I have recently returned to the US after a 6 year European posting (non-military). Whilst I was used to high model prices there (what with the VAT and lack of competition), I was shocked by US prices. What happened?. It seems the average price of a good armour model is aroud $35? Am I misinformed or what? After adding all the after market? stuff a model sky rockets to around $75 - $100 (individual tracks being the main cost). At this rate I may completely abandon armor modeling and stick to my other passion wooden ship models which for a "few" dollars offer a really challenging experience.
PS - - I love Michaels art supply stores....what a treasure

look on the internet for discount hobby shops. You can usually get the cost of a first rate kit for under$30 and depending on what type of aftermarket individual links as low as $15 for those. A lot of the kits are givng you an option on the individual links as well such as DML and Academy kits. Those wooden ship kits are grand and they are definitely OHHH WOWIE if done up rght. But those will cost $150 to $200. You can get three or 4 good armor kits with some goodies for less than that. Check out greatmodels.com or discountmodels.com