As most of you know i build and sell diorama accessories and building kits. I use dental plaster for the plaster kits, but I know that sometimes, even the strongest plaster breaks in shipping...

Resin kits cost a bit more, but obviously don't have damage problems...

What are your thoughts about moving to a resin-only line of products? Beyond a minor price increase (20%), are there any other objections from the users out there? I don't want to alienate any customers, but would you view the trade off of higher prices for better detail and more strength?

well i think that in specific items i d prefere harder and better detail. But if it was for a whole building with a bigger price, maybe that 20% would rise price high enough . But for most items in the range of 0-40 $ i think that this would be wise change

Let us know what u do !!!!

Costas

Keith - other considerations are shipping and raw material shelf life.

Please note from a customer stand point I am a very price conscious buyer. I may not be the typical buyer. So take my comments as 'input'.
I would first opt for better detail. That is what would get me over strength. Plaster is very easy to fix if it does break during shipping. To me 20% is a pretty big jump, retailers try to pull people in with a 20% sale.

From a manufactuing stand point will the 20% cover added shipping costs for your bigger items? WIll the cost of carring resin and having a 'fresh' supply be covered?

I'like resin and plaster the same but I am intrested in what kind of kits you make do you have site for that?

My guess would be that it is the one Keith has in his signature banner :-)

Pawel

Call me "old school" but I prefer plaster/ceramic kits over resin. I do think that certain details i.e. window frames, balcony balustrades, doors, etc should be done in resin or photo etch to retain the extreme level of detail. I like plaster buildings because I find them easier to customize. For example, if I want o turn a perfectly good plaster house into a bombed out one, all I really need to do is use a pair of pliers and slowly chip away plaster walls here and there to get the result I am looking for. I think it would be a lot tougher to do this with resin.

As for shipping plaster kits, I have yet to receive on that was damaged in shipping. I certainly have cracked and broken many kits myself but that's only because of being clumsy.

I agree with Marty's comments above. I like working with the ceramic buildings. The shipping damage that I have experienced has been easy to repair with plain old white glue. To me, a 20% price increase is a significant increase.

Keith

Not all people see those banners. Some of us, like myself, activated the "hide banners" function and therefore are not able to see the banner.

I go with Scott's reply here... I go for detail over material.

More expensive products (+20%) should give me something more than strength alone... raising the price would mean to me there sould be something extra like extra detail or extra accessories.

...my two €urocents

If you can see it, just click on my banner... or click the link below.... it will take you to our site:

www.scalemilitary.com

As for the comments you have posted - I thank you! While resin kits do offer more detail (less granular when mixed) resin is actually lighter than dental plaster... so shipping should be the same, or cost less. On the other hand, plaster is easier to work with and modify, because Resin required tools like a dremel... and some folks may not have that.
I's still not sure which way to go....

Having bought some of Kieth's Product..... (All of which arrived Safe) The quality is great...... For the dio stiff i like the plaster better, As it's easier to make wrecked buildings from the plaster than Resin IMHO..........Smaller stuff..... the resin may be a better choice......

Keith they to me both have certain advantages and diadvantages. I like the resin for detail, but some manufatures leave a lot to be "cleaned up". I perfer for smaller details, resin is the way to go. The plaster on the otherhand is cheaper, easily fixed if broken, although I have returned a few when smashed beyond repair (very rare). Most cases they are easily worked with and I would rather deal with plaster dust when I do conversions to plaster pieces than dealing with the resin dust. The resin dust is a major factor for me, if large amounts of clean up needs to be done, or you want to do a major conversion. I have passed on many kits that have lots of large resin pieces, mostly because on examination of these competitors kits the large resin usually needs a ton of sanding to make them fit or be realistic in size. Many people don't realize the extreme danger and hazards of the resin dust. It is really BAD stuff, my wife works for the DNR Air Quality, she knows more than what is disclosed. My two cents in conclusion, small resin pieces, plaster for the large.