Model Forum / General / Models / April 2004

Somehow, I doubt that. Its cheaper for me to order an Italeri kit in a
Tamiya box from HLJ than it is to buy it locally (this includes
inefficient shipping and 19% sales tax collected by customs on both
the kits and the shipping). The plastic gets shipped half way accross
the world and back, and its still cheaper than directly from Itali and
wherever it is in Eastern Europe that the actual factory is (on this
scale, both locations are just around the corner from the
Netherlands). The key is greed, not distance.

Rob

Here's something moronic for you to hear:

Tamiya has a manufacturing plant here on my island. But they don't sell it
to the local dealers. They ship it to Japan. After that, when our local
store orders some models from Tamiya it gets sent back here to the dealer. I
found it hard to believe myself but that's what everyone told me.

Other factors would include the number of pairs of hands the kit passes
through (all of whom are trying to make a living), and the associated cost
base in the countries where it is being handled.

What I do like about the Japanese kits is that now they print the price in
Yen on the ends of the box. The number (usually in the high hundreds or low
thousands) next to the kit number on Hasegawa or Fujimi boxes, or item
number on Tamiya boxes in what the recommended price would be in Japan.
According to www.xe.com, 1000 yen =~$9.05US and =~£5.09UK.
Therefore the A-3 Skywarrior at 3300 yen is ~$29.85US or ~£16.78UK. Assuming
you can get that exchange rate.

     Jon.