Model Forum / General / Models / May 2006

    That thread about what would be the next trend in modeling has stirred
some gray cells. I think there has been a trend slowly sneaking up on us
for some time.
    Remember all the comments over time about kit builders vs. kit
collectors?? I think the industry has started to take notice of this
phenomenon and adapt to it.
    es:  Hasegawa re-releasing the same mold time after time with different
decals and maybe a small bit of resin. Pretty soon you have a half dozen
of essentially the same kit sitting on the shelf. I wonder how many of
the duplications actually get built. I believe this is marketing
essentially slanted toward the kit collector.
    Then there is the Eduard outfit. I think they are taking the trend to
catering to the kit collector to a whole new level with their recent
releases on the Fokker D.7 and Albatross D.5. Multiple kits in the same
box with different decals and now the "Royal Series" with all three
variants of the D.7 in one box along with that resin fuel cart and the
cast brass Blue Max. This looks to me more and more like marketing aimed
at the kit collector rather than the kit builder.
    Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining as this simply means more
options for us builders. If there are any complaints it might come from
the aftermarket decal companies!  :-)

                        Bill Shuey