HK B-17F Prices

[Archimedes]

Riddle me this Batman regarding the HK models B-17F 01E029 kit…

 

Sprue Brothers    $417.00

Kitlinx                   $464.00

Andy’s HHQ.         $289.00 (Admittedly in a sale but had it up at $319.00 at normal price)

 

$128.00 difference…now why would that be? Wow.

 

As Smokey Robinson and the Miracles said; “You’d Better Shop Around”…

 

Kind regards,

Paul

Edited April 7 by Archimedes

[CRAZY IVAN5]

18 minutes ago, Archimedes said:

Riddle me this Batman regarding the HK models B-17F 01E029 kit…

 

Sprue Brothers    $417.00

Kitlinx                   $464.00

Andy’s HHQ.         $289.00 (Admittedly in a sale but had it up at $319.00 at normal price)

 

$128.00 difference…now why would that be? Wow.

 

As Smokey Robinson and the Miracles said; “You’d Better Shoip Around”…

 

Kind regards,

Paul

Indeed! That's a heck of a price difference to be sure! Then on top of it all You'll have to do some of the corrections to the fuselage in front of the cockpit[ if you so desire].

[Archimedes]

1 hour ago, CRAZY IVAN5 said:

Indeed! That's a heck of a price difference to be sure! Then on top of it all You'll have to do some of the corrections to the fuselage in front of the cockpit[ if you so desire].

I have no problem that the fuselage corrections need to be done whomever I buy the kit from, I just don’t want me nor anyone to overpay for this kit.

 

Kind regards,
Paul 

[Juggernut]

The HK Website lists the kit at $368.  That's a first for me when a reseller charges more for a kit than the manufacturer.  I know Sprue Brothers ups their prices on existing inventory whenever there's a product price increase.  I'm not sure if that's across-the-board or just with certain manufacturers but I've definitely noticed price hikes on existing inventory...view it one day and it's at price X, then view it a day or two later and it's now price X+Y.  Whatever justification of raising the price of current inventory (that's already been purchased so it's a sunk cost) by cost Y is, I'd like to know.  I still buy a lot from them but I keep my options open until I make my decision.  I also go to Amazon for kits on occasion.  Sometimes, they have really good pricing on kits.  I just picked up two 1/48 Tamiya F-16 kits (different kits) for just over $80, shipped, including sales tax.  You can't even get close to that price with any of the "popular"  resellers that have the kit.  Having said that, with Amazon, you've gotta be Johnny-on-the-spot if you see a kit you're looking for at a very low price...the next time you look at it, the kit may revert back to a higher price.  Also, Amazon offers free shipping on a lot of stuff (at least in the US) on orders over $35....Not everything but a lot of stuff.  Amazon does not currently have the B-17F kit, only the B-17E/F kit.

 

Another retailer, Scale Hobbyist, has the B-17F kit for $417.90 so there has to have been a price hike by someone, either the manufacturer or in distribution pipeline and like SB, I don't believe they've run out of inventory on this kit either, it used to sell around $395 the last time I looked at it.

 

Personally, I'd never even look at Kitlinx for anything.  It's the same guy who previously ran another online hobby business (Great Models but I may be mistaken on that) and I think there's been more than a few complaints about product availability and such with this guy.

 

Andy's price is the best I've ever seen since the 1/32 B-17G was first released.  Back then I think I paid $289 for it (and promptly sold it for that price after looking at what was in the box - personal choice based on my knowledge of the old girl).  I'd say, if you're in the market for a B-17F (or G as I believe this kit comes with all the fixins to make an early G), pull the trigger now or run the risk of missing out on a helluva good price.

Edited April 7 by Juggernut

[ChuckD]

I'd be curious to see if you all get the same prices if you checked them from a browser in incognito/in-private mode.  Not saying the vendors listed above do this for sure, but a lot of online vendors' sites will manipulate prices based on your browsing history.  Amazon and travel booking sites in particular are famous for using your browsing history to drive higher prices and profits.

[Archimedes]

Curiouser and curiouser…..

 

Thanks for the responses guys.

 

Kind regards,

Paul 

[Quint]

Prices on all kits and accessories are going through the roof it seems . I love this hobby but it's almost becoming a " rich mans " hobby . You definitely have to shop around these days . 

 

[ChuckD]

3 hours ago, Quint said:

Prices on all kits and accessories are going through the roof it seems . I love this hobby but it's almost becoming a " rich mans " hobby . You definitely have to shop around these days . 

 

It's all about perspective.

 

My first major hobby was general aviation.  My second major hobby was collecting historical firearms.

 

Compared to those, modeling is dirt cheap.

[CRAZY IVAN5]

38 minutes ago, ChuckD said:

It's all about perspective.

 

My first major hobby was general aviation.  My second major hobby was collecting historical firearms.

 

Compared to those, modeling is dirt cheap.

That's so true! I had to give up golf because of the ever increasing cost of everything associated with it[ not that I was any good anyway. Plastic scale modelling is still the cheapest bang for the buck hobby that I know of , just look at the model train prices for some real sticker shock! General aviation??  The cost is insane! Someone asked once what a particular aircraft ran on, [he was meaning fuel] but being the smart aleck [sheriff Buford T. Justice voice] I told him MONEY and lots of it!  

[Maxim61]

Just a heads up, I recently bought the B-17F kit and it had all the parts in the kit for the G version. So you can build an early G version from the kit with the un staggered waist windows.

[thierry laurent]

34 minutes ago, Maxim61 said:

Just a heads up, I recently bought the B-17F kit and it had all the parts in the kit for the G version. So you can build an early G version from the kit with the un staggered waist windows.

Close to but not fully as some parts are still missing such as the very typical type of side gunner windows.

[cbk57]

I do not know if this is true or not but I thought across the board Masters of the Air would increase demand for all things modeling B-17.  I mean this scale independent though.  Normally I would ignore retail pricing as I would expect to find deals on 1/32 B-17 kits.  I have not been looking other priorities right now and I think I would go 1/48 over 1/32 if I were in the market.  Masters of the air caused me to have a few thought thoug.

[Paul2660]

I am still surprised no one has come out with an after market correction for the nose issue. With 3D printing taking over the after market it should not be that hard just a big print job. The corrections for the A-26 Invaider are many and some quite extensive.
 

Paul 

[ScottsGT]

Price when it came out?  I swear I remember paying just over $225, but maybe I’m in denial.  

[thierry laurent]

1 hour ago, ScottsGT said:

Price when it came out?  I swear I remember paying just over $225, but maybe I’m in denial.  

You're right. That is globally what I paid. The E/F was a little bit more expensive but far from the current prices! However, we should not forget the Covid episode and energy crisis resulted in 25% of inflation in many western countries... So, there is now a huge difference between the pre-2019 and the 2024 prices!