I am a student of Economics and my thoughts brang me to ask whether modelling industry has been affected by the economic crisis.
Modelling is very expensive sometimes, but passion usually prevails on our budget. But let's "walk in the producers' shoes".
What seems more evident, in my opinion - and you definitely noticed it - is the lack of new (plastic) kits in these recent times.
Even the most prolific brands (Revell, Tamiya, Hasegawa...) seem unable to release something totally new, never seen so far, let's say.
For example, Hasegawa has recently released the Sufa version of the F-16, and followed shortly with the Block 60. Yes, they are new kits, but how much? As far as I know, they are both based on Hasegawa's old twin-seater F-16 mould, with few new parts to represent the conformal tanks, the spine and some smaller features.
Other examples: Revell has issued a new Super Hornet in 1/72, but this seems to be just a scale-down of their 1/48 model. Tamiya F-16 has been proposed in 4 different boxes and the brand reboxed some old kits with some bonus and so on. Same for Hasegawa which often releases different boxes for the same subject.
Only few exceptions: Tamiya's new Spitfire in 1/32 and Zero in 1/48, Eduard's new moulds, Academy F-22 (and th soon-to-be-released Hasegawa) in 1/48 and other few things.
I know that developing a kit costs lots of time and money to any firm - more or less famous - and definitely they decided to postpone new projects for the future, trying to concentrate only on a certain product they try to differentiate. Only the Chinese brands, such as Trumpeter and Hobby Boss, seem to release constantly new products.
So the key word seems to be "differentiate", that is releasing several versions of the same base kit, which distinguish from each other for a small feature (i.e. decals or whatever can be producted at a relatively low cost - think about Hasegawa's many Hornet boxes, single and twin seater, with decals for several different squadrons), and not "diversify", that is producing something totally new and totally different from another product.
Cutting costs this way will definitely help the firms face the crisis, but we modeller will have to get expensive conversions, for example, or build from scratch in order to have a particular model of a certain aircraft/tank/car/ship or whatever on their displaying shelf. Maybe I'm telling you something that has beel talked about for long, but what are your thoughts about it?

well, in my case, I stop buying models and conversions -at least that they are in my "wishlist"-, in most cases I just buy a particular decal set for the model I will be working on the near future. plenty of models in the stash. but now I am building more and buying less.

Happy Modeling

Byron

Not really, but I am getting a bit more selective about the additions to the 'stash.' Don't know whether that's a realization that I'm running out of room or the economy. Don't think it's the economy, though.

Good topic,

Matt

I've reigned back the impulse buying, not that I've ever really been prone to it anyway.

But my reasons for doing so hasn't been the GFC, but rather seeing modellers (including a family member) build up massive collections of unbuilt kits only never to build even a fraction of them before passing onto the next world. Sadly the families, the widows, have been left with large collections to try to sell, often only getting a small value in return and seldom covering the original cost.

So with that in mind I decided to rather buy only what I'm definitely going to build, and only when I'm going to build it - and often by the time I decide to buy it it's quite a bit cheaper than when first released.

There's an economic crisis?

Sorry, i didn't notice.

Thanks for answering!
Andrew has told something right: is there a crisis indeed?
My opinion: it is a crisis of trust: it all started with the banks which gave mortgages with no warranty at all. They kept on doing this until the situation worsened and worsened, so that nobody trusts in each other and are afraid of undertaking new projects (not only in modelling, but in every field).

Well, maybe not in australia but in Belgium the news is full of companies firing hundreds of people. That sounds like a crisis to me. Maybe it is nothing compared to "a crisis" in which people get killed by bombs but it ain't fun nevertheless.

I have a stash, despite promising myself that i would never have one becasue it makes me feel uncomfortable. The intention is not to buy anything until the stash is on display as finished models. That has nothing to do with crisis.

About manufacturers taking risks; Do we reward them for taking risks? In the rare case that a manufacturer (hasegawa ) brings a strange kit to the market (the saab draken ) do we go out in large numbers and buy/build that thing? or do we mainly continue building the 25th spitfire ...

I try do my best to reward manufacturers for the risks they are taking, but I am only one poor man--LOL!

As someone new in the modeling game, this financial situation has made it difficult to buy everything i need to get going. Im still waiting on a airbrush/compressor etc.

Glad to see i`m not the only one in this boat !,but i do admit to thinking twice about my latest additions to the stash.Having said that,additions now are only singular - not the two or three i used to get at once and are now on layaway (christmas club - paying so much a week).

The show at Telford over the weekend didn't seem affected at all by the current crisis .
Andy

A few months ago my contract ended and with the drop in income in our household we have had to cut back in some areas. Not that we can't afford it but it would just be prudent to do so.

Thus I have curtailed my purchases to short run or limited production items, reference books and supplies like glue and paint. Granted a few years ago I adapted a policy of buying one example instead of multiples unless I really, really, really need more than one. My closet is full and at times I have stored stuff at my mother's house (supposedly I'm in the will and this will make moving easier).

Until recently I was buying 80 model kits to every 1 built. Needless to say the much better half heard this comment to a friend and we had a "discussion" about this addiction. Now I'm building more but unemployment does tend to increase model building time (extra two hours a day as there are other things to do, like looking for a job).

So yes it has affected me and I'm sure that an economist can list off the causes and effects pertaining to the economic cycle. And a free market economist will scream bloodly murder due to the real reasons that have caused the instabilities in the market.

Hi Andy

That's great to hear - but it's a very different picture to that painted by the people that Jean-Luc talked to at the Marchweiler Show recently.

The lack of work has certainly curtailed my model buying to a great extent - that, plus the wake-up call of just how many kits I've got in the Stash when I was forced to leave London!

All the best

Rowan

'stay-at-home' past-times apparently do well in times of hardship. On the other hand Airfix is just about to release a plastic model kit that will sell for £129 here in the UK (approx $190) so presumably they must be expecting to sell a few..I haven't stopped buying kits (far from it..) but I no longer go out and spend £50 on a book as I might have done in the past - I find most of what I need is available on the Net (reference material), nor do I really bother with magazines any more..

I have around 350 kits in my closets. I really don't need anything new. I am more focused on building and supplies to keep me going. Have I stopped buying kits? No. The new Wingnut kits are to great a temptation to me. I have one of each, two of the LVG. When the new releases come out, I will get 3 Albatri and a Pup. I love the new Spitfire and many of the Trumpeter releases, but I do not think I will be purchasing them because I don't think they are worth the asking price. When they drop to about half= present asking price, I will be tempted. If they don't drop, I have a lifetimes worth of kits in storage.

Theres alot of talk about what actually started this situation, some harder to believe than other scraps of info. I was actually warned about this a year before it started by a customer of mine,who specialized in econiomics..(!) and I didnt listen..... Luckily I am not a rich man and had no money to lose on the stock market .. ...My wife and I worked for a company and were both downsized 5 days before Christmas of last year ....thankfully she is working again, and at a much better job as well!...I think the crisis has affected my purchasing of models( Ive actually sold off parts of my stash.. )....but it has also given me a bit more time to build what I have ..