The Little World

I was standing in an Aisle Of Doom and calculating. The Aisle is located in my local hobby shop and is named because once I go there I am doomed to buy something. The shop has several Aisles – some dedicated to trains, some to airplanes. One is given over to paints and chemicals. All are equally dangerous.

The calculations today involved the 1:72 shelf – my current field of interest. I have been doing some research on aircraft that wear captured markings and wondered if I could pick up a cheap paint mule to model a picture I had found on the internet.

As it happened, I couldn’t find the plane in stock by my normal mule maker; Hobby Boss. There was an example by a slightly more expensive maker, but as it was a mark quite removed from the one I need, I decided to pass on it. But the price tags on the ends of the boxes were the interesting bit.

You’ve read before of my determination to pay no more than $ 15 an engine for basic models, with the budget extending to $ 20 for complex kits. Multiply the engine numbers to see what I’d pay for a transport or bomber. Am I a cheapjack? The proper name is John. Cheapjohn. Mr. Cheapjohn, if you please…

So far, so good. Most of my purchases come well under this rule. The only exception is in the stash as something quite unmatchable – and as it forms part of my personal history I thought I could afford an extra $ 9 on it…

But what a symphony of disparity there was in the Aisle today! Kits that are no better than the lowest common denominator were listed at 2 x or 3 x the price. Kits that are complex and rewarding were at lowball prices. Kits that are so weird as to attract only the desperate ( desperate to take a prize at the plastic model show…)  sat there at phenomenal prices.

I pitched upon an Italeri product to give me a Ju 52 to play with. It is wonderfully well-built and promises to be as much fun as their Douglas Dakota. I have found a captured example of it to base my build upon. And it was 2/3 of the price of similar offerings from both Italeri and other makers. I ended up – with my shop loyalty discount – paying $ 12 per engine.

The real lesson is to stop looking at the wonderful box art on the end and concentrate on the little yellow sticker that shows the price. Shop wisely and shop well.