Plastic Price Increases
Modelers Relive Gas Pump Woe

As an industry, resin sellers and buyers have been on a wild trip for the past couple of years and this has to come home to roost sooner or later among producers of the venerable plastic model kit.

One major kit producer, Hawsegawa has announced a 31% price increase across the board to dealers with their next order.

Pictured above is one of the more popular Hasegawa kits often seen in dioramas depicting German Military Forces.

One hobby shop manager, needing to start ordering, projected the other major model manufacturers won't be far behind with similar increases.

Many of these kit manufacturers are based "off shore" in countries with low-cost labor pools and the continuing low value of the US dollar to Euro continues to push up US prices.

Joe Farrell, who ran a website called www.modelairliners.com pulled the plug three months ago because sales were drying up.

He saw sales go from $3,000 per month in plastic model airliners to under $500. "There are just too many things for kids to do today. When I was growing up modeling was a big thing, now you have video games and the Internet..." we're losing a market.
Today, the cost of producing a "plastic thingy" and getting it to your modeling bench is beginning to weigh heavily on modelers who build multiple models per month.

I recently read an online editorial at www.modelersite.com very relative to the supply/demand question when it comes to plastic models.

It was written by Ken Fullalove, an Australian fellow modeler.