How Much Do Model Kits Cost?

Model kits come in a wide variety of types, sizes, and degrees of difficulty. They will give a person many hours of enjoyment and satisfaction when completed.

Model kits come in a wide range of prices. A beginner can expect to pay around $15 and the cost goes up into the hundreds of dollars depending on the quality and complexity of the model kit. The average cost of a model kit is about $25.

Building model kits is a great hobby for beginners who don’t want to spend a lot, and for hobbyist collectors who spend thousands for top level extremely detailed models kits. A beginner will not want to invest hundreds of dollars as they find out if model kit making is the right hobby for them, while someone with lots of experience will not want to spend a few dollars on a kit that will be too easy or boring. We will see what models cost and why they cost that much.

The Early Years Of Model Kits- $.59 cents!

In the early 1950s Gowland and Gowland designed the famous 1/32 scale “Highway Pioneers” line of 30 cars, which were the first mass-produced plastic automotive kits. Glaser marketed these for .69 cents through Woolworth Dime Stores and they sold well.

The first Revell-made mold was the 1953 USS Missouri, first issued in the narrow box. This kit was priced at $1.98.

Revell then introduced their first three aircraft kits: The F-94C, F7U-1 and F9F-6. These were made with limited details and omitted small parts such as landing gear.

Decals were included and the stands were simple, small and molded in the color of the aircraft.

Box art was simple with limited colors.

These were priced at .59 cents each. They were also released in a set of 3.

In 1953 Marusan introduced the 1951 Cadillac model. It was very detailed and intricate, consisting of 73 parts that were painted and plated.

More than a toy, it was an excellent scale model of this classic automobile. The model was a huge success in the American market.

The Marusan Cadillac cost between $1 and $2 dollars.

So in the 1950’s model prices ranged from under $1.00 to just a few dollars.

Model Kits in the Sixties- Still Very Cheap

The heyday of model-car kits in the United States was probably the 1960s, when the car culture of the previous decade exploded. Among the most popular plastic models in the ’60s were the AMT 3in1 kits, updated each year to represent the latest cars from the Motor City. The scale was 1:25 and the detail was typically excellent.

Suddenly, every car-crazy kid who wanted to could build a model of a 58 Corvette or ’68 Ford Mustang before they could buy the real thing.

The major model companies, including AMT, Jo-Han, Revell, Monogram, MPC, Aurora, and others, offered kits in lots of varieties for car model enthusiasts of every persuasion. Here are a couple of examples.

The 3 in1 models included a few extra parts and decals so the cars could be assembled in stock, racing, and custom versions.

Kits in the $1.49 product line often included some extras such as steerable wheels, opening doors, or battery-powered miniature lamps, as shown on this ’64 Ford Galaxie convertible.

Most Revell car kits often included many small parts and challenging assembly, for example this ’57 Chevy Bel Air.

The hood, doors, and trunk operated, and even the quarter windows were functional on the 1/25-size kit.  

As you can see the box art of these models seldom showed the actual scale model, but instead featured a photo or rendering of the full-sized vehicle.

These models provided hours of fun and entertainment for under two dollars.

Model Kits From The Seventies Until Now

Since the 1970s Japanese firms such as Hasegawa and Tamiya, started to dominate. And since the 1990s, Chinese firms such as DML, AFVCLUB  and Trumpeter also have become prevalent in the field and represent the highest level of technology.

 Brands from Russia, Central Europe,and Korea have also become prominent recently with companies like Academy Plastic Model, Revell Germany and others.

Many smaller companies have also produced plastic models, both in the past and currently.

The list of model kit manufacturers is too long to list totaling nearly two hundred companies located all over the world.

How Are Model Kits Priced?

A big factor in model kit pricing will be the number of pieces in a model kit. This can vary from a simple snap together model with 20 to 30 pieces that will have a price range of $10 to $30. They also come in all scale sizes that will make the price increase as they get larger.

Here is a list of the most popular scale sizes.

Model kits come in many variations like cars, trucks, planes, trains, motorcycles, all types of military vehicles and equipment, farm equipment– you name it and one of the nearly two hundred model companies will be building it.

This fun snap together Dodge Charger is sold for $20 to $27.

The next price range will be your skill level 2 to 5 that will have a price range of $20 to $40 dollars depending on the model and where you purchase it.

These kits can have from forty pieces up to 160 pieces.

Model airplanes prices can start as low as $10 and go up to as much as $200 and more depending on the size, number of parts and the complexity of the model.

This popular Airfix WWII Curtiss P-40B Warhawk is priced between $25 and $30.

Model ships and other large models will start from $30 and go up to nearly $1000. It depends on what type, size, number of parts and what the builders skills are.

The Heller HMS Victory has 2300 parts and costs about $350.

Depending on the type of model, your skill levels and what your budget allows you can spend between $10 and $1000 or more.

Here are a few ways that may help you keep your expenses down:

• Shop for second-hand kits : Ebay, yard sales and second-hand stores. I have purchased quite a few kits on Ebay.
• If you buy new models be sure and buy a kit that satisfies your modeling needs by doing research and reading reviews.
• Buy fewer but more complicated and better detailed models on which you’ll spend more time.
• Be patient, take your time when building so that the odds of ruining a model become a lot less.
• Happy Modeling!

Related Questions

What are model airplanes made of? Model aircraft can be made from a variety of materials, including wood, foam, metal, plastic, paper, and fiberglass. Most model aircraft hobbyists use balsa wood, card stock, and polystyrene.

How much does it cost a company to make a model kit mold? The molds to make a model kit can cost from $ 100,000 to $250,000 just to make one kind of model.

Why are Tamiya models so expensive? The main reason Tamiya models are so expensive is that they are models to be assembled with 1000’s of parts. Tamiya painstakingly replicates detail where model kit manufacturers don’t usually go to the same detail level.