Hi there,
anyone intererested in a campaign dedicated to the cheap side of modelling?
Any big scale kit less than 20USD/Can/Aus, 15€ or 12GBP would qualifiy. I woundn´t be too picky (meaning 21,47$ would work aswell), but I guess you got the idea...

There are a lot of choices out there, not necesairly old and horrible kits

I´m open for timeframes and other suggestions... so far I don't see any reason why usual campaign rules shouldn't apply...

Cheap is GOOD - but you probably need to contrive some guidelines.

For instance, how do we separate out the norm cheaper kits = older, "lesser brand" stuff - which are cheap about everywhere, from the occasional "win" with a modern, usually-higher-priced kit obtained at a fire-sale price?

On the one side, a nice new Bronco Marder II kit I just "won" at a store sale for 18.50 USD would count as a "cheap" kit if we're talking 20.00 USD as a limit... but it starts out as one heck of a great build potential compared to some old AER or other dino that may have set one back 15.00. Both qualify by cost but one gets a much better result for near the same money!

Great, newer kits do sometimes appear at very low prices - I've almost never spent anything near "MSRP" on a kit - and I've collected a lot of recent armor...

And where does the AM stuff fall into this? Maybe IF you can put forth some "device" or limit, say "it's 20.00 max whatever you can get into the kit for that much counts" - "and NO "freebie extras" from the spare parts bins, either", it may help focus this on CHEAPER kits = CHEAPER builds.

IF you are in fact looking for a low-cost build campaign, another approach would be to make it a brand-limited thing, like a "Bronco Only" campaign, only selected for the stuff which is usually back-shelf and cheap... An "old east-bloc brands campaign" or some such might work for this.

Just thinking of some guidelines that might make this a modestly-leveled field!

I'd be interested in a possible campaign built around how much you can build for (an honest, no snuck-in extra freebies) 20.00, or some such TOTAL EXPENDITURE limit.

Bob

I like the $20-$25 max idea, could force people to think outside the box, no pun intended. The price should be for the construction only, paint would obviously not be included.
I think it could be a blast!
Eric.

Hi Fabian,

I sometimes get burned-out on building the pricier 400+ parts kits and that's when I take a break and resort to simpler and "cheaper" kits. They may or may not have comparable detail but for the most part, they go together quickly and it's always fun to see what I can achieve with paint. In turn, this keeps me motivated.

This sounds like it could be a fun campaign once you get the rules nailed down, one of which might state MSRP $25 maximum as a baseline, since retailers generally mark items down. IMHO.

—mike

Thanks for the imput so far...
I can see you point here, Bob... but where to draw a line?
With a certain amount of luck you could get almsot every kit beeing suitable for this campaign... but that dosn´t neccesarily make a good model. Deaaling with tiny PE (as the tiny lugs that go around the upper half of the Bronco Marder) can be as frustrating as filling a certain missfit.

I wouldn´t be too specific on brand either, although I like the "old kits from the east" idea aswell, what a pitty I got rid of all those kits...
so all in all I´d favor:
Kit(s)+ extras = equal or less than 25$
I think you can feel free to empty your Spare box, as you alreday paid for them somewhere else

Eric, of course paint and finishing products should be excluded, simply for the reason that it´s pretty unpractical ceeping track of what you´ve ammount of money you´ve sprayed or brushed on the model... also no need to calculate the money you´ve spend by using the light on your workspace

Fabian,

I think it's a great idea although you won't get much for £12 is not much in the uk these days.

Paul

You´re right Paul, forgot about that, been recently in the UK, prices in hobby shops were like they the took the prices i´m used to in Germany, crossed out the € and replaced it with a £... while Eur/GBP conversion is like 1:1,2 (if I got that right)...
As we exeded it alredy to about 25$, I´m fine with 20EUR/GBP...

Fabian, that gives me about $36 canuck to play with, which is plenty. I think the idea of "what can you find for X amount" is fun, and will help with newer modellers as it creates a bit of a levee; playing field. Im 100% on board if this can get going!

Here's inspiration. A couple of $5 swap-meet purchases!

Sounds interesting. Can't wait to find out whether thesis based on actual price or MSRP. Another variable is difference in price from initial issues vs current issue... Some kits have been around for a really long time.

My mind is churning... Lots of potential projects!

PRH001

i'm in lol

I'd be in on this campaign. In fact I bought (I still have to pay the guy but I just found out his address to send a money order to today) a TKS tankette for $7.50 not including shipping.

I think that if the campaign were to go by MSRP, then it would really hamper the number of kits that we could use. It's easy to find a kit that retails under $20-$25, yes. You could build much of the Revell selection as many of their products (especially their cars) cost less that $25 (a lot of their cars cost about $18.) I recently started working on a DML M4A1 Sherman that I bought for $18. I wouldn't be able to use it in this campaign if we went by MSRP (aside from the fact that I started it) because the MSRP is much more than $18. You can easily find high quality kits for under $25 if you. I bought a Tasca Luchs for $12 (was only missing the instructions ). So I do believe this should go by the price the campaignee bought the kit for plus any AM not to exceed a total of $20 to $25 (on a side note I also believe the limit should be $25 as I also believe $20 to be a bit limiting as well.) Also, will this campaign be general and open to all forums or just dealing with armor?

Count me in. I've got a couple of applicable kits set to order tomorrow. I like having a few cheap kits on hand as something to build on a rainy day...or when I just need a break.

How do you want to handle verifying cost? Pic of the receipt?

Alright... 25USD/20€ seems to be the deal, with the price you actually paid for.
@Alex: I think we can handle this without recipt, a quite amount of kits suitable for this campaing will be sales from modeller to modeller, which aren´t that often giving out recipts

Nice Gepard Nick, that is the build I was looking for, simple, but a blast.

I spent a couple of hours last night trawling ebay and I was suprised how much was on there so cheap!

I have fallen way behind with all my campaign builds and have no wright to commit to another one but I did just to a quick search of Scalehobbyist web site and I do have a few kits in the stash that they have listed for under $25.
For those of you who don't it you can sort on there website by price
https://www.scalehobbyist.com

OK.

Just a little more clarification:

Looks like it's to be $25 USD as the upper limit and as "whatever you paid for the kit - no receipt needed".

I'm good with that.

Where does the kit shipping fall in? Where does the AM stuff fall in? Does a $18 USD tank kit plus 10 for shipping it plus 39 for AM tracks shipped plus maybe 18 for that nice PE kit shipped plus another 20 for the cool metal barrel shipped count? The "Cheap kit" (really thought we were sneaking into doing a cheap BUILD, but...) may be a $115 USD "kit", not including that admittedly difficult-to-estimate paints/fillers/pigments, etc cost!
m:-)

I'm good either way (although I am actually pretty "sent" by the idea of doing a total kit/shipping/AM stuff build, up to the painting, for less than $25) as I have many kits I have paid less than 25 for - and they include such plebian things as Tasca Luchs kits and CyberHobby white boxes (hey! does FREE count? I have a CH wb kit a guy sent me by mistake and he said just keep it... ), along with the perhaps more-expected-to-be-cheaper older and lesser stuff.

My point, here is, IF indeed the cost of the accessories and the extras and the shipping "don't figure" into the "kit cost limit", we're all good to go with almost anything we didn't pay "MSRP" for - and this becomes a "just pull almost any kit from the pile and have at it with whatever you want to add!" campaign! That's OK by me - but does become sort of "so what's the point in this campaign?"

Hey. This begins to sound like a GOV CONTRACT! "We'll build that new sub for... 386.5 million. Promise!" Followed by about 2.5 Billion more for "after-design updates and corrections", "incorporation of newest technology", "change of OEM component suppliers - their new costs "can't be helped, SORRY!"" and all the other cost-over-runs we all find out about after the fact!

Again, I'm not carping- just looking for some clarification! I am always looking for excuses to pull another kit down - whatever it is - and starting up another campaign (it's the completing on time part which gets me... but that's just a minor detail! )

Bob

I say $25 covers it all up to the paint, simple. What ever deal you can score for that is what you go with. Im factoring a bit of evergreen stock and a kit myself.
Eric.

That's exactly where and what I hope we get to, Eric!

Bob

I hope this campaign gets off the ground ... or in the case of armor ... moves forward!

—mike

Fabian,
No problem on the receipt thing.

I just got a nice deal on a SA-9 Gaskin for $14...with a figure set....so I'm in.

Lots of Cyberhobby kits ou there under $25

Wondering if this campaign is gaining any steam...

Sorry, I´ve been quite busy in the last few days... but I´m trying to put more coal in the oven

I think Eric nailed it: "I say $25 covers it all up to the paint, simple. What ever deal you can score for that is what you go with"



So I´d come up with that:
Whatever kit you can find for less than 25$, 20€, 20£ or a simmilar ammount of your favourite currency, can take part.

You´re allowed to use some spares, plasic card and evergreen, same as what you need for scartching (which is highly encuraged)
All your paints and weathering solutions can be used, without calculating them in.

Usual campaign rules apply:
one award per person, kit must be less than 10% started on the first day, at least a photo of the unstarted kit and 3 in-progress in the campaign therad, one completed in the gallery...


You´re fine with that?
I think we have to exclude figures only, and anything smaller than 1:48, simply for the reason that it isn´t that hard getting a kit retailing below our limits... or is there some interrest here, that we have to set an extra limit for that kind of builds? I´m quite longe gone out of the small scale business...

Howdy Y'all
Sounds like a great idea to me!
I think this is a great way to share ideas and finds to show what's still out there for economy-minded builders. I rarely spend more than that for a kit, I pick them up at Squadron sales, swap meets or EBay. I also pick up metal barrels for less than $6 or $7, I hate working on plastic barrel seams. I've even picked up aftermarket tracks and PE for less than $10.
Count me in, I've got a ton of stuff to build.
Take care,
Don "Lakota"

That sounds perfect to me.

Paul