Classic Metal Works Blog - Poll

[SkipGear]

CMW has an iteresting poll on their blog page. Would you buy the product for the same current price if it was manufactured in the US but sold as a pre painted kit, instead of fully assembled rtr product.
http://classicmetalworks.blogspot.com/

[VGN50]

Tony,

Thanks for the heads up.  I voted "very likely" for all the right reasons.

Mark

[DKS]

I voted "very likely" for all the right reasons.

+1

[sizemore]

As I have found with the trucks, I've had to tear them down and clean the parts up for proper fit. I have no qualms with getting the vehicles already torn down for me! The whole made in the US, even better.

The S.

[sirenwerks]

Yea, the paint can be kind of thick sometimes too, and if you order them via mail there's really no alternative than to strip and recoat.

[TiVoPrince]

Running  
78% very likely.  I was anticipating closer to 60% in thhis RTR world...

[CBQ Fan]

I put a vote in for very likely!!!!!

[wm3798]

I wonder if the combining factors of increasing overseas costs/depressed employment and incomes here/people with more time on their hand will bring back the fine art of kit building again.  I hope so.

I can see better locomotives with add on detail kits
more freight car kits from more manufacturers
Less stupid prefab Woodland Scenics budget suckers.

Lee

[DKS]

Less stupid prefab Woodland Scenics budget suckers.

Hear, hear. Not to hijack the thread, but these Woodland Scenics prefabs have been putting a real dent in other businesses' sales. Been talking to some manufacturers lately who rightfully complain that the WS prefabs are about the same price as their kits, which leads modelers to ask, why should I buy a kit when I can have one that's done, fully painted and detailed, for about the same price?

[John]

which leads modelers to ask, why should I buy a kit when I can have one that's done, fully painted and detailed, for about the same price?

Hmmm ..  modeler and pre-fab seem to be an oxy  ???

[Dave V]

+2 on Very Likely.

I wish they'd also ask about what they used to do when they would put 2 different colors in the same pack.

Also, my 2 cents on the WS built-ups...  They look like someone who is just learning to detail has gotten a hold of them.  Like the train station with gobs of posters and crap.  They're not bad per se, just busy-looking.  And anachronistic.

I admit to having a built-up Atlas house on the layout (they look so delightfully plain and non-era/locale specific) as well as a set of Walthers railroad structures which, though pre-assembled, I hand painted.  Otherwise it's just so much easier to do what I want to do to a structure when it's still a kit.

For me, kits versus RTR is less about the badge of honor than about convenience (easier to paint contrasting parts on a sprue; easier to kitbash kits!) and price.

I hope we never run out of DPM kits.

[delamaize]

+2 on Very Likely.

+3 for me also. One of these days I am going to need some transision era vehicles, and I would like to see some manufacturing returning/staying in the states.

[sixpakpop]

Added my vote, too, for "Very Likely".

[wm3798]

How cool would it be if the CMW kits started with an actual auto frame!! (merge to Shapeways auto frame load topic)
Lee

[MichaelWinicki]

Hear, hear. Not to hijack the thread, but these Woodland Scenics prefabs have been putting a real dent in other businesses' sales. Been talking to some manufacturers lately who rightfully complain that the WS prefabs are about the same price as their kits, which leads modelers to ask, why should I buy a kit when I can have one that's done, fully painted and detailed, for about the same price?

Interesting point.

My own opinion is that the laser kit folks could do more/better marketing so that the end-user (and even the retail business owner) has a better idea of why laser kits are good option.  There could be some sort of list of benefits right on the packaging.  Right now it's left up to the end-user to determine their own "value" of one type of product vs the other... And I think that's a dangerous option from the perspective of the building-kit suppliers.