Plastic model kits get boost as coronavirus shut-ins turn to

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18 Dec 2020, 7:42 am

Just came across this Chicago Tribune article from May via a hobby blog I'd not looked at before.
Since building models is a hobby I have done since the age of 5 and as an adult I have worked in hobby retail a couple times, this news is of great interest.

Quote:

Plastic model kits get boost as coronavirus shut-ins turn to old-school hobby for ‘something to do’
By Robert Channick
Chicago Tribune | May 04, 2020 at 4:17 PM
...
Revell, the 77-year-old model kit-maker that was acquired out of bankruptcy two years ago by a German investment fund, has seen a resurgence as a growing number of people stuck at home during the pandemic painstakingly piece together everything from ’60s muscle cars to “Star Wars” spaceships.

“We saw a spike in the weeks leading into the stay-at-home directives,” said Lou Aguilera, 50, president of Revell USA, based in northwest suburban Fox River Grove. “Since then, our online sales have seen significant growth from people just staying at home, looking for something to do.”

Founded in California in 1943, Revell pioneered the plastic model kit that would become a childhood staple for many baby boomers. In 1986, Revell merged with its chief rival, Morton Grove-based Monogram, making the Chicago area the center of the model kit universe.
...

https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavi ... story.html

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roronoa79
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18 Dec 2020, 8:09 am

Can confirm. Some of my housemates have taken this time to finally work on some model robots and anime characters they got.
I wonder if anybody out there is finally taking the time to build ships in bottles...

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KT67
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18 Dec 2020, 8:11 am

Does Lego count?

I got a Lego kit for my birthday.

Was too hard. I have new found respect for Lego builders.

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kitesandtrainsandcats
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18 Dec 2020, 11:53 am

roronoa79 wrote:

I wonder if anybody out there is finally taking the time to build ships in bottles...

That's a good question, would have to look that up and see if anyone has something on the web about it.
I know that model railroaders and the model rocketry folks are doing extra builds with covid time.

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kitesandtrainsandcats
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18 Dec 2020, 12:05 pm

KT67 wrote:

Does Lego count?

In my view, yes!
Lego are way cool but I gave all mine to the library for their build groups since with my health declining doing Lego and model kits both was taking more than I had available.

KT67 wrote:

I got a Lego kit for my birthday.
Was too hard. I have new found respect for Lego builders.

Aww. But yes, there are Lego builders who make impressive models, both large and small.

Here's a Lego builder I follow on Flickr;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lemon_boy/

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18 Dec 2020, 12:30 pm

Model railways have had a big surge in interest and it is rather unexpected in that it is not so much locomotives and stock that has been saught after, but it is the track, buildings and scenery that has been in short supply, especially the track where supplies of new track was at one point near zero with nearly every model railway shop being out of stock or close to being out of stock, and due to lockdown, the manufacturers had prolonged periods where they had closed their factories both here in Britain, in China and in other countries that make track.

On a model railway site, someone watched yard length Peco 00 (H0) track being sold (Not just advertized) for £80 a single yard. The most it normally sells at is around £4.50 a yard and that is considered high. Things are going crazy in this area as so many people under lockdown are building or extending their model railways.

I personally spent my time in thought but I have made some small progress. I finished building a loco from a kit and I have started on another project. Today I have ordered a few 4 wheel locomotives which I can use as donor locos for kits or partial scratchbuilds. I was told they may not get here for Christmas as our mail system is struggling. I do not mind as I fully understand that. There is no time limit for me as long as they arrive...

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kitesandtrainsandcats
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18 Dec 2020, 1:31 pm

Mountain Goat wrote:

I personally spent my time in thought but I have made some small progress. I finished building a loco from a kit and I have started on another project. Today I have ordered a few 4 wheel locomotives which I can use as donor locos for kits or partial scratchbuilds. I was told they may not get here for Christmas as our mail system is struggling. I do not mind as I fully understand that. There is no time limit for me as long as they arrive...

Cool. Will be looking forward to eventually seeing the projects which develop from them.

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18 Dec 2020, 5:40 pm

I've got a good 15-20 model kits sitting in the basement waiting for my interest to return.

I haven't built any models, worked on any diecast cars or touched any lego, but I've gotten my guitar skills back somewhat.

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18 Dec 2020, 5:43 pm

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20 Dec 2020, 6:52 pm

Yeah, I can see this being a thing during lockdown.

Sort of related: My friend has several LEGO model cars around his office. I asked if the Porsche one cost a couple hundred bucks (knowing he’s frugal and not knowing what they cost) and he told me he paid $350-400 for it, but since they stopped making it it now sell for $800-1200. Crazy, IMO (even at $400 lol) but whatever, to each their own I guess.

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21 Dec 2020, 12:37 pm

goldfish21 wrote:

Crazy, IMO (even at $400 lol) but whatever, to each their own I guess.

I have a friend who is a big LEGO collector. He told me that there are some special models that will go for thousands if they are never opened, in the box sets. He has the large Mellinum Falcon (from Star Wars) model hanging from a wire in his apartment. He paid in excess of $800 for it, but it was his trophy goal.

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21 Dec 2020, 12:45 pm

funeralxempire wrote:

I used to collect model car kits thirty years ago. Many of them were bought and carefully stored away, never to be put together. Recently I had a bit of a sticker shock when I went to a store that was selling them. I was used to buying them for $10 or less for a nice kit. They are not priced like that anymore. Most were $30-50 each. I have several original kits that dated to the 1960s and those are big $ to buy now. They came from an old Ben Franklin nickel and dime store that closed decades ago. Some of those will likely never be reproduced.

kitesandtrainsandcats
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21 Dec 2020, 1:15 pm

QuantumChemist wrote:

They came from an old Ben Franklin nickel and dime store that closed decades ago.

Ahh, Ben Franklin stores ... in the 1908s and 1990s I built a lot of freelance starship game miniatures using parts from the jewelry, bead, and craft, departments of one.

Ben Franklin, FW Woolworth, Woolco, interesting stores back in the day.
I worked for Woolworth in Kansas City, Missouri, in the 1980s and 1990s.
By that time the store didn't sell model kits and supplies.

The famous British plastic model company Airfix started off selling kits in Woolworth stores in UK,

Quote:

This ready-built tractor proved to be popular and Ferguson allowed Airfix to produce them as toys and sell them under the Airfix name. It soon became obvious that more tractors could be sold if they were cheaper, and to achieve this they sold the kits unmade with instructions. This proved to be successful, and shortly after F.W. Woolworth approached Airfix suggesting that, by using a more stable polystyrene plastic and poly bags with a card header, it would meet the Woolworth's retail price of 2 shillings. The small scale Golden Hind was launched in 1952. Woolworth's buyers then began to ask for more subjects, then soon after Airfix began to produce a wider range of polybagged model kits – the all famous Spitfire model appearing from 1953.

https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/about

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kitesandtrainsandcats
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21 Dec 2020, 1:24 pm

The model kit I'm slowly, slowly, making progress on right now comes from another early plastic model company, Lindberg, here in the US.
The kit molds were made in 1958 I think.

Okay, yes, 1958, https://fantastic-plastic.com/US%20MOON ... 20PAGE.htm

I'm only following the instructions to a certain point - the model is being science-fiction-ized a bit.
Only "a bit"???

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21 Dec 2020, 3:39 pm

I prefer underwear models vs plastic cars & rockets. :mrgreen: