Hasegawa

[Mossie]

It might be worth buying from Hobby Search at those prices, especially if you want more than one kit and reduce the shipping per unit.

[Beermonster58]

Right now  £39.99 pound sterling is $87.94 NZ   
You've gotta be fecking kidding man !!!
For a plane as small as that ??

The prices for the Ju-87,Ju-88 and Lancaster respectively would equate to $76,$109 and $142 NZ. As you say, they've got to be fecking kidding!

[Wardukw]

Right now  £39.99 pound sterling is $87.94 NZ   
You've gotta be fecking kidding man !!!
For a plane as small as that ??

The prices for the Ju-87,Ju-88 and Lancaster respectively would equate to $76,$109 and $142 NZ. As you say, they've got to be fecking kidding!

Considering I scored a Hasegawa RF-4E Phantom in 48th scale for less than any of those prices.
Hell I got a brand new Dragon JU88 P1 In 48th for $80nz ..that alone is saying their prices are from a dream land somewhere a long way from here .

[DogfighterZen]

Hasegawa have been doing a limited edition of most of some of their 72nd range with a squadron patch... and the prices are...
https://www.super-hobby.pt/products/F-A-18F-Super-Hornet-VFA-41-Black-Aces-CAG-2022.html
That's the price without shipping costs... it's more than what i've paid for the 48th Meng F-18E and even the Hasegawa 1/48 kits are cheaper than that.
Sure, most of the basic boxes are dirt cheap but then you have these with new decals and the patch... even some of the ones that don't get a patch are costing double or more than the basic boxes.

[Beermonster58]

Right now  £39.99 pound sterling is $87.94 NZ   
You've gotta be fecking kidding man !!!
For a plane as small as that ??

The prices for the Ju-87,Ju-88 and Lancaster respectively would equate to $76,$109 and $142 NZ. As you say, they've got to be fecking kidding!

Considering I scored a Hasegawa RF-4E Phantom in 48th scale for less than any of those prices.
Hell I got a brand new Dragon JU88 P1 In 48th for $80nz ..that alone is saying their prices are from a dream land somewhere a long way from here .

When their 1/72 Eurofighter Typhoon was released some years back its UK price was £50!!!!?😮. The Ju-88G was nearly £60.

Hasegawa kits were priced out of my market long ago. Other than two exceptions I haven't bought one in almost 20 years because, even second hand prices are often ludicrous. The exceptions being the Hobby 2000 boxings of the B-26 Marauder and, F-111 E/F

Now, admittedly, some of the UK prices shown on the aforementioned Hobby Craft list aren't bad but, unfortunately, these are for items I've no interest in!

Ain't life grand. 😂. Well obviously I'm not compelled to buy so, I'll be passing over on these offers. Its a shame really because the general quality is usually high.

[PR19_Kit]

If they actually THOUGHT about it, they'd probably make more money by dropping the prices to a sensible level, and the numbers sold would go up.

[NARSES2]

If they actually THOUGHT about it, they'd probably make more money by dropping the prices to a sensible level, and the numbers sold would go up.

But part of the BRAND is the price. It's amazing how many companies in all fields have used that marketing concept. We are now entering what will probably be difficult ecconomic times (the time between boom and bust gets shorter all time) and it doesn't work as well. Perhaps thats why they are talking up a Core range ?

[PR19_Kit]

It might work if they'd priced them like that and they were new moulds. But we 'in the business' know EXACTLY how old they are and what they used to be priced at.

Rolls Royce would never be able to sell 1960s model Silver Clouds at £250,000 these days.

[jcf]

People seem to forget that Hasegawa is a small family company and it only produces plastic model kits. The kit production isn't subsidized by other product lines in the way Tamiya's kits are subsidized by its very succesful RC line. The majority of the Chinese kit companies are small parts of large Chinese companies that produce a wide range of other injection moulded components for a variety of industries, amongst other products. Most of these are connected to the government in some way. Trumpeter's connection to the PLA is well documented.

Hasegawa has, and is, producing new mould kits, just not much in the way of airplanes, realistically there's too much in the way of competition these days, so they've diversified into other parts of the market. The emphasis is on things that sell in the domestic market. Also you need to bear in mind that Hasegawa has to pay Japanese labour rates, taxes etc.

The jacked up prices are down to the importers and distributors who inflate the costs of importation and distribution and pass it on to the retailers, who pass it on to the customer. Sure those things cost money, but they still don't justify 300%, and higher, markups by the time it hits the shelf. Unlike Tamiya, Hasegawa does not have m subsidiaries in other regions of the world and do not set the market prices in other regions.

Oh yeah, Hasegawa only gets the amount of
money they charge the company that purchases the kits for export to other regions.
That companies like Hobby Search regularly
sell Hasegawa kits at 15 to 20% off, and
often at a greater discount, should give you
an idea of how much the company actually
makes from a kit.

[PR19_Kit]

People seem to forget that Hasegawa is a small family company and it only produces plastic model kits.

Maybe we don't forget that because we don't know that in the first place?

The jacked up prices are down to the importers and distributors who inflate the costs of importation and distribution and pass it on to the retailers, who pass it on to the customer. Sure those things cost money, but they still don't justify 300%, and higher, markups by the time it hits the shelf.

Yeah, I've been saying that for EVER, but no-one in the model press knows it, or more likely are deliberately taking no notice.

[Rick Lowe]

People seem to forget that Hasegawa is a small family company and it only produces plastic model kits.

Maybe we don't forget that because we don't know that in the first place?

The jacked up prices are down to the importers and distributors who inflate the costs of importation and distribution and pass it on to the retailers, who pass it on to the customer. Sure those things cost money, but they still don't justify 300%, and higher, markups by the time it hits the shelf.

Yeah, I've been saying that for EVER, but no-one in the model press knows it, or more likely are deliberately taking no notice.

I didn't know that myself, but I still won't pay their prices - I haven't since the 1/72 P-51 was overpriced at NZ$20 and the 1/72 Mossies were in the shops at $50... that's a fair while ago.

And why should the press even mention it, as it might jeopardize their supply of free 'review' kits? Yea, cynical I know, but realistic...

[Beermonster58]

People seem to forget that Hasegawa is a small family company and it only produces plastic model kits.

The jacked up prices are down to the importers and distributors who inflate the costs of importation and distribution and pass it on to the retailers, who pass it on to the customer. Sure those things cost money, but they still don't justify 300%, and higher, markups by the time it hits the shelf.

Yeah, I've been saying that for EVER, but no-one in the model press knows it, or more likely are deliberately taking no notice.

I didn't know that myself, but I still won't pay their prices - I haven't since the 1/72 P-51 was overpriced at NZ$20 and the 1/72 Mossies were in the shops at $50... that's a fair while ago.

And why should the press even mention it, as it might jeopardize their supply of free 'review' kits? Yea, cynical I know, but realistic...
[/quote]

No, I think your cynicism is justified and, I still won't pay Hasegawa prices either regardless of the reasons behind them.  I'm certainly well aware of the importers complicity in the eye watering UK prices.