really keeps me at a distance from such kits.
About the specific Gigant kit, there's a second negative point: CA and me are always on very bad terms.... :angry:.

Anyway, for those inclined towards such a brobdingnagian kit, the completed model, with motorized propellers, greenly powered by some solar panels, could refresh your garden during summer by providing both shade and breeze with a touch of originality. In this perspective, it could be considered a rational expense, but falling under the "house maintenance" budget chapter, not the "hobbies and amusements" one :rolling:

Andrea

[Mickc1440]

My recently finished F-16 has been the most I’ve ever paid for a kit coming in at just over £150 but it gave me 7 months of blood sweat and tears and some bits to sell on so worth every penny to me

[yak face]

Too big for me,

You just keep telling yourself that Dave :smiling5:

[scottie3158]

I'm happy buying cheap kits I can tweak. But I might be tempted for a good resin kit, but it would have to be a good one.