Jan_G

The problem is simple. You cannot obtain a product break even status without selling a minimum of some thousands of boxes if you are releasing an injected plastic model. Finding 500 customers is easy and even 1000 stays rather easy. This is the LSP market hard core. You can possibly reach 2000 but this will ask for some additional months and is already conditioned by some attractiveness factors. Further, you are entering into the danger zone! According to the topic kits may sell like hot cakes... or not! This is the critical issue as this market segment is very unstable but required to reach the initial profitability. A company like WnW understood it and developed a clever marketing policy that was offer rather than demand driven. This was efficient up to some level. However, even that approach could not result in miracles! For instance, think of the early Gotha seaplane prototype. So, marketing gods have quite often strange ideas when you look at them from the hard core perspective! This explains why a company like Jetmads using a far cheaper production model only does short run releases and for two to three times the price of an equivalent injected model. We may finally get an injected F-84F because companies cannot only produce Spitfires, Mustangs, Me109s and Fw-190s forever but when is a big question! The lowest is the perceived probability of profitability of some releases, the lowest will be the frequency of such releases between best sellers. This is a pity but is an economical fact...

Hi there!
 
I am a bit late, the EME was back in March, but now it's time to show you my photos of the large plane models. The was a surprisingly large number of LSP models this year, also a good number of newly builds. Even a whole Ju-88 diorama!
 
But let's start with some gossip
 
Revell: They had a booth for one day, but I missed them on that day. Too much other activities. So I was not able to renew the question for a new LSP kit by Revell or a re-relaease of the Ju-88 kit(s).
 
HMH Publications /Duke Hawkins books: Had a diner with the publisher at Bruxelles. Talking about some contributions to upcoming books as well as how to improve my photographs. Not to forget to taste a good share of Belgish beers (this was my part  ) (Heck, there are 1.200 different beers in Belgium!). Main news: HMH will come up with a Bf 109K-4 book at the release of the Kotare kit. 100 or so photos of different K-4, a lot of color profiles and so on. And with a set of large scale decals for the K-4, a la the Hurricane set. Side news: Another book about the 109 is pending. HMH would like to bring a book about the Fw 190 too, but they are lacking photos of an aircraft with a mounted BMW engine. Not on display stand, but bolted onto an airframe. Recent flying 190s are all equipped with Shevtsov engines, that's the problem here.
 
Copper State Models: Had a longer conversation with the owner. Well, the upcoming Hansa-Brandenburg (IIRC, not sure about the type) biplane looks very, very nice in the flesh. They had a 3D-printed prototype with them at the EME. The engine mold is at hand from another of the CSM kits. Talk about synergies. But, -but!- they just have to sell more of the older kits to earn the money needed to cut the molds for the new aircraft kit. It will come injetion molded as always by CSM, not 3D printed. The print was just the proof of concept for the new kit.
I did what I could and bought a Garford-Putilov kit with extras. The CSM owner did not hesitate to dive into his sources to advise me about the useful update sets for my preferred marking options and to tell me what AM is not needed too. I've also bought two sets of CSMs spoked wheels. No need to fiddle with PE spokes and tire halves, just ready to paint. Man, these are really, really nice wheels!
Insider stuff: Riga (Latvias capital) is not worth a visit. If you want to see the Baltic states, go to Tallin (capital of Estonia).
 
Next year the EME will become 25 years old! Don't miss to pay a visit!
That's it for the gossip. Photos next to come.
 
Regards
- dutik

Mirek posted pics of finished model on modelforum.cz
it should be available to order during the May
https://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=152824
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mirek posted pics of finished model on modelforum.cz
it should be available to order during the May
https://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=152824
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mirek posted pics of finished model on modelforum.cz
it should be available to order during the May
https://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=152824
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Would love to have one as well Thierry, but I hope that they will keep price somewhere in 600-700€ range, when considering there are no engines and no undercarriage and I would guess they will sell catapult separately. They will be in Moson during the weekend so maybe we will have some price estimate.

We've got threads on models in the stash, and duplicates in the stash.
(Some serious numbers there!)
How about this: what would be your top builds, up to three, of kits IN your stash right now? I'll go first.
1:  1/8 Hasegawa Fokker Triplane.
2: hard one- 1/200 Arizona or Yorktown
3: harder one- 1/16 Pz IVG or 1/96 CSS Alabama or 1/100 Victory.
Even writing this is tough, I did find it hard to select only three, and I have only 190 kits.
So, who's next?

Here is Derek Stevenson's Hurribomber (IIB) which in the summer of 1942 was based at Warmwell, near the south coast of Dorset.  
 













 
The props/spinner are by AIMS, the fishtail exhausts by Grey Matters, the parachute by True Details, the wheels by CMK, the outer Browning machine guns by Air Master and most importantly the 250lb bombs and carriers by Tim Perry (ex Flying Start Models)....otherwise OOB!  Great kit, very easy pleasant build.
 
Build thread is here.
 
BE687 was lost during the operation code named "Jubilee" attacking the Dieppe area:
 

 

 

 
 
 
 

The storage case and the bombs are aready, so I'm starting the ''parked'' sessions... firstly - just a few nighttime pics with a flashlight:
 
(btw here is the WIP topic, and the in-flight pics)
 

 

 

 

 
I'll take some ''normal'' outdoor pics soon. 

Would love to have one as well Thierry, but I hope that they will keep price somewhere in 600-700€ range, when considering there are no engines and no undercarriage and I would guess they will sell catapult separately. They will be in Moson during the weekend so maybe we will have some price estimate.

Mirek posted pics of finished model on modelforum.cz
it should be available to order during the May
https://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=152824
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Would love to have one as well Thierry, but I hope that they will keep price somewhere in 600-700€ range, when considering there are no engines and no undercarriage and I would guess they will sell catapult separately. They will be in Moson during the weekend so maybe we will have some price estimate.

Mirek posted some progress on this one
https://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=105045&start=5580
 

 

 

 

Mirek has posted color profiles of this release over on modelforum.cz
https://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=105045&start=3390
jan

 

 

boxart

 

Mirek posted pics of finished model on modelforum.cz
it should be available to order during the May
https://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=152824
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

seems that Bv-138 is almost ready
Mirek posted some updates over on modelforum.cz and states that first pieces should be available for the Moson Model Show (20th of April)
 

 

 

 

 

some new in progress pics posted by Heinz over on britmodeler
https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235084554-132-blohmvoss-bv-138-resin-kit-by-hph/
 

 

 

 

 

 

posted by Heinz on britmodeller
https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235084554-132-blohmvoss-bv-138-resin-kit-by-hph/
looks superb 
 

 

 

 

as posted on another czech modelling forum
seems that at one point we will get BV-138 
 
https://www.ipmsnymburk.com/forum/viewtema.php?ID_tema=39718
 

 

 

 
and some new shots of Me-323