To some it may seem like model kit building can be an expensive hobby. With your average model car kit costing about $25-$30, $4 for glue, a set of Testors paints at $12 and a can of spray paint of $5, not to mention a hobby knife and a few other tools it can total in the range of about $50 To $60.
Is model kit making expensive compared to other hobbies? Not really when you make comparisons. A movie and snacks can be $40 for two hours. A round of golf starts at $50 and up for 4 hours, skiing lift ticket $100. Owning a motorcycle, hunting, or fishing all involve gear and travel expenses. For a $60 investment you can enjoy working on a model for weeks.
Join me for a closer look at how expensive model building is:
How Much Have Model Kits Gone Up?
Some of us can remember growing up as kids in the 60’s and 70’s buying model kits for just a couple dollars. Glue was almost free at fifty to sixty cents. Same for some small bottles of paint with a spray can thrown in and you were still barely over a buck.
Total cost was still under five dollars and if you didn’t mind painting a few models the same color the price was even lower.
Like I stated above, and we are talking model car kits here, the same products today will run you in the neighborhood of fifty to sixty dollars.
So yes everything related to models has gone up in price a lot. Let’s do a comparison of these price increases to other price increases in our everyday life.
What We Read on Forums:
“When and why did model kits get so expensive?” “Almost everything about model making seems so expensive.” “Why are plastic models so expensive, is it just me or did model kits get really expensive recently?”
“Today’s manufacturers are pricing themselves out of the hobby.” “Kits are too expensive for kids.” “Models cost a lot more today than they used to.” “I’m on a fixed income, I can’t afford the hobby anymore.”
These questions and statements are all over the internet every where you read about models. But how true are they?
Yes, everything model related is “more expensive” than it was years ago. But then again, everything is more expensive.
The Expensive Model Kit Myth
According to one of the Consumer Price Indexes available online to me, prices in 2019 are 121.86% higher than prices in 1987. That means $20 in 1987 is equivalent to $45 today. And that $3 1987 FSM cover price is equivalent to $6.66 in today’s money. I started looking at the following before giving up:
by ModelAirplaneMaker
| Item | 1987 Price | 2019 Equivalent Price | 2019 Similar Model and Price |
| Bare Metal Foil Sheet | $3.50 | $7.77 | Same product is listed $6.75 from BMF |
| Fujimi 1/72 British Phantom | $14 | $31.06 | $23 price for a Academy F-4 at my LHS |
| Hasegawa 1/48 F-16C | $14 | $31.06 | $27-$56 for a Tamiya F-16 |
This does not prove much as, obviously, a lot of the models available in 1987 are out of production.
So then I thought I could compare the “modern equivalent” of the models listed in FSM in 1987. For example, I thought it would be possible to compare “cutting edge” models available in 1987 to those available today. Going out on a limb here – I’d say that the Tamiya 1/48 F-16 is the cutting edge these days? At least its the modern “equivalent” of the Hasegawa F-16 of 1987…right?
by ModelAirplaneMaker
So this tells us that by inflation, models today are priced pretty close to what they were in 1987. You may also want to compare the quality of a kit made in the sixties, seventies or eighties compared to today. In my experience I would have to say all aspects of the kits have improved.
What Costs Are There In Building a Model?
When you factor in the manufacturing of a model kit, the distribution system that it goes through and the final store destination, every step along the way incurs more cost to the consumer. I feel fortunate that I have a hobby I can drop $100 or less on and get so many hours of entertainment building it.
This is also from the same article posted on June 26, 2019 by ModelAirplaneMaker
In 2007 when $30 for a kit was considered expensive, the CEO of Accurate Miniatures answered questions about the model making process and there were a few explanations about why models were becoming more expensive:
“The more parts, the more cost there is to the kit.”
“…the goal is to limit the number of trees in order to reduce the cost of the kit.”
“Depending on the complexity of the kit, there may be 2 or 3 “test shots” made before the actual mass pressing of the plastic parts”
“Unfortunately, the whole process is very cost intensive. That is why the average cost of a model kit is $30.00 or higher. The mold for a new release runs between $150,000 to $200,000. We use a more expensive type of mold, made of copper barilium, in order to enhance the details and improve the quality and fit of our part.”
“Our average run of kits for a new release is around 5,000“
This was quoted from an interview in 2007 and I’m sure costs to build a model have only risen since then.
I think it would be easy to say there are some kits that are more expensive than back in the day but when you take into consideration the quality and there being so may more choices (my friends and I all built the same few kits as kids) all in all I think the modeler today is getting a pretty fair deal.
Comparing Costs
Heres a list of some costs of the sixties and seventies to compare:
1969 gasoline was .31 cents a gallon today it is 2.50 to 3.50 a gallon
In 1969, your burger cost an average of $0.16. Today $5
1968 Plymouth Roadrunner $2870. Today priceless
1970 Ford pickup $3200 To $4900. Todays price $40,000 to $80,000
1970 Median price of a home $23,600.Today $270,400
$100 in 1970 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $666.70 in 2020, a difference of $566.70 over 50 years. This is according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.
Final Thoughts
I like building models. I like the fact that I can spend from $15 to upwards of a few hundred dollars and the quality of the kit will not vary that much. A lot of hobbies that I have enjoyed over the years have priced me out of participating, but with model building I still get a lot of bang for my buck.
Happy Modeling!
Related Topics
How are plastic model kits made? Plastic models are generally produced using a process called injection molding. A model kit manufacturer will create a “tool” (two halves of steel plate that have been engraved with the shape of the kit’s parts). They will then press the two tools together and inject liquid styrene plastic into the engraving.
Want to know more about how model kits are made? Check out our post here.
Do you paint or glue models first? It’s easier to paint first, but it’s important to remember that the surfaces that get glued together should not have paint on them. So, the first step is mask, then paint. I like blue painters’ tape for this.
Read all about glueing model kits here.