Hey everyone, I have just been reading throughout a bunch of threads and one thing strikes me as funny. There seems to be a lot of complaining when companies release different versions of a vehicle that had or have very little difference as two kits. I don't get this at all. If you are going to eventually buy two kits to model two vehicles, who cares if kits are slightly different? Why should you be able to by six copies of one kit to build six different versions? If a kit is engineered right from the beginning very there should be very few parts not used in each new version. I don't see it as a benefit when a new kit has almost enough parts to build a second kit. That's just wasteful and is a poor business practice. Just my two cents.
Regards,
Eric
Hosted by Darren Baker
Multiple versions equals multiple kits?
WXerock
#450
Joined: July 19, 2015
KitMaker: 672 posts
Armorama: 668 posts
Posted: Friday, September 16, 2016 - 05:20 AM UTC
retiredyank
Joined: June 29, 2009
KitMaker: 11,610 posts
Armorama: 7,843 posts
Posted: Friday, September 16, 2016 - 06:44 AM UTC
May I introduce you to Dragon.? 
WXerock
#450
Joined: July 19, 2015
KitMaker: 672 posts
Armorama: 668 posts
Posted: Friday, September 16, 2016 - 07:08 AM UTC
Matt, that is exactly the company I was thinking about! The current thread is about the ADV Club M60A3. I'd like one, but will be really interested in an M60A1 with the reactive armor. I'll never get around to buying one because I am keeping my stash manageable. I don't want to have my kids discarding hundreds of useless kits when I'm gone.
Regards,
Eric
Regards,
Eric
Bravo1102
Joined: December 08, 2003
KitMaker: 2,864 posts
Armorama: 2,497 posts
Posted: Friday, September 16, 2016 - 11:49 AM UTC
As a M60A3 tanker I am almost ready to do almost every tank I ever crewed. You see some of us know that each tank has its own little idiosyncrasies. That M60A3 has the two piece barrel cover, that one has filled cheeks and no skirts over the turret ring.
Give me a line up of tanks and there are differences between each and every one. Just ask the German guys about how many varieties there are of Tiger I within the three production variants, or Fisher hulled Shermans versus Chrysler and so on. Those are well known and documented unlike the variations of M60s.
And did you know there are about at least three to four varieties of M60A1 with ERA? Inert versus live tiles, filled or cast cheek fillets, steel or aluminum road wheels, armored versus unarmored air cleaners. That's a lot of extra parts in the box to cover all that.
Give me a line up of tanks and there are differences between each and every one. Just ask the German guys about how many varieties there are of Tiger I within the three production variants, or Fisher hulled Shermans versus Chrysler and so on. Those are well known and documented unlike the variations of M60s.
And did you know there are about at least three to four varieties of M60A1 with ERA? Inert versus live tiles, filled or cast cheek fillets, steel or aluminum road wheels, armored versus unarmored air cleaners. That's a lot of extra parts in the box to cover all that.
varanusk
Managing Editor
Joined: July 04, 2013
KitMaker: 1,288 posts
Armorama: 942 posts
Posted: Friday, September 16, 2016 - 12:31 PM UTC
Eric, I absolutely agree. What's the problem in having 3 slightly different kits and get the exact version I want? Why would I need parts for other versions in the box?
C_JACQUEMONT
Joined: October 09, 2004
KitMaker: 2,433 posts
Armorama: 2,325 posts
Posted: Friday, September 16, 2016 - 12:36 PM UTC
It's good for the business (manufacturers, importers, distributors), maybe not so good for the modellers (at least most of them). Don't look further for the reason.
I would be interested to hear the retailer's point of view on that issue, must not be so great for them either but i may be wrong.
Cheers,
Christophe
I would be interested to hear the retailer's point of view on that issue, must not be so great for them either but i may be wrong.
Cheers,
Christophe
Bravo1102
Joined: December 08, 2003
KitMaker: 2,864 posts
Armorama: 2,497 posts
Posted: Friday, September 16, 2016 - 02:31 PM UTC
Quoted Text
It's good for the business (manufacturers, importers, distributors), maybe not so good for the modellers (at least most of them). Don't look further for the reason.
I would be interested to hear the retailer's point of view on that issue, must not be so great for them either but i may be wrong.
Cheers,
Christophe
Think about it this, why are model airplanes often re-released with identical plastic but just a different decal sheets? The same has been done with car kits for 50 years.
One or two new parts for every model year and buyers have been going crazy getting each one, each succeeding year or style change, forever, whether in scale or for real.
Why does someone need to wait online for days to get a new electronic gadget that has little to nothing to offer over what they already have?
It's all the same principles of human behavior.
barkingdigger
Associate Editor
#013
Joined: June 20, 2008
KitMaker: 3,981 posts
Armorama: 3,403 posts
Posted: Friday, September 16, 2016 - 08:31 PM UTC
Quoted Text
If a kit is engineered right from the beginning very there should be very few parts not used in each new version. I don't see it as a benefit when a new kit has almost enough parts to build a second kit. That's just wasteful and is a poor business practice.
True, it can be wasteful for the manufacturer, but a blessing for us modellers! That new IDF Magach 1/2, with some borrowed extras, is giving me two full tanks plus enough spares to seriously raise the bar on a third (Tamiya-based) M48 build!
The reason the mfgrs do it is to reuse the costly moulds they've already got without needing to spend extra to have more cut. DML drops a whole MG sprue from their M2 halftrack into the M48 box, just for the handful of OVM tools (shovel, hammer, axe etc) needed on the M48 because it is far cheaper to run the existing moulds and waste the shipping of extra plastic, instead of them paying big bucks to have a new mould cut just for those few tools. Us modellers get to add all those surplus MGs to our spares box - mine will upgrade an old M3 scout car - so it's a win-win situation.
DocEvan
Joined: August 09, 2014
KitMaker: 180 posts
Armorama: 180 posts
Posted: Friday, September 16, 2016 - 09:02 PM UTC
The ability to make multiple versions of a vehicle from a single starting kit allows the model companies to stay in business. new tooling cost around $250,000, so by modifying a few parts to make the Mk 2 garbanzo different from the Mk 1A, so can economically sell another 20-50,000 kits.
This is why the car model mfrs have, say, a sedan version, a convertible and a stock car or dragster pulled out of a single investment.
This is why the car model mfrs have, say, a sedan version, a convertible and a stock car or dragster pulled out of a single investment.
Quoted Text
Hey everyone, I have just been reading throughout a bunch of threads and one thing strikes me as funny. There seems to be a lot of complaining when companies release different versions of a vehicle that had or have very little difference as two kits. I don't get this at all. If you are going to eventually buy two kits to model two vehicles, who cares if kits are slightly different? Why should you be able to by six copies of one kit to build six different versions? If a kit is engineered right from the beginning very there should be very few parts not used in each new version. I don't see it as a benefit when a new kit has almost enough parts to build a second kit. That's just wasteful and is a poor business practice. Just my two cents.
Regards,
Eric
WXerock
#450
Joined: July 19, 2015
KitMaker: 672 posts
Armorama: 668 posts
Posted: Friday, September 16, 2016 - 11:03 PM UTC
Stephen, I had no idea there that many versions of the M60 with ERA. That's why I come here! I can spot many changes when looking at HMMWV's. I have seen very few photos online of the M60 with ERA. I am driven more by the look of it than anything else. I am concentrating more on building the most interesting looking version I can find right now. I hope I didn't ruffle any feathers with this post. I am all for a company dropping a small sprue into a kit that has their best M2HB that can be used on many modern vehicles. That makes sense. Academy has a beautiful example of one in their M1151. On the other hand including a sprue with 30 parts on it for 3 usable parts doesn't. Again, that's just my opinion. And I'm sure you all know that opinions are like ___holes, everybody has one! Thanks for the debate everyone.
Regards,
Eric
Regards,
Eric
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